Minneapolis is one of America's best cities to raise a family amidst one of the most beautiful natural landscapes of hills and prairies and lakes. The city flanks both sides of the Mississippi River, on a flood plain where soils are rich enough to create beautiful landscapes of native and introduced plants. Called the "City of Lakes", this is a verdant area so rich with wetlands that scenic roads connect to the Chain of Lakes via the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway. With so many water resources, outdoor living, healthy cuisine and recreation are a big part of the life here in the summer.

This city is surrounded by some of America's most beautiful suburbs with large street trees and lovely traditional Midwestern architecture that is ideal for expanding into outdoor living spaces. With long cold winters, the desire to move outside to grill and dine or relax is strong, so landscaping that features a fire pit or outdoor fireplace allows its use well beyond the usual summer months. Stone is a vital material in these landscapes where it blends naturally into the architecture and environment.

The sister city of St. Paul lies immediately to the east of Minneapolis at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota River. Combined, these are the "twin cities" where homes and lots are large and spacious. This provides plenty of room to create expansive landscapes that make family life more fun without leaving home. The ability to move outdoors for much of the summer is a great way to utilize all of a homesite, offering plenty of opportunities to dine, relax and play with the kids.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum is the best place to connect with plants and gardens in the area over this whopping thousand acre horticultural and botanical site. A fifteen acre wild plant preserve is the best place to see natives at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden. Due to the long winters, the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory offers a comfortable indoor environment with exotic plants. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden appeals both to the art and garden lover with its famous Cherry Spoon sculpture.

South of the Twin Cities is Bloomington, a post war community close to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Further south is Burnsville, a rural suburb with affordable housing not far from the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge. To the west lies the larger community of Hopkins, well known for its Raspberry Festival.

All of these suburbs have grown into some of the best family living in America. Large yards allow a wide range of options from a swimming pool to outdoor dining patios and beautiful landscaping to solve problems related to privacy, views and adjacent commercial land uses. This is where a good design can turn an average yard into a great one, proving it's cost effective for adding overall value to the home. Where winters are long and cold, there is no better way to reconnect with this beautiful area in the spring than to begin turning that empty yard into rewarding living space.