Minnesota
) is a
state in the
Midwestern region of the
United States. It is the 12
th largest state in the U.S., with an area of 87,014 square miles (225,365 km²). Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the
Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 32
nd state in 1858. Its population of over five million is primarily of northern European descent, with the principal minorities being
Native Americans descended from the original inhabitants,
Hispanics,
African Americans, and recent immigrant communities of
Somalis and
Hmongs.
Fifty four percent of those people live in the
Twin Cities metropolitan area, the center of transport, business and industry, and home to an internationally-known arts community.
[2001PopulationHouseholdEstimates.pdf Accessed 07/26/2006. 2000 census total for the Twin Cities is 2,642,062, total for the state is 4,919,479, which gives 53.706 percent] 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.
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.
The word
Minnesota comes from the
Dakota name for the
Minnesota River,
mnisota.
Mni, or sometimes
mini, or
Minne can be translated as "water".
Mnisota is then translated as
sky-tinted water or
somewhat clouded water [MNHS Minnesota Place names Accessed 06/29/06][Minnesota definition at Dictionary.com Accessed 07/06/2006]. Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers by dropping milk into water and calling it
mnisota. Many locations in the state contain the Dakota word for water, such as
Minnehaha Falls ("Waterfall", not "laughing waters" as is commonly thought),
Minneiska ("White water"),
Minnetonka, ("Big water"),
Minnetrista ("Crooked water"), and
Minneapolis which is a combination of
mni and the Greek word for "city",
polis.
|
Minnesota, showing roads and major bodies of water |
Minnesota is the northernmost state except for
Alaska; its
Northwest Angle is the only part of the 48
contiguous states lying north of the
49th Parallel. The state borders
Wisconsin on the east, and shares a water border in
Lake Superior with
Michigan.
Iowa is to the south,
North Dakota and
South Dakota are west, and the
Canadian provinces of
Ontario and
Manitoba are north. With 87,014 square miles (225,365 km²), or approximately 2.25% of the United States,
[infoplease.com facts and figures Accessed 06/22/2006] Minnesota is the 12
th largest state, and second largest among the
Midwestern states. Minnesota is in the sub-region known as the
Upper Midwest.
Terrain
The state's average elevation is 1,200 feet (366 m). The high point is
Eagle Mountain at 2,301 ft (701 m) and a low of 602 ft (183 m) at the surface of Lake Superior. Minnesota is one of the most geologically stable regions in the country. It experiences very few
earthquakes, most of which are minor; the strongest earthquake in the last century occurred near
Morris in 1975 and rated between 4.6 and 4.8 in
magnitude.
Two
continental divides meet in the northwestern part of Minnesota, creating three watersheds. Rain falling in the state can follow the
Mississippi River south to the
Gulf of Mexico, the
St. Lawrence Seaway east to the
Atlantic Ocean, or the
Hudson Bay watershed to the
Arctic Ocean.
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.
Flora and fauna
Three of the great
biomes of
North America converge in Minnesota: the
Great Plains of the west, the Eastern
Deciduous Forest, and the Northern
Boreal Forest of the
Canadian Shield. Minnesota's northern forest has been nearly completely logged at one time or another leaving only a few patches of
old growth forest. Logging has created troubles for native animals such as the
pine marten,
North American elk,
woodland caribou and
bobcat. Minnesota's lake's teem with the many sport fish of the region including
walleye,
bass,
muskellunge,
northern pike. The streams in the southeast are populous with
brook trout,
brown trout, and
rainbow trout.
Climate
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.
Minnesota is exposed to
blizzards during its long winter, and
thunderstorms the rest of the year. The latter can spawn
tornadoes. Tornado activity peaks during the months of May through July because the state is located on the northern edge of
Tornado Alley.
Temperature extremes range from a low of -60 °Fahrenheit (-51 °C) measured at
Tower in the north on
February 2,
1996, to highs of 114 °F (45.5 °C) reached in both 1917 and 1936 in the western part of the state.
[Minnesota and United States Climate Extremes Retrieved 06/22/06] The average temperature in the coldest month, January, is 11.2 °F (-11.5 °C), and the average in the warmest month, July, is 73.1 °F (22.8 °C). Averages are cooler in the north and warmer in the south. The average annual precipitation is 28.32
inches (719 mm), with a snowfall figure of 49.6 inches (126 cm).
Lakes and rivers
With its many lakes and rivers, Minnesota has approximately 90,000 miles of shoreline, the most of any state in the United States, and more than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined.
[ ] The state's nickname,
The Land of 10,000 Lakes, is no exaggeration: there are 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size.
[Lakes, rivers & wetlands facts Accessed 06/22/06] 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. It is joined at
Fort Snelling by the
Minnesota River, and in the southeast by many trout streams. The
Red River of the North, in the bed of glacial
Lake Agassiz, drains the northwest part of the state northward towards Canada's
Hudson Bay.
