Duluth's 1990 population was. 85,493.  The county seat of St. Louis county, at the west end of  Lake Superior and opposite Superior, Wisconsin. It is a commercial, industrial, and cultural center of  northern Minnesota, as well as a major port on the Great Lakes, a convention headquarters, and the gateway to a resort region. Large amounts of grain, iron ore (especially taconite), oil and bulk cargo are shipped on lake freighters and ocean vessels. The diverse industries include fish processing and grain elevator services, and the manufacture of steel, concrete, piping, chemical lime, paper, and hand tools. Tourism is important, and the military air-defense installation at Duluth International Airport is valuable to the economy.  Permanent settlement began in 1852. Built largely on rocky bluffs overlooking the lake, the city was at first a trade and shipping center for the timber country. Discovery of iron (1865) in the Mesabi range made it the chief ore-shipping point for the nation's steel mills. With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway (1959), it became one of the leading ports on the Great Lakes for the export of grain.

Duluth is the seat of the College of St. Scholastica, the Duluth Institute of Technology, and a branch of the Univ. of Minnesota. It has a symphony orchestra, a community theater, and various museums. Of interest are the huge Aerial Lift Bridge, linking the city to 7 mi (11.3 km) of sand beach on Park Point; the Skyline Blvd., winding high above the city for 15 mi (24 km); and Leif Erikson Park.