Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth forms a metropolitan area with Superior, Wisconsin. Called the Twin Ports, these two cities share the Duluth-Superior harbor and together are the Great Lakes largest and one of the most important ports, shipping coal, iron ore (taconite) and grain. As a tourist destination for the Midwest, Duluth features America's only all-freshwater aquarium, the Great Lakes Aquarium; the Aerial Lift Bridge which spans the short canal into Duluth's harbor; Park Point, the world's longest freshwater sandbar, spanning 6 mi; and is a launching point for the North Shore.The city is named for Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the first known European explorer of the area.