Minnesota: Basic Facts and State Overview

Minnesota is the 22nd most populous state with 5.7 million residents and 86,936 square miles — the largest state east of the Mississippi River and the northernmost contiguous US state.

Capital and Major Cities
Saint Paul is the capital (310,000). Minneapolis is the largest city (430,000; Twin Cities metro 3.7 million). The Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro is the 16th largest in the US. Other cities: Rochester (125,000), Duluth (90,000), Bloomington (90,000), and Brooklyn Park (85,000).

Nickname and Motto
Minnesota is "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" — there are actually 11,842 lakes over 10 acres within the state. The state motto is "L'Étoile du Nord" (The Star of the North). The state bird is the loon (common loon); the state flower is the pink-and-white lady slipper orchid.

Geography
Minnesota's geography is defined by its glacial heritage — lakes, wetlands, and glacial moraines cover the northern and central portions. The state has three major regions: the Canadian Shield (northeast — the Boundary Waters wilderness, the Arrowhead, and the North Shore of Lake Superior), the Central Uplands (peat bogs, forest, and lake country), and the Prairie Pothole Region (southwest and west — former tallgrass prairie, heavily farmed). The Mississippi River originates in northern Minnesota (Lake Itasca).

Economy
Minnesota has a diverse, resilient economy: medical technology (the Twin Cities is the global capital of medical device manufacturing — Medtronic, Boston Scientific, St. Jude Medical), financial services (US Bancorp, Ameriprise, Allianz Life Insurance), retail (Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill — the largest privately held company in the US), agriculture (corn, soybeans, sugar beets, wild rice), and mining (iron ore from the Mesabi Range — 70% of US iron ore production).

Notable Facts
Minnesota's Mall of America (Bloomington) was the largest mall in the US when it opened in 1992 — 5.6 million square feet, including an indoor theme park. Minnesota has more organic farms than any other state. Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Bob Dylan, and Prince all have Minnesota roots.