Welcome to Minnesota

Minnesota is located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest state in the U.S., with an area of 87,014 square miles. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 32nd state in 1858.   The majority of Minnesota residents live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the center of transport, business and industry, and home to an internationally-known arts community. The remainder of the state, often referred to as Greater Minnesota, consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture, eastern deciduous forests also heavily farmed and settled, and the less-populated northern boreal forest. The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", and those lakes and the other waters for which the state is named together with state and national forests and parks offer residents and tourists a vigorous outdoor lifestyle.   Much of the state is relatively flat, but pockmarked with lakes, having been eroded by glacial periods during the Ice Age. The extreme southeastern portion of the state is part of the Driftless Zone, which was not covered by the recent Wisconsin glaciation. It is here that Lake Pepin and the rugged high bluffs of the Mississippi River are found. The northeastern portion of the state is on the Canadian Shield and is covered by rugged ranges of hills, notably the Mesabi Range, rich in iron ore, the Sawtooth Mountains along the shore of Lake Superior, the Misquah Hills and the Laurentian Highlands in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.   The state's nickname, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, is no exaggeration: there are 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size. The Minnesota portion of Lake Superior is the largest and deepest body of water in the state. Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that travel over 69,000 miles. The nation's second longest and the world's third largest river, the Mississippi, begins its 2,552 mile journey at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota.   Minnesota has temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate, with cold winters and warm summers. The state's climate is profoundly affected by the jet stream which can create winter temperatures lower than some parts of Alaska. As Minnesota is located far inland, its climate is unmoderated by large bodies of water except for highly localized effects near Lake Superior.   The extremes of the climate contrast with the moderation of Minnesota’s people. The state is known for its moderate to progressive politics and social policies and its civic involvement and voter turnout. It ranks among the healthiest states by a number of measures, and has one of the most highly-educated and literate populations.   Minnesota's economy has transformed in the past 200 years from one based on raw materials to one based on finished products and services. The earliest industries were fur trading and agriculture. Agriculture is still a major part of the economy even though only a small percentage of the population, around 2%, consider themselves to be farmers. Minnesota is a leading US producer of sugar beets, soybeans, and corn. State agribusiness has changed from mere production to processing and the manufacture of value-added food products by companies such as General Mills, Cargill (milling), Hormel Foods Corporation of Austin (prepackaged and processed meat products), and the Schwan Food Company of Marshall (frozen foods).

Fast Facts Only in Minnesota Minnesota introduced these products to the world: Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties cereal, Bisquick, HMOs, the bundt pan, Aveda beauty products, and Green Giant vegetables. Minneapolis has more golfers per capita than anywhere else in the U.S. The Metrodome is the only sports arena in America to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship. Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined. Minnesota has more recreational boats per capita than any other state.   Capital:  St. Paul Time Zone:  Central Sales Tax:  6.5% State Drink:  Milk State Flower:  Pink and White Showy Lady's Slipper