<Tr> <Td_colspan="4"> U.S. Decennial Census 1790 - 1960 1900 - 1990 1990 - 2000 2010 - 2016 </Td> </Tr> <P> Minneapolis--Saint Paul is a major metropolitan area built around the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in east central Minnesota . The area is commonly known as the Twin Cities after its two largest cities, Minneapolis, the most populous city in the state, and Saint Paul, the state capital . It is an example of twin cities in the sense of geographical proximity . Minnesotans living outside of Minneapolis and Saint Paul often refer to the two together (or the seven - county metro area collectively) as The Cities . </P> <P> There are several different definitions of the region . Many refer to the Twin Cities as the seven - county region which is governed under the Metropolitan Council regional governmental agency and planning organization . The Office of Management and Budget officially designates 16 counties as the Minneapolis--St. Paul--Bloomington MN - WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the 16th largest in the United States . The entire region known as the Minneapolis--St. Paul MN - WI Combined Statistical Area, has a population of 3,866,768, the 14th largest, according to 2015 Census estimates . </P> <P> Despite the Twin moniker, both cities are independent municipalities with defined borders . Minneapolis is somewhat younger with more modern skyscrapers downtown, while Saint Paul has been likened to an East Coast city, with quaint neighborhoods and a vast collection of well - preserved late - Victorian architecture . </P>

What's the population of the twin cities metro area