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Meet Minnesota
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Posted January 23, 2008 at 12:03 AM
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Last week I introduced myself, but this week I’d like to introduce my state. What do people really know about Minnesota?
Perhaps we are best known for our 10,000 lakes, long cold winters, mosquitoes, Scandinavian settlers, Lutefisk, funny accents, and the Mall of America. But let’s take a closer look at the North Star State…
A Brief History:
The first Minnesotans were the Anishinaabe and Dakota. The first Europeans to come to Minnesota were the French Voyageurs who came in the 1600s to establish fur trading posts. In the 1820s, the United States government forced the Dakota and Anishinaabe tribes to sign treaties relinquishing most of Minnesota. Soon large numbers of German, Swedish, Norwegian and Irish immigrants moved to Minnesota to work in farming and lumbering. After the Civil War, many African Americans moved to the Twin Cities. Today, Minnesota’s largest immigrant groups are Hmong, Somali, and Mexican.
Economy
When Minnesota became a state in 1858, most of the economy revolved around agriculture and timber. Soon, milling became an important industry and from 1880 to 1930, Minneapolis was known as the “Flour Milling Capital of the World." Today, Minnesota is statistically an ‘urban’ state, and several corporations are headquartered here, including: Target, General Mills, Pillsbury, Cargill, Best Buy, and 3M.
Political Culture
In general, Minnesotans view politics, and participation in politics, in a positive light. According to Minnesota political analyst Wyman Spano, Minnesota has a political culture that considers politics to be “one of the great activities of humanity in its search for the good society.” Minnesotans tend to think of government as a positive instrument that should be used to promote better lives. We see government as a public service, and participation in politics shouldn’t be used for personal profit. Everyone has the right and responsibility to be politically active.
Current Elected Officials (*up for re-election)
Governor Tim Pawlenty (R)
U.S. Senator Norm Coleman (R)*
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D)
U.S. Representative Tim Walz (D)*
U.S. Representative John Kline (R)*
U.S. Representative Jim Ramstad (R)*
U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (D)*
U.S. Representative Keith Ellison (D)*
U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann (R)*
U.S. Representative Collin Peterson (D)*
U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar (D)*
Random (but interesting) facts about Minnesota:
Home to the first indoor shopping mall
Has more golfers per capita than any other state
Has more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined
The Mississippi River begins in Northern Minnesota
Average annual snowfall: 53-70 inches
State Drink: Milk
State Bird: Loon
State Muffin: Blueberry (let me know if you want the recipe!)
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