The Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis touch each other, and their Downtowns are just 9 miles apart. The reason that they formed separately is due to the changing needs through their early history as they drew their identities from Mother Mississippi. Saint Paul was located where there was an easy steamboat landing, vital to bringing European people up to the rich land. Once this careful toehold was placed on the rugged land, the powerful falls further upstream were vital to developing industry in what became Minneapolis. Each city went its own way, joined to the other.