Duluth, Minnesota

Duluth, Minnesota
Nickname: 
Zenith city of unsalted seas
Location of Duluth in St. Louis County, Minnesota
Duluth
Location within Minnesota
Duluth
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 46°46′59.78″N 92°06′23.68″W / 46.7832722°N 92.1065778°W / 46.7832722; -92.1065778
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountySt. Louis County
MetroTwin Ports
First Settled1850-51
Platted1856
Incorporated (town)May 19, 1857
Incorporated (city)March 5, 1870
Incorporated (city charter)March 2, 1887
Named afterDaniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut
Government
  TypeMayor–council
  BodyDuluth City Council
  MayorRoger Reinert (DFL)
  City managerDave Montgomery
Area
  City
80.168 sq mi (207.634 km2)
  Land71.658 sq mi (185.593 km2)
  Water8.510 sq mi (22.041 km2)  22.46%
  Urban
66.87 sq mi (173.20 km2)
  Metro
8,413.17 sq mi (21,790.01 km2)
Elevation
705 ft (215 m)
Population
 (2020)
  City
86,697
  Estimate 
(2023)
87,680
  RankUS: 398th
MN: 4th
  Density1,223.51/sq mi (472.39/km2)
  Urban
119,411 (US: 281st)
  Urban density1,785.8/sq mi (689.5/km2)
  Metro
281,603 (US: 177th)
  Metro density33.46/sq mi (12.92/km2)
  Combined
326,968 (US: 112nd)
  Combined density29.50/sq mi (11.39/km2)
DemonymDuluthian
GDP
  Metro$16.822 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
  Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
55801–55808, 55810–55812, 55814–55816
Area code218
FIPS code27-17000
GNIS feature ID661145
Sales tax8.875%
Websiteduluthmn.gov

Duluth (/dəˈlθ/ də-LOOTH) is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population was 86,697 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's fifth-largest city. Duluth forms a metropolitan area with neighboring Superior, Wisconsin, called the Twin Ports. Duluth is south of the Iron Range and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It is named after Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the area's first known European explorer.

Duluth is on the north shore of Lake Superior at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes. It is the largest metropolitan area, the second-largest city, and the largest U.S. city on the lake. Duluth is accessible to the Atlantic Ocean, 2,300 miles (3,700 km) away, via the Great Lakes Waterway and St. Lawrence Seaway. The Port of Duluth is the world's farthest inland port accessible to oceangoing ships and is the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes. It is also among the top 20 U.S. ports by tonnage. Common items shipped from Duluth include coal, iron ore, grain, limestone, cement, salt, wood pulp, steel coil, and wind turbine parts.

Duluth is a popular Midwest tourist destination. The city is home to the Great Lakes Aquarium, a freshwater aquarium. The Aerial Lift Bridge, next to Canal Park, crosses the Duluth Ship Canal into the Duluth–Superior harbor. Minnesota Point, known locally as Park Point, is the world's longest freshwater baymouth bar, stretching 6 miles (10 km). The city is also the starting point for road trips along the North Shore of Lake Superior to Thunder Bay, Ontario.