OFFICIAL SEAL: A farmer, with a powder horn and musket nearby, plows a field in the foreground, while in the background, before a rising sun, a Native American on horseback crosses the plains; pine trees and a waterfall represent the state’s natural resources. The state motto is above, and the whole is surrounded by the words “The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota 1858.” Another version of the seal in common use shows a cowboy riding across the plains.

FLAG: On a blue field bordered on three sides by a gold fringe, a version of the state seal is surrounded by a wreath with the statehood year (1858), the year of the establishment of Ft. Snelling (1819), and the year the flag was adopted (1893). Five clusters of gold stars and the word “Minnesota” fill the outer circle.

MOTTO: L’Etoile du Nord (The North Star).

SONG: “Hail! Minnesota.”

FLOWER: Pink and white lady slipper.

TREE: Red (Norway) pine.

BIRD: Common loon.

FISH: Walleye.

INSECT: Monarch butterfly.

GEM: Lake Superior agate.

BEVERAGE: Milk.

LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Presidents’ Day, 3rd Monday in February; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Veterans’ Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November plus one day; Christmas Day, 25 December. By statute, schools hold special observances on Susan B. Anthony Day, 15 February; Arbor Day, last Friday in April; Minnesota Day, 11 May; Frances Willard Day, 28 September; Leif Erikson Day, 9 October.

TIME: 6 AM CST = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

Situated in the western north-central United States, Minnesota is the largest Midwestern state and ranks 12th in size among the 50 states, with a total area of 84,402 square miles (218,601 square kilometers), of which land accounts for 79,548 square miles (206,029 square kilometers) and inland water 4,854 square miles (12,572 square kilometers). The state extends 406 miles (653 kilometers) north-south and 358 miles (576 kilometers) east-west. Its boundary length totals 1,783 miles (2,870 kilometers).

2 Topography

Minnesota consists mainly of flat prairie. There are rolling hills and deep river valleys in the southeast. The northeast, known as Arrowhead Country, is more rugged and includes the Vermilion Range and the Mesabi Range. Eagle Mountain, in the extreme northeast, rises to a height of 2,301 feet (702 meters), the highest point in the state. The surface of nearby Lake Superior, 601 feet (183 meters) above sea level, is the state’s lowest elevation.

With more than 15,000 lakes and extensive wetlands, rivers, and streams, Minnesota has more inland water than any other state except Alaska. Some of the inland lakes are quite large, including Lower and Upper Red Lake, 451 square miles (1,168 square kilometers); Mille Lacs, 207 square miles (536 square kilometers); and Leech Lake, 176 square miles (456 square kilometers). A total of 2,212 square miles (5,729 square kilometers) of Lake Superior lies within Minnesota’s jurisdiction.

Lake Itasca, in the northwest, is the source of the Mississippi River, which drains about three-fifths of the state and forms part of the eastern boundary with Wisconsin. The Minnesota River, which flows across the southern part of the state, joins the Mississippi at the Twin Cities. The Red River forms much of the boundary with North Dakota.

Minnesota Population Profile

Total population estimate in 2006:	5,167,101
Population change, 2000–06:	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino†:	3.6%
Population by race
One race:	98.5%
White:	88.0%
Black or African American:	4.0%
American Indian /Alaska Native:	1.1%
Asian:	3.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander:	0.0%
Some other race:	1.8%
Two or more races:	1.5%

Population by Age Group

Major Cities by Population
City	Population	% change 2000–05
Notes: †A person of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race. NA indicates that data are not available.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey and Population Estimates. www.census.gov/ (accessed March 2007).
Minneapolis	372,811	-2.6
St. Paul	275,150	-4.2
Rochester	94,950	10.7
Duluth	84,896	-2.3
Bloomington	81,164	-4.7
Plymouth	69,701	5.8
Brooklyn Park	68,550	1.7
St. Cloud	65,792	11.3
Eagan	63,665	0.2
Coon Rapids	62,417	1.3

3 Climate

Minnesota has a continental climate with cold, often frigid winters and warm summers. Normal daily mean temperatures range from 12°f (-11°c) in January to 74°f (23°c) in July in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis–St. Paul. The lowest temperature recorded in the state of Minnesota was -60°f (-51°c) at Tower on 2 February 1996. The highest recorded temperature, 114°f (46°c), occured at Moorhead on 6 July 1936.

The mean annual precipitation ranges from 19 inches (48 centimeters) in the northeast to 31 inches (79 centimeters) in the southeast. Heavy snowfalls occur from November to April, averaging 30 inches (76 centimeters) in the southeast and 70 inches (178 centimeters) in the northwest. Blizzards hit Minnesota on an average of twice each winter. There are an average of 18 tornadoes per year in the state, mostly in the south.

4 Plants and Animals

Minnesota is divided into three main life zones: the wooded lake regions of the north and east, the prairie lands of the west and southwest, and a transition zone in between. Oak, maple, elm, birch, pine, ash, and poplar still thrive, although much of the state’s woodland has been cut down since the 1850s. Common shrubs include thimbleberry, sweetfern, and several varieties of honeysuckle. There are 1,500 native flowering plants, including prairie phlox and blazing star. Pink and white lady’s-slipper is the state flower. Three plant species were listed as threatened in 2006, including Leedy’s roseroot, prairie bush-clover, and western prairie fringed orchid; the Minnesota dwarf trout lily was listed as endangered that year.

Among Minnesota’s common mammals are the opossum, little brown bat, striped and spotted skunks, ground squirrels (also known as the Minnesota gopher), raccoon, and white-tailed deer. The western meadowlark, Brewer’s blackbird, and Carolina wren are among the 240 resident bird species. Minnesota’s many lakes are filled with such game fishes as walleyed pike, northern pike, and rainbow trout. The two poisonous snakes in the state are the timber rattler and the massasauga.

