Facts & Figures

明尼苏达州的地图详细标注了主要城镇、城市及名胜古迹的距离，如明尼阿波利斯/圣保罗 [Minnesota map section]

State Name

The name "Minnesota" comes from Dakota Indian words meaning "sky-tinted waters" or "sky-blue waters."

Capital: St. Paul
Statehood: Became a state in 1858, the 32nd state in the union
Size: 12th-largest state in U.S.
Length: just over 400 miles
Width: varies from about 200-350 miles
Location: Upper Midwest, in north central U.S. Along the U.S.-Canada border

Population

Total: 5.5 million
State rank: 21st
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area: 3.5 million, 16th-largest metro area in the U.S.

Minneapolis skyline behind Bde Maka Ska — Kayaking on Bde Maka Ska at sunset / Mike Krivit Photography, courtesy Meet Minneapolis

Green Line and Capitol building in St. Paul — Ride the Green Line light rail between downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, and many neighborhoods in between / Robert Ferdinandt

Thursdays on First Festival downtown Rochester — Thursdays Downtown transforms downtown Rochester into an all-day block party / AB-Photography.US

Duluth waterfront with train, boat and lift bridge — Take the North Shore Scenic Railroad out of Duluth on the Lake Superior waterfront / Visit Duluth

Five Largest Cities

Minneapolis, largest city in Minnesota: 412,517
St. Paul, state capital: 300,353
Rochester, home of Mayo Clinic: 111,907
Bloomington, home of Mall of America: 87,224
Duluth, major shipping port on Lake Superior: 86,597

Minnesota Waters

Minnesota's lakes and rivers are part of what this state is all about. One of Minnesota's nicknames is "Land of 10,000 Lakes," but it really has lots more. It's on the shore of the biggest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior. And, it's where the world's third-largest river, the Mississippi, begins.

Here are some facts about Minnesota's waters:

Number of lakes: 11,842 (over 10 acres)
Rivers and streams add up to 69,200 miles
Mississippi River: 680 miles of its 2,552 total miles flow through Minnesota.
Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake. It's at the end of the St. Lawrence Seaway, which brings boats from around the world to the port of Duluth, Minn.
Minnesota's rivers and streams flow in three directions: north to Hudson Bay in Canada, east to the Atlantic Ocean, and south to the Gulf of Mexico.

Economy

Tourism: $16 billion industry in Minnesota

2020 Tourism and the Economy Fact Sheet, featuring 2018 state sales tax and jobs data

Other major industries: healthcare and medical equipment, high technology, finance and insurance, forest products, printing and publishing, food products, iron ore mining

Minnesota businesses: Minnesota is home to some of the biggest companies in the U.S., including Target, Best Buy, 3M, General Mills, Medtronic, Hormel Foods, Ameriprise Financial, Ecolab and St. Jude Medical.

Agriculture: Top crops include corn, soybeans, sugar beets, wheat. Major livestock includes hogs, dairy cows, beef cattle, turkeys.

Climate

Twin Cities average temperatures: High – Low

January: 24°F / 7°F (-4.4°C / -13.9°C)
May: 70°F / 48°F (21.1°C / 8.9°C)
August: 80°F / 61°F (26.7°C / 16.1°C)
October: 59°F / 39°F (15°C / -16.1°C)

Average annual snowfall: 36-70 inches (91-178 cm)

Normal annual precipitation: 18-32 inches (46-81 cm)

Temperatures are usually slightly warmer south of the Twin Cities, and cooler in northern parts of the state.

Loon and lilypads on West Battle Lake — Minnesota's state bird is the loon / Allie Hoeft

State Symbols

State Motto: "L'Etoile du Nord," which means "Star of the North" in French
State Nicknames: North Star State, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Gopher State
State Bird: Common Loon
There are more loons in Minnesota than in any other state except Alaska.
State Flower: Pink and White Lady's Slipper
The flower looks like a moccasin, or slipper, and grows in damp, wooded areas.
State Fish: Walleye
Found in lakes throughout Minnesota, the walleye is a favorite among anglers.
State Tree: Red Pine (also called Norway pine)
State Gemstone: Lake Superior Agate

Famous Minnesotans

Ann Bancroft, explorer: first woman to cross the ice to both the North Pole (1986 by dogsled) and South Pole (1993 by skis)
Bob Dylan, singer/songwriter: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; Grammy, Oscar and Nobel Prize winner
Louise Erdrich, author: numerous novels, poetry, short stories and more
Judy Garland, actress/singer: played Dorothy in the movie "The Wizard of Oz"
Hubert H. Humphrey, U.S. Senator, 1949-64 and 1971-78; U.S. Vice President, 1965-69
Garrison Keillor, author/humorist/radio personality: host of "A Prairie Home Companion"
Charles A. Lindbergh Jr., first person to fly alone over the Atlantic Ocean, 1927
Walter F. Mondale, U.S. Senator, 1964-76; U.S. Vice President, 1977-81
Karen Nyberg, astronaut: 2008 space shuttle flight
Prince (Rogers Nelson), singer/songwriter/actor: Grammy Award winner, Oscar for Best Soundtrack; known for his movie "Purple Rain"
Charles Schulz, cartoonist: created Peanuts series
Lindsey Vonn, only American woman to win gold in downhill skiing (2010)
Laura Ingalls Wilder, author: "Little House on the Prairie" series of children's books
Roy Wilkins, civil rights leader: director of the NAACP, 1955-1977

Fun Facts

Minnesota is the birthplace of great inventions like the Post-it-note, rollerblades, and waterskiing, among other inventions
Mall of America in Bloomington is big enough to hold 32 Boeing 747 airplanes.
More gray wolves live in Minnesota than in any other of the Lower 48 states.
There are 69,200 miles of rivers and streams in Minnesota. That’s enough to circle the equator 2 ¾ times!
The Los Angeles Lakers basketball team are called the “Lakers” because they were originally from Minnesota – the land of lakes!
Minnesota has more bike trails than any other state in the country.
On average, Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six state residents.

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