The state capitals include Bismarck, Pierre, Saint Paul, Des Moines, and Lincoln. Other populous cities include Minneapolis, Fargo, Sioux Falls, and Omaha.

Interstate 94 runs from west to east through North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. A northern cross-country route, Interstate 90, runs from west to east through South Dakota and southern Minnesota. A central cross-country route, Interstate 80, runs from west to east through Nebraska and Iowa.

Interstate 29 runs from north to south through eastern North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, and western Iowa. Further east, Interstate 35 runs from north to south through Minnesota and Iowa.

These images demonstrate the connections and dependencies from state to state.  Power generation and transmission, rail and commerce all strongly tie and interlink these five states together. 

The largest concentrations of the 484,000 businesses in this region are in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, Omaha and Des Moines.