Classification of rare, threatened, and endangered species is delegated to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Among rare species noted by the department are the white pelican, short-eared owl, rock vole, pine marten, American elk, woodland caribou, lake sturgeon, and paddlefish; threatened species include the bobwhite quail and piping plover. In 2006, nine species were listed as threatened or endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, including the gray wolf, bald eagle, piping plover, Topeka shiner, and Higgins’ eye pearlymussel.

5 Environmental Protection

Minnesota divides its environmental programs among three agencies: the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Office of Environmental Assistance. The Conservation Department, created in 1931, evolved into the present Department of Natural Resources, which is responsible for the management of forests, fish and game, public lands, minerals, and state parks and waters. The department’s Soil and Water Conservation Board has jurisdiction over the

Minnesota Population by Race

Census 2000 was the first national census in which the instructions to respondents said, “Mark one or more races.” This table shows the number of people who are of one, two, or three or more races. For those claiming two races, the number of people belonging to the various categories is listed. The U.S. government conducts a census of the population every ten years.

	Number	Percent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000: Redistricting Data. Press release issued by the Redistricting Data Office. Washington, D.C., March, 2001. A dash (—) indicates that the percent is less than 0.1.
Total population	4,919,479	100.0
One race	4,836,737	98.3
Two races	77,732	1.6
White and Black or African American	17,700	0.4
White and American Indian/Alaska Native	18,793	0.4
White and Asian	11,966	0.2
White and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	852	—
White and some other race	12,015	0.2
Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native	2,413	—
Black or African American and Asian	1,057	—
Black or African American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	191	—
Black or African American and some other race	6,054	0.1
American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian	812	—
American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	50	—
American Indian/Alaska Native and some other race	675	—
Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1,920	—
Asian and some other race	3,091	0.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and some other race	143	—
Three or more races	5,010	0.1

state’s 92 soil and water conservation districts. A separate Pollution Control Agency enforces air and water quality standards and oversees solid waste disposal and pollution-related land-use planning. The Environmental Quality Board coordinates conservation efforts among various state agencies.

To control the state’s solid waste stream, Minnesotans have established 488 curbside recycling programs. In 1997, the state had some 9.5 million acres (3.8 million hectares) of wetlands. The Wetlands Conservation Act of 1991 set the ambitious goal of no wetland loss in the future.

In 2003, Minnesota had 81 hazardous waste sites listed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s database, 24 of which were on the National Priorities List as of 2006.

6 Population

In 2005, Minnesota ranked 21st in population among the 50 states with an estimated total of 5,167,101 residents. The population is projected to reach 6.8 million by 2025. In 2004, the state’s population density was 64.1 persons per square mile (24.7 persons per square kilometer). In 2005, approximately 25% of all residents were 18 years of age and younger and 12% were 65 and older. The median age was 36.6 in 2004.

Minneapolis had an estimated 372,811 residents in 2004, while St. Paul had 275,150 people.

7 Ethnic Groups

Germans and Scandinavians are the largest groups of first- and second-generation Minnesotans of European origin, The state has more ethnic Norwegians than any other and is second in number of ethnic Swedes (California is first). As of the 2000 census, there were 54,967 Native Americans in Minnesota. Besides those living on reservations and in villages, a cluster of Indian urban dwellers (chiefly Ojibwa) lived in St. Paul. There were 171,731 black Americans in the state, representing about 4% of the population, There were also 141,968 Asian residents, including 41,800 Hmong, 18,824 Vietnamese, 16,887 Asian Indians, 16,060 Chinese, 12,584 Koreans, and 9,940 Laotians. Pacific Islanders numbered 1,979. The Hispanic and Latino population had 143,382 residents, about 2.9% of the population. As of 2000, there were about 260,463 foreign-born residents of Minnesota, or about 5.3% of the population.

8 Languages

English in the state is basically Northern, with minor infiltrations of Midland terms. Among older residents, traces of Scandinavian and Eastern European pronunciation persist. Minnesotans call the grass strip between street and sidewalk the boulevard and a rubber band a rubber binder. Many say they cook coffee when they brew it. Many younger speakers pronounce caller and collar alike.

In 2000, 91.5% of the population age five years old or older spoke only English at home. Other leading languages spoken at home were Spanish, 132,066; Miao/Hmong, 41,673; German, 35,072; African languages, 24,747; and Vietnamese, 16,503.

9 Religions

Minnesota’s first Christian church was organized by Presbyterians in Ft. Snelling in 1835; the first Roman Catholic church, the Chapel of St. Paul, was dedicated in 1841 at a town then called Pig’s Eye but now known by the same name as the chapel.

In 2004, Roman Catholics numbered 1,185,980. As of 2000, Protestant groups were predominant with the largest denominations being the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with 853,448 adherents, and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, with 203,863 adherents. In 2004, the United Methodist Church had 83,755 adherents. Other Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Baptist denominations were also somewhat prominent. The Episcopal Church had 30,547 adherents in 2000. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) in 2006 had 27,524 members. There were about 42,000 adherents to Judaism and 12,300 adherents of Islam in 2000. Over 1.8 million people (about 38.3% of the population) were not counted as members of any religious organization in 2000.

Minnesota is the headquarters for three national Lutheran religious groups: the American Lutheran Church, the Church of the Lutheran

Brethren, and the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations.

10 Transportation

The development of an extensive railroad network after the Civil War was a key factor in the growth of lumbering, iron mining, wheat growing, and other industries. By 2003, Minnesota had a total of 5,923 rail miles (9,536 kilometers). Amtrak serves Minneapolis–St. Paul en route from Chicago to Seattle/Portland. The national Greyhound bus line was founded in Hibbing in 1914.

Minnesota had 131,937 miles (212,418 kilometers) of public roads and streets in 2004. I-35 links Minneapolis–St. Paul with Duluth, and I-94 connects the Twin Cities with Moorhead and Fargo, North Dakota. In 2004, there were approximately 2,490,000 registered automobiles, 2,046,000 trucks, and some 7,000 buses. There were 3,083,007 licensed drivers in that year.