See also: List of lakes in Minnesota,
List of Minnesota riversProtected lands
Minnesota is home to many park lands. The state has 71 state parks (
List of Minnesota state parks), 53 state forests (
List of Minnesota state forests), two national forests (
List of U.S. national forests) and many other wildlife preserves and regional parks. The
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is located on the northeastern border of the state, and
Itasca State Park, the official
source of the
Mississippi River, is located in the north central section. The
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is in charge of managing state parks and forests.
Areas under the management of the
National Park Service include:
*
Grand Portage National Monument in
Grand Portage*
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area within the Twin Cities
*
North Country National Scenic Trail*
Pipestone National Monument at
Pipestone*
Voyageurs National ParkMain article: History of Minnesota
Early history
|
Ojibwa women in canoe, Leech Lake |
Prior to
European colonization, the region was primarily inhabited by
Native Americans. There were tribes of
Ojibwa (Sometimes called Chippewa, or Anishinaabe) and
Dakota, with some
Winnebago presence in the southeastern part of the region. Prior to these tribes the
Cheyenne and
Gros Ventre tribes were present in the region. The
economy was chiefly based on
hunter-gatherer activities.
European exploration
According to local
lore, the first European visitors were
Swedish and
Norwegian Vikings in the 14th century. The evidence for this is largely based on the controversial
Kensington Runestone, which is considered to be an elaborate
hoax.
The earliest European settlement may have been near
Stillwater, on the
St. Croix River, though many histories focus on Fort Snelling, the military settlement that took place farther west.
Noted European explorers of Minnesota:
*
Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, 1679 - French trader who visited the
Mille Lacs Lake area
*
Michel Aco and Father
Louis Hennepin, 1679 - explored the upper Mississippi River; first Europeans to see
Saint Anthony Falls; taken captive at Mille Lacs Lake until du Lhut appealed for their release
*
Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, 1700 - explored the Minnesota River to the Blue Earth area
*
Jonathan Carver, 1766-67 - explored Mississippi and Minnesota River valleys; wintered on
Lake Waconia in what is now
Carver County, named for him
*
Zebulon Pike, 1805 - traveled to the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers and bargained with the Dakota Indians for land to establish
Fort Snelling*
Henry Schoolcraft, 1832 - discovered
Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the Mississippi River
*
Joseph Nicollet, 1836-1839 - led several expeditions up the Mississippi River, St. Croix River, the
Pipestone quarries, and the land between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers
Fort Snelling
Fort Snelling was one of the earliest
U.S. military presences in the state. The land for the fort, at the
confluence of the
Minnesota and
Mississippi rivers, was acquired in 1805 by
Zebulon Pike. When concerns mounted about the fur trade in the area, construction of the fort began in 1819.
Construction was completed in 1825, and Colonel
Josiah Snelling and his officers and soldiers left their imprint on the area. They built roads, planted crops, built a
grist mill and a
sawmill at Saint Anthony Falls, and mediated disputes between Dakota and Ojibwa. Meanwhile, tourists, government officials, settlers, and immigrants from
Lord Selkirk's unsuccessful colony in Canada started settling in the vicinity of the fort. The Army eventually forced those settlers, including the colorful
Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant, to move downriver in 1839. They settled in the area that became
Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Fort Snelling is now a historic site operated by the
Minnesota Historical Society.
In the 1850s Fort Snelling played a key role in the infamous
Dred Scott case.
Slaves Dred Scott and his wife were taken to the fort by their master, John Emerson. They lived at the fort and elsewhere in territories where slavery was prohibited. After Emerson's death, the Scotts argued that since they had lived in free territory, they were no longer slaves. Ultimately, the Supreme Court sided against the Scotts. Dred Scott Field, located just a short distance away in
Bloomington, is named in the memory of Fort Snelling's significance in one of the most important legal precedents in U.S. History.
Minnesota Territory
All of the land east of the
Mississippi River was granted to the United States by the
Second Treaty of Paris at the end of the
American Revolution in 1783. This included what would become modern day Saint Paul (but only part of Minneapolis), including the northeast, north-central and east-central portions of the state. Most of the state, was purchased in 1803 from
France as part of the
Louisiana Purchase. The northern border between Minnesota and
British North America was disputed until 1818. At the time it was erroneously believed that the Mississippi River ran well into modern
Canada, making some earlier agreements flawed. Parts of northern Minnesota were considered to be in
Ruperts Land. The exact definition of the boundary was not addressed until the
Anglo-American Convention of 1818, which set the border at the 49th parallel west of the
Lake of the Woods (except for a small chunk of land now dubbed the
Northwest Angle). Border disputes east of the Lake of the Woods continued until the
Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842.
