The Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota is in the heart of one of the more cosmopolitan areas in the country, while at the same time being within easy access of environments representing the widest diversity of land and water types in the mid-North American continent. The Twin Cities are always highly rated among large American cities in quality of life. This metropolitan area is the center for cultural, political, and economic life of the upper Midwest. The cities are rich in arts, sports, and entertainment, being a center for nationally renowned theater, music, and art institutions. Also, there is a wide variety of restaurants and entertainment. Within the cities and its environs are numerous small universities and colleges which, along with the University of Minnesota, make this a regional center of intellectual strength.

The Twin Cities greater metropolitan area offers an unusual variety of natural areas for observing wildlife and getting away from the city. Most notable are the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the 9,300-hectare Carlos Avery Wildlife Management Area, the Three Rivers Park District, and the St. Croix National Wild and Scenic River. Within the heart of the cities is a network of parks and lakes, plus easy access to the rivers. Many opportunities exist for water sports and cycling in summer, and cross-country skiing and skating in winter. Modest downhill ski slopes are less than an hour from campus. Hunting and fishing opportunities abound.

Beyond the Twin Cities, Minnesota wildland and water settings range from the broad Mississippi backwaters and oak covered cliffs of the southeast to the lower-48 states’ most extensive peatlands in the northwest, to the Lake Superior coastline in the northeast. Minnesota lies at the convergence of three major biomes: eastern deciduous forests, northern coniferous forests, and tall grass prairies.

The U in the Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, established in 1851, is one of America’s major research universities, ranking among the top 10 in the United States in receipt of federal grants for research and development. The University consists of a network of four campuses throughout the state, the largest of which is the Twin Cities campus.

Enrollment on the Twin Cities campus is about 37,600. Both the number and variety of students, who come from all 50 states and more than 100 countries, contribute to the cosmopolitan character of the campus. Over 7,500 students are enrolled in the University’s 160 graduate programs.

The Twin Cities campus consists of two locations about three miles apart–one in St. Paul and one in Minneapolis. The Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology is housed on the smaller St. Paul campus as part of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, which also includes the Department of Forest Resources and Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering. Situated in the heart of a pleasant residential neighborhood, the St. Paul campus supports a student population of about 4,000, and evokes a small college atmosphere, while the educational, cultural, and social opportunities of the large Minneapolis campus are just a short, free bus ride away.