Twin Cities

Picture of the Twin Cities skyline with MSP written across it.

blue

Get smarter, faster on what matters in Twin Cities with Nick Halter, Torey Van Oot, and Kyle Stokes.

Axios Twin Cities

Standard

Twin Cities Members

Membership

Axios Twin Cities Partners

Axios Twin Cities Weekender

Weekender

Twin Cities Alerts

Alert

Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporters Nick Halter, Audrey Kennedy and Torey Van Oot.

Axios Twin Cities Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Axios Twin Cities Deep Dive

Deep Dive

Operation Metro Surge split national perceptions of Minnesota: survey

Younger people have a more favorable view of the state; older people have soured on it

News

Last winter&#x27;s local response to the federal government&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Operation Metro Surge" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/15/twin-cities-occupied-by-federal-agents-turmoil" data-vars-content-id="dd5beff2-aa00-4469-b173-d600c46745b0" data-vars-headline="Operation Metro Surge split national perceptions of Minnesota: survey" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/15/twin-cities-occupied-by-federal-agents-turmoil" target="_self">Operation Metro Surge</a> polarized the national perception of Minnesota, with younger people viewing the state more positively and older generations turned off by what they saw here. Why it matters: Months of federal immigration raids and resistance by Minnesotans put the state in the national spotlight, prompting business leaders to wonder how the attention would affect tourism, investment and the state&#x27;s reputation.The Minnesota Business Partnership commissioned Morning Consult polls to find out.<ul><li>The overall answer: 26% of people in a June Morning Consult poll of 2,000 Americans said they had a more favorable opinion of Minnesota compared with a year earlier and 34% said their view was more negative. </li></ul>

Twin Cities weekend guide: Yacht Club festival, Aquatennial, Minnehaha Falls Art Fair and more

Organizers expect more than 35,000 concertgoers daily in downtown St. Paul.

Things to Do

Harriet Island Regional Park becomes a millennial music heaven this weekend as the three-day Minnesota Yacht Club festival docks on the St. Paul riverfront.Why it matters: Organizers expect around 35,000 concertgoers on the riverfront each night, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the Pioneer Press reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.twincities.com/2026/07/15/minnesota-yacht-club-festival-what-to-know/" data-vars-content-id="8e20c97a-a483-4659-9367-6121d6d4a926" data-vars-headline="Twin Cities weekend guide: Yacht Club festival, Aquatennial, Minnehaha Falls Art Fair and more" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.twincities.com/2026/07/15/minnesota-yacht-club-festival-what-to-know/" target="_blank">the Pioneer Press reports</a>.

Boundary Waters fires could burn for months

The northeast Minnesota fires have led to evacuations and unhealthy air.

The wildfires burning in northeast Minnesota are so hot and intense that experts say they might linger until snow falls. Why it matters: The fires have shut down the popular <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/01/27/bwca-trip-planning-guide-boundary-waters-minnesota" data-vars-content-id="9382e68a-f3a8-4b21-8484-af42cf336e80" data-vars-headline="Boundary Waters fires could burn for months" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/01/27/bwca-trip-planning-guide-boundary-waters-minnesota" target="_self">Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness</a>.<ul><li>They&#x27;ve also prompted evacuation orders in the Arrowhead and have blanketed the state in unhealthy smoke. </li><li>Two Minnesota YMCA camp groups <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="had to be rescued" data-vars-click-url="https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-wildfires-ymca-campers-rescue-underway" data-vars-content-id="9382e68a-f3a8-4b21-8484-af42cf336e80" data-vars-headline="Boundary Waters fires could burn for months" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-wildfires-ymca-campers-rescue-underway" target="_blank">had to be rescued</a> from remote areas near the U.S.-Canada border, with help from the Royal Canadian Air Force. </li></ul>

Office-to-apartment conversions heat up

The projects will bring hundreds of new residents to the downtowns.

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="yearslong effort" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/01/31/minneapolis-office-apartment-conversion-tricky-big-floors" data-vars-content-id="1123b446-02a0-477b-af7e-6b918a8d2a9e" data-vars-headline="Office-to-apartment conversions heat up" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/01/31/minneapolis-office-apartment-conversion-tricky-big-floors" target="_self">yearslong effort</a> to turn office buildings into apartments is finally breaking through this summer, with three projects bringing hundreds of new residents downtown.Why it matters: The conversions — two in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul — will provide a boost to local businesses that have long depended on office workers who are spending more time at home.

Where Minnesotans want to spend their summer, according to our poll

As a staycation destination, one corner of Minnesota reigns … Superior.

Travel

As a staycation destination, one corner of Minnesota reigns — shall we say — Superior.

Twin Cities bars hope FIFA World Cup means big business

"Watching the World Cup needs to be done with people," one St. Paul soccer bar owner tells Axios.