Throughout the first half of the 19th century, the northeastern portion of the state was a part of the
Northwest Territory, then the
Illinois Territory, then the
Michigan Territory, and finally the
Wisconsin Territory. The west and south areas of the state were not formally organized until 1838, when they became part of the
Iowa Territory.
After
Wisconsin and
Iowa achieved statehood, the
Minnesota Territory was carved out of the remaining land and established on
March 3,
1849. The Minnesota Territory extended far into what is now
North Dakota and
South Dakota, all the way to the
Missouri River. The eastern half of the Minnesota Territory became the country's 32nd state on
May 11,
1858. The remaining western part fell unorganized until its incorporation into the
Dakota Territory on
March 2,
1861.
Civil War era and Sioux Uprising
Although Minnesota was a new state when the
American Civil War started, it was the first to contribute troops to the Union effort, with about 22,000 Minnesotans serving. The
1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was particularly important to the
Battle of Gettysburg.
Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in Minnesota as the
Sioux Uprising of 1862 broke out. The Dakota had signed the
Treaty of Traverse des Sioux and
Treaty of Mendota in 1851 because they were concerned that without money from the United States government, they would starve. They were initially given a strip of land of ten miles north and south of the
Minnesota River, but they were later forced to sell the northern half of the land. In 1862, crop failures left the Dakota with food shortages, and government money was delayed. The conflict was ignited when four young Dakota men, searching for food, shot a family of white settlers. The ensuing battles at the
Lower Sioux Agency,
Fort Ridgely,
Birch Coulee, and
Wood Lake punctuated a six-week war, which ended with 425 Indians tried for their participation in the war. Of this number, 303 men were convicted and sentenced to death. Bishop
Henry Benjamin Whipple pled to President
Abraham Lincoln for clemency, and the death sentences of all but 38 men were reduced to prison terms. On
December 26,
1862, the 38 men were hanged in the largest mass execution in the United States. Many of the remaining Dakota Indians were confined in a prison camp at Fort Snelling over the winter of 1862-1863, and they were later exiled to the
Crow Creek Reservation, then later to a reservation near
Niobrara, Nebraska. A small number of Dakota Indians managed to return to Minnesota in the 1880s and established small communities near
Granite Falls,
Morton,
Prior Lake, and
Red Wing.
Early settlement and development
One area of early economic development in Minnesota was the
logging industry. Loggers found the
white pine especially valuable, and it was plentiful in the northeastern section of the state and in the
St. Croix River valley. Before railroads, lumbermen relied mostly on river transportation to bring logs to market, which made Minnesota's timber resources attractive. Towns like
Marine on St. Croix and
Stillwater became important lumber centers fed by the St. Croix River, while
Winona was supplied by areas in southern Minnesota and along the
Minnesota River. St. Anthony, on the east bank of the Mississippi River in what became Minneapolis, became an important lumber milling center supplied by the
Rum River.
The unregulated logging practices of the time and a severe drought took their toll in 1894, when the
Great Hinckley Fire ravaged 350,000 acres in the
Hinckley area.
After the Civil War, Minnesota also became an attractive region for immigration and settlement as farmland. Minnesota's population in 1870 was 439,000, this number tripled during the two subsequent decades. The
Homestead Act made it easy for settlers to claim land, which was regarded as being cheap and fertile. The railroad industry, led by the
Northern Pacific Railway and
St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (a predecessor of the
Great Northern Railway), advertised the many possibilities of the state and worked to get immigrants to settle in Minnesota.
Other railroads, such as the
Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad and the
Milwaukee Road, played an important role in the early days of Minnesota's statehood. Later railways, such as the
Soo Line Railroad and
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway, served as outlets for Minneapolis grain and other products, although they were not as involved in attracting settlers.
Industrial development
At the end of the 19th century, several forms of industrial development shaped Minnesota. In 1882, a
hydroelectric power plant was built at St. Anthony Falls, marking one of the first developments of hydroelectric power in the United States.
mining began in northern Minnesota with the opening of the
Soudan Mine in 1884. The
Vermilion Range was surveyed and mapped by a party financed by
Charlemagne Tower, for whom the town of
Tower is named.
Ely also started as a mining town with the foundation of the Chandler Mine in 1888. Soon after, the
Mesabi Range was established when ore was found just under the surface of the ground in
Mountain Iron. The Mesabi Range ultimately had much more ore than the Vermilion Range, and it was easy to extract because it was so close to the surface. As a result,
open-pit mines became well-established on the Mesabi Range, with 111 mines operating by 1904. To ship the iron ore to refineries, railroads such as the
Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway were built from the iron ranges to
Two Harbors and
Duluth on the edge of Lake Superior. Large ore docks were used at these cities to load the iron ore onto ships for transport east on the Great Lakes. The mining industry also helped to propel Duluth from a small town to a large, thriving city.
