Adapted From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Content Used under GNU GFLD License
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State of Minnesota |
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| Seal of Minnesota | ||||
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Nickname(s):
North Star State, |
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Motto(s): L'Étoile du Nord (French: The Star of the North) |
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| Capital | Saint Paul | |||
| Largest city | Minneapolis | |||
| Area | >Ranked 12th | |||
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- Total |
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- Width |
250 miles (400 km) |
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- Length |
400 miles (645 km) |
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- % water |
8.4 |
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- Latitude |
43°34'N to 49°23'50.26"N |
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- Longitude |
89°34'W to 97°12'W |
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| Population | Ranked 21st | |||
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- Total (2000) |
4,919,479 |
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- Density |
61.80/sq mi |
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$55,914 (5th) |
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| Elevation |
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Eagle
Mountain[1] |
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- Mean |
1,198 ft (365 m) |
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Lake
Superior[1] |
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| Admission to Union | May 11, 1858 (32nd) | |||
| Governor | Tim Pawlenty (R) | |||
| U.S. Senators |
Norm Coleman (R) Amy Klobuchar (DFL) |
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| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 | |||
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Abbreviations |
MN US-MN | |||
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Web site |
www.state.mn.us | |||
Minnesota welcome sign
Minnesota (help·info) (pronounced: /ˌmɪ.nɪˈsoʊ.tə/)[2] is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The twelfth-largest state by area in the U.S., it is the 21st most populous, with just over five million residents as of 2006. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," and those lakes and the other waters for which the state is named, together with state and national forests and parks, offer residents and tourists a vigorous outdoor lifestyle.
Nearly 60% of Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities, the center of transportation, business, and industry, and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state, often referred to as Greater Minnesota or "Outstate Minnesota," consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; eastern deciduous forests, also heavily farmed and settled; and the less-populated northern boreal forest. While the state's residents are primarily white and of Western European ancestry, substantial influxes of African, Asian, and Latin American immigrants have joined the descendants of European immigrants and of the original Native American inhabitants.
The extremes of the climate contrast with the moderation of Minnesota’s people. The state is known for its moderate-to-progressive politics and social policies, its civic involvement, and high voter turnout. It ranks among the healthiest states by a number of measures, and has one of the most highly educated and literate populations.
Contents
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[edit] Etymology
The name Minnesota comes from the word for the Minnesota River in the Dakota language, Mnisota. The Dakota word Mni (sometimes spelled mini, or minne) can be translated as "water." Mnisota is then translated as sky-tinted water or somewhat clouded water.[3][4] Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers by dropping milk into water and calling it mnisota.[3] The names of many locations in the state contain the Dakota word for water, such as Minnehaha Falls ("waterfall," not "laughing waters" as is commonly thought), Minneiska ("white water"), Minnetonka ("big water"), Minnetrista ("crooked water"), and Minneapolis, which is a combination of mni and polis, the Greek word for "city."[5]
[edit] Geography
Minnesota, showing roads and major bodies of water
Minnesota is the northernmost state outside of Alaska; its isolated Northwest Angle in Lake of the Woods is the only part of the 48 contiguous states lying north of the 49th Parallel. Minnesota is in the heart of the U.S. region known as the Upper Midwest. The state shares a Lake Superior water border with Michigan and Wisconsin on the northeast; the remainder of the eastern border is with Wisconsin. Iowa is to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota are west, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba are north. With 87,014 square miles (225,365 km²), or approximately 2.25% of the United States,[6] Minnesota is the 12th largest state.[7]
[edit] Geology and terrain
- Main article: Geology of Minnesota
- See also: List of lakes in Minnesota and List of Minnesota rivers
Tilted beds of the Middle Precambrian Thompson Formation in Jay Cooke State Park.[8]
Minnesota contains some of the oldest rocks found on earth, gneisses some 3.6 billion years old, or 80% as old as the planet.[8][9] About 2.7 billion years ago, basaltic lava poured out of cracks in the floor of the primordial ocean; the remains of this volcanic rock formed the Canadian Shield in northeast Minnesota.[8][10] The roots of these volcanic mountains and the action of Precambrian seas formed the Iron Range of northern Minnesota. Following a period of volcanism 1.1 billion years ago, Minnesota's geological activity has been more subdued, with no volcanism or mountain formation, but with repeated incursions of the sea which left behind multiple strata of sedimentary rock.[8]
