These Apps are the Talk of the Town: Minneapolis, MN

When the beauty of nature gently collides with the a thriving metropolis, magic happens. This is Minneapolis, The City of Lakes. Home to businesses of all kinds, the downtown area is full of life, art, history and commerce. As the skyscrapers glisten in the sun, beautiful parks rest at their feet. You can do so much inside this city, but if you get tired of the hustle, you can escape to your rural existence for peace and quiet. Choose Minneapolis for the best of both worlds, whether visiting or taking up residence.

Download these helpful applications to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with this beautiful city.

Trip Advisor

Start the day with a morning walk or bike ride then visit one of the many art museums. Support the environmentally responsible city of Minneapolis and wander through one of the many farmers markets that pepper the downtown streets. With a fresh apple in hand, make your way to the iconic shopping hub, the Mall of America, and buy yourself some shoes. The evening brings Broadway, city lights and savory cuisine.

With TripAdvisor, you can plan ahead and get real reviews and opinions by travelers and residents. Explore the downtown and its restaurants, sites, hotels, shopping, sports events, nightlife and family-friendly activities right in the palm of your hand.

Beat the Traffic

Whether you are visiting or commuting from a suburb, Beat the Traffic helps you explore the best route to avoid heavy traffic, construction and jams. It displays real-time information about roadwork, delays and accidents. The app allows you to save your daily routine or preferred routes in and out of the city. You can use this app in the U.S. and Canada.

Weather Alert App

The iMap Weather Radio app offers alerts, may it be calm skies or life-threatening weather events. The app will follow you so you don't have to reprogram your location, It also offers audio alerts if you so desire. The ABC news channel, KSTP, has joined with iMap Weather radio to offer Minneapolis-specific information and updates.

Housing App

Relocating to the area might be one of the best decisions you have made. If you're thinking of taking up residence in a downtown loft, buying a suburban home or want to rent a St. Cloud apartment, the tools at your fingertips will save you the hassle of trying to do it by foot. The ForRent app allows you to view videos, pricing, floor plans and more right your mobile device for any city in the U.S.

Urban Spoon

We all have a little "foodie" inside of us. Downtown Minneapolis has many restaurant options. Turn to Urban Spoon for a fun way to browse food joints near you. No matter what you're craving, the app will sort through the available options and find the exact match for your desires. You can know what's on the menu and the price before you even get there.

Minnesota Twins Apps

If you live anywhere in the entire state of Minnesota, you love your Vikings and your Twins. There are apps for both teams. For baseball, there is a general premium sports app that features news, interviews, interactive social media, podcasts, wallpaper, photos and scores across the league. The Twins, though, have their own in-stadium app that allows fans to predict what events will occur during a game. And fans can be rewarded. Get "At the Ballpark" at MLB.com.