The core area of the regional metropolis spreads from downtown St. Paul (center) toward central Minneapolis (upper left), 10 miles to the west, in 1982. In 1862 the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad began at the riverboat landing, just upstream from the nearest bridge in the foreground, and crossed the wide-open spaces to its western terminal at the doorstep of Minneapolis. Photos, Cook's Aerial Photos, Minneapolis, MN.