Minnesota
Upper Midwestern state of the U.S.; bordered by Lake Superior and Wisconsin (E), Iowa (S), South Dakota and North Dakota (W), and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario (N).
Area – 86,943 sq mi (217,736 sq km)
Population – (1990) 4,375,099, a 7.3% increase over 1980 pop
Capital – St. Paul
Statehood – May 11, 1858 (32d state).
Highest Point – Eagle Mt., 2,310 ft (702 m)
Lowest Point – Lake Superior, 602 ft (184 m)
Nickname – North Star State
Motto – L`Etoile du Nord [The Star of the North]
State bird – common loon
State flower – showy lady`s slipper or pink and white lady`s slipper
State tree – red pine
Abbreviation – Minn.; MN
Other Facts about Minnesota
Sources Bureau of the Census and Heart of the Lake Area Vacation Guide.
Location: 45.26221 N, 094.11889 W
Lookup 1990 Census: STF1A, STF3A tables.
Population (1992): 2,170
Average temperatures: January high 20, low 2. July high 85, low 61
Days above 90 degrees: 7
Annual snowfall: 40 inches
Annual precipitation: 23 inches
Days between killing frost: 168
Land and People
Iron-rich mountains, including the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges, are located in the east. In the north glaciers have left many lakes, including those in VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, and boulder-strewn hills that give way to broad prairies in the south. The MISSISSIPPI R. originates in N Minnesota and flows south through the state. Winter locks the land in snow, and spring is brief; summer is hot. Nearly 70% of the population lives in urban areas. MINNEAPOLIS is the largest city, followed by its twin city, ST. PAUL, and DULUTH, the country`s leading GREAT LAKES port.
Economy
Agribusiness, particularly dairying, along with manufacturing, dominated by the production of processed foods and nonelectrical machinery, are leading sources of income. Other key industries produce chemicals, paper, and electronic equipment. In agricultural output beef cattle are important, as are corn, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets. Forest products also constitute an important sector of the economy. Minnesota leads the country in iron mining.
Government
The 1858 constitution provides for a governor serving a four-year term. The legislature consists of a senate whose 67 members serve four-year terms and a house whose 134 members are elected at two-year intervals. Minnesota is represented in the U.S. Congress by two senators and eight representatives and has 10 electoral votes.
History
The region was inhabited mostly by OJIBWAS, in the east, and SIOUX, in the west, when French explorers and fur traders arrived in the mid-17th cent. By the LOUISIANA PURCHASE (1803) the U.S. acquired all of present-day Minnesota. Settlement began during the 1820s; the many Scandinavians who shaped much of the life of the state arrived later in the century. With a large rural population, Minnesota was fertile ground for the reform movements of the late 19th cent.: the National Grange was founded (1867) by a Minnesotan, and later the POPULIST PARTY and the FARMER-LABOR PARTY received wide support in Minnesota. The Farmer-Labor party merged (1944) with the Democratic party, producing such national leaders as Hubert HUMPHREY and Walter MONDALE. While falling farm prices adversely affected the state in the early 1980s, Minnesota was scarcely impacted by the national recession of the late 1980s and early 90s.
Monday, December 9, 2002
Minnesota
Upper Midwestern state of the U.S.; bordered by Lake Superior and Wisconsin (E), Iowa (S), South Dakota and North Dakota (W), and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario (N).
Area – 86,943 sq mi (217,736 sq km)
Population – (1990) 4,375,099, a 7.3% increase over 1980 pop
Capital – St. Paul
Statehood – May 11, 1858 (32d state).
Highest Point – Eagle Mt., 2,310 ft (702 m)
Lowest Point – Lake Superior, 602 ft (184 m)
Nickname – North Star State
Motto – L`Etoile du Nord [The Star of the North]
State bird – common loon
State flower – showy lady`s slipper or pink and white lady`s slipper
State tree – red pine
Abbreviation – Minn.; MN
Other Facts about Minnesota
Sources Bureau of the Census and Heart of the Lake Area Vacation Guide.
Location: 45.26221 N, 094.11889 W
Lookup 1990 Census: STF1A, STF3A tables.
Population (1992): 2,170
Average temperatures: January high 20, low 2. July high 85, low 61
Days above 90 degrees: 7
Annual snowfall: 40 inches
Annual precipitation: 23 inches
Days between killing frost: 168
Land and People
Iron-rich mountains, including the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges, are located in the east. In the north glaciers have left many lakes, including those in VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, and boulder-strewn hills that give way to broad prairies in the south. The MISSISSIPPI R. originates in N Minnesota and flows south through the state. Winter locks the land in snow, and spring is brief; summer is hot. Nearly 70% of the population lives in urban areas. MINNEAPOLIS is the largest city, followed by its twin city, ST. PAUL, and DULUTH, the country`s leading GREAT LAKES port.
Economy
Agribusiness, particularly dairying, along with manufacturing, dominated by the production of processed foods and nonelectrical machinery, are leading sources of income. Other key industries produce chemicals, paper, and electronic equipment. In agricultural output beef cattle are important, as are corn, soybeans, wheat, and sugar beets. Forest products also constitute an important sector of the economy. Minnesota leads the country in iron mining.
Government
The 1858 constitution provides for a governor serving a four-year term. The legislature consists of a senate whose 67 members serve four-year terms and a house whose 134 members are elected at two-year intervals. Minnesota is represented in the U.S. Congress by two senators and eight representatives and has 10 electoral votes.
History
The region was inhabited mostly by OJIBWAS, in the east, and SIOUX, in the west, when French explorers and fur traders arrived in the mid-17th cent. By the LOUISIANA PURCHASE (1803) the U.S. acquired all of present-day Minnesota. Settlement began during the 1820s; the many Scandinavians who shaped much of the life of the state arrived later in the century. With a large rural population, Minnesota was fertile ground for the reform movements of the late 19th cent.: the National Grange was founded (1867) by a Minnesotan, and later the POPULIST PARTY and the FARMER-LABOR PARTY received wide support in Minnesota. The Farmer-Labor party merged (1944) with the Democratic party, producing such national leaders as Hubert HUMPHREY and Walter MONDALE. While falling farm prices adversely affected the state in the early 1980s, Minnesota was scarcely impacted by the national recession of the late 1980s and early 90s.