The first settlements grew up around major river arteries, especially in the southeast. Early traders and settlers arrived first by canoe or keelboat, later by steamer. The port of Duluth-Superior, at the western terminus of the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Seaway (officially opened in 1959) is a major stop. The ports of Minneapolis and St. Paul are also significant.

As of 2005, the state had 384 airports, 77 seaplane bases, 58 heliports, and 1 STOLport (Short Take-Off and Landing). Minneapolis–St. Paul International is the state’s largest and busiest airport, with 17,482,627 passengers in 2004.

11 History

At the time of European penetration in the 17th and early 18th centuries, the two principal Native American nations were the Dakota and, after 1700, the Ojibwa. The first Europeans whose travels through the region have been documented were Pierre Esprit Radisson and his brother-in-law, Médart Chouart, Sieur de Groseilliers, who probably reached the interior of northern Minnesota in the 1650s. In 1679, Daniel Greysolon, Sieur Duluth, formally claimed the region for King Louis XIV of France.

In the two centuries before statehood, French, English, and American explorers, fur traders, and missionaries came to Minnesota. Competition for control of the upper Mississippi Valley ended with the British victory in the French and Indian War, which placed the portion of Minnesota east of the Mississippi under British control. The land west of the Mississippi was ceded by France to Spain in 1762. Although the Spanish paid little attention to their northern territory, the British immediately sent in fur traders and explorers.

US Claims There was little activity in the region during the Revolutionary War, and for a few decades afterward, the British continued to pursue their interests there. After the War of 1812, the US Congress passed an act curbing British participation in the fur trade. Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, Minnesota east of the Mississippi became part of the Northwest Territory. Most of western Minnesota was acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The Red River Valley became a secure part of the United States after an agreement with England on the northern boundary was reached in 1818.

In 1819, a military post was established on land acquired from the Dakota by Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, on a bluff overlooking the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. For three decades, Ft. Snelling served as the principal center of civilization in Minnesota and the key frontier outpost in the northwest.

Beginning in 1837, a series of treaties with the Dakota and Ojibwa transferred large areas of tribal land to the US government, cutting off the profitable relationship between fur traders and Native Americans and opening the land for lumbering, farming, and settlement. In 1849, the Minnesota Territory was established, and in 1851 the legislature named St. Paul as the capital. As lumbering grew and additional treaties

opened up more land, the population boomed, reaching a total of more than 150,000 by 1857.

Statehood On 11 May 1858, Minnesota officially became the 32d state. In the first presidential election in which Minnesota participated, Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, easily carried the state. When the Civil War broke out, Minnesota was the first state to answer Lincoln’s call for troops. In all, Minnesota supplied more than 20,000 men to fight for the Union.

More challenging to the defense of Minnesota was the Dakota uprising of 1862, led by chief Little Crow, in which more than 300 whites and an unknown number of Native Americans were killed. In the aftermath, 38 Dakota captives were hanged and the Dakota remaining in Minnesota were removed to reservations in Nebraska. Also during 1862, Minnesota’s first railroad joined St. Anthony (Minneapolis) and St. Paul with 10 miles (16 kilometers) of track.

The railroads soon ushered in an era of large-scale commercial farming. Wheat provided the biggest cash crop, as exports rose from 2 million bushels in 1860 to 95 million in 1890. Meanwhile, the falls of St. Anthony (Minneapolis) became the major US flour-milling center. By 1880, 27 Minneapolis mills were producing more than 2 million barrels of flour annually. Despite these signs of prosperity, discontent grew among Minnesota farmers, who were plagued by high railroad rates and damaging droughts. The first national farmers’ movement, the National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, was founded in 1867 by a Minnesotan, Oliver H. Kelley, and spread more rapidly in Minnesota than in any other state.

Industrialization Most immigrants during the 1860s and 1870s settled on the rich farmland of the north and west, but after 1880 the cities and industries grew more rapidly. When iron ore was discovered in the 1880s in the sparsely settled northeast, even that part of the state attracted settlers, many of them immigrants from eastern and southern Europe. Before the turn of the century, Duluth had become a major lake port, and by the eve of World War I, Minnesota had become a national iron-mining center.

The economic picture changed after the war. Facing the depletion of their forests and an agricultural depression, Minnesotans adapted to the new realities in various ways. Farmers planted corn, soybeans, and sugar beets along with wheat, and new food-processing industries developed. In 1948, for the first time, the dollar value of all manufactured products exceeded total cash farm receipts. Later were added business machines, electronics, computers, and other high-technology industries.

Economic disruption and the growth of cities and industries encouraged challenges to the Republican leadership from Democrats and third parties. John Johnson, a progressive Democratic governor first elected in 1904, was especially active in securing legislation to regulate the insurance industry. His successor, Republican Adolph Eberhart, promoted numerous progressive measures, including one establishing direct primary elections. The Farmer-Labor Party had many electoral successes in the 1920s and reached its peak with the election of Floyd B. Olson to the governorship in 1930. Olson introduced a graduated income tax and other progressive measures, but his death in office in 1936 was a crippling blow to the party.

In 1938, the Republicans recaptured the governorship with the election of Harold E. Stassen. However, a successful merger of the Farmer-Labor and Democratic parties was engineered in 1943–44. After World War II, Hubert Humphrey (later a US vice-president) and his colleagues Orville Freeman, Eugene McCarthy, and Eugenie Anderson emerged as leaders of this new coalition. Their political heir, Walter Mondale, was vice-president in 1977–81 but, as the Democratic presidential candidate in 1984, lost the election in a Republican landslide, carrying only his native state and the District of Columbia.

Into the 21st Century In the 1990s, Minnesota continued its economic diversification as service industries, including finance, insurance, and real estate, became increasingly important. Though Minnesota, led by the Twin Cities, enjoyed an unprecedented decade of economic prosperity, it was generally acknowledged that agriculture across the Great Plains was in crisis by the end of the decade.

