The Duluth MN-WI Metropolitan Area, commonly called the Twin Ports, is a small metropolitan area centered around the cities of Duluth,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

and

Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The Twin Ports are located at the western part of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

(the westernmost part of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

) and together are considered one of the larger cargo ports in the United States. The Twin Ports are close to many natural attractions such as the North Shore, the

Apostle Islands The Apostle Islands are a group of 22 islands in Lake Superior, off the Bayfield Peninsula in northern Wisconsin. The majority of the islands are located in Ashland County—only Sand, York, Eagle, and Raspberry Islands are located in Ba ...

, and the Superior National Forest. The census bureau's Twin Ports metropolitan statistical area includes all of Wisconsin's Douglas County, and Minnesota's Carlton,

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, and Saint Louis counties. With a 2020 census population of 291,638, the Duluth MSA ranked as the 170th largest metropolitan area in the United States. A tourist location that boasts many scenic natural amenities, approximately 6.7 million on average tourists visit The City of Duluth alone each year. AerialLiftBridgeNight

The area is home to two long bridges: the

Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, via U.S. Highway 2 (US 2). Opened on October 25, 1985, it is roughly long, including about over water. It crosses ...

(carrying

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, wh ...

) and the John Blatnik Bridge (carrying

I-535 Interstate 535 (I-535) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway spur route of I-35 in the US states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is paired with U.S. Highway 53 (US 53) along its entire route. The Interstate was part of the original 1956 Inte ...

and

U.S. Highway 53 U.S. Route 53, or U.S. Highway 53 (U.S. 53), is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 404 miles (650 km) from La Crosse, Wisconsin to International Falls, Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsin, s ...

). Each bridge reaches across more than 1.5 miles (2.5 km) across the mouth of the Saint Louis River. The Aerial Lift Bridge was constructed in 1905 and is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. It must be raised each time a vessel enters or leaves Duluth's harbor; the inlet on the Wisconsin side is not similarly obstructed. Together, the cities rank as the 19th-busiest port in the country overall (44.2 million

short ton The short ton (symbol tn) is a measurement unit equal to . It is commonly used in the United States, where it is known simply as a ton, although the term is ambiguous, the single word being variously used for short, long, and metric ton. The var ...

s /nowiki>40.1 million tonnes/nowiki> per year) as of 2002, though the area is the 7th-busiest port (13.8 million short tons /nowiki>12.5 million tonnes/nowiki> per year) when measured on foreign

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is a ...

s alone.

MSA

The Twin Ports metropolitan statistical area includes 4 counties, of which 3 are in Minnesota and 1 in Wisconsin. St. Louis County is Minnesota's largest county by area. Duluth MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area

Communities

Population as of 2020 Census

Principal city

* Duluth (86,697)

Places with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants

Superior, WI , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

(26,751) * Cloquet (12,568) * Hermantown (10,221)

Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

* Rice Lake (4,136) * Saginaw (3,910) unincorporated *

Proctor Proctor (a variant of '' procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: * In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawy ...

(3,120) * Esko (2,082) * Scanlon (991) * Carlton (948) * Wrenshall (428) * Oliver, WI (399)

Infrastructure

The four tallest buildings are in Duluth, the Alworth Building, Historic Old Central High School, Maurices Headquarters, Medical Arts Building. The Bong Bridge leads to from Duluth to Superior. The bong bridge was built in 1985 and is 11,800 ft (3,600 m) long. The Blatnik Bridge also leads to from Duluth to Superior. The Blatnik Bridge was built in 1965 and is 7,975 feet (2,431 m) long. Canal Park is a heavy tourist area in Downtown Duluth. In Virginia the tallest bridge in Minnesota (Hwy 53 Bridge) connecting Eveleth to Virginia. The Hwy 53 Bridge covers the

Rouchleau Mine The Rouchleau Mine is an abandoned open-pit mine within the Mesabi Iron Range at Virginia, Minnesota, United States. The mine, located on the east side of the city, is roughly long and wide; its deepest point is below its surface, making it one ...

. The bridge opened in 2017 and is 204 ft. high in the air and spans 1,125 ft.

Hospitals

* Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center - Duluth - (Level 1 Trauma Center) * St. Luke's Hospital - Duluth - (Level 2 Trauma Center) * Essentia Health St. Mary's Hospital - Superior - (Level 4 Trauma Center) * Community Memorial Hospital - Cloquet - (Level 4 Trauma Center)

Shopping

Miller Hill Mall Miller Hill Mall is a shopping mall located in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is located on U.S. Highway 53 where it intersects Trinity Road. The mall, owned by Simon Property Group, features 103 stores and a food court. The mall's anchor s ...

Attractions

* Aerial Lift Bridge *

AMSOIL Arena AMSOIL Arena is a multipurpose arena in Duluth, Minnesota, home to the UMD Men's and UMD Women's hockey teams. It opened in 2010, replacing the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena on the waterfront near Duluth's landmark Aerial Lift B ...

* Bayfront Festival Park * Blatnik Bridge * Canal Park * Enger Tower * Glensheen Mansion * Gooseberry Falls * Great Lakes Aquarium *

Lake Superior Railroad Museum The Lake Superior Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1973, the museum focuses on railroading in the Lake Superior region. It is housed in the restored Duluth Union Depot complex. The museum al ...

* Leif Erikson Ship * Minnesota Point * Oldest Operating Hockey Arena in Minnesota * Spirit Mountain Ski Area * Tallest Bridge in Minnesota * World's Largest Freestanding Hockey Stick

Education

Colleges and universities

College of St. Scholastica The College of St. Scholastica (CSS) is a Private college, private Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine college in Duluth, Minnesota. Founded in 1912 by a group of pioneering Benedictine Sisters, today St. Scholastica educates almost 4,000 student ...

- Duluth *

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (FDLTCC) is a public tribal land-grant community college in Cloquet, Minnesota. FDLTCC is located within the Twin Ports area of Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames ...

- Cloquet * Lake Superior College - Duluth *

Northwood Technical College Northwood Technical College (formerly known as Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College or WITC) is a public technical college with campuses in Ashland, New Richmond, Rice Lake and Superior, Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper ...

- Superior, WI *

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota. It is part of the University of Minnesota system and offers 16 bachelor's degrees in 88 majors, graduate programs in 25 different fields, and a two-year pro ...

- Duluth * University of Wisconsin, Superior - Superior, WI

Transportation

Major highways

Interstates

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...