Minnesota is the 12th largest state that located in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba in the north, Michigan in Lake Superior and Wisconsin in the east, and North Dakota and South Dakota in the west. There are several popular nicknames of Minnesota, such as: Land of 10,000 Lakes, North Star State and Gopher State. There are many interesting facts about Minnesota, let’s talk about 10 of them in this article.
1. Minnesota is the Northernmost State in the Contiguous United States
Behind Alaska, Minnesota is the second northernmost U.S. state. It’s also the northernmost contiguous state. That gives it North Star State nickname. The isolated Northwest Angle is the only part of the contiguous 48 states north of the 49th parallel. The Northwest Angle, or simply the Angle, is a pene-exclave of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. Its land area is separated from the rest of Minnesota by Lake of the Woods.
2. The Capital City of Minnesota is Saint Paul and The Largest City is Minneapolis
Saint Paul is the capital city of Minnesota while Minneapolis is the largest city. Minneapolis and Saint Paul together form Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area that become the largest metropolitan area in Minnesota and 16th largest in the U.S. More than 60% of the population of Minnesota live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area that is also known as “Twin Cities”.
3. Minnesota Has the Largest Freshwater Wetlands among Other States Except Alaska
Behind Alaska, Minnesota has the largest freshwater wetlands among other states. It means that Minnesota has more freshwater wetlands than the other 48 contiguous states. There are approximately 10.6 million acres (4,300,000 ha; 43,000 km2) of wetlands inside the Minnesota border.
4. Minnesota is the Largest Producer of Sugar Beets in the United States
Minnesota is the largest producing state of sugar beets in the United States. As a leading grower of sugar beet, Minnesota produces around a third of sugar beet produced in the United States. Minnesota is also a leading producer of sweet corn, and peas for processing, and farm-raised turkeys. It’s also a large producer of corn and soybeans.
5. Cargill, the Largest Privately Owned Company in the United States, is Based in Minnesota
Cargill is American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. It was founded in 1865 and it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. Cargill is still a family-owned company with the Cargill and MacMillan families (the descendants of the founder) owning over 90% of it. Cargill employs over 166,000 employees in 66 countries.
6. Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota is the Largest Mall in the United States
Mall of America (MOA) is the largest mall in the United States as well as the largest mall in the Western Hemisphere. Mall of America is located in Bloomington, Minnesota, a suburb of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Aera. The mall was opened in 1992 and managed by Triple Five Group that is owned by the Ghermezian family. Triple Five Group also operates the second largest mall in the North America, the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada.
7. Minnesota has the Largest Population of Gray Wolf in the United States Outside Alaska
Behind Alaska, Minnesota has the largest population of gray wolf. So, Minnesota is the state with the largest gray wolf population in contiguous United States. Alaska and Minnesota are the only two states in which the gray wolves are not considered endangered. There are around 3,000 gray wolves living in the wild of Minnesota while Alaska indeed has many more gray wolves with more than 6,000 gray wolves living in the wild.
8. Eagle Mountain is the Highest Natural Point of Minnesota
The highest natural point of Minnesota is located in Eagle Mountain with 2,301 ft (701 m) elevation. Eagle Mountain is located in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness within Superior National Forest in northern Cook County, Minnesota. Minnesota’s lowest elevation in Lake Superior at 600 feet (183 m) is only 15 miles (24 km) from Eagle Mountain.
9. Common Loon is the Official State Bird of Minnesota
In 1961, Common loon (Gavia immer) is adopted as the official state bird of Minnesota. The common loon, also called great northern diver, is a large member of the loon (diver). The loon is a family of birds (Aves). Common loons live on lakes, pools and lagoons in the northern United States (including Alaska), Canada, and southern parts of Greenland and Iceland.
10. The Official State Flower of Minnesota is Pink & White Lady Slipper
The pink and white lady slipper (Cypripedium reginae) is the official state flower of Minnesota. It was designated in 1967. The pink and white lady slipper is a rare lady’s-slipper orchid (Cypripedioideae) native to northern North America. It is a large, terrestrial orchid that can grow up to 100 cm (3 ft) in height. The pink and white lady slipper grows in wetlands such as riverbanks, wooded swamps and fens.
Since there are many more interesting facts about Minnesota that we haven’t talked about in this article, I’m sure that you can mention other interesting facts that’s not listed in this article.