In more recent times, massive ice sheets at least one kilometer thick ravaged the landscape of the state and sculpted its current terrain.[8] The Wisconsin glaciation left 12,000 years ago.[8] These glaciers covered all of Minnesota except the far southeast, an area characterized by steep hills and streams that cut into the bedrock. This area is known as the Driftless Zone for its absence of glacial drift.[11] Much of the remainder of the state outside of the northeast has 50 feet (15 m) or more of glacial till left behind as the last glaciers retreated. 13,000 years ago gigantic Lake Agassiz formed in the northwest; the lake's outflow, the glacial River Warren, carved the valley of the Minnesota River, and its bottom created the fertile lands of the Red River valley.[8] Minnesota is geologically quiet today; it experiences earthquakes infrequently, and most of them are minor.[12]
The state's high point is Eagle Mountain at 2,301 feet (701 m), which is only 13 miles away from the low of 602 feet (183 m) at the shore of Lake Superior.[13][10] Notwithstanding dramatic local differences in elevation, much of the state is a gently rolling peneplain.[8]
Two continental divides meet in the northeastern part of Minnesota in rural Hibbing, forming a triple watershed. Precipitation can follow the Mississippi River south to the Gulf of Mexico, the St. Lawrence Seaway east to the Atlantic Ocean, or the Hudson Bay watershed to the Arctic Ocean.[14]
The state's nickname, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, is no exaggeration; there are 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size.[15] The Minnesota portion of Lake Superior is the largest at 962,700 acres (3,896 km²) and deepest (at 1,290 ft) body of water in the state.[15] Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that cumulatively flow for 69,000 miles (111,000 km).[15] The Mississippi River begins its journey from its headwaters at Lake Itasca and crosses the Iowa border 680 miles (1,094 km) downstream.[15] It is joined by the Minnesota River at Fort Snelling, by the St. Croix River near Hastings, by the Chippewa River at Wabasha, and by many smaller streams. The Red River, in the bed of glacial Lake Agassiz, drains the northwest part of the state northward toward Canada's Hudson Bay. Approximately 10.6 million acres (42,900 km²) of wetlands are contained within Minnesota's borders, the most of any state except Alaska.[16]
A groundhog seen in Minneapolis, along the banks of the Mississippi River
Three of North America's biomes converge in Minnesota: prairie grasslands in the southwestern and western parts of the state, the Big Woods deciduous forest of the southeast, and the northern boreal forest.[17] The northern coniferous forests are a vast wilderness of pine and spruce trees mixed with patchy stands of birch and poplar. Much of Minnesota's northern forest has been logged, leaving only a few patches of old growth forest today in areas such as in the Chippewa National Forest and the Superior National Forest where the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has some 400,000 acres (1,600 km²) of unlogged land.[18] Although logging continues, regrowth keeps about one third of the state forested.[19]
While loss of habitat has affected native animals such as the pine marten, elk, and bison,[20] whitetail deer and bobcat thrive. The state has the nation's largest population of timber wolves outside Alaska,[21] and supports healthy populations of black bear and moose. Located on the Mississippi Flyway, Minnesota hosts migratory waterfowl such as geese and ducks, and game birds such as grouse, pheasants, and turkeys. It is home to birds of prey including the bald eagle, red-tailed hawk, and snowy owl. The lakes teem with the sport fish such as walleye, bass, muskellunge, and northern pike, and streams in the southeast are populated by brook, brown, and rainbow trout.
[edit] Climate
- Main article: Climate of Minnesota
A summertime view of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus
Minnesota endures temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate; with cold winters and hot summers, the record high and low span 174 degrees Fahrenheit (96.6 °C).[22] Meteorological events include rain, snow, hail, blizzards, polar fronts, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and high-velocity straight-line winds. The growing season varies from 90 days per year in the Iron Range to 160 days in southeast Minnesota near the Mississippi River, and mean average temperatures range from 36 °F (2 °C) to 49 °F (9 °C).[23] Average summer dewpoints range from about 58 °F (14.4 °C) in the south to about 48 °F (8.9 °C) in the north.[23][24] Depending on location, average annual precipitation ranges from 19 in (48.3 cm) to 35 in (88.9 cm), and droughts occur every 10 to 50 years.[23]
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Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Minnesota Cities |
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City |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
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Minneapolis / St. Paul |
21/4 |
28/12 |
40/24 |
55/36 |
70/49 |
79/58 |
83/63 |
80/61 |
71/51 |
58/39 |
40/25 |
26/11 |
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International Falls |
13/-8 |
22/-0.7 |
34/12 |
52/27 |
67/40 |
74/49 |
79/54 |
76/51 |
65/42 |
52/32 |
33/16 |
18/-1 |
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Rochester |
20/4 |
26/11 |
39/23 |
55/35 |
69/46 |
68/46 |
80/60 |
78/58 |
69/49 |
57/37 |
39/24 |
25/10 |
[edit] Protected lands
Pose Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Minnesota is home to a variety of wilderness, park, and other open spaces. Minnesota's first state park, Itasca State Park, was established in 1891, and is the source of the Mississippi River.[25] Today Minnesota has 72 state parks and recreation areas, 58 state forests covering about four million acres (16,000 km²), and numerous state wildlife preserves, all managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. There are 5.5 million acres (22,000 km²) in the Chippewa and Superior National Forests. The Superior National Forest in the northeast contains the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which encompasses over a million acres (4,000 km²) and a thousand lakes. To its west is Voyageurs National Park, the state's only national park.