In 1904, iron was discovered in the
Cuyuna Range in
Crow Wing County. Between 1904 and 1984, when mining ceased, more than 106 million tons of ore were mined. Iron from the Cuyuna Range also contained significant proportions of
manganese.
Urbanization and government
A consequence of industrialization was that the population tended to cluster more into urban areas. Around 1900, the Twin Cities were becoming a center of commerce, led by the
Minneapolis Grain Exchange and the foundation of the
Federal Reserve Bank with its ninth district being in Minneapolis. Many of the businessmen who had made money in the railroad, flour milling, and logging industries lived in the Twin Cities. They started to donate money for cultural institutions such as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now the
Minnesota Orchestra). The parks of Minneapolis became famous, and the new
Minnesota State Capitol building and the
Cathedral of Saint Paul attracted attention to St. Paul.
The role of government also grew during the early 20th century. In the rural era, most people got food and manufactured goods from neighbors and other people they knew personally. As industry and commerce grew, goods such as food and medicines were no longer made by neighbors, but by large companies. In response, citizens called on their government for consumer protection, inspection of goods, and regulation of public utilities. The growth of the automobile spurred calls to develop roads and to enforce traffic laws. The state officially started its trunk highway system in 1920, with the passage of the Babcock Amendment that established 70
Constitutional Routes around the state.
Additional regulation was necessary for banking and insurance. The safety of industrial workers and miners became an increasing concern, and brought about the workers' compensation system. Since government was getting more complex, citizens demanded more of a role in their government, and became more politically active.
The period of the
Great Depression had its impact on Minnesota, with layoffs on the
Iron Range and a drought in the
Great Plains from 1931 through 1936. A truckers' strike in Minneapolis in 1934 turned ugly, with the union demanding the right to speak for all trucking employees. As a result of this strike and many others across the nation, Congress passed the
National Labor Relations Act in 1935. Government programs such as the
Civilian Conservation Corps and
Works Progress Administration brought much-needed work projects to the state. Congress also passed the
Indian Reorganization Act in 1934, giving Minnesota's Ojibwa and Dakota tribes more autonomy over their own affairs.
Post-World War II
Agriculture became a major industry after World War II. Many technological developments increased productivity on farms, such as automation of
feedlots for hogs and cattle, machine milking at dairy farms, and raising chickens in large buildings. Planting also became more specialized with
hybridization of corn and wheat, and mechanical equipment such as tractors and combines became the norm. University of Minnesota professor
Norman Borlaug contributed to this knowledge as part of the
Green Revolution.
development intensified after the war, fueled by the demand for new housing. In 1957, the Legislature created a planning commission for the Twin Cities metropolitan area. This became the
Metropolitan Council in 1967.
Minnesota also became a center of technology after the war.
Engineering Research Associates was formed in 1946 to develop computers for the
United States Navy. It later merged with
Remington Rand, and later became
Sperry Rand.
William Norris left Sperry in 1957 to form
Control Data Corporation (CDC).
was formed when
Seymour Cray left CDC to form his own company. Medical device maker
Medtronic also got its start in the Twin Cities in 1949.
The
capital city of Minnesota is
Saint Paul, located in the east-central part of the state along the
Mississippi River. Saint Paul is neighbored by Minnesota's largest and most populous city,
Minneapolis; together they and their
suburbs are known as the
Twin Cities. The Twin Cities
metropolitan area is home to three-fifths of the state's population and is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the United States. The remainder of the state is known as
Greater Minnesota or Outstate Minnesota.
Minnesota cities with a population above fifty thousand (as of 2000) are, in descending order:
Minneapolis,
Saint Paul,
Rochester,
Duluth,
Bloomington,
Plymouth,
Brooklyn Park,
Eagan,
St. Cloud,
Coon Rapids,
Burnsville,
Eden Prairie,
Maple Grove,
Minnetonka,
Blaine, and
Woodbury. Of these, only Rochester, Duluth, and St. Cloud are outside the Twin Cities area.
See also List of cities in Minnesota |
Minnesota Population Density Map |
*88.1%
White (not Hispanic)
*4.1%
Black (not Hispanic)
*3.6%
Asian/Pacific Islander
*1.1%
Native American/Alaskan Native
*1.4%
Mixed Race*1.8% Some other race
*3.5%
Hispanic, a category that includes people of any race
According to the 2004 American Community Survey, the largest reported ancestries are
German (37.3%),
Norwegian (17.0%),
Irish (12.2%), and
Swedish (10.0%).
and
Japanese have had long presences in the state.
Mexican and Hispanic immigrants are a growing segment, and the Latino population of Minnesota is expected to triple over the next 30 years.