Many farmers’ problems were made worse by weather conditions. In 1998, Minnesota’s agricultural producers suffered from the worst drought since the 1930s. As a result of the severe flooding of the Mississippi River in 1993, almost half of Minnesota’s counties were designated as disaster areas. Again in 1997, some of the most

Minnesota Governors: 1858–2007

Democrat Farmer Labor – D.F.L.
1858–1860	Henry Hastings Sibley	Democrat
1860–1863	Alexander Ramsey	Republican
1863–1864	Henry Adoniram Swift	Republican
1864–1866	Stephen Miller	Republican
1866–1870	William Rogerson Marshall	Republican
1870–1874	Horace Austin	Republican
1874–1876	Cushman Kellogg Davis	Republican
1876–1882	John Sargent Pillsbury	Republican
1882–1887	Lucius Frederick Hubbard	Republican
1887–1889	Andrew Ryan McGill	Republican
1889–1893	William Rush Merriam	Republican
1893–1895	Knute Nelson	Republican
1895–1899	David Marston Clough	Republican
1899–1901	John Lind Popularist	Democrat
1901–1905	Samuel Rinnah Van Sant	Republican
1905–1909	John Albert Johnson	Democrat
1909–1915	Adolph Olson Eberhart	Republican
1915	Winfield Scott Hammond	Democrat
1915–1921	Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist	Republican
1921–1925	Jacob Aall Ottesen Preus	Republican
1925–1931	Theodore Christianson	Republican
1931–1936	Floyd Bjornstjerne Olson	Farmer Laborite
1936–1937	Hjalmar Petersen	Farmer Laborite
1937–1939	Elmer Austin Benson	Farmer Laborite
1939–1943	Harold Edward Stassen	Republican
1943–1947	Edward John Thye	Republican
1947–1951	Luther Wallace Youngdahl	Republican
1951–1955	Clyde Elmer Anderson	Republican
1955–1961	Orville Lothrop Freeman	D.F.L.
1961–1963	Elmer Lee Andersen	Republican
1963–1967	Karl Fritjof Rolvaag	D.F.L.
1967–1971	Harold LeVander	Republican
1971–1976	Wendell Richard Anderson	D.F.L.
1976–1979	Rudolph George Perpich	D.F.L.
1979–1983	Albert Harold Quie	Independent
Republican
1983–1991	Rudolph George Perpich	D.F.L.
1991–1999	Arne Carlson	Republican
1999–2002	Jesse Ventura	Reform
2002–	Tim Pawlenty	Republican

severe flooding in the century occurred in the Red River and Minnesota River valleys.

Professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was elected governor as the Reform Party candidate in 1998. He later aligned himself with the Independence Party of Minnesota. Republican Tim Pawlenty was elected governor in 2002. In 2003, the state faced the largest budget deficit in its history, at $4.2 billion. However, by 2005 Pawlenty had balanced the state’s budget. Under Pawlenty’s leadership, an overhaul of the state’s education standards, welfare reform, lawsuit reform, and a large transportation package were passed. Pawlenty won reelection in 2006.

12 State Government

The Minnesota legislature consists of a 67-member senate and a 134-member house of representatives. Senators serve four years and representatives two years. The governor and lieutenant governor are jointly elected for four-year terms. Other constitutional officers are the secretary of state, auditor, and attorney general, all serving for four years.

Once a bill is passed by a majority of both houses, the governor may sign it, veto it in whole or in part, or pocket-veto it by failing to act within 14 days of adjournment. A two-thirds vote of both houses is sufficient to override a veto. Constitutional amendments require the approval of a majority of both houses of the legislature and are subject to ratification by the electorate.

As of December 2004, the legislative salary was $31,140, and the governor’s salary was $120,311

13 Political Parties

The two major political parties are the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) and

Minnesota Presidential Vote by Political Parties, 1948–2004

YEAR	MINNESOTA WINNER	DEMOCRAT¹	REPUBLICAN²	PROGRESSIVE	SOCIALIST	SOCIALIST LABOR³
*Won US presidential election.
1 Called Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota.
2 Since 1976, called Independent-Republican in Minnesota.
3 Appeared as Industrial Government Party on the ballot.
1948	*Truman (D)	692,966	483,617	27,866	4,646	2,525
1952	*Eisenhower (R)	608,458	763,211	2,666	—	2,383
					SOC.WORKERS
1956	*Eisenhower (R)	617,525	719,302	—	1,098	2,080
1960	*Kennedy (D)	779,933	757,915	—	3,077	962
1964	*Johnson (D)	991,117	559,624	—	1,177	2,544
						AMERICAN IND.
1968	Humphrey (D)	857,738	658,643	—	—	68,931
				PEOPLE’S		AMERICAN
1972	*Nixon (R)	802,346	898,269	2,805	4,261	31,407
				LIBERTARIAN
1976	*Carter (D)	1,070,440	819,395	3,529	4,149	13,592
					CITIZENS
1980	Carter (D)	954,173	873,268	31,593	8,406	6,136
1984	Mondale (D)	1,036,364	1,032,603	2,996	1,219	—
					MINN. PROG.	SOCIALIST WORKERS
1988	Dukakis (D)	1,109,471	962,337	5,109	5,403	2,155
					IND. (PEROT)	CONSTITUTION
1992	*Clinton (D)	1,020,997	747,841	3,373	562,506	3,363
						GREEN (NADER)
1996	*Clinton (D)	1,120,438	766,476	8,271	257,704	24,908
					REFORM
2000	Gore (D)	1,168,266	1,109,659	5,282	22,166	1,022
2004	Kerry (D)	1,445,014	1,346,695	4,639	—	—

the Republican Party (until 1995 called the Independent-Republican Party). The Republican Party dominated Minnesota politics from the 1860s through the 1920s, except for a period around the turn of the century. The DFL, formed in 1944 by merger between the Democratic Party and the Farmer-Labor Party, rose to prominence in the 1950s under US Senator Hubert Humphrey.

