Did you know that National Minnesota Day is celebrated on March 1st? Today I am going to tell you facts about Minnesota as well as what people think of when they hear the word Minnesota. 

Minnesota became the 32nd US state in 1858. The word Minnesota means sky-tinted water. Minnesota is the 12th largest state in the U.S. MN has a length of about 400 miles and it varies between 200-350 miles in width. The population of Minnesota was 5.707 million as of 2021. Some facts about Minnesota’s waters are as follows:

• There are 11,842 lakes in Minnesota.
• Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake.
• More than 70 percent of Minnesotans rely on groundwater for drinking water.
• Minnesota has more miles of shoreline than Hawaii, California, and Florida combined.

According to exploreminnesota.com, “Minnesota is home to some of the biggest companies in the U.S., including Target, Best Buy, 3M, General Mills, Medtronic, Hormel Foods, Ameriprise Financial, Ecolab and St. Jude Medical.” Minnesota’s top agricultural productions include corn, soy beans, sugar beets, wheat, hogs, dairy cows, beef cattle and turkeys. The average annual snowfall is about 36-70 in. Some state symbols include:

• State Motto: “L’Etoile du Nord,” which means “Star of the North” in French.
• State Nicknames: North Star State, Land of 10,000 Lakes, Gopher State.
• State Bird: Common Loon.
• State Flower: Pink and White Lady’s Slipper.
• State Fish: Walleye.
• State Tree: Red Pine (also called Norway Pine).
• State Gemstone: Lake Superior Agate.

Did you know that there are more loons in Minnesota than in any other state except Alaska! National Geographic says, “American martens, bobcats, muskrats, raccoons, and white-tailed deer are a few of Minnesota’s mammals. Gyrfalcons, great horned owls, and snipes are among the birds that fly through the state. Minnesota’s amphibians include western chorus frogs, eastern red-backed salamanders, and northern map turtles. The state is also home to reptiles such as prairie skinks, garter snakes, and venomous timber rattlesnakes.”

I asked 15 people this question: When you hear the word Minnesota, what do you think of? 7 people think of Snow or Cold Weather. 3 of people think of Lakes. 1 person thinks of Hockey. 1 person thinks of Boating. 1 person thinks of Camping. 1 person thinks of Mini Sodas. And 1 person thinks of Minnesota as Boring. Crazy right?