Sports

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="FIFA World Cup" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/04/13/what-to-know-about-world-cup-watch-parties-miami" data-vars-content-id="07af49b4-d824-4f3a-af27-4ec5f4b529d7" data-vars-headline="Twin Cities bars hope FIFA World Cup means big business" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/04/13/what-to-know-about-world-cup-watch-parties-miami" target="_self">FIFA World Cup</a> kicks off Thursday with soccer matches set to be played across the United States, Mexico and Canada.Why it matters: The monthlong tournament is the crowning moment of the world&#x27;s most popular sport — and one of the world&#x27;s largest parties.

What the Twin Cities were like in the 1990s

Both downtowns struggled and the region made big contributions to U.S. culture.

Nostalgia for the 1990s is all the rage on social media these days as celebrities, athletes and influencers post photos of what they looked like back then.What were the Twin Cities like in the 1990s? If you saw only the glamour shots, you&#x27;d think of a bustling Nicollet Mall, a vibrant Uptown dining scene, a World Series parade, and the ribbon cutting for Mall of America.

Minneapolis considers building downtown playground

The mayor has said he envisions something similar to Edina's Edinborough Park.

Minneapolis is looking to up its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="game with kids" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/10/17/minneapolis-skyway-things-to-do" data-vars-content-id="9142ab2e-17ff-47bf-8766-6ce7ce180045" data-vars-headline="Minneapolis considers building downtown playground" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2023/10/17/minneapolis-skyway-things-to-do" target="_self">game with kids</a>, exploring the idea of building an indoor playground somewhere downtown.Why it matters: For many Minneapolis parents, finding something to do with their kids in winter often means driving to the suburbs. Meanwhile, the middle of downtown is often dead on weekends, with office workers absent.

St. Paul lifts park ban on TikToker Josh Liljenquist

The ban against @joshlilj had sparked widespread debate about the ethics of "kindness content."

St. Paul&#x27;s parks department has lifted its ban against <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chaska-based influencer Josh Liljenquist" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/04/14/st-paul-parks-ban-tiktok-star-who-gives-to-homeless-people" data-vars-content-id="944840c5-7058-4b36-82f8-a8394bee32b4" data-vars-headline="St. Paul lifts park ban on TikToker Josh Liljenquist" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2026/04/14/st-paul-parks-ban-tiktok-star-who-gives-to-homeless-people" target="_self">Chaska-based influencer Josh Liljenquist</a>, Axios has learned.Why it matters: The six-month park ban sparked debate about the ethics of filming handouts to homeless people — the sort of &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="kindness content" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kare11.com/article/news/nation-world/kindness-influencers-tiktok-strangers-controversial/89-c5d1eae0-da7b-43c9-a209-e9992c1e20a5" data-vars-content-id="944840c5-7058-4b36-82f8-a8394bee32b4" data-vars-headline="St. Paul lifts park ban on TikToker Josh Liljenquist" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kare11.com/article/news/nation-world/kindness-influencers-tiktok-strangers-controversial/89-c5d1eae0-da7b-43c9-a209-e9992c1e20a5" target="_blank">kindness content</a>&quot; that has drawn Liljenquist 10.8 million followers on TikTok.

Lifelong Minnesotan tries lutefisk for the first time

Lutefisk for Minnesotans is a way to celebrate their roots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

I&#x27;m a nearly lifelong Minnesotan with a fair amount of Swedish ancestry, but until I walked down the steps of a Lutheran church basement Friday evening, I had never tried lutefisk.Why it matters: Lutefisk for Minnesotans — <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="45% of whom have Scandinavian ancestry" data-vars-click-url="https://www.startribune.com/why-do-scandinavians-get-all-the-attention-when-there-are-more-minnesotans-of-german-descent/567108972" data-vars-content-id="c857a82b-7538-4da4-adaf-53b83a9d6382" data-vars-headline="Lifelong Minnesotan tries lutefisk for the first time" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.startribune.com/why-do-scandinavians-get-all-the-attention-when-there-are-more-minnesotans-of-german-descent/567108972" target="_blank">45% of whom have Scandinavian ancestry</a> — is a way to celebrate their roots in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

The story behind the viral "I got my lobotomy at the  Mall of America" sweatshirt

Molly Hottle found the 1990s crewneck at a Seattle vintage store.

A Seattle embroiderer&#x27;s snarky stitching on a Mall of America sweatshirt went viral for its nod to the chaos of her childhood trips to the megamall.Driving the likes: Molly Hottle, who owns the custom embroidery shop <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Seattle Chainstitch Massacre" data-vars-click-url="https://www.seattlechainstitchmassacre.com/" data-vars-content-id="d6a45e14-c3d9-48ba-830c-661a51ab1d5f" data-vars-headline="The story behind the viral &quot;I got my lobotomy at the Mall of America&quot; sweatshirt" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.seattlechainstitchmassacre.com/" target="_blank">Seattle Chainstitch Massacre</a>, found the 1990s throwback at a thrift shop. <ul><li>Using her Singer chainstitch embroidery machine from the 1930s, she added &quot;I got a lobotomy at&quot; in white cursive above the logo.</li></ul>

Minnesotans love to walk for exercise. But for utility? Not as much

We might walk 3 miles around a lake, but a few blocks to a restaurant is too much.