Minnesota is famous as a breeding ground for presidential candidates, who include Republican Governor Harold Stassen (1948, 1952, and later years); and Democrats Vice President Hubert Humphrey (1968), US Senator Eugene McCarthy (1968, 1976), and Walter Mondale (1976, 1980, 1984). Mondale was chosen in 1976 by Jimmy Carter as his vice-presidential running mate; he again ran with Carter in 1980, when the two lost their bid for reelection. In the 1984 election, Minnesota was the only state to favor the Walter Mondale-Geraldine Ferraro ticket. In the 2000 elections Democrat Al Gore carried the state with 48% of the vote. Republican George W. Bush earned 46%. In 2004, Democratic challenger John Kerry won 51% of the vote to President Bush’s 48%.

In 1990, after serving four terms, Democrat Rudy Perpich lost the governorship to Independent-Republican Arne Carlson, who was reelected in 1994. Minnesota’s voters stunned the nation in 1998 when they elected Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura, a former professional wrestler, as governor. After gaining office, Ventura switched allegiances to the Independence Party of Minnesota. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, won the governorship in 2002 and was narrowly reelected in 2006.

In 2006, Democrat Amy Klobuchar was elected to the US Senate. In 2002 Democratic senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash along with his wife and daughter. Republican Norm Coleman won Wellstone’s Senate seat in 2002, defeating Walter Mondale, who stepped in to run after Wellstone’s death. Following the 2006 elections, Minnesota’s delegation to the US House was composed of five Democrats and three Republicans. Following those elections, there were 44 Democrats and 23 Republicans serving in the Minnesota state senate. Party representation in the state house consisted of 85 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Sixty-three women were elected to the state legislature in 2006, or 31.3%.

14 Local Government

Minnesota is divided into 87 counties, 1,793 townships (more than any other state) 854 municipal governments, 415 public school districts, and 403 special districts. Each of Minnesota’s counties is governed by a board of commissioners. Other elected officials include the auditor, treasurer, recorder, and sheriff. Regional development commissions, or RDCs, prepare and adopt regional development plans and review applications for loans and grants. The mayor-council system is the most common form of city government. Townships are governed by a board of supervisors and other officials.

15 Judicial System

Minnesota’s highest court is the supreme court, consisting of a chief justice and six associate justices. The district court, divided into 10 judicial districts, is the principal court of original jurisdiction. County courts, operating in all counties of the state except two, exercise civil jurisdiction in cases where the amount in contention is $5,000 or less, and criminal jurisdiction in preliminary hearings and misdemeanors. They also hear cases involving family disputes, and have joint jurisdiction with the district court in divorces, adoptions, and certain other proceedings.

The probate division of the county court system presides over guardianship and incompetency proceedings and all cases relating to the disposing of estates. Crime rates are generally below the national average. In 2004, Minnesota’s total violent crime rate (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) per 100,000 people was 269.6. Crimes against property (burglary, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft) that year totaled 3,039 reported incidents per 100,000 people. Federal and state correctional institutions had a total population of 8,758 as of 31 December 2004. Minnesota has no death penalty law.

16 Migration

A succession of migratory waves began in the 17th and 18th centuries with the arrival of the Dakota and Ojibwa, among other Indian groups, followed during the 19th century by New England Yankees, Germans, Scandinavians, and finally southern and eastern Europeans. Especially since 1920, new arrivals from other states and countries have been relatively few.

Between 1990 and 1998, Minnesota had net gains of 71,000 in domestic migration and 47,000 in international migration. In the period 2000–05, net international migration was 70,800 and net internal migration was 16,768, for a net gain of 54,032 people.

17 Economy

Furs, wheat, pine lumber, and high-grade iron ore were once the basis of Minnesota’s economy. As these resources diminished, however, the state turned to wood pulp, dairy products, corn and soybeans, taconite, and manufacturing, often in such food-related industries as meat-packing, canning, and the processing of dairy products.

The leading sources of income in Minnesota have shifted again in recent years. Manufacturing remains central to the state’s economy, but finance, real estate, and insurance have also come to play a dominant role. Government and trade activities rose significantly between the late 1960s and early 1980s, while the role played by manufacturing and construction declined. By the mid-1990s, private goods-producing industries accounted for 28% of the state’s economic output, while private services-producing industries contributed 61%.

Minnesota’s economy grew at a robust rate at the end of the 1990s—it stood at 8.5% in 2000. But in the 2001 national recession, the growth rate dropped to 1%. In 2002, employment declined more rapidly than in the nation as a whole because of the large share of Minnesota workers in areas most affected by the national slowdown: manufacturing, information technology, and airline industries. On the other hand, Minnesota escaped the drought conditions that afflicted many other states in 2002. The dairy industry has suffered in recent years, however.

As of 2004, manufacturing accounted for 13.7% of gross state product (GSP), followed by the real estate sector at 11.1% of GSP, and healthcare and social assistance at 7.8% of GSP. Minnesota’s GSP in 2004 was $223.8 billion, and $233 billion in 2005.

18 Income

In 2005, Minnesota ranked 17th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with a gross domestic product (GSP) of $233 billion. In 2004, Minnesota had a per capita (per person) income of $36,184, eighth-highest in the nation. The three-year median household income for 2002–04 was $55,914, compared to the national average of $44,473. For the period 2002–04, about 7% of the state’s residents lived below the federal poverty level, as compared to 12.4% nationwide.

19 Industry

In the early 20th century, canning and meat-packing were among the state’s largest industries. While food and food products remain important, the state’s economy has diversified significantly from its early beginnings. Minnesota now has high-technology industries such as computer-manufacturing, scientific instruments, and medical products as well as resource-based industries such as food products and wood products.

The total value of shipments by manufacturers in 2004 exceeded $88.4 billion, with food products accounting for the largest share, at $16.8 billion. Industry is concentrated in the state’s southeast region, especially in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) area. Among the well-known national firms with headquarters in Minnesota are 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing), General Mills, Honeywell, and Hormel Foods.

