Twin Citian

Chicago, Minneapolis, Montreal, and Phoenix (Glendale) withdrew from the selection process.

Hahahaha. Do you have any legit sources to back up your ridiculous comment? For starters, racism exists everywhere my friend and none of the cities / metros you mentioned are free of it. As far as the economy of the Twin Cities collapsing is concerned, it's very unlikely. I'm also confident that it will be decades before, perhaps never that the likes of Austin, Nashville, or Raleigh surpass Minneapolis in terms of economic importance. As a matter of fact, Minneapolis - St. Paul surpasses them in so many other areas, that it's laughable. Regarding Miami, well it underperforms for a metro of its size and has plenty glaring issues of its own. Nice try though.

You're right. It's not relevant at all - just look at all the shopping options Uptown has to offer. /s Anyway, SouthPark is nowhere the draw that the MOA is. BTW, there is another mall just outside of downtown Minneapolis, Rosedale Center, which is about the same distance South Park is from Uptown (~5 to 7 miles). Southdale and the Galleria are also close to downtown MPLS (~8 or 9 miles). These places have played a large role in sucking the life out of downtown areas.

Nicollet Mall was never meant to be a high-end only retail street. Also, most of the stores that have closed have either gone out of business or have closed hundreds of stores nationwide. There is still a Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off 5th, the flagship Target, Brooks Brothers, Allen Edmonds, Banana Republic, a number of boutique stores, etc... As someone already pointed out, having the or one the largest malls in the US ten miles away doesn't help.

The downsizing of the MPLS project might have to due with the fact that Lennar just completed a 20-story high-rise next to the downsized proposal. There is also a 26-story apartment currently being built across the street from the proposed project, another 26-story project just broke ground and a 42-story project is about to break ground; both are within a short walking distance. Also, their downsized proposal now consisting of 5 and 12-story buildings will fully utilize the lot. Their original proposal was 30ish story building with a massive parking ramp that would have only utilized 1/3 of the lot.

Major difference here is that Minneapolis and St. Paul literally border one another; there aren't suburbs or boundaries separating them. The Target Field light rail station on the western edge of downtown MPLS is only 12.5 miles from the Union Depot on the eastern edge of downtown STP.

Neither Minneapolis nor Phoenix were left out, they pulled out of the running as did Chicago and Vancouver. FIFA officials were trying to pull some b.s. (i.e. asking to bypass labor laws) and the MPLS bidding committee said no thanks, which I fully support. Charlotte, Las Vegas, SLC, and Tampa were cut; resident and city officials should be relieved. I hope other cities will follow suit. Chicago, Minneapolis, Arizona drop World Cup bid, blast FIFA. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/chicago-minneapolis-drop-world-cup-bid-blast-fifa-53782785 FIFA's Requirements http://www.fieldofschemes.com/2018/03/16/13565/chicago-minneapolis-vancouver-drop-out-of-world-cup-bid-rather-than-grant-fifa-a-decade-long-tax-exemption/

Cold weather has little to do with the fact that Minneapolis didn't make the final 20 list. The fact is that Minneapolis and Minnesota didn't offer Amazon billions in incentives to move there. MN Gov. Mark Dayton made it clear that bidding for Amazon would be sending a wrong message to the state's corporate base (~30 Fortune 1000 based companies and a number of large, private companies). If weather were a factor UnitedHealth Group, Cargill, Target, Best Buy, 3M, Ecolab, U.S. Bancorp, General Mills, etc... would have moved shop years ago. In the end Amazon could end up buying Target and Minneapolis becomes another headquarters and gains thousands of jobs in the process -- without ever having to bid billions. Also, Minneapolis is already in much better shape in terms of infrastructure, amenities, entertainment, QOL, etc... than a number of cities that made the top 20.

Neither the Minneapolis area nor Minnesota offered Amazon much. MN Gov. Mark Dayton made it clear that bidding for Amazon would be sending a wrong message to the state's ~30 Fortune 1000 based companies, including Target and Best Buy, as well as every other business entity. It will be interesting to see how this plays out though. as Amazon may end up buying Target and perhaps one or two other Minneapolis area-based companies. Minneapolis could end up losing thousands of jobs or becoming another headquarters and gaining thousands of jobs.

