Living in the Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota is located in both Minneapolis and St. Paul (together called the Twin Cities). The Minneapolis campus is divided by the Mississippi River creating an “East Bank” and “West Bank”. The Department of Spanish & Portuguese is located on the East Bank of the Minneapolis campus in Folwell Hall. 

The Twin Cities is a vibrant metropolitan area with a thriving art, music, and theater scene. Over 400,000 residents in the area speak a language other than English at home, and 32% speak Spanish. Other language groups with a large presence in the region include African languages, Hmong, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian.

Many people are attracted to Minnesota because of our diverse seasons. Summer, winter, fall, or spring, the Twin Cities area is the perfect place to savor the seasons. When it's cold, students enjoy winter activities like skiing or hiking, or stay cozy in our skyways and tunnels. When it's warm, students visit our sparkling lakes, miles of bike trails, and dozens of outdoor festivals. Visit the sections below to learn more!

Many UMN graduate students choose to live in campus housing. Options for graduate students and their families include Commonwealth Terrace Cooperative (CTC) and Como Student Community Cooperative (CSCC). Childcare options are available at both cooperative sites.

Minneapolis neighborhoods close to Folwell Hall include Dinkytown, Prospect Park, Marcy Holmes, and Como. The following links include descriptions of many Twin Cities neighborhoods.

Minneapolis Neighborhoods
St Paul Neighborhoods

Student Parent Help Center is a fantastic resource for all information related to raising children while attending UMN. The SPHC has one full time dedicated Graduate Student Parent Counselor to serve the needs of graduate and professional students. They can point you in the direction of childcare, lactation areas, and financial services for student parents.

Many of our graduate students, faculty, and staff are parents and are more than happy to share other resources, favorite activities and things to do, etc.

Apple Festival | Gibbs Farm, Falcon Heights
Rice Park Tree Lighting & WinterSkate Opening | St Paul 
Holidazzle | Loring Park, Minneapolis 
St Paul Winter Carnival | St Paul 
Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival | Lake Harriet Park, Minneapolis
12th Annual Art Sled Rally | Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis 
City of Lakes Loppet Ski Festival | Bde Maka Ska, Minneapolis
Art Shanty Projects | Lake Harriet, Minneapolis
St. Paul’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade | Rice Park, St Paul 
Minneapolis Arbor Day Festival | Theodore Wirth Regional Park
Cinco de Mayo | West Side neighborhood, St Paul
MayDay Parade & Festival | Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis
Art-A-Whirl | Northeast Minneapolis
Linden Hills Festival | Linden Hills Park, Minneapolis 
Edina Art Fair | 50th & France, Edina
Northern Spark | Minneapolis
Midsommar Celebration | American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis 
Twin Cities Jazz Festival | St. Paul
Uptown Food Truck Festival | Lake & Hennepin, Minneapolis
Lowertown Blues Fest | Mears Park, St Paul
Minneapolis Aquatennial
Loring Park Art Festival  | Loring Park, Minneapolis
Uptown Art Fair | Minneapolis
Powderhorn Art Fair | Minneapolis 
Fiesta Latina | CLUES St Paul 
St Paul Food Truck Festival | Mears Park
Como Park Japanese Obon Festival | Como Park Conservatory, St Paul
Minnesota State Fair | Falcon Heights, St Paul