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Minnesota

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Minnesota is the 32nd state of the United States, having joined the Union on May 11, 1858. Its name is commonly abbreviated as 'MN' or 'Minn.', and is taken from the Dakota Sioux (Native American tribe) words for 'sky-tinted water'.

Geography

  • Minnesota covers 79,610 square miles (2.25% of the United States). It is famous for its lakes, having in excess of 15,000, depending on the source of the count. Much of the state is flat, having been eroded during repeated glacial periods (most recently the Wisconsin Glacier). Lake Superior is the largest body of water in the state.
  • Minnesota is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA), as well as a number of state and county parks, most noteably Itasca State Park, the source of the Mississippi River. Apart from its lakes it is lacking in prominent physical features.
  • It is bordered to the north by Canada; to the east by Wisconsin and Lake Superior, to the south by Iowa, and to the west by North Dakota and South Dakota. It is the northernmost of the 48 contiguous states (i.e. excluding Alaska and Hawaii), reaching to 49° 23' 4" north latitude.
  • The capital is St. Paul, which sits on the opposite bank of the Mississippi River to the largest city, Minneapolis, (together known as the Twin Cities). Other prominent cities include Duluth, St. Cloud, Mankato, Rochester (home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic, and Bloomington.
  • The state's average elevation is 1,200 feet, with a high point at Eagle Mountain (4,779 feet) and a low at the surface of Lake Superior (602 feet)
  • The state is famously cold, with a record low of -60°F recorded at Tower, MN on February 2, 1996. As part of the Great Plains region, however, it also experiences warm summers, with a record high of 114°F recorded in 1917 and 1936. The average temperature in January (the coldest month) is 11.2°F, and the average in the warmest month of July is 73.1°F. The average annual precipitation is 28.32 inches, with a snowfall figure of 49.6 inches.
  • List of counties:
    • Aitkin, Anoka
    • Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, Brown
    • Carlton, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Cottonwood, Crow Wing
    • Dakota, Dodge, Douglas
    • Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn
    • Goodhue, Grant
    • Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard
    • Isanti, Itasca
    • Jackson
    • Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching
    • Lac qui Parle, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon,
    • McLeod, Mahnomen, Marshall, Martin, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray
    • Nicollet, Nobles, Norman
    • Olmsted, Otter Tail
    • Pennington, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope
    • Ramsey, Red Lake, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Rock, Roseau
    • St. Louis, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Swift
    • Todd, Traverse
    • Wabasha, Wadena, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Winona, Wright
    • Yellow Medicine

Demography

  • The state population, as of 2000], is 4,919,479 (1.75% of the nation), with a growth rate of 12.4% in the last 10 years (compared to 13.1% for the nation).
  • 88.2% of the state is white (excluding Hispanic/Latino), 3.5% Black/African American, 2.9% Hispanic/Latino, 2.9% Asian. Minnesotans traditionally count themselves as of Nordic descent (approximately 1.5 million people claim Danish, Finnish, Norwegian or Swedish ancestry), though more families originated in Germany (approximately 2 million). More modern immigrant communities include the Hmong people (from the Laos/Cambodia/Vietnam region), and a large presence from Somalia.
  • The population distribution by age is (Northeast Midwest Institute):
    • 0-18 - 1,361,616 (27.7%)
    • 19-34 - 1,068,850 (21.7%)
    • 35-64 - 1,894,747 (38.6%)
    • 65+ - 594,266 (12.1%)
  • religious makeup of state

Economy

  • State income
    • The average state income in Minnesota in 1999 was $30,742 (according to the State Demographic Center - the Northeast Midwest Institute gives the figure as $30,793). This compares to a national average of $28,546. The average household income in 1999 was approximately $48,000, ranking eighth in the nation (US Census Bureau). The county averages range from $17,369 (Todd county) to $42,313 (Hennepin county, which contains the Metro area). In general salaries are lowest in more rural areas, and in particular in the north-west part of the state.
  • Major industries/products
    • The twin cities are home to a diverse range of major businesses, including 3M Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, Northwest Airlines, Target Stores, Medtronic, Cray Computers, and Imation. The Twin Cities have recently lost several 'Fortune 500' company headquarters, including Honeywell and Norwest banks. The city of Rochester is the headquarters of the Mayo Clinic, and has a significant manufacturing presence in IBM.
    • A large proportion of the state's economy is still agricultural. Additionally, northern Minnesota is a source for iron ore and wood products, though these are both declining industries.
  • State Taxes
    • Minnesota is commonly regarded as a high tax state. It has an income and sales tax, as well as levying taxes on a common range of goods such as tobacco, gasoline and alcohol. It does not charge sales tax on clothing.
    • 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). The Gross State Product was just under $173 billion in 1999 (Northeast Midwest Institute), with approximately $17.5 billion in exports in 2000
    • Retail sales per capita were $10,260 in 1997, higher than the US average of $9,190 (US Census Bureau).