[edit] History
- Main article: History of Minnesota
Map of Minnesota Territory 1849–1858
Before European settlement, Minnesota was populated by the Anishinaabe, the Dakota, and other Native Americans. The first Europeans were French fur traders who arrived in the 1600s. Late that century, the Ojibwe Indians migrated westward to Minnesota, causing tensions with the Sioux.[26] Explorers such as Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, Father Louis Hennepin, Jonathan Carver, Henry Schoolcraft, and Joseph Nicollet, among others, mapped out the state.
The portion of the state east of the Mississippi River became a part of the United States at the end of the American Revolutionary War, when the Second Treaty of Paris was signed. Land west of the Mississippi River was acquired with the Louisiana Purchase, although a portion of the Red River Valley was disputed until the Treaty of 1818.[27] In 1805, Zebulon Pike bargained with Native Americans to acquire land at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. The construction of Fort Snelling followed between 1819 and 1825.[28] Its soldiers built a grist mill and a sawmill at Saint Anthony Falls, the first of the water-powered industries around which the city of Minneapolis later grew. Meanwhile, squatters, government officials, and tourists had settled in the vicinity of the fort. In 1839, the Army forced them to move downriver, and they settled in the area that became St. Paul.[29] Minnesota Territory was formed on March 3, 1849. Thousands of people had come to build farms and cut timber, and Minnesota became the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858.
Treaties between whites and the Sioux and Ojibwe gradually forced the natives off their lands and onto smaller reservations. As conditions deteriorated for the Sioux, tensions rose, leading to the Dakota War of 1862. The result of the six-week war was the execution of 38 Indians—the largest mass execution in United States history—and the exile of most of the rest of the Sioux to the Crow Creek Reservation in Nebraska.[27]
Logging and farming were mainstays of Minnesota's early economy. The sawmills at Saint Anthony Falls, and logging centers like Marine on St. Croix, Stillwater, and Winona, processed high volumes of lumber. These cities were situated on rivers that were ideal for transportation.[27] Later, Saint Anthony Falls was tapped to provide power for flour mills. Innovations by Minneapolis millers led to the production of Minnesota "patent" flour, which commanded almost double the price of "bakers" or "clear" flour, which it replaced.[30] By 1900, Minnesota mills, led by Pillsbury and the Washburn-Crosby Company (a forerunner of General Mills), were grinding 14.1% of the nation's grain.[31]
The state's iron-mining industry was established with the discovery of iron in the Vermilion Range and the Mesabi Range in the 1880s, and in the Cuyuna Range in the early 1900s. The ore was shipped by rail to Two Harbors and Duluth, then loaded onto ships and transported eastward over the Great Lakes.[27]
Industrial development and the rise of manufacturing caused the population to shift gradually from rural areas to cities during the early 1900s. Nevertheless, farming remained prevalent. Minnesota's economy was hard-hit by the Great Depression, resulting in lower prices for farmers, layoffs among iron miners, and labor unrest. Compounding the adversity, western Minnesota and the Dakotas were hit by drought from 1931 to 1935. New Deal programs provided some economic turnaround. The Civilian Conservation Corps and other programs around the state established some jobs for Indians on their reservations, and the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 provided the tribes with a mechanism of self-government. This provided natives a greater voice within the state, and promoted more respect for tribal customs because religious ceremonies and native languages were no longer suppressed.[28]
After World War II, industrial development quickened. New technology increased farm productivity through automation of feedlots for hogs and cattle, machine milking at dairy farms, and raising chickens in large buildings. Planting became more specialized with hybridization of corn and wheat, and the use of farm machinery such as tractors and combines became the norm. University of Minnesota professor Norman Borlaug contributed to these developments as part of the Green Revolution.[28] Suburban development accelerated due to increased postwar housing demand and convenient transportation. Increased mobility, in turn, enabled more specialized jobs.[28]
Wheelchair Van Rentals Minnesota
Minnesota Wheelchair Van Rentals Wheelchair Getaways
Wheelchair Getaways of Minnesota
22002 Fenway Road
Cold Spring, MN 56320 Wheelchair Getaways of Minnesota
1915 West County Road C.
Roseville, MN 55113
Wheelchair Getaways of Minnesota, Handicapped Van Rental, Vacation Van Rental, Conversion Van Rental Handicapped.
Alexandria,
Duluth, Grand Marais, Minneapolis, Rochester, The Mall of America, St.
Anthony Falls, St. Paul's Summit Avenue, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden,
Minnesota Zoo, Chandler Field Airport, Duluth International Airport,
Sky Harbor Airport, North Country Seaplane Base, Grand Marais-Cook
County Airport, Grand Marais-Cook County Seaplane Base, Minneapolis-St.
Paul International Airport, Wold-Chamberlain, Flying Cloud Airport,
Anoka County-Blaine Airport, Janes Field, Crystal Airport, Airlake
Airport, Rochester International Airport.
Local Weather
Localities
Demographics