[Resource record: Minnesota's population continues to become more diverse Accessed 06/22/06] Modern
immigrants have come from all over the world in recent decades, with
Hmong,
Somali,
Vietnamese,
Indians,
Middle Easterners, and the former
Soviet bloc all being well-represented. The state has the second-largest Hmong population in the United States (from the
Laos/
Thailand/
Vietnam region) and the second largest urban center of Hmong population in the world (concentrated in St. Paul). Many modern immigrants have been sponsored and assisted by religious congregations.
Population distribution
The population distribution by age as of 2004 is:
[Minnesota - DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics Accessed 07/26/2006]*18+ 3,632,585 (73.8%)
*21+ 3,414,300 (69.4%)
*62+ 696,775 (14.2%)
*65+ 594,266 (12.1%)
*Median age (years) 35.4
Religion
|
Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis |
Religious affiliations in Minnesota:
[ Accessed 07/22/06] *
Roman Catholic – 25%
*
Protestant:
**
Lutheran – 24%
**
Baptist – 5%
**
Methodist – 4%
**
Presbyterian – 2%
**
Assemblies of God – 2%
**
Church of God – 2%
**Other Protestant – 6%
*
Christian (unstated) – 7%
*
Judaism – 1%
*Other – 2%
*No religion – 14%
*Refused to answer – 6%
While Christianity is dominant, recent immigrants have formed appreciable communities of
Muslims,
Buddhists and
Hindus.
The
Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Minnesota's total state product in 2005 was $233.3 billion. Per capita personal income in 2004 was $36,184, 8
th in the nation.
[Bureau of Economic Analysis: Regional Economic Accounts Retrieved 06/22/06] The average household income in 1999 was approximately $48,000, also ranking eighth in the nation (
U.S. Census Bureau). Average household income per county averages range from $17,369 in
Todd County to $42,313 in
Hennepin County. In general, salaries are lowest in more rural areas, particularly in the northwest portion of the state.
Retail sales per capita were $10,260 in 1997, higher than the U.S. average of $9,190 (U.S. Census Bureau). The Twin Cities suburb of
Roseville has the highest per capita sales, which recorded $14,870 per capita, but total revenues are much higher in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, and
Edina.
Industry and commerce
Minnesota's economy has transformed 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).
Forestry, another early industry, remains strong with logging, pulpwood processing, forest products manufacturing and paper production.
Minnesota was famous for its soft-ore iron mines which produced a significant portion of the world's iron ore for over a century. Although the pure ore is now depleted,
taconite mining remains strong using processes developed locally to save the industry.
3M Co. (formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.), a company having its origins in mining, today is a diversified manufacturer of industrial and consumer products.
As might be expected in state with an outdoor orientation, boats and other recreational products are manufactured by a number of companies, and
Polaris Industries makes snowmobiles and other off-road recreational vehicles.
Retail is represented by
Target Corporation,
Best Buy, and International
Dairy Queen, all headquartered in the Twin Cities. The largest
shopping mall in the United States, the
Mall of America, is located in
Bloomington.
Ecolab provides sanitation services and supplies.
Financial institutions include
U.S. Bancorp,
TCF Bank, and
Wells Fargo & Co.; insurers include
St. Paul Travelers and
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
An active high-technology sector is represented by
Honeywell,
Cray Computers,
Imation, and a large
International Business Machines plant in Rochester.
Medtronic represents a growing biomedical industry spawned by university research, and Rochester is the headquarters of the world-famous
Mayo Clinic.
Energy use and production
Ethanol fuel is produced in the state, and a
10% mix of ethanol into consumer
gasoline has been mandated since 1997. As of 2006, Minnesota is the only U.S. state with such a mandate.
20% ethanol will be mandated in 2013. A 2%
biodiesel blend has also been required in
diesel fuel since 2005.
Electricity producing
Wind turbines have become popular, particularly in the windy southwest region. As of June 2006, the state is the country's fourth-largest wind energy producer, with 744
megawatts installed and an additional 128 MW planned.
[Wind Energy Projects Throughout the United States of America Accessed 06/22/2006]Like many Midwestern states that experience cold winters, Minnesota is heavily dependent on
natural gas for home heating. Just over two-thirds of homes use the fuel. The state does not produce any
petroleum of its own but boasts the largest
oil refinery of any non-oil-producing state, the
Pine Bend Refinery. One of the longest pipelines in the world, the
Lakehead Pipeline, also traverses northern Minnesota. Most of the petroleum used in the state comes from Canada and the northwestern United States.
State taxes
Minnesota has three brackets of
income tax rates, ranging from 5.35 percent to 7.85 percent. The
sales tax in Minnesota for most items is 6.5 percent. The state does not charge sales tax on
clothing, some
services, or
food items for home consumption.