Downtown MPLS is over 3 sq miles so if you're walking in certain areas like downtown east (US Bank Stadium , HCMC, government area) or downtown west (the central business district) at certain times, it will seem dead.

I agree cities like Boston, San Francisco and Seattle have stronger downtown areas than Minneapolis and they should -- they are big tourist towns. However, even downtown Seattle and San Francisco where I occasionally work have dead zones that are not welcoming at all. Downtown MPLS falls between Seattle and the likes of Austin and Nashville, but it still offers quite a bit more than the latter two in terms of amenities, connectivity, etc... There are also a lot more people living within a 1 mile radius of downtown MPLS's core (CBD) than there are near Austin's and Nashville's (2010 Census: 32,678 vs 18,086 and 6,147) so that's an obvious a benefit. Not sure where you're going with the weather angle, but Minneapolis, Boston, Seattle, and a number of other cities have sh*ttier weather than Charlotte and well, they are way ahead of Charlotte in a number of areas.

Actually, nowhere in Uptown Charlotte has as much foot traffic as this area normally does. Nicollet Mall, which you can see is fenced off, has been closed since 2015 and has been a deadzone. Also, seeing the lack of cars parked along 7th has me questioning the day and time the photo was taken.

I'm pretty familiar with Minneapolis, Charlotte as well as a long list of others. Downtown Minneapolis is far more active than Uptown Charlotte and many other downtown areas. While I'm not a fan of the skyway system, many visitors are, especially during Jan & Feb when it's actually freezing cold and then during the late summer months when it's hot and humid. As far as bustling street life, 98% of US downtown areas are nowhere near bustling so, when you state you are not impressed with downtown MPLS, what cities do you have in mind? Yes, there are special events - almost every night. There are sporting events (NFL, MLB, NBA, & WNBA), concerts, and theaters that draw hundreds of thousands throughout the year. Then there are the establishments along Hennepin and Washington that are a constant draw. Not many downtown areas can consistently draw this many people. Regarding retail, it's coming back. Nordstom Rack just opened in the IDS Tower and there is speculation that a well-known retailer will be opening in the short-lived Sports Authority space in City Center. Also, it was just announced that the former Macy's building will be turned into a mix of office and "high end" retail -- announcements could be within weeks. BTW, interesting choice of photos for your narrative. 7th Street (1st photo) and 2nd Ave (2nd photo) are not exactly representative of downtown MPLS. The first photo is the intersection of 7th and Nicollet Mall, which was completely shut down when you took your photo. Since then, Nordstrom Rack has opened in the IDS (upper right) and parts of Nicollet Mall have reopened so the foot traffic is coming back. Your second photo is wall of offices, most of which are government and banking operations; a very 9 - 5 area -- an area that all major downtown areas have.

Sorry, but I just came across this statement and had to correct it. St. Paul is on the east bank of the Mississippi as are the Northeast (13 neighborhoods) and University (six neighborhoods, including the U of M east bank campus) communities of Minneapolis.

Huh? Minneapolis has two light-rail lines; the blue and green lines and the NorthStar commuter line.

Outstate MN, yes. Twin Cities area not so much.

Haha. I don't think anyone would be able to handle eight months of winter.

That's fine. I was just pointing out that it's not all doom and gloom that some seem to think or are trying to portray. Downtown MPLS is seeing record numbers in terms of residents, office workers, private investment, hotel rooms, etc. and areas like North Loop and Downtown East are doing very well. It will be interesting to see if whether or not Nicollet Mall can recover from the changing retail climate and its recent renovation. I would think stores like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters would really struggle in most US downtown areas. Stores like H&M, Nordstrom Rack, Saks Off Fifth, etc.., however, would do well.

