Minnesota

About 60% of Minnesota's population lives in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.  About 70% live in or near cities.  Unclear how "city" is defined in MN: according to the 2000 census, the town of Tenney has 6 residents (up from 4 in 1990).

MN has 3 official state nicknames: Land of 10,000 Lakes, North Star State, and Gopher State.  

Note Northwest Angle at top

The more than 10,000 lakes (estimated at 15,000-22,000) that Minnesota has were formed eons ago when retreating glaciers ground much of the land somewhat flat and the melting ice pack filled the low places with water.

Both Brainerd and Detroit Lakes have more than 400 lakes within 25 miles of these towns.

A small notch of land that's wholly attached to Canada but belongs to Minnesota is called the Northwest Angle.  It's reachable only across either Manitoba or the Lake of the Woods.  It's the northernmost point in the Lower 48.

The Treaty of Paris in 1783 gave eastern MN to the new United States; 20 years later in the Louisiana Purchase, the US bought western MN (among other lands).

Port of Duluth

When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, linking the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean, Duluth became the world's largest freshwater port.

Aside from the usual weather events - rain, snow, hail, thunderstorms, tornadoes - Minnesota has something called derechos that apparently lump all other weather events together into one humongous event (widespread straight-line wind storm with severe thunderstorms that can cause tornadoes, heavy rain, flash floods and hurricane-force winds).

Temple of ECK

MN has a history of religious tolerance.  A Jewish synagogue was established in St. Paul in 1856.  There are more than 30 mosques in MN, most in the Twin Cities area.  The Temple of ECK (Eckankar) is based in MN.

Minnesota is the top US producer of turkeys and sugar beets and iron ore.

The Mall of America occupies 96+ acres and has 530+ stores; it's so big, Google Maps offers an indoor map of the mall.

MN's capitol building in St. Paul is one of only a few buildings in the world with a marble dome.  It was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

The Capitol of Minnesota

St. Peter's Basilica

More Hmong people live in MN than in their original home of Laos.

Minnesotans are the best-educated in the US and have the highest percentage of high school graduates.

A 2006 survey reported that 86% of Minnesotans got regular physical exercise - more than any other state.

Tilt-A-Whirl

Minneapolis boasts a Museum of Questionable Medical Devices.  Who can resist?

The Tilt-A-Whirl debuted at the Minnesota State Fair in 1927.


The Chippewa National Forest, with its 1300 lakes, has the highest breeding population of bald eagles in the Lower 48.

MN has more acres of wild rice than any other state.

A number of well-known people were born in MN, including Bob Dylan, the Coen Brothers, Jessica Lange, Roger Maris, Charles Schulz, and Lindsey Vonn.