20 Labor

In April 2006, the civilian labor force in Minnesota numbered 2,946,100, with approximately 119,600 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 4.1%, compared to the national average of 4.7% for the same period. As of April 2006, 4.7% of the labor force was employed in construction; 12.5% in manufacturing; 19.3% in trade, transportation, and public utilities; 6.6% in financial activities; 11.3% in professional and business services; 14.2% in education and health services; 9.1% in leisure and hospitality services; and 15.2% in government.

The history of unionization in the state includes several long and bitter labor disputes, notably the Iron Range strike of 1916, the Teamsters’ strike of 1934, and the Hormel strike of 1985–86. The Knights of Labor were the dominant force of the 1880s. The next decade saw the rise of the Minnesota State Federation of Labor, whose increasing political influence bore fruit in the landmark Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1913 and the subsequent ascension of the Farmer-Labor Party.

In 2005, approximately 392,000 of Minnesota’s 2,494,000 employed wage and salary workers were members of unions. This represented 15.7% of those so employed. The national average is 12%.

21 Agriculture

Cash receipts from farm marketings totaled over $9 billion in 2005, placing Minnesota sixth among the 50 states. For 2004, Minnesota ranked first in the production of sugar beets, and sweet corn and green peas for processing; second in spring wheat; third in alfalfa hay; fourth in corn, oats, soybeans, and flaxseed; and sixth in barley and durum wheat. As of 2004, the state had 79,800 farms, covering 27,600,000 acres (11,200,000 hectares), or 51% of the state’s total land area. The average farm had 346 acres (140 hectares).

The main farming areas are in southern Minnesota, where corn, soybeans, and oats are important, and in the Red River Valley along the western border, where wheat, barley, sugar beets, and potatoes are among the chief crops. Agribusiness is Minnesota’s largest basic industry, with about one-fourth of the state’s labor force employed in agriculture or agriculture-related industries, most notably food processing.

22 Domesticated Animals

Excluding the northeast, livestock raising is dispersed throughout the state, with cattle concentrated particularly in west-central Minnesota and in the extreme southeast and hogs along the southern border.

In 2005, the state had an estimated 2.4 million cattle and calves, valued at nearly $2.3 billion. The state had 6.5 million hogs and pigs, valued at $780 million in 2004. Minnesota produced more turkey in 2003 than any other state: 1.2 billion pounds (0.55 billion kilograms), worth $425.3 million. Also during 2003, the state produced 13.8 million pounds (6.3 million kilograms) of sheep and lambs, which brought in a total of nearly $13.3 million.

The state’s total of 8.3 billion pounds (4 billion kilograms) of milk outproduced all but five states in 2003. Production of broilers in 2003 was 228.5 million pounds (103.4 million kilograms), worth around $77.7 million; and egg output in the same year was 2.9 billion, worth $146.4 million.

23 Fishing

Commercial fishermen in 2004 landed 323,000 pounds (146,800 kilograms) of fish, valued at $187,000. The catch included herring and smelts from Lake Superior, whitefish and yellow pike from large inland lakes, and carp and catfish from the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. In 2001, the commercial fleet had about 25 boats and vessels.

Sport fishing attracts some 1.5 million anglers annually to the state. Fishing streams are stocked with trout, bass, pike, muskellunge, and other fish by the Division of Fish and Wildlife of the Department of Natural Resources. In 2004, there were 1467,677 sports fishing licenses issued in the state.

24 Forestry

Forests, which originally occupied two-thirds of Minnesota’s land area, have been depleted by lumbering, farming, and forest fires. As of 2004, forestland covered 16,230,000 acres (6,568,000 hectares), or over 30% of the state’s total land area. Most of the forestland is in the north, especially in Arrowhead Country in the northeast. Of the 14,723,000 acres (5,958,000 hectares) of commercial timberland, less than half is privately owned and more than one-third is under state, county, or municipal jurisdiction. In 2004, lumber production totaled 265 million board feet, 45% hardwoods and 55% softwoods. Over half of the timber that is harvested is used in paper products and about one-third for wood products. Mills that process raw logs account for half of all forest and forest-product employment in Minnesota.

The state’s two national forests are Superior (2,094,946 acres/847,825 hectares) and Chippewa (666,541 acres/269,749 hectares). The Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry, promotes effective management of the forest environment and seeks to restrict forest fire occurrence to 1,100 fires annually, burning no more than 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) in all.

More than 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) are planted each year with trees by the wood fiber industry, other private interests, and federal, state, and county forest services—more than enough to replace those harvested or destroyed by fire, insects, or disease.

25 Mining

The value of nonfuel mineral production in Minnesota in 2003 was estimated to be about $1.23 billion. Iron ore, Minnesota’s leading mineral commodity, accounted for $969 million of this total mineral value. Minnesota in 2003 was the nation’s to producer of iron ore, third in peat, and sixth in construction sand and gravel. Iron ore is found along a belt that runs through Itasca and St. Louis counties. The estimated value of construction sand and gravel was $188 million in 2003. The estimated value of crushed stone was $57.3 million. Michigan’s output of common clays and dimension stone is also significant.

26 Energy and Power

Minnesota produced 55.05 billion kilowatt hours of electricity (utility and nonutility) in 2003, when total installed capacity reached 11.48 million kilowatts. Most plants were coal-fired. There are two nuclear power plants (at Monticello, and at the Prairie Island facility). In 2000, Minnesota’s total per capita energy consumption was 343 million Btu (86.4 million kilocalories), ranking it 25th among the 50 states.

Minnesota’s 7 million acres (2.8 million hectares) of peat lands, the state’s only known fossil fuel resource, constitute nearly half of the US total (excluding Alaska). If burned directly, these fuel-quality peat deposits could add to Minnesota’s energy needs.

27 Commerce

Access to the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, helps make Minnesota a major marketing and distribution center for the upper Midwest. The state’s wholesale sales totaled $108.3 billion in 2002; retail sales were $60.01 billion. Exports to foreign countries amounted to $14.71 billion in 2005.

