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Minneapolis and St. Paul have competed for attention ever since they were founded, sometimes resulting in a fair amount of duplication of effort (both have major league sports teams, and each city lays claim to part of the [[University of Minnesota Twin Cities|main campus of the University of Minnesota]]). The two cities have sometimes tried to outdo one another by building bigger or more extravagantly. While old rivalries have largely faded into the past, new sparring matches occasionally begin.
==Culture==
The Twin Cities area is considered a capital for the arts in the [[Upper Midwest]], the lead region among others such as the [[Twin Ports]] ([[Duluth, Minnesota]]-[[Superior, Wisconsin]]), [[Madison, Wisconsin]] and [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]. There is a very high per-capita attendance of [[theatre|theatrical]], [[music]]al, and [[comedy]] events across the area, which some believe may be boosted by the cold [[winter]]s and early darkness that accompanies the season. Musicians from all genres have gained notoriety over the years, with the singing [[Andrews Sisters]] gaining worldwide prominence during [[World War II]], to the rise of [[punk music|punk]] rockers [[Hüsker Dü]] and the [[rhythm and blues]] stylings of [[Prince (artist)|Prince]] in the [[1980s]], and modern artists like the [[hip-hop]] group [[Atmosphere (hip hop crew)|Atmosphere]].
Minnesota and Wisconsin have also contributed significantly to comedy in its many different forms. [[Ole and Lena]] [[joke]]s can't be fully appreciated unless delivered in the sing-songy accent of [[Scandinavia]]n-Americans, and [[Garrison Keillor]] is known around the country for resurrecting the old-style [[radio comedy]] with ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]''. Local [[television]] had the [[satire|satirical]] show ''[[The Bedtime Nooz]]'' in the [[1960s]], while area natives [[Lizz Winstead]] and [[Craig Kilborn]] helped create the increasingly influential ''[[The Daily Show|Daily Show]]'' decades later. [[Joel and Ethan Coen]] have produced many influential [[film]]s featuring [[dark comedy]], and numerous others brought the offbeat [[cult television|cult shows]] ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' and ''[[Let's Bowl]]'' to the national [[cable television|cable]]-waves from the Twin Cities.
All of this probably helps to explain the quirky [[politics]] of Minnesota, where feather-boaed [[professional wrestling|wrestlers]] become [[Governor of Minnesota|governor]]s ([[Jesse Ventura]]), hyperactive [[professor]]s turn into [[United States Senate|senators]] ([[Paul Wellstone]]), and [[pajamas|pajama]]-wearing [[protester]]s become [[mayor]]s ([[R.T. Rybak]]).
There are a number of [[lake]]s in the region, and cities in the area have some very extensive [[park]] systems for [[recreation]]. Some studies have shown that area residents take advantage of this, and are among the most physically-fit in the country, though others have disputed that. Nonetheless, [[medicine]] is a major industry in the region and the southeasterly city of Rochester, as the [[University of Minnesota Twin Cities|University of Minnesota]] has joined other [[college]]s and [[hospital]]s in doing significant research, and major [[medical device]] manufacturers started in the region (the most prominent is [[Medtronic]]). Technical innovators have brought important advances in [[computing]], including the [[Cray]] line of [[supercomputers]].
[[U.S. cities with teams from four major sports|Four major-league professional sports teams]] make their home in Minneapolis-St. Paul: the [[Minnesota Twins]] ([[1961]]–present, named after the Twin Cities), [[Minnesota Vikings]] ([[1961]]–present, named in honor of the [[Scandinavia]]n heritage of the area), [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] ([[1989]]–present) and [[Minnesota Wild]] ([[2000]]–present) (the latter two teams are named for Minnesota's northern wilderness, among the last truly wild places left in the world). Some other sports teams gained their names from being in Minnesota. The [[Los Angeles Lakers]] get their name from once being based in Minneapolis, the "City of Lakes" (Minnesota is also known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"). The [[Dallas Stars]] got their name from being a Minnesota team, the North Stars, as Minnesota is also known as "The [[North Star]] State".▼
==History==
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A variety of rail services are currently being pondered by state and local governments, including neighborhood streetcar systems, intercity light rail service, and [[commuter rail]] options out to [[exurb]]an communities. In addition, Minnesota is one of several states in the Midwest examining the idea of setting up [[high-speed rail]] service using Chicago as a regional hub.
▲[[U.S. cities with teams from four major sports|Four major-league professional sports teams]] make their home in Minneapolis-St. Paul: the [[Minnesota Twins]] ([[1961]]–present, named after the Twin Cities), [[Minnesota Vikings]] ([[1961]]–present, named in honor of the [[Scandinavia]]n heritage of the area), [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] ([[1989]]–present) and [[Minnesota Wild]] ([[2000]]–present) (the latter two teams are named for Minnesota's northern wilderness, among the last truly wild places left in the world). Some other sports teams gained their names from being in Minnesota. The [[Los Angeles Lakers]] get their name from once being based in Minneapolis, the "City of Lakes" (Minnesota is also known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"). The [[Dallas Stars]] got their name from being a Minnesota team, the North Stars, as Minnesota is also known as "The [[North Star]] State".
==Media==
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