Why are St. Paul and Mineapolis called the twin cities?

Question

I was just wondering because I didn't get it.
And I asked my mom and her room mate and they didn't know eaither.

Answer 1

According to the Minnesota Historical Society, the nickname "Twin Cities" originally had nothing to do with St. Paul, the state capital of Minnesota.

The term was first applied to two settlements on either side of the Mississippi River—St. Anthony's Falls on the east and Minneapolis on the west—in the 1840s.

The two towns were later linked by a suspension bridge. Minneapolis was chartered as a city in 1867 and in 1872 it and St. Anthony's Falls were united to form one city. As a result, nearby St. Paul assumed the nickname while it and the new Minneapolis grew during the 20th century to become Minnesota's two biggest cities.

Answer 2

Cities that are roughly the same size - located geographically close to each other are called twin cities.

St. Paul and Minneapolis aren't the only ones.

Budapest in Hungary used to be twin cities called Buda and Pest (and gradually became one city).

Dallas and Ft. Worth in Texas are another example of American twin cities.

Answer 3

The birth rate for twins is very high in M/StP. They have approximately 7 times the national average of twins born there than anywhere else in the USA. Great question.