Yahoo! Twin Cities Info Desk

Yahoo! Twin Cities

Information Desk

19 May 1997

Welcome to Yahoo! Twin Cities, your guide to Minnesota's top towns: Minneapolis and St. Paul. The aptly named Twin Cities, like any two siblings, enjoy a complex relationship: camaraderie and competition; pride and protectiveness. And Minnesotans themselves are a complex bunch--much more than the popular image of "simple, nice folks." We hope that, as Yahoo! Twin Cities blossoms and grows, it will reflect both sides of Minnesota, the simple and the sophisticated.

With more than two-and-a-half million inhabitants, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area is alive with activity. Here is a brief sampling of some of the many things you'll find here:

Whether it's the latest local story or breaking national news, Headline News has it. We give you Reuters newsfeeds and local stories supplied by Channel 4000. On the print side, Yahoo! Twin Cities will point to you to a rackful of newspapers, such as the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Planet. Of course, if you want to catch up with news from Outstate (the area of Minnesota outside the Twin Cities), you'll find plenty of small-town stories in The Brainerd Daily Dispatch.

Despite the fact that more than half of all Minnesotans live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, Outstate is a big part of life in the Twin Cities. Among other things, the area is home to many of the Twin Cities' college students. And Outstate is where you'll find resources such as Getaways, Outdoor Minnesota, and Statewide Events, to name just a few.

Twin Citizens can also stay close to home to have fun. Each summer, Minneapolis hosts The Aquatennial Festival, billed as the city's "largest and most entertaining summer celebration." Look forward to 10 days of fireworks, parades, sporting events, and the ever-popular milk-carton boat races. Each winter brings the St. Paul Winter Carnival to town, complete with ice sculptures, mini-golf (in the snow!), cultural celebrations, and, why yes, more parades.

If you're looking for other events or you just want to generate some body heat by rooting for the home team, your ticket is waiting at the gate. Between the Twins, Timberwolves, and Vikings, you'll have year-round opportunities to attend major-league sporting events. Not to mention the excitement of the University of Minnesota's Golden Gophers.

Of course, there's more to life than sports and festivals. There are the innumerable little things that make life worth living, like rollerblades, caramel apples, Post-It notes, Cheerios, toasters, and, mmmmm, mini-donuts. All of these delights were invented in or around the Twin Cities, and if you're in the market for 'em, we've got the links ready for you. Mall of America, located 10 miles from downtown, is the country's largest fully enclosed shopping and entertainment center. If you can't find it there, check the Yellow Pages. Search for specific stores, or browse listings by category. Also, try Yahoo! Classifieds. You can buy or sell items such as autos, computers, and real estate--and best of all, listings are free!

As befitting a metropolitan area where the average temperature in January is 11.8 degrees, Minneapolis-St. Paul keeps close track of the climate. Now, there's no need to step outside of cyberspace to gauge the local weather. Yahoo! provides temperature and precipitation predictions updated daily. For netizens interested in following a different kind of coolness, we'll help you track the latest and greatest local websites.

Whether it's cold nights or cool sites, there's plenty to talk about with the arrival of Yahoo! Twin Cities. It's not just about Minneapolis-St. Paul, it's the skyway to the skating rink, from Kirby Puckett to the Coen Brothers, from uff da to snizzle, from the message boards to the chat rooms, it's all yours, Minnesota. Enjoy!

All the best,

The Twin Cities Chief Yahoo!