Minneapolis–Saint Paul is the most populous urban area in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and is composed of 182 cities and townships built around the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers. The area is also nicknamed the Twin Cities for its two largest cities, Minneapolis, with the highest population, and Saint Paul, the state capital. It is a classic example of twin cities in the sense of geographical proximity.

LDS Population

LDS Members make up 0.70% of the population of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. The state of Minnesota has 30,603 members in 8 stakes, 54 wards, 26 branches, 1 mission, and 1 temple in St. Paul.

LDS History

A missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “preached at Spring Grove,” according to one 1854 Minnesota county newspaper. Other missionaries visited during the first two decades of the Church in Minnesota. One missionary focused on the Scandinavians who settled in the state. In 1875, the first official Latter-day Saint congregation in Minnesota was organized in Freeborn County. By 1877, five more congregations were organized, and in 1882, there were 75 members. In 1914, the first Church-owned building in Minnesota was purchased and a baptismal font installed within. By 1919, Church membership in Minnesota increased to 4,000 in 30 congregations. Several members at that time migrated west with the other Saints.