Minnesota
Minnesota [1] is a state in the Midwest of the USA. Known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it technically has 11,843 lakes 10 acres in size or larger. The northern tip of Minnesota that juts into Lake of the Woods is the most northern point in the lower 48 states of the United States.
Regions[edit]Cities[edit]Other destinations[edit]
Understand[edit]Minnesotans generally present a cheery, genial attitude ("Minnesota nice") and may be caught off-guard when people don't reciprocate. Minnesotans' cheery attitude combined with a sing-song accent contrasts them with their fellow Midwesterners. Also, Minnesota represents a rare politically left-leaning presence in the United States, famously described in the book Main Street by Minnesota author Sinclair Lewis as Mr. Stowbody, "Trouble enough with these foreign farmers; if you don't watch these Swedes they turn socialist or populist or some fool thing on you in a minute." In fact, these Swedes and foreign farmers did turn socialist, forming the Farmer-Labor Party in 1918, electing 3 successive governors, four senators and eight US representatives, until it merged with the Minnesota Democratic party in 1944. The state still maintains liberal leanings and is home to the second largest openly homosexual population in the US. However, parts of the state especially the outer suburbs of the twin cities are rather conservative. Combine Minnesota's cultural eccentricities with its beautiful forests and lakes and you have a gem for any tourist in the Midwestern US. Unlike many other US states that sport several major urban centers, most of Minnesota's urban culture is centered in the "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul, which effectively form one large city divided into separate political areas. Although other urban centers exist in Rochester and Duluth, the centralization of population, wealth and political power in the Twin Cities makes visiting "the Cities" a very different experience than the rest of the state. In recent years, some Minnesotans are identifying the region as the "North" replacing the term "Upper Midwest." There are multiple arguments for this change, most notably they want recognition for innovative and sturdy character building, polished by long, cold winters. Another, rationale is that while the USA has the South, East, West, Northeast, Southeast, Pacific Northwest and Southwest, there is no region called "North". Given Minnesota's geographic accident of being the furthmost northern state (excluding Alaska which is its own region), it seems the movement to recast itself as the North is well deserved. Talk[edit]The stereotypical Minnesotan dialect as popularized in the film Fargo is more prevalent in northern (Iron Range) and rural parts of the state than it is in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. In fact, in the metropolitan area, the accent is rarely noticed by visitors, much less the locals. The dialect is characterized by long vowels and a slight inflection (especially Os as found in the word "boat"). The sing-songy intonation is less common with each generation removed from the Scandinavian ancestors. Native Americans (primarily Ojibwe) have an accent of their own. In addition to a unique dialect, Minnesota also has several phrases and colloquial expressions that can be overheard somewhat frequently. These include:
A soft drink is typically called 'pop,' rarely soda - even in newspaper advertisements. If you ask for a "coke" you will receive a regular Coca-Cola; you will not be asked "What kind?" Sentences frequently end with a preposition, such as "Are you coming with?" If the sentence doesn't end with a preposition, the filler word 'then' may be appended, as in "So how's the car been running then?" Pronouns are dropped when assumed to be understood, as in, "Took the car to the dealer, told me it just needed a new battery." People tend to speak modestly, without extra superlatives or direct commands: "Most folks turn off their cell phones before church starts, you know." Garrison Keillor, a radio personality and humorist, often plays this up in his "Prairie Home Companion," which takes place in the fictional town of Lake Wobegon, somewhere near St. Cloud. Locals also tend to softly "hum" before saying goodbye in informal conversation. "Bye" is commonly pronounced "mmmbye," with the second syllable much shorter than the first. Get in[edit]By car[edit]Three Interstate Highways travel through Minnesota. I-90 and I-94 travel east-west, while I-35 travels north-south. Highway 2 travels through the state. Several other national and state highways also travel through the state, most notably Highway 61 "The Great River Road" also made famous by Bob Dylan in his album and song of the same name, "Highway 61 revisited." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_61. Although Highway 61 ran to Grand Portage on the Canadian border prior to 1991, it now terminates at Interstate 35 just 30 miles north of St Paul. By plane[edit]The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (IATA: MSP) is a major hub for Delta Air Lines [2], while smaller international airports exist in Duluth (IATA: DLH), Rochester (IATA: RST), and regional airports in Saint Cloud (IATA: STC), Brainerd (IATA: BRD), Bemidji (IATA: BJI), Thief River Falls (IATA: TVF), Hibbing (IATA: HIB), and International Falls (IATA: INL). By train[edit]For rail travel, there are Amtrak stations in La Crosse (Wisconsin), Winona, Red Wing, Saint Paul, Saint Cloud, Staples, Detroit Lakes, Fargo (North Dakota), and Grand Forks (North Dakota). These are served by the Empire Builder daily, which runs from Chicago to Seattle/Portland. By bus[edit]For bus travel, both Minneapolis and St. Paul are served by Greyhound and Jefferson Lines (popular for intrastate travel). Megabus also stops in downtown Minneapolis, with direct fares to Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee. Get around[edit]The Metro Transit [3] offers bus and light rail services to the Twin Cities and their surrounding suburbs. The average fare for either service is typical $1.75 ($2.25 for the peak times of 6:00-9:00 am and 3:00-6:30 pm.) The fare buys the rider a pass that can be used to ride on or transfer to any Metro Transit bus or train for 150 minutes. The Duluth Transit Authority offers bus and trolley services to the Twin Ports area. The Metro Transit light rail service consists of two lines that connect the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the Mall of America, the Warehouse District, downtown Minneapolis, and downtown St. Paul, among other places. The I-35W bridge which collapsed in August 2007 over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is now rebuilt and open to traffic ahead of schedule. If your vehicle can run on E85, you can save money by using E85 instead of gas. There are over 350 stations that sell E85. See[edit]Twin Cities[edit]
