Minnesota is situated in Midwest of USA. It is known as the land of 10,000 lakes and on the technical side it has almost 15,000 lakes. The name Minnesota means “sky tinted water” that is derived from the American word “Dakota”. This state generally presents a cheery, genial attitude and at times may be caught off guard when some people don’t reciprocate the cheery attitude. The cheery attitude of the area also combines music, great concerts and sing song accent. This feature of them contrasts them with the other Midwesterners. The surroundings of Minnesota can be seen as beautiful lakes, forests, wide spaces covered in green and the state offers lots of outdoor activities that attract tourists as well as people from Minnesota. It has ‘n’ number of places to visit that includes the historical sites, museums, adventurous parks etc. With a good system of transportation the state gives opportunity to its entire resident people as well as tourist to get a great visiting. The capital city of Minnesota is Saint Paul. The population according to the 2008 census is around 5,220,393. The official language of the state is English and the currency used is US Dollars.
| Capital | Saint Paul |
| Largest city | Minneapolis |
| Largest metro area | Minneapolis-Saint Paul |
| Area | Ranked 12th in the US |
| - Total | 86,939 sq mi (225,181 km2) |
| - Width | c. 200–350 miles (c. 320–560 km) |
| - Length | c. 400 miles (c. 640 km) |
| - % water | 8.4 |
| - Latitude | 43° 30′ N to 49° 23′ N |
| - Longitude | 89° 29′ W to 97° 14′ W |
| Population | Ranked 21st in the US |
| - Total | 5,266,214 (2009 est.) 4,919,479 (2000) |
| - Density | 65.3/sq mi (25.21/km2) Ranked 31st in the US |
| - Median income | $55,802 (10th) |
| Elevation | |
| - Highest point | Eagle Mountain 2,301 ft (701 m) |
| - Mean | 1,198 ft (365 m) |
| - Lowest point | Lake Superior 601 ft (183 m) |
| Before statehood | Minnesota Territory |
| Admission to Union | May 11, 1858 (32nd) |
| Governor | Tim Pawlenty (R) |
| Lieutenant Governor | Carol Molnau (R) |
| Legislature | Minnesota Legislature |
| - Upper house | Senate |
| - Lower house | House of Representatives |
| U.S. Senators | Amy Klobuchar (DFL) Al Franken (DFL) |
| U.S. House delegation | 5 Democrats, 3 Republicans |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Abbreviations | MN Minn. US-MN |
| Website | http://www.state.mn.us |
Minnesota has n number of cities that are worth visiting. Once inside the state one never feels to go back home as Minnesota offers such a remarkable and mesmerizing scenic beauties and nature phenomenon. Among these St. Paul and Minneapolis are the best ones as they have always been on the top priority of the tourist vacation list. They are know as the Twin Cities of the Minnesota.
St. Paul; the capital city of Minnesota is situated on the banks of river Mississippi. It is well known for its fine arts museum and also for the performance arts that is the theatrical presence. It is also referred as the chambers of Orchestra, highly professional musicians give great concerts. The Winter Carnival of the city is very famous and highly popular among the tourists. During the carnival time the city is overflowed by tourists.
Minneapolis is another city on Minnesota which is worth visiting. There are some annual festivals that go on every year which are quiet popular and are worth attending. The Mill City Musical festival brings together the entire musicians of the world to show their talent and their specialty. The Recreation Area of the twin cities lies through the Mississippi river which also connects the twin cities St. Paul and Minneapolis, it also connects various sites, historical places and the culture of the twin cities.
In the early century Minnesota economy was supported by the agricultural industry and fur trading. The state was said to be one of the largest producer of sweet corn, sugar beets, green peas and turkeys. A large part of world’s iron ore is also said to be mined in Minnesota. Beside this forestry, logging and paper production was also said to be the great contributors in the economy of the state. On the contrary the state has now transformed the base of its economy in the finished goods and services; though earlier it was based on the production of the raw materials. In the manufacturing sector Biochemical and medical firms have also been added for the economy support. Great Infrastructure eventually connects transportation facility has made the state one of the major tourist hub among the other states of US. The interstate express highways, goods rail and air transportation services connect the state with almost all the other cities of the US.
The manners of the Minnesotan’s make the state very special and highly popular among the tourists and other US states. The culture of Minnesota and the Scandinavian Heritage is the peak point of the popularity. The state fair held every year covers a huge and rich variety of customs, traditions and rituals. The fair also displays the science, fine art, food, agriculture, music, sculptures and other different form of art such as Seed Art. Being an adventurous and enthusiastic state the chilling weather does not in any manner hampers the spirit of the Minnesotan and they enjoy their activities to the fullest.
There are always abundance of things to do in Minnesota, be it indoor or outdoor or whether we are in urban area or rural area. The adventure lovers will find more than a hundred activities to entertain themselves like Foresting, Camping in the State Parks, golf courses etc. Minnesota has some really beautiful sites for camping. Minnesota is considered one of the safe state but one have to be under great restriction of rules and regulation to be safe.