Twins
Here are a few of the impressions I have gathered about the contrasting characteristics of these twin cities.
Minneapolis: Gotta get to work on time! St. Paul: I’m late for work but it’s no big deal.
One antique dealer I talked with characterized the different vibes in the two cities this way. Minneapolis: black shoes, black suit, silk tie. St. Paul: brown shoes, corduroy sports jacket (with elbow patches), wool tie.
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Minneapolis |
St. Paul |
| Population | 407,000 | 297,000 |
| Original dominant ethnicity | Scandanavian | Irish |
| Original dominant religion | Lutheran | Catholic |
| Vibe | Business | Academic |
As noted elsewhere, Katharyn has formed the impression that St. Paul is more interested in preserving its history, in the form of historical buildings, than Minneapolis is.
These twins may be more fraternal than identical.
Not an Easterner. Moved here from Colorado. Shortly after the move the CEO of Burlington Northern (it was still headquartered in St. Paul) said that Mpls was a Western city & St. Paul was an Eastern city. Missing Colorado at the time I sort of appreciated what he was getting at. All the same I have only lived in at. Paul. Any thoughts about that characterization?
Hi Bart, I can’t really comment about Western cities… I have only lived in California in the West, Berkeley & Oakland to be exact. California is a bit of a special case, and the Bay Area more so, and Berkeley still further more.
I would have said Minneapolis feels more Eastern; more hustle, more go-go than St. Paul. As I left Berkeley for the East many years ago, in my 20s, I recall having taken to heart the words of a then-columnist in the San Francisco Chronicle — it might have been Jon Carroll. He characterized the East as the place where “tough and smart means tough and smart.”
How did it seem to you that Minneapolis had a Western flavor?