28 Public Finance

The state budget is prepared by the Department of Finance and submitted biennially by the governor to the legislature for amendment and approval. The fiscal year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

Revenues for 2004 were $29.7 billion and expenditures were $28.8 billion. The largest general expenditures were for education ($9.8 billion), public welfare ($8.04 billion), and highways ($1.8 billion). The state’s outstanding debt totaled $6.6 billion, or $1,307.76 per capita (per person).

29 Taxation

As of 2006, corporate income tax is at a flat rate of 9.8%. Personal income tax rates were on a three-bracket schedule ranging from 5.35% to 7.85%. The state of Minnesota also levies a 6.5% state sales tax, with local-option sales taxes permitted up to 1%. Food, medicines and other basics are exempted. The state also imposes a full array of excise taxes covering motor fuels, tobacco products, insurance premiums, public utilities, alcoholic beverages, amusements, parimutuels, and many other selected items. Other state taxes include per ton severance taxes (for taconite, iron sulphides, agglomerate, and semi-taconite), various license fees, and stamp taxes.

In Minnesota’s classified property tax system, commercial, industrial, and rental properties are taxed at considerably higher rates than owned homes. Minnesota’s “circuit breaker” system refunds property tax payments to homeowners and renters whose residential property taxes are high relative to their income.

Total state tax collections in Minnesota in 2005 were $15.8 billion, of which 39.9% was generated by the state income tax, 26.5% by the state general sales and use tax, 15.3% by state excise taxes, 3.9% by property taxes, 5.9% by the state corporate income tax, and 8.5% by other taxes. In 2005, Minnesota ranked sixth among the states in terms of state and local tax burden, at $3,094 per capita (per person), compared with the national average of $2,192 per capita.

30 Health

Shortly after the founding of Minnesota Territory, the soothing landscape and cool, bracing climate were trumpeted as a haven for retirees and for those afflicted with malaria or tuberculosis.

As of October 2005, the infant mortality rate was of 5.2 per 1,000 live births. The overall death rate in 2003 was 7.1 per 1,000 population. About 20.6% of Minnesota residents were smokers. The death rates per 100,000 population for heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in 2002 were 171.4 and 53.9 respectively. HIV-related deaths occurred at a rate of 1.1 per 100,000 population.

Minnesota’s 131 community hospitals had about 16,400 beds in 2003. The average expense for community hospital care was $1,109 per inpatient day in 2003. In 2004, only 9% of Minnesota residents were uninsured, the lowest percentage in the country. In 2004, Minnesota had 283 doctors per 100,000 residents, and 962 nurses per 100,000 residents in 2005. In 2004, there were 3,069 dentists in the state.

The Mayo Clinic, developed by Drs. Charles H. and William J. Mayo in the 1890s and early 1900s, was the first private clinic in the United States and became a world-renowned center for surgery. Today it is owned and operated by a self-perpetuating charitable foundation. The separate Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, founded and endowed by the Mayo brothers in 1915, was affiliated with the University of Minnesota, which became the first US institution to offer graduate education in surgery and other branches of clinical medicine.

31 Housing

In 2004, Minnesota had 2,212,701 housing units, of which 2,054,900 were occupied. Minnesota had the highest rate of homeownership in the nation with 75.3% of all housing units being owner-occupied. About 68% of all units were single-family, detached homes. Most units relied on utility gas and electricity for heating. It was estimated that 53,332 units lacked telephone service, 9,065 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 9,270 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.41 people.

In 2004, 41,800 new units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $181,135. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,260. Renters paid a median of $673 per month.

32 Education

Minnesota has one of the best-supported systems of public education in the United States. In 2004, 92.3% of Minnesotans age 25 or older were high school graduates and 32.5% had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Total public school enrollment was estimated at 847,000 in fall 2002 but is expected to drop to 826,000 by fall 2014. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2003 was 93,935. Expenditures for public education in 2003/04 were estimated at $8.6 billion.

As of fall 2002, there were 323,791 students enrolled in college or graduate school. In 2005, Minnesota had 113 degree-granting institutions. The state university system has campuses at Bemidji, Mankato, Marshall, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Moorhead, St. Cloud, and Winona; there is also a community college system, and a statewide network of area vocational-technical institutes. The University of Minnesota (founded as an academy in 1851) has campuses in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris, and Crookston. The state’s oldest private college, Hamline University in St. Paul, was founded in 1854 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. There are more than 20 private colleges, many of them with ties to Lutheran or Roman Catholic religious authorities. Carleton College, at Northfield, is a notable independent institution.

33 Arts

The Ordway Music Theater which has two concert halls, opened in St. Paul in January 1985. The Ordway is the home of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera Company, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. In 1999, the Ordway received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts to use interactive videoconferencing technology to develop an “electronic field trip” accessible to student audiences across the state.

The St. Olaf College Choir, at Northfield, has a national reputation. The Guthrie Theater, founded in Minneapolis in 1963, is one of the nation’s most prestigious repertory companies; it moved to a new complex overlooking the Mississippi River in 2006. The Minnesota Ballet is based in Duluth.

Literary arts are active in the state. The Loft, founded in 1974 in Minneapolis, is considered to be one of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive literary centers. Milkweed Editions is a well-known, award-winning, nonprofit literary publisher of books on cultural diversity, environmental stewardship, poetry, and literature for adults and children in the middle grades.

State and regional arts groups as well as individual artists are supported by grants administered through the Minnesota State Arts Board, an 11-member panel appointed by the governor. The state offers arts education to about 50,000 schoolchildren, with approximately 2,500 teachers participating in the programs. The Minnesota Humanities Commission was founded in 1971.

34 Libraries and Museums

In 2001, Minnesota had an estimated 140 public library systems, with a total of 359 libraries, of which 232 were branches. The same year, the total number of books and audiovisual items was over 14.4 million items and total circulation reached more than 43.8 million. The largest single public library system is the Minneapolis Public Library and Information Center. The leading academic library, with over 5.7 million volumes, is maintained by the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis.

There are more than 164 museums and historic sites. In addition to several noted museums of the visual arts, Minnesota is home to the Mayo Medical Museum at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. In May 1996, the Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post opened its doors. Historic sites include the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh in Little Falls and the Sauk Centre home of Sinclair Lewis.

