At the limits of Chicago's sphere of influence to the east and the monotonous horizons of the Central Great Plains to the west, the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, which is the capital of Minnesota (273,535 inhabitants in 2006), have deployed a fierce energy to develop more one than the other. The two agglomerations (3.17 million inhabitants) were born, in the middle of the 19th century, from an almost exclusively "Nordic" colonization. Saint Paul derives its nickname "German city" from the importance of German immigration (direct Bremen-Saint Paul tickets were sold in Bremen around 1870), which strongly influenced the architecture of the old city, now imprisoned in an impressive network of bridges and motorways. Saint Paul is endowed with dynamic food industries, linked to the hinterland (breweries, flour mills), to which are added the work of wood and paper (publishing houses, printing plants), petrochemicals, whose raw materials are transported by the Mississippi, and computer equipment and software. The two US cities of St Paul and Minneapolis are nicknamed the "twin cities". Separated only by the Mississippi, the two cities form almost a single agglomeration where it is pleasant to live. Minnesota, the state where St. Louis is located. St. Paul and Minneapolis, has four distinct seasons that allow you to vary your leisure activities throughout the year. Along the Mississippi River, these two cities in the United States are very active in the commercial and industrial sectors. St Paul is considered the cultural center of Minnesota, are slogan "Where Goodness Inspires Greatness" takes all its meaning when visiting its various churches and when one looks back on the past of the city.