Outline of Minnesota
Minnesota is a large state in the Midwestern United States. The state is an important producer of agricultural and manufactured goods. Such service industries as finance and trade are also important to its economy. Minnesota's Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul form a major metropolitan area of the Midwest. St. Paul is Minnesota's capital, and Minneapolis is the state's largest city.
Southern Minnesota has some of the nation's richest farmland. Thousands of dairy cattle in this area make Minnesota one of the leading milk-producing states. Minnesota is also a major producer of corn, hogs, soybeans, and wheat.
The processing of farm products is a leading manufacturing activity in Minnesota. Large dairy plants, flour mills, and meat-packing plants are found in several parts of the state. Minnesota's other chief manufacturing activity is the production of computers. The Twin Cities and Rochester have large computer companies.
Minneapolis is a leading financial center of the Midwest. Retail trade employs many people in the Twin Cities. Duluth has the busiest freshwater port in North America. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester is a world-famous medical center.
Minnesota's scenic beauty, sparkling lakes, and deep pine woods make it a vacation wonderland. Its plentiful game animals and fish attract people who enjoy hunting and fishing. Campers, canoeists, and hikers can explore its vast northern wilderness areas.
The state's history is much the story of the development of its great natural resources. The fur-bearing animals of Minnesota's forests first attracted fur traders. Next, the fertile soil brought farmers, who poured into the region from the Eastern States and from Europe. The thick forests of tall pines attracted lumberjacks from Maine, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Finally, miners came to dig the state's vast deposits of rich iron ore.
Minnesota is one of the nation's most popular playgrounds. Every year, several million residents and out-of-state visitors spend their vacations in Minnesota. Thousands of sparkling blue lakes attract swimmers, water skiers, and boaters. Fishing enthusiasts find the cool northern waters filled with a great variety of game fish. Wooded parks and deep forests are scattered throughout the state. Skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing are favorite winter activities.
The name Minnesota comes from two Sioux Indian words meaning sky-tinted waters. During the late 1800's, the state's flour mills and dairy products gave Minnesota one of its nicknames-the Bread and Butter State. But it is best known as the Gopher State. This nickname can be traced to an 1857 cartoon that represented dishonest railroad organizers as striped gophers. Gophers, known for being destructive to farm crops, live mainly in the state's southern and western prairies.
