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 Academy for the Blind Deaf, which was established three years earlier (1863). The Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library is an extension of the Academy for the Blind. It serves people of all ages everywhere in Minnesota with a collection of hundreds of thousands of items. It is funded by the state and federal governments. Blind Department Building and Dow Hall at the State Academy for the Blind are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other facilities include Lysen Hall. Minnesota State Academy for the Blind Minnesota State Academy for the Blind (MSAB) (formerly known as the Braille and Sight Saving School)