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is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County. It was originally inhabited by people of the Chippewa tribe, who originally named it "Keegewaquampe", which roughly is translated to "people among the great hill". The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census and 84,397 according to July 1st, 2007 census estimates. The Duluth MSA had a population of 275,486 in 2000. At the westernmost point on the north shore of Lake Superior, Duluth is linked to the Atlantic Ocean away via the Great Lakes and Erie Canal/New York State Barge Canal or Saint Lawrence Seaway passages and is the Atlantic Ocean's westernmost deep-water port.
Duluth forms a metropolitan area with Superior, Wisconsin. Called the Twin Ports, these two cities share the Duluth-Superior Harbor and together are one of the most important ports on the Great Lakes, shipping coal, iron ore (taconite), and grain. As a tourist destination for the Midwest, Duluth features America's only all-freshwater aquarium, the Great Lakes Aquarium, the Aerial Lift Bridge which spans the short canal into Duluth's harbor, "Park Point", the world's longest freshwater sandbar, spanning 6 miles, and is a launching point for the North Shore.
The city is named for Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, the first known European explorer of the area.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 87.3 square miles (226.2 km²). It is Minnesota's second largest city in terms of land area, surpassed only by Hibbing. Of its 87.3 square miles, 68.0 square miles (176.1 km²) or 77.89% is land and 19.3 square miles (50.0 km²) or 22.11% is water. Duluth's canal connects Lake Superior to the Duluth-Superior harbor and the St. Louis River. The Aerial Lift Bridge connects Canal Park with Minnesota Point ("Park Point").
Duluth's geography is dominated by a rather steep hill which represents a transition from the elevation of Lake Superior's beach to that of the inland. It has been called 'the San Francisco of the Mid-West', referencing the California city's similar position on a hill, leading down to a busy harbor. This similarity was most evident before World War II, when Duluth had a network of street cars and an 'Incline,' which climbed its steep hill. The change in elevation is most evident when comparing Duluth's two airports. The Sky Harbor airport's weather station, situated on the Park Point sandbar, jutting into Lake Superior, (at 6 miles (9.65 km)) has an elevation of 607 feet (185 m), while Duluth International Airport atop the hill is at 1,427 feet (435 m).
As the city has grown, the population has tended to hug the Lake Superior shoreline, hence Duluth is primarily a southwest-northeast city. A considerable amount of development on the hill's upslope gives Duluth a reputation for steep streets. Some neighborhoods, such as Piedmont Heights and Bayview Heights, are atop the hill, at times giving scenic views of the city. The Goat Hill neighborhood overlooking the 'can of worms' freeway interchange around 18th Avenue West is an example of this; another is the skyline neighborhood above downtown from 5th to 10th Avenues West. Perhaps the most rapidly developing part of the city is a commercial mall and big-box retailer shopping strip "over the hill", the Miller Trunk corridor. Re-construction of U.S. Highway 53 is scheduled within the next five years to alleviate congestion in the Miller Hill area of Duluth.