The Convention Cities at a Glance

You don't have to be a card-carrying Democrat or Republican to enjoy this year's political conventions in Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Denver

• Population: Approximately 500,000
• Newbies to the Mile High City are advised to drink plenty of water and lay off the alcohol.
• Named after John Denver, a former governor of the Kansas territory, which included this area in 1859.
• Newspapers: The Denver Post, the Rocky Mountain News
  According to a federal study, Denver has the highest proportion of thin people of any U.S. city.
• The cheeseburger was invented in Denver.
• More beer is produced in Denver that in any other city.
• With 30 percent of the population Hispanic, there is an abundance of Mexican and Latin American restaurants.

Minneapolis-St. Paul

• Population: 3.5 million
• The two cities are on opposite sides of the Mississippi River
• There has been talk of a cultural awakening within the Twin Cities as a result of an architecture boom as well as an influx of celebrity chefs. Wolfgang Puck recently opened 20.21, a pan-Asian restaurant in the Walker Art center.
• The cities are independent municipalities with defined borders, but they are often referred to as "The Cities."
• Their downtown districts are just nine miles apart.
• There are more theater seats per capita in The Cities than in any other U.S. city (besides New York).
• The Mall of America, one of the largest enclosed shopping areas in the U.S., is in the suburb of Bloomington.

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