[Sales tax fact sheets Accessed 06/22/2006] It does tax prepared food,
candy and
soft drinks.
[Minn Stat 297A.61 Subd 33 Accessed 06/22/06] The state also imposes a use tax on items purchased elsewhere but used within Minnesota. Minnesota property owners pay
property tax to their county. Three factors that affect the tax bill are: the amount the local governments spend to provide services to the community, the estimated market value of the property, and the classification of the property.
Minnesota businesses and individuals paid an average of 11.8% of their income in state and local taxes in 1998, down from 12.7% in 1996 (Minnesota Department of Revenue).
Fine arts and architecture
The Twin Cities area is considered the capital for the arts in the
Upper Midwest, the lead region among others such as the
Twin Ports (
Duluth, Minnesota-
Superior, Wisconsin),
Madison, Wisconsin and
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There is a very high per-capita attendance of
theatrical,
musical, and
comedy events across the area, which some believe may be boosted by the cold
winters but can be more realistically attributed to the large number of colleges, universities, and a generally strong economy, providing strong supply and demand for arts. In 2000, 2.3 million theater tickets were sold in the Twin Cities region. There are more theatre seats per capita than in any other American city, including
New York City.
Entertainment
|
First Avenue nightclub, the most historic and influential small musical venue in the state. |
Minnesotan musicians from all genres have gained notoriety over the years, with the singing
Andrews Sisters gaining worldwide prominence during
World War II, followed most notably by Hibbing, MN native
Bob Dylan (who launched his career playing free shows on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus), to the rise of
punk rockers
Hüsker Dü,
Soul Asylum,
the Replacements, and the
rhythm and blues stylings of
Morris Day and the Time and
Prince in the 1980s. R&B mega-producing team
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis have origins in the Twin Cities, and jazz musician
Lester Young lived there for a time in his youth.
These later sources brought the Minneapolis music scene to national attention; the period from about 1977 to 1987 was a period of incredible dynamism in the Minneapolis music scene, with offshoots in the punk scene including
Soul Asylum,
Babes in Toyland, the
Clams and many other seminal favorites, while Prince's immense power in the industry (which peaked during this period) created a
Rhythm and Blues mini-empire at his
Paisley Park Studios, based in suburban Chanhassen.
While contemporary local artists continue to enjoy critical acclaim such as
hip-hop duo
Atmosphere and frontman
Slug's label
Rhymesayers Entertainment, and the smaller
Doomtree, and commercially successful pop-rockers
Semisonic. things have slowed considerably - but the Twin Cities are still the region's musical hotbed. The area has also shown an unusual affinity for certain artists. For instance, while largely unnoticed on their home turf in
New York City, the Twin Cities accounted for the majority of national sales for
Soul Coughing's second album
Irresistible Bliss during its first eight weeks of release; this followed from the fledgling fan that Soul Coughing found here while touring for their first effort,
Ruby Vroom.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have also contributed significantly to comedy in its many different forms.
Ole and Lena jokes can't be fully appreciated unless delivered in the sing-songy accent of
Scandinavian-Americans, and
Garrison Keillor is known around the country for resurrecting the old-style
radio comedy with
A Prairie Home Companion. Local
television had the
satirical show
The Bedtime Nooz in the 1960s, while area natives
Lizz Winstead and
Craig Kilborn helped create the increasingly influential
Daily Show decades later. The standup scene of Minneapolis-St. Paul during the 1980s and 1990s was a major force in national comedy.
Joel and Ethan Coen have produced many
films featuring
dark comedy, and numerous others brought the offbeat
cult shows Mystery Science Theater 3000 and
Let's Bowl to the national
cable-waves from the Twin Cities.
Popular Culture
Stereotypical Minnesotan traits include
Lutheranism, "
Minnesota nice," "
hot dish" (a Minnesotan term for
casserole), "
lutefisk" (a pungent preparation of fish from Scandinavian recipes that include soaking in lye), very close
family ties (and a strong sense of duty to their families, healthy and dysfunctional alike), a strong sense of community and shared culture with many other Minnesotans instead of just with one's town or city, Minnesota's form of Upper Midwest American English (including Scandinavian-sounding words like "uff-da"), and a distinctive type of upper
Midwestern accent.
Native Americans have a moderate presence in Minnesota, and some tribes operate
casinos which have been said to be among the most profitable in the country. The earliest
European exploration and settlement was by the
French, and settlement from
Scandinavian countries along with
Germany followed. The
Métis people, a mixed French and Native American culture, were a presence in the early state and territorial days, but largely moved north into
Canada. Minnesota is not strongly associated with any particular food, though in recent years dishes like
wild rice sausage have come from the state. The state is known as being very committed to education and as such, has a very educated population throughout the state.
