Approximately 400 miles of road separate Minneapolis and Chicago, which is about a six-hour drive for truckers hauling loads between the two cities. Why is this fact relevant to us? Because we just expanded our operations to the Chicago area! We will now be providing warehousing, USPS destination entry service, and fulfillment solutions to customers in the Windy City.

In celebration of this momentous occasion, we scoured the Internet to track down some fun, fascinating, and factual trivia that links the two cities we now call home. Here are a few fun facts.

Neither cities are the capitals of their state
Although both Chicago and Minneapolis are the most populated cities in their respective states, Chicago has 2.705 million people and Minneapolis 413,651, neither are their state’s capital city.

Those honors belong to Springfield, IL and St. Paul, MN.

Both are home to major business headquarters
Chicago has a total of 31 Fortune 500 companies headquartered there, including Boeing, Walgreens, State Farm, and Sears.

Minneapolis has 17 total Fortune 500 company headquarters, including Target, Best Buy, UnitedHealth Group, and 3M.

Both cities know how to laugh
In 2014, a comprehensive study conducted at CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business named Chicago as the “Funniest City in America.” This was based on a number of factors that included the number of comedy clubs per square mile, the number of comedy radio stations, and the number of famous comedians born in each city. What else would you expect from the city that founded the improvisational comedy enterprise, Second City, whose alumni include a “Who’s Who” of famous comedians?

Although Chicago is the “Funniest City,” Minneapolis is home to the country’s oldest sketch comedy theater, Brave New Workshop, which was founded in 1958 by Dudley Riggs. Famous alumni of the theater include Louie Anderson, Mo Collins, and Penn Jillette.

Bill Murray has a certain sports connection
Although Bill Murray is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, he is also been a partial owner of the Minneapolis minor-league team, The Saint Paul Saints. Their website lists his role as “Team Psychologist”.

A Chicago treat once landed a Minneapolis candidate in hot water
While James Dewar of Chicago invented the twinkie in 1930, Minnesota made it infamous.

In 1985, Minneapolis City Council Candidate, George “Frenchy” Beilar was indicted by a grand jury for trying to gain favor with a group of elderly voters by serving them a spread of treats that included Twinkies. It was valued at $34.13. He later lost the election and the charges were dropped, but Minnesota legislators reacted by passing a new campaign finance law dubbed “the Twinkie Law.”

Sports rivalries!
Minneapolis and Chicago have a rivalry that spans many sports:

• The Vikings and Bears have played each 113 times. The Vikings lead the series 60-51-2. At least they have a mutual disdain for the Packers.
• The Twins and the White Sox have played each other 2202 times. The White Sox lead the series 1140-1062.
• The Twins and the Cubs have played each other only 27 times. The Cubs lead the series 14-13
• The Timberwolves and Bulls have played each other 55 times. The Bulls lead the series 32-23.
• The Blackhawks and the Wild have played each other 62 times. The Wild lead the series 32-29, with one draw.

The lake effect
Although Chicago borders the 3rd largest lake in the country, Lake Michigan, Minneapolis has 13 total lakes within its city limits.

Climate comparisons
Chicago is “the Windy City,” but it doesn’t even crack the top ten windiest cities (by average wind speed) recorded by the average annual wind speed data from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. This is because the name “Windy City” actually derives from the city’s long-winded politicians and the frequent political conventions held there.

Minneapolis isn’t on the windiest city list, either, but ranking at number two was Rochester, MN, with an average wind speed of 12.6 mph.

Here are a few other quick climate comparisons:

• Minneapolis averages 55 inches of snow a year. Chicago averages 36.7 inches.
• The average temperature in Chicago is 49.65 degrees, compared to 46.15 in Minneapolis.

Where do you need fulfillment solutions? Chicago or Minneapolis?
We are proud to now serve two of the greatest cities in the U.S. Whether you are sending freight out of the Chicagoland or Twin Cities area, you can count on King to deliver. Get in touch with King today to talk solutions.