Minneapolis-St.Paul Is A Jewel, Don'tcha Know

Here's a kind of interesting fact: As our companies integrate, Wells Fargo and Wachovia will be doubling the number of retail banking offices and greatly expanding our presence across the country — places like my home state of Minnesota. And as we here at the Wells Fargo-Wachovia Blog continue our spotlight on some of the many cities that we're calling home, this time I get to "take you around" my town of Minneapolis-St. Paul!

First, a little financial background about Minnesota. Wells Fargo is a big fish in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. We have 180 community banking branches and 540 ATMs. We also have some experience with integrations: prior to 2000, we were Norwest (1983-2000) and before that, Northwestern National Bank (1872-1983).

I called my colleagues who live on the coasts to find out what they think of when I say Minnesota. Surprise, surprise..."cold weather" and "lakes" topped the list.

Well, that's a start.

On average, Minnesota has 75 days a year below freezing — that's only 20% of the year. We don't think of it as being too cold here -- just wrong clothing. And we certainly don't let the cold keep us inside. It's something to celebrate.

Not long ago, I ran across some ice sculptures in Rice Park that are a part of St. Paul Winter carnival.  I thought this one was pretty good. It's a scene of a guy sleeping in a hammock on the beach under some ice palm trees. Clearly below freezing temps do not damper creativity...or wishful thinking.

But our taste for arts goes far beyond ice sculptures. The Twin Cities' vibrant arts community offers museums, symphony and jazz concerts, dance, Broadway touring shows, and more. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Guthrie Theatre  are my favorites. In fact, the Guthrie was named one of GQ Magazine's "10 Most Important Buildings of the 21st Century."

The buildings in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are also unique and a great example of our adaptability. We have over ten miles of heated, pedestrian skyways that go from building to building, linking them together and eliminating the need to walk outside in the cold weather!

Spending time with family is also a shared value here. During the summer months, many go "up north" to lake cabins. Time with family and friends is spent barbequing, boating, fishing, golfing or water skiing  (an activity invented in Minnesota, I might add). To get totally off the grid, some head up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area  for 1500 miles of canoe routes. My favorite family activity is "going home" to our family farm that my brother runs.

Many families share the love of sports. Needless to say, hockey is BIG. Our NHL team, the Minnesota Wild , has sold out every home game since the beginning of the franchise in 2000. Thousands came out for US Pond Hockey Championship  about a month ago too. If you drive through a few neighborhoods during the winter, it's likely you will see a pickup game. Of course, other sports are popular too: cross-country skiing , soccer, basketball and lacrosse, just to name a few.

See? We have much more in Minneapolis-St. Paul beyond lakes and sub-zero weather. Unfortunately, I can't possibly you all about them in such a short post. I guess you'll just have to come and check it out for yourself!