The Duluth MN–WI Metropolitan Area,Minnesota commonly called the Twin Ports, is a small metropolitan area centered around the cities of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The Twin Ports are located at the western part of Lake Superior (the westernmost part of North America's Great Lakes) and together are considered one of the larger cargo ports in the United States. The Twin Ports are close to many natural attractions such as the North Shore, the North Country National Scenic Trail, the Apostle Islands, and the Superior National Forest.

The area is home to two long bridges: the Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge (carrying U.S. Route 2) and the John Blatnik Bridge (carrying Interstate 535 and U.S. Route 53). Each bridge reaches across more than 1.5 miles (2.5 km) across the mouth of the Saint Louis River. The Aerial Lift Bridge was constructed in 1905 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It must be raised each time a vessel enters or leaves Duluth's harbor; the inlet on the Wisconsin side is not similarly obstructed.

Together, the cities rank as the 20th-busiest port in the country by tonnage, with over 29 million short tons (26.3 million tonnes) of cargo volume in 2022.

The census bureau's Twin Ports metropolitan statistical area, an area much larger than the Duluth metropolitan area includes all of Wisconsin's Douglas County, and Minnesota's Carlton and Saint Louis counties. With a 2020 census population of 291,638, the Duluth MSA ranked as the 170th largest metropolitan area in the United States. A tourist location that boasts many scenic natural amenities, approximately 6.7 million tourists visit The City of Duluth each year.

Communities The following is a list of places in the three-county Duluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Area categorized based on the United States Census Bureau 2025 population estimates. This list includes census-designated places (CDPs) and villages in Wisconsin, but excludes unincorporated towns in Wisconsin, known as civil townships in other states. No population estimates are released for CDPs, which are marked with an asterisk (*) and categorized based on their 2020 Census population.

Principal city

Duluth (88,330)

Places with 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants Superior, WI (26,397) Hibbing (15,823) Cloquet (12,399) Hermantown (10,110)

Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Virginia (8,187) Chisholm (4,625) Rice Lake (4,169) Eveleth (3,381) Ely (3,231) Proctor (3,054) Moose Lake (2,948) Mountain Iron (2,835) Esko* (2,082) Hoyt Lakes (1,978) Gilbert (1,644) Aurora (1,643) Babbitt (1,363) Lake Nebagamon, WI (1,134) Scanlon (989) Biwabik (970) Carlton (965) Buhl (946) Solon Springs, WI (674) Superior (village), WI (664) Poplar, WI (626) Barnum (605) Cook (515) Floodwood (511) Big Lake* (464) Wrenshall (457) Tower (422) Oliver, WI (409) Soudan* (285) Mahtowa* (332) Cromwell (258) Mahnomen* (231) Nett Lake* (230) Orr (210) Brule, WI* (208) Wright (170) Kettle River (168) Winton (161) Kinney (148) Gordon, WI* (145) Meadowlands (137) Brookston (113) Iron Junction (105) McKinley (103) Leonidas (51)

Infrastructure The four tallest buildings are in Duluth, the Alworth Building, Historic Old Central High School, Maurices Headquarters, Medical Arts Building. The Bong Bridge leads to from Duluth to Superior. The Bong bridge was built in 1985 and is 11,800 ft (3,600 m) long. The Blatnik Bridge also leads to from Duluth to Superior. The Blatnik Bridge was built in 1965 and is 7,975 feet (2,431 m) long. Canal Park is a heavy tourist area in Downtown Duluth. In Virginia the tallest bridge in Minnesota (Hwy 53 Bridge) connecting Eveleth to Virginia. The Hwy 53 Bridge covers the Rouchleau Mine. The bridge opened in 2017 and is 204 ft. high in the air and spans 1,125 ft.

Hospitals

Essentia Health St. Mary's Medical Center - Duluth - (Level 1 Trauma Center) St. Luke's Hospital - Duluth - (Level 2 Trauma Center) Essentia Health St. Mary's Hospital - Superior - (Level 4 Trauma Center) Community Memorial Hospital - Cloquet - (Level 4 Trauma Center)

Shopping Miller Hill Mall

Attractions

Aerial Lift Bridge AMSOIL Arena Anchor Bar and Grill Bayfront Festival Park Blatnik Bridge Canal Park Enger Tower Glensheen Mansion Gooseberry Falls Great Lakes Aquarium Lake Superior Railroad Museum Leif Erikson Ship Minnesota Point Nemadji Golf Course Oldest Operating Hockey Arena in Minnesota Spirit Mountain Ski Area Superior City FC Soccer Games Tallest Bridge in Minnesota World's Largest Freestanding Hockey Stick

Education

Colleges and universities

College of St. Scholastica - Duluth Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College - Cloquet Lake Superior College - Duluth Northwood Technical College - Superior, Wisconsin University of Minnesota Duluth - Duluth University of Wisconsin, Superior - Superior, Wisconsin

Transportation

Major highways

Interstates I-35 I-535

U.S. Highways US 2 US 53 US 169

Minnesota Highways MN 23 MN 61 – North Shore MN 194 – Central Entrance – Mesaba Avenue MN 210

St. Louis County Highways Saint Louis County Road 4 – Rice Lake Road

Transit Duluth Transit Authority Arrowhead Transit Buses Indian Trails Jefferson Lines

Airports

Duluth International Airport - Duluth (DLH) Sky Harbor Airport & Seaplane Base - Duluth (KDYT) Cloquet Carlton County Airport - Cloquet (COQ)

MSA The Duluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area covers an area much larger than the Twin Ports urban area. The MSA includes 3 counties, of which two are in Minnesota and one is in Wisconsin. St. Louis County is Minnesota's largest county by area.

Duluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area CountySeat2025 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensitySt. LouisDuluthDouglas, WISuperiorCarltonCarltonTotal The Duluth–Grand Rapids, MN–WI Combined Statistical Area is made up of three counties in Minnesota and one county in Wisconsin. The statistical area includes the Duluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Grand Rapids, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Statistical Area2025 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensityDuluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical AreaGrand Rapids, MN Micropolitan Statistical AreaTotal

See also List of ports in the United States McDougall Duluth Shipbuilding Company Fraser Shipyards

References

External links Superior, Wisconsin, Community Links Page Twin Ports Commonwealth regional community cooperative