35 Communications

As of 2004, 97.1% of Minnesota’s occupied housing units had telephones. By June of that year, there were 2,832,079 mobile telephone subscribers. In 2003, 67.9% of Minnesota households had a computer, and 61.6% had Internet access. As of 2005 there were 135 major radio stations—33 AM and 102 FM—and 20 major television stations. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area had approximately 1,481,050 television households, 54% of which received cable in 1999.

36 Press

In April 1982, Minneapolis’s two daily newspapers were merged into the Minneapolis Star Tribune. As of 2005, the state had 15 morning dailies, 10 evening dailies, and 15 Sunday papers. The leading dailies, with their daily circulations in 2005, are the Minneapolis Star Tribune (381,094), the St. Paul Pioneer Press (191,264), and the Duluth News-Tribune (46,460). As of 2005, some 333 weekly newspapers were being published in Minnesota. Among the most widely read magazines published in Minnesota were Family Handyman, appearing 11 times a year; Catholic Digest, a religious monthly; and Snow Goer, published six times a year for snowmobile enthusiasts.

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

In 2004, the state hosted about 28.6 million travelers, with about 50% of all tourist activity involving Minnesota residents touring their own state. About 11.7 million visitors were from out of state. Shopping was the most popular tourist activity for out-of-state visitors. Total travel expenditures for 2004 reached about $9.2 billion, which included support for over 233,000 jobs.

With its lakes and parks, ski trails and campsites, and historical and cultural attractions, Minnesota provides ample recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike.

Besides the museums, sports stadiums, and concert halls in the big cities, Minnesota’s attractions include the 220,000-acre (80,000-hectare) Voyageurs National Park, near the Canadian border; Grand Portage National Monument, in Arrowhead Country, a former fur-trading center with a restored trading post; and Lumbertown USA, a restored 1870s lumber community. The US Hockey Hall of Fame is in Eveleth.

The state maintains and operates 66 parks, 9,240 miles (14,870 kilometers) of trails, 10 scenic and natural areas, 5 recreation areas, and 18 canoe and boating routes. Minnesota also has 288 primary wildlife refuges. Many visitors hunt deer, muskrat, squirrel, beaver, duck, pheasant, and grouse. Others enjoy boating each year on Minnesota’s scenic waterways. Winter sports have gained in popularity, and many parks are now used heavily all year round. Snowmobiling and cross-country skiing has rapidly accelerated in popularity.

38 Sports

There are five major league professional sports teams in Minnesota: the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association, the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association, and the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League.

In collegiate sports, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers compete in the Big Ten Conference. The university is probably best known for its ice hockey team, which won the NCAA title three times during the 1970s and again in 2002 and 2003, and supplied the coach, Herb Brooks, and many of the players for the gold medal–winning US team in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Other annual sporting events include the John Beargrease Sled Dog Race between Duluth and Grand Marais in January or early February and auto racing at the Brainerd International Raceway in July and August. Alpine and crosscountry skiing are popular.

39 Famous Minnesotans

No Minnesotan has been elected to the US presidency, but several have sought the office, including two who served as vice-president. Hubert Horatio Humphrey (b.South Dakota, 1911–1978) was vice-president under Lyndon Johnson and a serious contender for the presidency in 1960, 1968, and 1972. Humphrey’s protégé, Walter Frederick “Fritz” Mondale (b.1928)—after serving as vice-president under Jimmy Carter (and as Carter’s running mate in his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1980)—won the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984. Warren Earl Burger (1907–1995) of St. Paul was named chief justice of the US Supreme Court in 1969. Three other Minnesotans have served on the court: Pierce Butler (1866–1939); William O. Douglas (1898–1980); and Harry A. Blackmun (b.Illinois, 1908–1997).

The first woman ambassador in US history was Eugenie M. Anderson (b.Iowa, 1909–1997).

The Mayo Clinic was founded in Minnesota by Dr. William W. Mayo (b.England, 1819–1911) and developed through the efforts of his sons, Drs. William H. (1861–1939) and Charles H. (1865–1939) Mayo. Oil magnate J. Paul Getty (1892–1976) was a Minnesota native, as was Richard W. Sears (1863–1914), founder of Sears, Roebuck.

The first US citizen ever to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature was Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951), whose novel Main Street (1920) was modeled on life in his hometown of Sauk Centre. Prominent literary figures besides Sinclair Lewis include F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940), well known for his classic novel The Great Gatsby. Cartoonist Charles Schulz (1922–2000) and radio personality and author Garrison Keillor (b.1942), were both born in Minnesota.

Minnesota-born entertainers include Judy Garland (Frances Gumm, 1922–1969), Bob Dylan (Robert Zimmerman, b.1941), and Jessica Lange (b.1949). In 1961 Minnesotan Roger Maris (1934–1985) set the record for the most home runs hit in a baseball season; his record stood until 1998. Other notable athletes from Minnesota are Olympic swimmer Tracy Caulkins (b.1963), baseball great Roger Maris (1934–1985), and basketball star Kevin McHale (b.1957).

40 Bibliography

BOOKS

Bristow, M. J. State Songs of America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.

Gedatus, Gustav Mark. Minnesota. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens, 2006.

Hintz, Martin. Minnesota. New York: Children’s Press, 2000.

McAuliffe, Bill. Minnesota Facts and Symbols. Rev. ed. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2003.

Sateren, Shelley Swanson, ed. A Civil War Drummer Boy: the Diary of William Bircher, 1861–1865. Mankato, MN: Blue Earth Books, 2000.

Uschan, Michael V. Jesse Ventura. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001.

WEB SITES

Minnesota Office of Tourism. Explore Minnesota. www.exploreminnesota.com (accessed March 1, 2007).

State of Minnesota. Minnesota North Star: Official Website for the State of Minnesota. www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/home.do?agency=NorthStar (accessed March 1, 2007).

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of the States, 5th ed.