While Nicollet Mall has been struggling, the North Loop area of downtown MPLS has been doing very well. Also, in case you haven't noticed, consumer shopping habits have moved online and several retailers are failing, including many that are / were located along Nicollet Mall. Macy's has been closing stores left and right and won't be around in 5 years. The same can be said for Barnes and Noble, the Gap, and Jos A Bank. Sport Authority already filed bankruptcy and closed all stores. Saks Off Fifth is doing okay and I'm sure the new Nordstrom Rack (opening in the old Gap space) will do fine as well, but let's face it, retail is struggling everywhere. As far as restaurants are concerned, they come and go, but there are far more restaurants (and variety) in downtown MPLS now than what there was 5 - 10 years ago. Regarding the homeless and panhandlers, it's not any worse than what one would see in a major city. That said, downtown Minneapolis's retail / restaurant scene is still doing FAR better than the majority of US cities.

Here's some skyline porn: Minneapolis by Logan Selinski, on Flickr A Northstar at Mpls Jct by Noah Kleinschmidt, on Flickr Downtown Across the River by Greg Lundgren, on Flickr minneapolis by Logan Selinski, on Flickr Downtown East with Cedar-River neighborhood and the U of M West Bank in the background. Most of this area was parking lots 5 - 10 years ago. Untitled by AboveTheNorm, on Flickr Minneapolis skyline from NE 3-22-17 by Matt Bappe, on Flickr photo: IamHenryK So many additions over the past 10 years. 14076_G by Jamie Hutt, on Flickr

It's been a beautiful fall. Here are some photos. Minneapolis: Dinkytown (U of M) foreground; Stadium Village (U of M) and East Bank campus upper left; West Bank (U of M) and Cedar-Riverside area center; downtown Minneapolis upper right. Photo: acarlphoto Downtown MPLS looking NW Downtown STPL and downtown MPLS Photos: St. Paul Pioneer Press www.twincities.com Stadium Village, East Bank, and Downtown MPLS Photo: Noah Kleinschmidt Shadow Falls cliffs along the Mississippi - St. Paul

Minneapolis Ranked 2nd Fittest City https://blog.fitbit.com/the-fitbit-data-is-in-madison-is-americas-fittest/ Minneapolis Ranked 2nd Best Destination for LGBT Travel in 2016 https://www.gogobot.com/awards/lgbt-travelers-rising-stars-destinations Minneapolis Ranked World's 6th Best City for Cycling http://matadornetwork.com/sports/16-worlds-best-cities-cycling-plus-one-island/ Minneapolis Ranked 5th Best City to Start A Career https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-cities-to-start-a-career/3626/ Minneapolis Ranked 5th Best City for Young College Grads https://www.aier.org/edi Minneapolis Ranked 2nd Fittest American City in 2016 http://americanfitnessindex.org/city/minneapolis-mn/

Minneapolis Ranked the 6th Best City for an Active Lifestyle https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-an-active-lifestyle/8817/ Minneapolis - St. Paul Ranked 5th Best Metro Area for STEM Professionals https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-metro-areas-for-stem-professionals/9200/ Minneapolis - St. Paul Ranked Ranked the 12th Best Place to Live (12 out of the 100 most populous metro areas) http://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings-best-places-to-live Minneapolis Ranked 5th - Top 10 U.S. Cities Where The Most 20-Somethings Are Buying Homes http://www.businessinsider.my/cities-where-young-people-buy-homes-2016-3/7/#0EpQRsWdh5MMwkGq.97 Minneapolis Ranked 5th Best City for Recent Grads https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/studies/best-cities-for-recent-grads-2016/

Recent photo of Minneapolis (U of M, Cedar-Riverside neighborhood (West Bank), and downtown) DSC_0238 (2) by grant.simons, on Flickr Photo: MSPdude Photo: peterstratmoen US Bank Stadium, new Wells Fargo high-rises, and new park Photo: Damon Farber Downtown East: HCMC Campus (new Ambulatory Outpatient Specialty Center under construction) and US Bank Stadium

Here are some recent photos (May 5, 2016) taken by John Autey of the St. Paul Pioneer Press Downtown St. Paul Downtown Minneapolis MSP International - Lindbergh Terminal (Terminal One) Downtown Minneapolis (looking south) Downtown St. Paul in the foreground and downtown Minneapolis top right Holman Field Airport (aka St. Paul Downtown Airport) - Located across the Mississippi from downtown St. Paul Downtown St. Paul's new CHS Field - home of the St. Paul Saints Downtown St. Paul (looking west) Ever-expanding Mall of America