| Capital city | Saint Paul |
| Population | 5,707,390 (2020) |
| Surface | 225,163 km² |
| Governor | Tim Walz (DFL) |
| Member of the US since | 1858 |
Minnesota is one of the fifty states of the United States. It had 5,266,214 inhabitants in the year 2009. The state capital is Saint Paul, while Minneapolis is the largest city. These two cities are close to each other and are called twin cities. Geographically, Minnesota is located in the Midwestern United States. It is the twelfth largest state in the Americas and the 21st most populous. Minnesota was founded as the 32nd state of the US. The state is known as ‘The Land of 10,000 Lakes’. About 60% of the entire Minnesota population lives in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. Minnesota means “sky-tinged water” in the Dakota language. The state has many forests, national parks, lakes and much more. Thousands of tourists come to these places every year. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the financial, industrial, political and cultural center of the state. There are many job opportunities and universities. The metropolis is known for its art and culture. Remote areas in Minnesota (such as Sleepy Eye and Walnut Grove) are surrounded by prairies and forests. There is a lot of labour-intensive farming here. Labor intensive means that you do the work by hand and not with machines. There is a lot of forestry, recreation and mining in these areas. In the past, most residents in Minnesota were Germans and Scandinavians. But nowadays there are mainly many Americans (originating from the United Kingdom), but also other ethnic groups. Minnesota residents often lead healthy lives and the population is completely illiterate.
How many counties in Minnesota? The State of Minnesota comprises 87 counties.
Aitkin County, Minnesota
Anoka County, Minnesota
Becker County, Minnesota
Beltrami County, Minnesota
Benton County, Minnesota
Big Stone County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Brown County, Minnesota
Carlton County, Minnesota
Carver County, Minnesota
Cass County, Minnesota
Chippewa County, Minnesota
Chisago County, Minnesota
Clay County, Minnesota
Clearwater County, Minnesota
Cook County, Minnesota
Cottonwood County, Minnesota
Crow Wing County, Minnesota
Dakota County, Minnesota
Dodge County, Minnesota
Douglas County, Minnesota
Faribault County, Minnesota
Fillmore County, Minnesota
Freeborn County, Minnesota
Goodhue County, Minnesota
Grant County, Minnesota
Hennepin County, Minnesota
Houston County, Minnesota
Hubbard County, Minnesota
Isanti County, Minnesota
Itasca County, Minnesota
Jackson County, Minnesota
Kanabec County, Minnesota
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota
Kittson County, Minnesota
Koochiching County, Minnesota
Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota
Lake County, Minnesota
Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota
LeSueur County, Minnesota
Lincoln County, Minnesota
Lyon County, Minnesota
Mahnomen County, Minnesota
Marshall County, Minnesota
Martin County, Minnesota
McLeod County, Minnesota
Meeker County, Minnesota
Mille Lacs County, Minnesota
Morrison County, Minnesota
Mower County, Minnesota
Murray County, Minnesota
Nicollet County, Minnesota
Nobles County, Minnesota
Norman County, Minnesota
Olmsted County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Pennington County, Minnesota
Pine County, Minnesota
Pipestone County, Minnesota
Polk County, Minnesota
Pope County, Minnesota
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Red Lake County, Minnesota
Redwood County, Minnesota
Renville County, Minnesota
Rice County, Minnesota
Rock County, Minnesota
Roseau County, Minnesota
Saint Louis County, Minnesota
Scott County, Minnesota
Sherburne County, Minnesota
Sibley County, Minnesota
Stearns County, Minnesota
Steele County, Minnesota
Stevens County, Minnesota
Swift County, Minnesota
Todd County, Minnesota
Traverse County, Minnesota
Wabasha County, Minnesota
Wadena County, Minnesota
Waseca County, Minnesota
Washington County, Minnesota
Watonwan County, Minnesota
Wilkin County, Minnesota
Winona County, Minnesota
Wright County, Minnesota
Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota
Population
Skyscrapers in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Cathedral of Saint Paul
Minnesota’s population is growing rapidly. In the year 1850 it had less than 6,100 inhabitants, while in the year 1900 it had 1.7 million inhabitants. The population of the year 1900 has now tripled. Minnesota is known for its many ethnic groups and minorities. It currently has about 5.2 million inhabitants. The three largest cities in Minnesota are: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Rochester. Most Minnesota residents are German and Scandinavian (i.e. white). Asians, African Americans, White Americans (originally from England) and Native Americans are in the minority. Minnesota’s main religion is Christianity. Often the Christians here are Protestant, but there are also many Catholic people. Below is a list of the ethnic groups of Minnesota:
- German – 37.9%
- Scandinavian – 32.1 %
- Irish – 11.8%
- Americans (originally British) – 6.3%
- Other ethnic groups – 11.9%
Economy
