why is st. paul and minneapolis called the twin cities
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 3,946,533, the 14th largest, according to 2017 Census estimates.