- published: 06 Aug 2012
- views: 6553817
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time. The term Twin Cities in the United States refers specifically to the cities Minneapolis and Saint Paul, both of which are in the midwestern state of Minnesota.
Cities twinned geographically do not necessarily match demographically, economically, or politically.
In most cases, cities that grow into each other's space in this way lose their individual identities, and whatever border or barrier still separates them becomes irrelevant as they fuse into one new city. One famous example of this is Budapest in Hungary, which began as two settlements (Buda and Pest) facing each other across the Danube at a strategic fording place along a trade route. However, there are twin cities which have been able to resist this final union and have maintained individual identity against the tides of history, economics and demographics.
Twin cities often share an airport, into whose airport codes are integrated the initials of both cities; DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth), MSP (Minneapolis-St. Paul), and RDU (Raleigh-Durham) are examples.
Now we're in twin cities
Where the Mississippi rises and then falls
One is Minneapolis
And the other no less famous is St. Paul?s
There are stray dogs on the highway
And the local farmers moan about lack of rain
When the winds blew last winter I swear
England had another hurricane, hurricane
And we are twin cities, and we are that river
From the standing still, we will be delivered
Last time in New York was with Mandela
And Madonna and The Mets
They?re icons of an era where
That?s about as famous as it gets
(That?s what I call famous, babe)
I?ve seen cities full of ticker tape
And cotton trains through Utah, disappearing out of sight
Now I?m standing in a city
That?s as pretty as an ocean in the night
And we are twin cities, and we are that ocean
From the standing still, we are set in motion
And no one calls me up to say
?How long are you going to be away??
(Are you ever coming back?)
Yeah, yeah
(Are you ever coming back?)
No one calls me up to say
?Don?t let that life lead you astray?
(Don?t forget to come back)
Yeah
(Don?t forget to come back)
They were rioting in Detroit on the night
The Pistons won it back to back
I was out of there the next day
And I only had just two bags to pack
And we are twin cities, and we are one river
From the standing still, we will be delivered
And we are twin cities, and we are one ocean
From the standing still, we are set in motion
Yeah, we are twin cities
We are one river
(We are twin cities)
One ocean
We are twin cities
(We are twin cities)
We are one river, yeah
One ocean
We are twin cities, one ocean