At the western tip of Lake Superior, Duluth is a world port thanks to the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ships of many countries fly their flags at its 49 miles of docks. This gives the products of Minnesota and the Northwestern states better access to markets of the world and stimulates development of new industries converting raw materials to finished goods. One of the foremost grain exporting ports in the nation, Duluth-Superior Harbor also handles iron ore, coal, limestone, petroleum products, cement, molasses, salt, grain, soybean oil, soybeans, wood pulp, paper, and chemicals. The twin ports are the westernmost water terminus for goods consigned to the Northwest.

High bluffs rise from the lakeshore, protecting the harbor from the elements. Minnesota Point, a sandbar extending 7 miles from Minnesota to the Wisconsin shore, protects the inner harbor.

There are two ways for ships to enter the Duluth-Superior Harbor: one by way of the Superior side, called the Superior Entry; and the other, the Duluth Ship Canal, with an aerial lift bridge located a few blocks south of downtown Duluth. The distance between the two is about 8 miles.

As the state's gateway to the sea, Duluth is a business, industrial, cultural, recreational, and vacation center. The great Minnesota northwoods begin almost at the city's boundaries. From here the North Shore Drive follows Lake Superior into Canada; other highways fan out to the lake country, the great forests, and south to the Twin Cities. The headquarters of the Superior National Forest is located here.

Long a fur trading post, Duluth is the city of early voyageurs, Chippewa, and French and British explorers. The first major shipment from the twin ports of Duluth and Superior was 60 canoe loads of furs in 1660. Modern commerce started in 1855 following construction of the lock at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the eastern entrance to Lake Superior. The French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, landed here in 1679. The city takes its name from him.