Minnesota

Minnesota

(In Detail) (Full size)
State nickname: North Star State
Other U.S. States
Capital	Saint Paul
Largest City	Minneapolis
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water  - % water	Ranked 12th 225,365 km2 206,375 km2 18,990 km2 8.4%
Population  - Total (2000)  - Density	Ranked 21st 4,919,479 22/km2
Admittance into Union  - Order  - Date	32nd May 11, 1858
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Latitude Longitude	43°34'N to 49°23'N 89°34'W to 97°12'W
Width Length	400 km 645 km
Elevation  -Highest  -Mean  -Lowest	701 meters 365 meters 183 meters
ISO 3166-2:	US-MN

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 (Native American tribe) words for 'sky-tinted water'.

The USS Minnesota was named in honor of this state.

History

History prior to joining the United States

• Originally inhabited by Native Americans, in particular the Ojibwe (Chippewa, Anishinaabe) and Dakota.
• 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 visitors were, according to local tradition, Swedish and Norwegian Vikings, in the 14th century, as testified by the controversial Kensington Runestone.
• First European settlement was the area now known as the city of Stillwater, 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.

Joins the US

Law and Government

• Executive. The current governor – Tim Pawlenty, a Republican – started his term on January 6, 2003. The full list of governors, and the dates they took office, is available at List of Minnesota Governors.
• Legislature. Minnesota has a bicameral legislature (senate and house). 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, and 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 governor 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
  • A hyperlinked text of the State's Constitution is available at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/rules/mncon/preamble.htm.
  • The full text, without internal links, can also be viewed at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/rules/mncon/mncon.htm.

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). The Minnesota portion of 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 notably Itasca State Park, the source of the Mississippi River. Apart from its lakes and rivers, there are few other prominent physical features.
• It is bordered on the north by Canada (Manitoba and Ontario); on the east by Wisconsin and Lake Superior, on the south by Iowa, and on the west by North Dakota and South Dakota. It is the northernmost of the 48 contiguous states (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), reaching to 49° 23' 4" north latitude, due to a small piece of the state known as the Northwest Angle.
• 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 (2,301 feet) and a low at the surface of Lake Superior (602 feet)
• The state is famously cold, with a record low of -60°F measured 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 reached 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.

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 Corporation (including Target stores, Marshall Field's, and Mervyn's), U.S. Bancorp, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans (formerly Lutheran Brotherhood), Medtronic, Cray Computers, and Imation, and a regional headquarters of Wells Fargo & Co. The city of Rochester is the headquarters of the Mayo Clinic, and has a significant manufacturing presence in IBM. The largest shopping mall in the United States, the Mall of America, is located in Bloomington.
  • 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 regarded as a high tax state by some. 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, services (massages, haircuts, auto work, etc), or non-prepared food items.
  • 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).

Demographics

• 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 third-largest Hmong population in the United States (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
  • Minnesotans are largely Catholic and mainline Protestant. The largest Protestant body in the state is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In recent years, new immigrants have added to the religious mix in Minnesota. There are now mosques throughout the state, as well as Buddhist temples and Hindu mandirs.

Education

Colleges and Universities

Professional Sports Teams

Miscellaneous Information

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

Early Explorers

• Michel Aco
• Father Louis Hennepin
• Daniel Greysolon, sieur du Lhut
• Zebulon Pike
• Henry Schoolcraft
• Joseph Nicollet

External Links

• http://www.state.mn.us - Official Home Page
• http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/history/mnstatehistory/timeline.html - Minnesota history timeline
• http://www.mnhs.org - Minnesota Historical Society

Referenced By