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Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025

Is Hibbing larger than Minneapolis and St. Paul combined?

Brian Arola, MinnPost
yes

When it comes to geographical size, Hibbing is larger than the combined square mileage of Minneapolis and St. Paul. 

Sprawling over more than 180 square miles, the Iron Range city, with a population of about 16,000, is by far Minnesota’s largest city by land area. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul combine to cover about 110 square miles. 

Massive city footprints aren’t out of the norm on the Iron Range, where current and past mines dot the landscape. Part of Hibbing’s land area includes one of the largest open-pit mines in the world. 

At 106 square miles, Babbitt is distantly second to Hibbing in land area among Minnesota cities. Mountain Iron and Hoyt Lakes are also bigger than Minneapolis and St. Paul individually.

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