St. Paul, Minnesota

Minneapolis and St. Paul are Minnesota's beautiful Twin Cities. Minneapolis is slightly larger, but St. Paul is the state capital. The two cities are divided only by the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, and they go great together, so why separate them?

The region has four distinct seasons. In July, the average high is 83F (28C) and the average low is 63F (17C), while, in January, the average high is 21F (-6C) and the average low 4F (-15C). The Twin Cities feature dozens of lakes and hundreds of parks. Nature lovers flock to the parks in the spring, while summer heats up with outdoor concerts and weekend fairs – and endless opportunities to cycle, inline skate, canoe, windsurf, and fish. The fall brings festivals and farmers markets offering the best of the autumn harvest. Winter brings downhill skiing, ice-fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing to keep residents active until the cycle of the season begins again.

Not a huge fan of the outdoors? Not a huge problem. The Twin Cities metro area features abundant shopping facilities, including the Mall of America, the nation's largest entertainment and retail complex, which welcomes more than 43 million people annually. The Twin Cities have an ethnically diverse population, which means – among other things – a vast range of restaurants to choose from. After dining, take in a concert, go to the symphony, or head out to the theater – including the famous Guthrie or the historic Fitzgerald, State, Orpheum, and Pantages theatres. Don't want to separate your dining and theatrical outing? Head to the Chanhassen dinner theater in the suburbs. Like sports? Take in a Minnesota Wild NHL game, a Minnesota Twins baseball game, or a Minnesota Vikings NFL game.

Of 351 US metropolitan areas, the Twin Cities were ranked as the sixth best place in the nation to live, based on 11 factors including cost of living, jobs, housing, education, transportation, and recreation. And, even better, out of the 20 largest metropolitan areas, only three have a lower cost of living than Minneapolis.

See our 8 Jobs in St. Paul, Minnesota