Outdoor activities are major parts of the lives of many Minnesotans. Fishing is popular in Minnesota, over 36% of Minnesotans fish, second only to Alaska
[Managing for Results Page 19, Accessed 06/26/06]. During the winter
ice fishing is popular, as it has been since the early Scandinavian immigrants arrived.
Hunting is another common activity. Families frequently own or share
cabins on central and northern tracts of land in
forests and adjoining lakes, and weekend trips out to these properties are common, particularly in the summer. The 71
state parks which protect diverse landscapes in a state of nature are quite popular. A concern for
environmentalism is shared by most state residents in one form or another,
vegans and hunters alike. As with other northwoods states (such as
Wisconsin,
Michigan and
Maine), residents like to joke that the
mosquito is the state bird. The state bird is actually the
common loon, whose distinctive cry can often be heard by campers in the northern part of the state and can even on occasion be found as far south as Minneapolis.
Education
One of the first acts of the Minnesota Legislature when it opened in 1858 was the creation of a
Normal School at
Winona. Since then, Minnesota has remained among the ten strongest states in the United States in education in most surveys. It is currently ranked 6
th on the
Morgan Quitno Smartest State Award
[Smartest State Award Accessed 07/24/2006]. Minnesota has proven over the years resistant to such movements in education as
school vouchers and the teaching of
intelligent design. However, it is the home to one of the first
charter schools.
*
List of colleges and universities in Minnesota*
List of high schools in Minnesota*
List of school districts in MinnesotaHealth
The
Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned medical practice, is based in Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
Crime and safety
After reaching a record 97
homicides in 1995, the city of Minneapolis gained an unpleasant nickname because of the violence:
Murderapolis. The term gained widespread use after
The New York Times used it when reporting that Minneapolis had surpassed the
per capita homicide rate of
New York City. The murder rate retreated in the following years, but area residents often grow concerned that the nickname may make a comeback whenever there is an uptick in violence in the city.
:Transportation in Minnesota is overseen by the
Minnesota Department of Transportation. Minnesota's major
Interstate highways are
I-35,
I-90, and
I-94, all of which pass through or around the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. There are nearly two dozen
rail corridors within the State, most of which also pass through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Water transportation is primarily based in the
Mississippi River system and ports along
Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
Minnesota's principal airport is
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the headquarters and a major passenger and freight hub for
Northwest Airlines. MSP is also a hub for
Sun Country Airlines, and is served by most other domestic carriers. Large commercial jet service is also provided to and from airports at
Duluth and
Rochester, with scheduled commuter service available to six smaller cities.
Public transit in Minnesota is currently limited to
bus systems in a number of the larger cities as well as a
light rail commuter line in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
As in the national government of the United States, power in Minnesota is divided into three main branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.
Executive
The executive branch is headed by the
governor, currently
Tim Pawlenty, a
Republican, whose term began
6 January,
2003. The current
lieutenant governor of Minnesota is
Carol Molnau. Molnau also currently serves as the head of the
Minnesota Department of Transportation. Both the governor and lieutenant governor have four-year terms. The governor has a
cabinet consisting of the leaders of various government agencies in the state, called commissioners. The other constitutional offices are
secretary of state,
attorney general and
state auditor.
See Also:
List of Governors of MinnesotaLegislature
The
Minnesota Legislature is a
bicameral body consisting of the
Senate and the
House of Representatives. The state has 67 districts, each covering about 60,000 people. Each district has one senator and two representatives (each district being divided into
A and
B sections). Senators serve for four years and representatives for two years. In the November 2004 election, the
Republican Party retained control of the Minnesota House of Representatives by a single seat (68-66), having lost a total of 13 seats. The Minnesota Senate is controlled by the
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) (38-29).
Courts
Minnesota's court system has three levels:
*Trial courts. The state is split into 10 judicial districts, with 257 judges. Most state cases start in the trial courts.
*Minnesota Court of Appeals. This body hears appeals on cases tried in the trial courts. There are 16 judges, who divide into three-judge panels to hear appeals in courts across the state.
*
Minnesota Supreme Court. The seven justices on the Supreme Court hear appeals from the Court of Appeals, the Tax Court, and the Worker's Compensation Court. The court automatically reviews first-degree murder convictions, and settles disputes over legislative elections.
The state has two special courts created by state law as executive-branch agencies:
*The Tax Court deals with non-criminal tax cases across the state. It has three judges appointed by the governor to six-year terms, following approval from the state Senate
*The Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals deals with cases involving worker injuries referred to it on appeal, or transferred from district court. It has five judges appointed by the governor to six-year terms, following approval from the state Senate.
Federal cases are heard in the
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, which holds court in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and Fergus Falls. Minnesota is part of the
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is based in
St. Louis, Missouri. Appeals beyond this level go to the
U.S. Supreme Court in
Washington, D.C..