Minnesota is one of the major raw material producers in the US, as well as worldwide. The economy has developed a lot, especially in the last 200 years. Banking, manufacturing, and agriculture are the major sectors of the Minnesota economy. There are many shops and banks in the major cities. As many as 33 of the top 1000 companies in the US are headquartered in Minnesota. The state is not on the sea, but it does have ports on the rivers. The annual income per household is quite high. There is hardly any unemployment in Minnesota. Only 7.3% are unemployed in the state. White families earn more money than other ethnic groups. Especially Asians, African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans earn little money. The earliest important parts of Minnesota’s economy were fur trade and agriculture. The first sawmills and flour mills arose in Minneapolis. Farmers in Minnesota often produce sugar beets, peas, and corn. Livestock farmers often raise/raise turkeys, chickens, cows and sheep. There is a lot of forestry and logging in the northern forests of the state. The wood is often used to make paper or furniture. There is also a lot of mining and steel industry in Minnesota. A lot of iron ore is produced and exported abroad. Duluth is one of Minnesota’s largest harbors, as it is located on Lake Superior. Lake Superior is the largest lake in the state and one of the Great Lakes in the US. There are often biomedical companies in the big cities. Minnesota is one of the only 42 US states with its own lottery. There are many games. The best known are Powerball, Hot Lotto and Gopher 5. Fuel is produced in Minnesota. such as diesel and petrol. Biodiesel is also produced in Minnesota.
Transport
In Minnesota there is a lot of transportation and transportation. All of this is controlled by a special department. It’s called Minnesota Department of Transportation (translation: Minnesota Department of Transportation). It is called MnDOT for short. There are many highways throughout the state. There is also public transport, such as buses, taxis, trains and so on. You can go especially on the Mississippi and the Minnesota River with public boats. You can sail on Lake Superior from Duluth. Minnesota’s largest airport is Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. Delta Air Lines and Sun Country Airlines are the largest carriers of this airport.
Education
The state has an educated population. Hardly anyone is illiterate. Illiterate means that a person cannot write and read. The first school in all of Minnesota was founded in 1858 near the town of Winona. In Minneapolis and other places there are universities and colleges for smart students. Many foreigners in Minnesota drop out of high school as early as high school. Minnesota students often have high scores on tests. Minnesota is even one of the smartest states in the US. There are often many campuses at universities and schools. There are also special schools where you learn art. The state has no fewer than 19 universities.
Culture
The Guthrie Theater
The major components of Minnesota’s culture are arts, literature, entertainment, and parties. Minnesota’s top places for visual arts are Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center, and Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum. There are many well-known orchestras in the state. Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra are the two best-known orchestras in the state of Minnesota. These orchestras work full time. In Minnesota there is a very large theater. It’s called the Guthrie Theater. There are comedies and plays as well as musicals and music performances. From the Guthrie Theater there is a view of the Mississippi. About 2.3 million tickets are sold at this theater every year. A well-known celebration in Minnesota that is celebrated annually is Minnesota Fringe Festival. Then there is a lot of theater, dance, music, puppet shows and visual arts in the state. There are as many as 800 performances held in Minneapolis for 11 days. Speaking of literature, Minnesota has many well-known writers and writers. The stories and books are often about the prairies and everything else. Minnesota’s most famous writers are Laura Ingalls Wilder and Ole Rolvaag. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote a long series of children’s books (called: The Little House on the Prairie) about her life in Walnut Grove, a small Minnesota hamlet. Ole Rolvaag is known for the book Giants on Earth. Other well-known writers include Sinclair Lewis (famous for the novel Main Street) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (famous for the books Winter Dreams and The Ice Palace). Minnesota’s most famous poet is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for his poem The Song of Hiawatha. That’s an epic poem about many different landmarks across the state. There are many well-known musicians in Minnesota. Often they are rock artists or pop musicians. Rock star Prince, electro-musical band Owl City and harmonious singers The Andrews Sisters are especially known for their music throughout the state of Minnesota. Other well-known artists/bands include rock star Eddie Cochran, folk music musician Bob Dylan, the band The Trashmen, rock band The Castaways, pop music writers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, rock artists Jonny Lang and Soul Asylum, the band Hüsker Dü and The Replacements Band.
