Minnesota was the 32nd state in the United States of America. It was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and became a state on May 11, 1858. Its capital was the city of St. Paul, and the largest city, immediately adjacent to the capital, was Minneapolis. Minnesota was the 12th largest state, and had a population of 4.1 million in 1980, with about 60% of those people living in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.