Law/Government

[Note that all the U.S. states have similar legal and political systems, so maybe we only need to mention anything that makes the state distinct]

  • Executive. The current governor is Jesse Ventura, who ran as a member of Ross Perot's Reform Party but later became an independent. Ventura is a former professional wrestler and actor, and was most recently the mayor of Brooklyn Park, MN and a talk-radio host. The full list of governors, and the dates they took office, is:
    • 1999 4 Jan - Janos, James George (Jesse Ventura)
    • 1991 7 Jan - Carlson, Arne H.
    • 1983 3 Jan - Perpich, Rudy (Rudolph G.)
    • 1979 4 Jan - Quie, Al (Albert H.)
    • 1976 29 Dec - Perpich, Rudy (Rudolph G.)
    • 1971 4 Jan - Anderson, Wendell R. (Wendell Richard)
    • 1967 2 Jan - LeVander, Harold R
    • 1963 25 March - Rolvaag, Karl F. (Karl Fritjof)
    • 1961 2 Jan - Andersen, Elmer L. (Elmer Lee)
    • 1955 5 Jan - Freeman, Orville L. (Orville Lothrop)
    • 1951 27 Sept - Anderson, C. Elmer (Clyde Elmer)
    • 1947 8 Jan - Youngdahl, Luther W. (Luther Wallace)
    • 1943 27 April - Thye, Edward J. (Edward John)
    • 1939 2 Jan - Stassen, Harold E.(Harold Edward)
    • 1937 4 Jan - Benson, Elmer A. (Elmer Austin)
    • 1936 24 August - Petersen, Hjalmar FL Askov
    • 1931 6 Jan - Olson, Floyd B. (Floyd Bjornsterne)
    • 1925 6 Jan - Christianson, Theodore R Dawson
    • 1921 5 Jan - Preus, J. A. O. (Jacob Aall Ottesen)
    • 1915 30 Dec - Burnquist, J. A. A. (Joseph Alfred Arner)
    • 1915 5 Jan - Hammond, Winfield S. (Winfield Scott)
    • 1909 21 Sept - Eberhart, Adolph O. (Adolph Olson)
    • 1905 4 Jan - Johnson, John A. (John Albert)
    • 1901 7 Jan - Van Sant, Samuel R. (Samuel Rinnah)
    • 1899 2 Jan - Lind, John
    • 1895 31 Jan - Clough, David M. (David Marston)
    • 1893 4 Jan - Nelson, Knute
    • 1889 9 Jan - Merriam, William R. (William Rush)
    • 1887 5 Jan - McGill, Andrew R. (Andrew Ryan)
    • 1882 10 Jan - Hubbard, Lucius F. (Lucius Frederick)
    • 1876 7 Jan - Pillsbury, John S. (John Sargent)
    • 1874 7 Jan - Davis, Cushman K. (Cushman Kellogg)
    • 1870 9 Jan - Austin, Horace
    • 1866 8 Jan - Marshall, William R.(William Rainey)
    • 1864 11 Jan - Miller, Stephen
    • 1863 10 July - Swift, Henry A. (Henry Adoniram)
    • 1860 2 Jan - Ramsey, Alexander
    • 1858 24 May - Sibley, Henry H. (Henry Hastings)
    • 1857 23 April - Medary, Samuel
    • 1853 15 May - Gorman, Willis A. (Willis Arnold)
    • 1849 1 Jun - Ramsey, Alexander
  • Legislature. Minnesota has a bicameral legislature (senate and house), although recently Gov. Ventura has advocated moving towards a unicameral system. 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'). Senators serve for four years, except when the election year ends in a zero (e.g. 2010) to allow for redistricting in line with the national census. Representatives serve for two years.
  • Judiciary. The state 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 disuputes 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 governer to six-year terms, following approval from the state Senate
    • Federal cases are heard in the federal district courts in Minneapolis, St Paul or Duluth. Minnesota is part of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is located in St Paul. Appeals beyond this level go to the US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.
  • Constitution

History

  • history prior to joining the United States
    • Originally inhabited by Native Americans, in particular the Ojibwe (Chippewa, Anishinaabe) and Sioux.
    • Economy originally consisted of hunter-gather lifemode, which changed over time as Europeans settled in the area and further exploited the state's natural resources.
    • First European settlement was the area now known as the city of Stillwater, MN, on the St. Croix River.
    • Fort Snelling, located at the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Mississippi River, was one of the earliest U.S. military presences in the state. It is now a historic site.
  • Minnesota was designated a territory on March 3, 1849, and became the 32nd state on May 11th, 1858.
  • Major historical events that occured in state:

Colleges and Universities

Professional Sports Teams

Symbols/Emblems

  • State Bird - Loon
  • State Butterfly - Monarch
  • State Drink - Milk
  • State Fish - Walleye
  • State Flower - Pink-and-white lady slipper
  • State Gemstone - Lake Superior Agate
  • State Grain - Wild Rice
  • Territory Motto (intended) - Quae sursum volo videre ("I wish to see what is beyond")
  • Territory Motto (actual) - Quo sursum velo videre ("I cover to see what is above" is the closest translation)
  • State Motto - L'Étoile du Nord ("Star of the North")
  • State Muffin - Blueberry (adopted as part of a school project on how a bill becomes law)
  • State Mushroom - Morel (sponge mushroom; honeycomb morel)
  • State Picture - Grace
  • State Song - "Hail! Minnesota"
  • State Tree - Red or Norway Pine

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