Geography of Minnesota "The Cities"), and "Outstate" or "Greater Minnesota". The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area comprises eleven Minnesota counties centered around Minneapolis, the state's largest city, and adjoining Saint Paul, the capital; plus two Wisconsin counties. About three out of every five residents of the state live in this conurbation. Greater Minnesota is less urbanized than the Twin Cities. It is also geographically more diverse, with farmlands to the south and west, lake country in central Minnesota, and forests in the northern part of the state. Approximately 40% of Minnesotans live in Greater Minnesota. Its major population centers include Duluth, Rochester, Moorhead, St.
Minnesota State Highway 40 40 and US 59 at Milan. The park entrance is located on Chippewa County Road 13 (CR 13) near US 59 at Watson. MN 40 parallels US 12 and US 212 throughout its route in west-central Minnesota. MN 40 also intersects with US 12 at its eastern terminus in Willmar. Most of MN 40 was authorized in 1933. The section of the route between US 75 at Madison and the South Dakota state line was authorized circa 1950. MN 40 was still gravel in 1940. The route was mostly paved by 1953, except for just west of Willmar. MN 40