Minnesota

The name Minnesota is a Sioux word meaning "land of sky-tinted water," but it is more familiarly known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The abundance of lakes, and the fact that the state has Lake Superior along its northeastern edge, makes Minnesota a boater's paradise. At the same time, campers and hikers have ample opportunities in this north-central state's 66 state parks, which include Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and Voyageur's National Park.

The scenery is always striking: from the rugged shoreline of Lake Superior in the northeast to the inland northwest, where three distinct environments meet – the western plains, the northern coniferous forest, and the eastern deciduous forest – to the south, where the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi merge into prairie dotted with picturesque, historic towns, fertile farms, and some remnants of grassy prairie seas.

Take a drive along the beautiful north shore on Highway 61. The highway starts at the Canadian border and snakes along the rocky shoreline of Lake Superior. On the way, the road passes through small, thriving lakeside communities like Grand Marais, near ghost towns (which resulted from a decrease in mining in the once iron-ore and taconite rich area), and through the larger hillside port city of Duluth, which is located at the southwestern tip of the lake.

But Minnesota has more to offer than the great outdoors. The majority of the state's 5,059,375 people reside in the southeast near the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The attractive twin cities, set along the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, are the entertainment and cultural centre of the upper Midwest. The cities are host to several theatrical companies, including the famous Guthrie Theater and the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre (which is the largest professional dinner theater in the nation). They have numerous orchestras and museums, and a vast array of dining opportunities. For the sports fan, there are the Minnesota Twins, Timberwolves, and Vikings. For the dedicated shopper, the Twin Cities are not far from the massive Mall of America – and many other slightly less enormous shopping centers.

Throughout the state, people can expect to experience all 4 seasons. And, with often famously cold winters, particularly in the northern regions, it's not a surprise that Minnesota's immigrants came largely from Sweden, Norway, and Canada, as well as Germany and Great Britain.

Aside from legendary lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe, famous Minnesotans include Bob Dylan, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Charles M. Schulz, and Joel and Ethan Coen. Of particular fame are the Mayos, father Dr. William Worrall Mayo (a native of England), and his two sons two sons, William J. and Charles H., who in 1883 joined with the Sisters of St. Francis, to build the first general hospital in southeastern Minnesota, which in a few years would become known as the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

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