Minneapolis, Minnesota is a city that goes by any one of a handful of nicknames: “The City of Lakes,” “Mill City,” and one of the “Twin Cities.” But, it’s also been called one of America’s smartest cities, one of the 15 Coolest North American Cities, one of the most sustainable cities, one of the most fun cities, one of the top biking cities in the United States, one of the happiest cities, one of the safest cities, and the list just goes on. A hub of industry, culture and entertainment unlike any other in the great Midwest, Minneapolis is the county seat for Hennepin County and the largest city in the state.

Minneapolis is recognized as America’s Most Literate City. It’s home to the headquarters of numerous Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies including Target Corporation, Xcel Energy, Ameriprise Financial, Valspar, Graco and many others. The top employers in the city include the government, Target, Wells Fargo, Ameriprise, Star Tribune, IBM and U.S. Bancorp.

The city has a very diverse economy that’s made up of an array of industries, including health care, commerce, finance, trucking, food processing, milling, publishing, education, technology and dozens of others. This flexibility is why Minneapolis is considered one of the best places in the United States to find a quality job.

If you’re a renter who loves the outdoors, you can’t go wrong relocating to Minneapolis as it’s recognized as having the best-designed, best-financed and best-maintained park system in the United States. The city’s abundant number of lakes provide a wealth of outdoor activities ranging from boating and fishing to swimming and ice skating.

The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area interlinks many of the most popular parks, it includes the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden, the country’s oldest public wildflower garden, as well as a beautiful bird sanctuary.

Runner’s World Magazine considers Minneapolis one of the top cities for runners and with the Twin Cities Marathon being a Boston Marathon and USA Olympic team qualifier; it’s not hard to see why.

The city has five golf courses and more golfers than any other American city. It also has the highest number of sport fishermen, snow skiers and bicyclists. Home to the Minnesota Vikings and the Twins, the city is well accommodating to the professional sports lover.

Minneapolis is a major center for culture in Minnesota. It offers renters top of the line cultural experiences, performance arts, exhibitions and museums that rival any great American city. Home to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Katherine Nash Gallery, the Museum of Russian Art, the city has some of the best collections of fine art in the world. History is equally on display here with the Mill City Museum, the American Swedish Museum, the Hennepin History Museum and others.

True to the city’s recognition as the most literate city, Minneapolis is home to the Loft Literary Center, the Playwright’s Center, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and other literary sites and centers.

Of course, shopping, dining and enjoying a night out on the town are easily accomplished in this forward-thinking city with plenty of each available all throughout Minneapolis.

Minneapolis is a very large city with 128 constituent neighborhoods. Offering a good mix of urban and suburban living, the city has plenty of apartment rentals and other rental properties.

A very high concentration of high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings make up the City Center neighborhood. The majority of these are in the smaller range, from studios to one and two bedrooms. Many of the apartments in the City Center neighborhood could be considered luxury lofts. And just south of the center along 28th Street and the surrounding neighborhoods, you can find a better selection of more affordable rentals.

For rural living, head to the far south regions of the city. While there aren’t as many apartments here to choose from, there are still some, and the neighborhoods out this way are more spacious and flowing. While the rent rates in this part of the city are high by state standards, they are lower than the national average.

For a more suburban setting, try the western part of the city, namely around the Medicine Lake region. There are a decent number of high-rise apartment complexes in this neighborhood with some smaller low-rises scattered about as well.