Duluth[edit]
Rochester[edit]
Outstate[edit]
Do[edit]Events[edit]
Sport Teams[edit]
Entertainment[edit]
Eat[edit]Lutefisk is a popular dish brought to Minnesota by Norwegian immigrants. Made from dried cod reconstituted in caustic lye, it is an acquired taste, to say the least. This dish is more often brought out at Christmas time, in church basement suppers all over the state. For the less adventurous, there is lefse, a kind of tortilla-thin flatbread made with potato flour that can be used in a variety of ways, but is usually slathered with butter and sugar and rolled up into a tube. If you are in the Twin Cities area, you can find almost any kind of ethnic cuisine you desire, especially along Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, popularly known as "Eat Street". St. Paul has a large southeast Asian population, and there is a large East African population spread throughout the Twin Cities but centered mostly in Minneapolis--the Safari Restaurant (Somali), the Blue Nile (Ethiopian), Dilla (Ethiopian), and the Holy Land Deli (Middle Eastern) are three well-known restaurants catering to those communities, along with countless hole-in-the-wall places along Franklin, Nicollet, and Central Avenues. Drink[edit]As in the rest of the United States, the drinking age is 21. As with anywhere in the United States, the drinking age is enforced more heavily than elsewhere in the world (even Canada). Most bars will require photo IDs from anyone appearing under the age of 40, and some bars and nightclubs have a policy of checking everyone's ID, regardless of how old they appear. For foreigners, a domestic/local identification card will likely not be accepted, especially if it is not in English. Therefore, foreign tourists are well-advised to carry their passports if they want to buy alcoholic beverages or gain admission into nightclubs. However, there are exceptions. Minnesota is one of the 17 states that doesn't penalize a minor for consuming alcohol if he/she is discovered to have been drinking alcohol through his/her reporting a medical emergency for another underage drinker. Minnesota also allows the underage consumption of alcohol on private non-alcohol-selling premises with parental presence and consent. Minnesota has an ingrained drinking culture that is prevalent even in rural areas. Bars and restaurants that serve liquor may do so until 2 am, although not all do (especially on Sunday through Thursday), and some municipalities may enforce an earlier closing time. Unlike most other states, you cannot buy alcohol in a grocery store or convenience store, unless it is "3.2 beer", which is a low-alcohol beer containing only 3.2% alcohol by weight (4% alcohol by volume). Some grocery stores don't even bother selling 3.2 beer even though they are allowed to, a testament to the state's rather prevalent drinking culture. If you want regular beer, wine, or liquor, but don't want to drink it at a restaurant or bar, then you must go to a liquor store. Also, liquor stores are generally required to close fairly early (10pm or earlier). Unlike some states, the bars here generally won't sell liquor "to go". This is less of a problem if you are near the border of a neighboring state with less restrictive liquor laws. Residents of the Twin Cities region have been known to make the short drive to Wisconsin on Sundays to purchase alcohol when Minnesota was prohibited from making liquor sales on Sundays, which was overturned recently. Despite this puritanical approach to alcohol sales, even rural towns have a fairly active drinking culture (the cliche of "more bars than churches"). Stay safe[edit]Wild Animals[edit]Black and brown bears are found throughout the state, and attacks on humans have been rare. However, it is important to follow precautions such as not having food inside the tent when camping. There are also coyotes, even in suburban areas, which have killed some pets. Cougars also live in Minnesota but are rarely seen. Mosquitoes are abundant, especially at dusk, and in wooded areas. They are not very active during the daytime. They can transmit West Nile disease. Wood ticks are common in many areas including the suburbs, and they can transmit Lyme disease and Powassan virus. Snakes are common in this state. The timber rattler is the only (mildly) venomous snake, but is found only in limited areas and most Minnesotans have never encountered one. Deer are common even in suburban areas, and collisions with vehicles happen frequently, especially at night. Moose are found in the northern part of the state and are occasionally involved in vehicle collisions. Fish are abundant in the many lakes, and fishing is a popular pastime, including ice fishing in the winter. Severe Weather[edit]During the spring and summer seasons, the state (particularly its southern region) tornadoes can occur. It is a good idea to pay attention to weather conditions during these seasons to maintain an awareness of any potential for these severe storms to occur. Keep in mind that weather conditions change very quickly, and therefore, frequently updating yourself in regards to the conditions is something to consider while traveling to or through the state during the spring/summer seasons. Refer to the Tornado safety page for more information. Winter Storms[edit]Minnesota also can have very cold winters and very hot,humid summers. Be sure to pack accordingly. When traveling outside major metropolitan areas during the winter months it is advisable to take extra blankets or warm weather gear in the event of an accident or mechanical difficulties. Temperatures can get well below freezing during the winter and can get much colder. Native Minnesotans are taught to respect winter temperatures from a very early age. In the winter months, make sure to check the ice thickness before going out on a frozen lake or pond. Do not park your vehicle on a lake or pond unless it is deemed safe by the local wildlife officers. Never walk on river ice. It may appear safe but may not be thick enough to support your weight, due to the river current flowing underneath. Crime[edit]Minnesota has one of the safest crime rates in any US state, finishing in the top 10 safest states for most crime categories year after year. Most crimes occur in the Twin Cities Metro area, specifically in North Minneapolis and East St. Paul. Camping[edit]Minnesota has some really beautiful camping sites. State parks: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html
Get out[edit]
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