Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport
international airport serving Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (IATA: MSP, ICAO: KMSP, FAA LID: MSP) – also less commonly known as Wold–Chamberlain Field – is a joint civil-military public international airport serving the Twin Cities in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory and sections of the airport border the city limits of Minneapolis and Richfield; however, the airport property is not part of any city or school district. Although situated within the unorganized territory, the airport is centrally located within 10 miles (16 kilometers; 9 nautical miles) of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown Saint Paul. In addition to primarily hosting commercial flights from major American and some international airlines, the airport is also home to several United States Air Force and Minnesota Air National Guard operations. The airport is also used by a variety of air cargo operators. MSP, along with Detroit Metropolitan Airport, regularly contends for the busiest airport in the Upper Midwest.
A joint civil-military airport, MSP is home to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport Joint Air Reserve Station, supporting both Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard flight operations. Units stationed there include the 934th Airlift Wing (934 AW). MSP covers 2,930 acres (1,186 ha) of land. The airport generates an estimated $15.9 billion a year for the Twin Cities' economy and supports 87,000 workers.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport” is international airport serving Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Minneapolis, Saint and Paul, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “international airport serving Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q875749. VIAF identifies the subject as 139708406. The Library of Congress control number is n94012482. Authority coordinates are 44.882, -93.222. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport primary sources, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport archive and Minneapolis research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.