Regional government
Below the city and county levels of government found in the United States, Minnesota has other entities that provide governmental oversight and planning. Some actions in the Twin Cities metropolitan area are coordinated by the
Metropolitan Council, and many
lakes and
rivers are overseen by
watershed districts and
soil and water conservation districts.
Minnesota is known for active yet quirky politics, with
populism being a longstanding force among all of the state's
political parties. Minnesota politics include such oddities as
Jesse Ventura, a
professional wrestler turned
governor and
R.T. Rybak, a
protester turned
crowd-surfing mayor. Minnesota has consistently high voter turnout; in the
2004 U.S. presidential election 77.2% of eligible Minnesotans voted, the highest of any U.S. state.
[United States Elections Project Retrieved 06/22/06]In the last half of the 20th century Minnesota has leaned Democratic but now is viewed as more a swing state. Minnesotans have voted for Democrats for president ever since 1976, longer than any other state. Minnesota and the District of Columbia were the only electoral votes not won by
incumbent Republican President
Ronald Reagan. Minnesota voters instead chose former Vice President and Senator
Walter Mondale, a Minnesota native. He or
Hubert Humphrey were on the Democratic ticket as candidates for President or Vice President in the
1964,
1968,
1976,
1980 and
1984 elections. In
2004,
John Kerry narrowly won the state's 10 electoral votes by a margin of three percentage points with 51.1% of the vote. Republican strength is greatest in southern Minnesota and the suburbs of Minneapolis, especially in the area west of the city, and in developing outer suburban communities. Democrats are very strong in Minneapolis/St. Paul proper and in the
Iron Range and
Duluth in northeastern Minnesota.
The state has had active third party movements. The
Reform Party was able to elect the former mayor of
Brooklyn Park, and former
professional wrestler,
Jesse Ventura to the governorship in
1998. Ventura left the Reform Party in 2000 when
Pat Buchanan took control. Ventura maintained close ties to the
Independence Party, but chose not to seek reelection. In 2002 the Independence Party ran former Democratic congressman
Tim Penny in an unsuccessful bid for the governorship. Penny earned 16% of the vote. The state's Green Party has elected several city council members and other local office-holders in Duluth, Minneapolis and Winona, and has made strong runs for state legislature during the past two election cycles. In 2000, Green Party candidate
Ralph Nader received just over 5% of the presidential votes cast, gaining Major Party status for the Green Party of Minnesota.
''See also:
List of political parties in Minnesota,
United States presidential election, 2004, in MinnesotaThe Twin Cities area is the 15
th largest media market in the United States as ranked by
Nielsen Media Research. The state's other top 210 media markets are Fargo-Moorhead (118
th), Duluth-Superior (137
th), Rochester-Mason City-Austin (152
nd), and Mankato (200
th).
[http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html Accessed 07/23/2006]Broadcast television in Minnesota, and the Upper Midwest, started on
April 27th,
1948 when
KSTP-TV began broadcasting.
[http://kstp.com/article/41/ Accessed 07/23/2006] Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation which owns KSTP is now the only locally owned television company in Minnesota. There are currently
39 analog broadcast stations and 23 digital channels broadcast all over Minnesota.
The Twin Cities metro area has the state's two largest newspapers: the
Star Tribune in Minneapolis and the
Saint Paul Pioneer Press. A number of other weekly and monthly publications (most of which are fully supported by
advertising) are also available. The most prominent of these is
City Pages, the alternative weekly, with 2002 newcomer
The Rake offering some competition in the form of a free monthly.
Minnesota has a team in all four major professional leagues (
MLB,
NFL,
NBA, and
NHL), and the
University of Minnesota is part of the oldest major college conference still running (
Big Ten).
Two other nationally prominent sports teams were formerly located in Minnesota. The
Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA played as the
Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 to 1960. The
Dallas Stars of the NHL played as the
Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1993. The departure of the Stars was not seen as catastrophic because basketball had become far more popular in the state by the mid-ninties. The Timberwolves continue to draw far larger crowds than the Wild.
*
List of people from Minnesota*
List of Minnesota fish*
List of naval ships named for Minnesota*
Music of Minnesota*
Scouting in MinnesotaCited references
General references
*
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition see also
Minnesota article in Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition*
State of Minnesota Website*
Minnesota Historical Society*
Minnesota Judicial Branch*
Minnesota DNR*
State of Minnesota*
Minnesota history timeline*
Minnesota Historical Society's online timeline*
Forests, Fields, and the Falls: Connecting Minnesota*
Minnesota Historical Society*
Minnesota Place Names*
Hyperlinked state constitution*
Full text of state constitution*
An Overview of Web Resources for Early History by staff at the Minneapolis Public Library*
Minnesota State Facts