The Twin Cities rank <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="among the most active" data-vars-click-url="https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-and-st-paul-among-americas-fittest-cities-survey-says/601443671" data-vars-content-id="f3851206-15fb-4771-9dd7-4664788ded34" data-vars-headline="Minnesotans love to walk for exercise. But for utility? Not as much" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-and-st-paul-among-americas-fittest-cities-survey-says/601443671" target="_blank">among the most active</a> metro areas in the nation, but do we only walk for pleasure?The big picture: Our willingness to walk for utility has come under recent scrutiny. At a recent <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="RE Journals Summit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/10/10/downtown-leaders-divided-kupchella-documentary-crime" data-vars-content-id="f3851206-15fb-4771-9dd7-4664788ded34" data-vars-headline="Minnesotans love to walk for exercise. But for utility? Not as much" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/10/10/downtown-leaders-divided-kupchella-documentary-crime" target="_self">RE Journals Summit</a>, Eric Anderson of City Center Realty Partners lamented that it&#x27;s hard to get people to walk four blocks from Target Field Station to a building in the North Loop.

The do's and don't of dog throwing away poop

Dog owners divided over tossing poop bags in neighbors' garbage

If you throw your bagged dog poop into a neighbor&#x27;s trash cart, there&#x27;s a good chance you&#x27;ve made them mad — perhaps enough to get a tongue lashing or worse: a reciprocal bag on your doorsteps.Why it matters: We take etiquette seriously here at Axios Twin Cities, digging deep into the biggest wedge issues in Minnesota, like <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="shoes at house parties" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/08/18/house-shoe-etiquette-minnesota-debate-parties" data-vars-content-id="183a894b-3665-4a06-a9ee-96f2e17eb9b9" data-vars-headline="The do&#x27;s and don&#x27;t of dog throwing away poop" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/08/18/house-shoe-etiquette-minnesota-debate-parties" target="_self">shoes at house parties</a>, free sampling <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="of ice cream" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/29/ice-cream-sample-etiquette-lines-samples" data-vars-content-id="183a894b-3665-4a06-a9ee-96f2e17eb9b9" data-vars-headline="The do&#x27;s and don&#x27;t of dog throwing away poop" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2025/06/29/ice-cream-sample-etiquette-lines-samples" target="_self">of ice cream</a>, how early is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="too early" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-twin-cities-79ecdf0a-5bb8-4c66-ae25-be1adfd1201e.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_minneapolis&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="183a894b-3665-4a06-a9ee-96f2e17eb9b9" data-vars-headline="The do&#x27;s and don&#x27;t of dog throwing away poop" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-twin-cities-79ecdf0a-5bb8-4c66-ae25-be1adfd1201e.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_minneapolis&amp;stream=top" target="_self">too early</a> to mow your lawn and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="merging" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/11/08/traffic-35-94-split-zipper-etiquette-minneapolis-minnesota" data-vars-content-id="183a894b-3665-4a06-a9ee-96f2e17eb9b9" data-vars-headline="The do&#x27;s and don&#x27;t of dog throwing away poop" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/11/08/traffic-35-94-split-zipper-etiquette-minneapolis-minnesota" target="_self">merging</a> onto I-94.

Free samples at ice cream shops: How many is too many?

It's peak scoop season in Minnesota, and lines are stretching out the door. So... how many free samples is too many when people are waiting behind you?

It&#x27;s prime <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ice cream season" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/04/21/minneapolis-st-paul-ice-cream-prices-inflation" data-vars-content-id="d41acd33-c248-4727-9c96-0d188bf5ee8b" data-vars-headline="Free samples at ice cream shops: How many is too many?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/04/21/minneapolis-st-paul-ice-cream-prices-inflation" target="_self">ice cream season</a> in Minnesota and that means shops often have lines winding out the doors.

Flag support is below half-staff 

Only 30% of Minnesota like the new state flag

A map of the state of Minnesota shaded into seven regions, labeled with results of a reader survey. The northeastern Minnesota region, including Duluth, the Boundary Waters and North Shore, is the most popular with 70.4% of reader votes. The other regions are: the Twin Cities metro; southwest MN; southeast MN; a swath of south-central Minnesota including St. Cloud and Twin Cities exurbs, including Lake Minnetonka; and north-central Minnesota, including the Brainerd Lakes Area and Hinckley; northwestern MN — which is the second most popular region with 12% of reader votes. The rest of the regions were chosen with single-digit shares of reader votes.

Culture

Only 30% of Minnesota like the new state flag

Where Minnesotans want to spend their summer, according to our poll

Twin Cities bars hope FIFA World Cup means big business

New Minneapolis mural stuns in front of skyline

What the Twin Cities were like in the 1990s