Introduction St. Paul and Minneapolis—the Twin Cities—form the center of a dynamic metropolitan area of some 3.5 million outdoor-loving, cold-tolerant people. In spite of what the nickname implies, the two cities are more like fraternal twins, nurtured by the same mother--the Mississippi River--but growing independently. St. Paul is the quiet, responsible older sister,
Population (2010) 13,590 Introduction Brainerd is at the center of a vast resort area that spreads out around the city. I confess I have mixed feelings about Brainerd, and not just because this was the place where I dropped my smartphone into the toilet. While the city has an interesting
Population (2010) 51,320 Introduction I’m not the least bit objective about La Crosse, and I won’t pretend to be. I went to college at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and feel in love with the city and the region. It's the place where I learned how to live and
Population (2010) 16,459 Introduction A popular destination for daytrippers from the Twin Cities, Red Wing is a good place to use as a base to explore the surrounding area; stick around for a few days. Visitor Information Get your questions answered at the Red Wing
Population (2010) 2,521 Introduction Known for bald eagles and the Grumpy Old Men movies, Wabasha is a pleasant river town and an enjoyable place to kick back and watch the world float by. Wabasha is also among the few towns where the riverfront is undisturbed by railroad tracks, so
Population (2010) 3,429 Introduction The oldest city in northern Illinois, Galena was more populous than Chicago at one time and has the infrastructure for a city three times its current population. It has a compact center of well-preserved 19th-century commercial buildings tucked into a narrow river valley; terraces race
