Minnesota: The North Star State

The state of Minnesota was the 32nd state to join the union and it officially became one of the United States on May 11, 1858. The 12th largest state, Minnesota occupies nearly 87,000 square miles and is known as the North Star State, the Gopher State and the Land of 10,000 lakes. The mighty Mississippi River starts in Itasca, Minnesota where the river can be easily crossed in a few steps.

Minnesota is bordered on the north by Canada and Lake Superior. It also shares borders with Wisconsin, Iowa, and North and South Dakota. The state capital is in St. Paul; however the state’s largest city is its sister city, Minneapolis, which is just across the Mississippi River. Together the cities are known worldwide as the Twin Cities. The main campus of the University of Minnesota is located here although the University has campuses throughout the entire state.

Business and Industry
Minnesota has a mix of agriculture and industry fueling its economy. Major crops include corn, sugar beets, soy beans and wheat. In addition, Minnesota also produces its fair share of dairy products, including 9.7 billion pounds of milk annually. Major food production companies include industry giants, General Mills, Pillsbury and Land O’Lakes. In addition, the state has healthy paper pulp and iron ore mining industries.

About the People
According to the last census, in 2000, 4,919,479 million people called the state home, making it 21st most populated state in the union. Called Minnesotans, the people known to have inhabited the land that became Minnesota arrived during the last ice age. The American Indians were much later joined by European settlers from the Scandinavian countries including Norway, Denmark and Sweden as well as from Germany, although many other nationalities are also represented.

Some of the more renown citizens of the state of Minnesota include Garrison Keillor, Prince, Jessie Ventura (a pro wrestler and now former governer of the state), F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sinclair Lewis and many, many others.

Minnesota in the Entertainment World
The Mary Tyler Moore show, which was a popular comedy set in Minneapolis in the 1970s, is still remembered today with a statue of Mary Tyler Moore on Nicollet Mall, a beautiful downtown shopping area. In addition to the television show, a variety of movies have also been shot in Minnesota including:
• Grumpy Old Men & Grumpier Old Men
• Purple Rain
• Fargo
• The Mighty Ducks
• Jingle All the Way

Quick Facts
The icons or symbols that represent the State of Minnesota include:
State Bird: Common Loon
State Flower: Showy Lady Slipper
State Tree: Norway Pine
State Gemstone: Lake Superior Agate
State Grain: Wild Rice
Football Team: Minnesota Vikings
Hockey Team: Minnesota Wild
Baseball Team: Minnesota Twins
Basketball Team: Timberwolves
National Park: Boundry Waters