Global InformationMinnesota information
Minnesota | |
|---|---|
State | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: Land of 10,000 Lakes; North Star State; Gopher State | |
| Motto: L'Étoile du Nord (French: The Star of the North) | |
| Anthem: "Hail! Minnesota" | |
 Map of the United States with Minnesota highlighted | |
| Country | United States |
| Before statehood | Minnesota Territory |
| Admitted to the Union | May 11, 1858 (32nd State in the Union) |
| Capital | Saint Paul |
| Largest city | Minneapolis |
| Largest county or equivalent | Hennepin |
| Largest metro and urban areas | Minneapolis–Saint Paul |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Tim Walz (DFL) |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Peggy Flanagan (DFL) |
| Legislature | Minnesota Legislature |
| • Upper house | Senate |
| • Lower house | House of Representatives |
| Judiciary | Minnesota Supreme Court |
| U.S. senators | Amy Klobuchar (DFL) Tina Smith (DFL) |
| U.S. House delegation | 4 Democrats 4 Republicans (list) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 86,935.83 sq mi (225,163 km2) |
| • Land | 79,626.74 sq mi (206,232 km2) |
| • Water | 7,309.09 sq mi (18,930 km2) 8.40% |
| • Rank | 12th |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | about 400 mi (640 km) |
| • Width | 200–350 mi (320–560 km) |
| Elevation | 1,200 ft (370 m) |
| Highest elevation (Eagle Mountain[1][a]) | 2,301 ft (701 m) |
| Lowest elevation (Lake Superior[1][a][2]) | 602 ft (183 m) |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 5,737,915[3] |
| • Rank | 22nd |
| • Density | 68.9/sq mi (26.6/km2) |
| • Rank | 36th (2020 census) |
| • Median household income | $74,593[4] |
| • Income rank | 13th |
| Demonym | Minnesotan |
| Language | |
| • Official language | none |
| • Spoken language |
|
| Time zone | UTC– 06:00 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC– 05:00 (CDT) |
| USPS abbreviation | MN |
| ISO 3166 code | US-MN |
| Traditional abbreviation | Minn. |
| Latitude | 43° 30′ N to 49° 23′ N |
| Longitude | 89° 29′ W to 97° 14′ W |
| Website | mn |
| List of state symbols | |
|---|---|
| Living insignia | |
| Bird | Common loon |
| Butterfly | Monarch |
| Fish | Walleye |
| Flower | Pink-and-white lady's slipper |
| Mushroom | Common morel (Morchella esculenta) |
| Tree | Norway pine[6] |
| Inanimate insignia | |
| Beverage | Milk |
| Food |
|
| Gemstone | Lake Superior agate |
| Other | Photograph: Grace |
| State quarter | |
 Released in 2005 | |
| Lists of United States state symbols | |
Minnesota (/ˌmɪnəˈsoʊtə/ ⓘ MIN-ə-SOH-tə) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" for having more than 14,000 bodies of fresh water covering at least ten acres each;[7] roughly a third of the state is forested; much of the remainder is prairie and farmland. More than 60% of Minnesotans (about 3.7 million) live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, known as the "Twin Cities", the state's main political, economic, and cultural hub[8] and the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Other minor metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas include Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.[9]
Minnesota, which gets its name from the Dakota language, has been inhabited by various Indigenous peoples since the Woodland period of the 11th century BCE. Between roughly 200 and 500 CE, two areas of the indigenous Hopewell tradition emerged: the Laurel complex in the north, and Trempealeau Hopewell in the Mississippi River Valley in the south. The Upper Mississippian culture, consisting of the Oneota people and other Siouan speakers, emerged around 1000 CE and lasted through the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century. French explorers and missionaries were the earliest Europeans to enter the region, encountering the Dakota, Ojibwe, and various Anishinaabe tribes. Much of what is now Minnesota formed part of the vast French holding of Louisiana, which the United States purchased in 1803. After several territorial reorganizations, the Minnesota Territory was admitted to the Union as the 32nd state in 1858. Minnesota's official motto, L'Étoile du Nord ("The Star of the North") is the only state motto in French; this phrase was adopted shortly after statehood and reflects both the state's early French explorers and its position as the northernmost state in the contiguous U.S.
As part of the American frontier, Minnesota attracted settlers and homesteaders from across the country. Its growth was initially based on timber, agriculture, and railroad construction. Into the early 20th century, European immigrants arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Scandinavia, Germany, and Central Europe; many were linked to the failed revolutions of 1848, which partly influenced the state's development as a center of labor and social activism.[10] Minnesota's rapid industrialization and urbanization precipitated major social, economic, and political changes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the state was at the forefront of labor rights, women's suffrage, and political reform.[11] Consequently, Minnesota is unique among Midwestern states in being a relative stronghold of the Democratic Party, having voted for every Democratic presidential nominee since 1976, longer than any other U.S. state.[12]
Since the late 20th century, Minnesota's economy has diversified away from traditional industries such as agriculture and resource extraction to services, finance, and health care; it is consequently one of the richest states in terms of GDP and per capita income. Minnesota is home to 11 federally recognized Native American reservations (seven Ojibwe, four Dakota), and its culture, demographics, and religious landscape reflect Scandinavian and German influence. In more recent decades, the state has become more multicultural, driven by both larger domestic migration and immigration from Latin America, Asia, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East; the state has the nation's largest population of Somali Americans and second-largest Hmong community.[13] Minnesota's standard of living and level of education are among the highest in the U.S.,[14] and it is ranked among the best states in metrics such as employment, median income, safety, and governance.[15]
- ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
- ^ "Lake Superior Water Levels" Archived August 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Updated daily.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts". QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau, 2021 Estimate. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Immigration Language MNwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Minnesota State Tree – Red Pine (Norway Pine)". State Symbols USA. October 11, 2014. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
- ^ Downing, John A. (May 17, 2021). "Minnesota: Land of How Many Lakes?". Minnesota Sea Grant. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023.
- ^ "Our Estimates: Latest annual estimates of Minnesota and its Economic Development Regions' population and households, 2021". Population Data. Minnesota State Demographic Center. August 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ "Greater Minnesota Refined & Revisited" (PDF). Greater Minnesota Status Report. Minnesota State Demographic Center. January 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- ^ Jerabek, Esther. "The transition of a new world Bohemia" (PDF). Minnesota Historical Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Backerud, Thomas K. (August 26, 2014). "What it meant to be 'progressive' in turn-of-the-century Minnesota". MinnPost. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ Ostermeier, Eric (September 3, 2015). "Republicans and Democrats Have Record Presidential Winning Streaks in 36 States". Smart Politics. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ Lee, Mai Na M. (October 5, 2021). "Hmong and Hmong Americans in Minnesota". MNopedia. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Frohlich, Thomas; Hess, Alexander E.M.; Kent, Alexander; Serenbetz, Robert (September 23, 2014). "America's Most (and Least) Educated States". 24/7 WallStreet. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ Minnesota Rankings and Facts Archived June 22, 2021, at the Wayback Machine | US News Best States
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