Geographers have identified a location just a few miles from the town of Rugby, North Dakota, as the absolute center of North America.
Minnesota could be considered the most central state in North America, perhaps not mathematically but from a climate, arts, sports, and overall geography “things to do and see” perspective. Most know Minnesota by the ubiquitous "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes" but many don't even think of the three other great watersheds being the Mighty Mississippi getting its start up in the headwaters in Itasca meandering all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Superior and the other great lakes connected and draining east to the Atlantic Ocean, and finally the Red River winding north to Hudson's Bay and the frigid waters of the Artic.
Minnesota has four ‘true’ seasons, Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall. Others claim to have all four but Christmas trees in 80 degrees isn’t quite the same comparison. By the way, Minnesotan's are weather obsessed too, they can tell you all about the weather at any given time, the past storms, longest winters, biggest snowfalls, and the newscasts prove this. In most other news markets in the country, the weather is dead last, behind sports. Not in Minnesota, weather frequently leads off the newscast and is firmly in front of sports. Further, TV meteorologists are local celebrities proven by how they get hounded at Minnesota's biggest get together, the Minnesota State Fair. Several books alone could be written on the State Fair, from it gluttony to the people watching. For now, this is to tell you a little about Minnesota and for those of you who think you know everything, check out the fun facts below to test your Minnesota knowledge.
The Minnesota DNR divides the state into ten regions and twenty-two subregions. John Toren, author of "The Seven States of Minnesota" found that to be too complex so he came up with seven regions:
- The Bluff Country of the southeast corner of the state
The Southern Plains
- The Heartland Lakes and forests that reaches northward from the Twin Cities across the central part of the state
- The Arrowhead that extends down from Canada to give the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Lake Superior's North Shore
- The Boglands left by Lake Agassiz which make up the central north – mainly an impenetrable wasteland for most of us
- The Iron Range
- The Red River Valley, Minnesota's "back door" to Winnipeg and the flattest part of the state.
Many Minnesotan's have never left the state, they are born here, they live here, they die here. Those who make the decision to leave, come back…the winters are harsh and of course there are the 'snowbirds' who take flight to warmer climes during the winter only to migrate back each spring because they know Minnesota is a beautiful place to live and play and work and raise a family. For instance, the “Cabin Life”
of family get togethers, grilling, chilling, biking, hiking, skiing, boating, fishing is a fabulous way to live and love.
People have favorite places to go in Minnesota, favorite camp sites, state parks, attractions, and lakes. Minnesotans are lake loyal like no other, whether the lake is tied to a family cabin or experience, this devotion is lifelong. Whether the lake is Mille Lacs, Lake of the Woods, Lake Superior, or one of the many Long Lakes. It doesn't matter and no other state has such an abundance of beautiful lakes to fish, water ski, or swim. We live in a busy society, if you want to visit Minnesota and see the vast differences in this amazing state, make sure to visit these four spots.
- Lake Superior – North Shore – you will feel like it is the ocean, a vast expanse, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Stay near Grand Marais and you will think you are on the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
Lanesboro – take in the bluff hill country, take your bikes and ride the trails or canoe the Root River
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area – over one million acres for you to explore with 1200 miles of canoe routes
- Visit any of the “Lake Cities.” Lake cities cater to all of the outdoor enthusiasts at whatever time of year since there is always plenty to do. Some of the lake city areas are: Alexandria MN, s just one of the “lake cities” such as Brainerd MN, Detroit Lakes MN, Bemidji MN, Ely MN, Fergus Falls MN, Forest Lake MN, Grand Rapids MN, Longville MN, Minnetonka MN, Nisswa MN, Park Rapids MN, Prior Lake MN, Walker MN, White Bear Lake MN, and Willmar MN.
In Minnesota, there just is so much to do: biking, hiking, boating, fishing, hunting, and see: BWCA, Lake Superior, or pick-a-lake. Land of Ten Thousand Lakes and Pronto Pups. Pronto Pups you may ask? You mean corn dogs? Oh know, Minnesotans mean Pronto Pups (flour based) and it is “hotdish” not casserole…don't ya know…hey…come visit to learn more, especially anything weather related.
MINNESOTA TRIVI
This section is for the native Minnesotans who know it all about their state from Bob Dylan to Prince to Tonka Trucks to the Coen Brothers, and Elmer Engstrom (instrumental in the development of color TV) and of course you know “The Jets” were from Maple Grove MN.
Other trivia from Michael Heim in “Exploring America's Highways:”
- If you have ever traveled to Blue Earth county, you will see a giant 55.5 foot statue wearing a size 78 shoel he is of course the Jolly Green giant.
- World's largest concrete statue of a Pelican can be found in Pelican Rapids, MN.
- The world famous ice cream sandwich originates from Blue Earth County
- Askov MN produces over a third of the Rutabaga in the US
- Nordic Track invented in Chaska, MN
- Willmar MN is famous for Kaffe Fest, a festival celebrating the Scandinavian tradition of having a cup of coffee
- Nevis MN inspires fisherman alike with the world's largest tiger muskie statue
- The name and climate of International Falls, MN eventually became the inspiration for Rocky and Bullwinkle creator Jay Ward to call the characters imaginary hometown "Frostbite Falls."
- Lake City, MN is home to Ralph Samuelson whom is hailed by the American Water Ski Association as the "Father of Water Skiing."
- Whalan, MN is of course known for its "Stand Still Parade" that features a moving audience while floats and color guard stand still.
- The stapler was invented in Spring Valley MN
- The Kraft Foods plant in New Ulm, MN makes most of the worlds Velveeta and is the only place in the world where the 'Cheez and Crackers' snack is made, now called 'Handi Snacks.'
- Darwin MN contains the world's largest ball of twine
- Actress Jane Russell was born in Bemidji in 1921
For those Trivia Buffs who can't get enough, here are some interesting facts on the Minnesota State Fair from the Minnesota State Fair Foundation (facts from 2006):
- What was the most recent year in which a sideshow was showcased at the fair? (1994)
- How many acres is the State Fairgrounds? (320 acres)
- What year was the first Minnesota State Fair? (1859)
- What year was the first Minnesota State Fair held on the current fairgrounds? (1885)
- Which United States President gave one of his most famous speeches at the State Fair? (Teddy Roosevelt, his “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” speech in 1901)
- When was the Pronto Pup introduced at the State Fair? (1947)
- During a typical year, how many gallons of milk are served at the American Dairy Association’s all-youcan-drink concession? (20,000 gallons)
- On average, what’s the total number of corndogs typically consumed by fair visitors each year? (500,000)
- What is the most popular flavor of pies entered in the creative activities baked goods category? (apple)
- How many pounds of flour and corn meal mix does it take to cover the 500,000 corndogs consumed annually by fairgoers? (over 32,000 lbs.)
- On average, how many individual cheese curds are battered, deep-fried and then gobbled up by fairgoers?(over 2.6 million)
- How many dozens of mini donuts were downed last year? (nearly 338,000)
- How long would it take the average cow to produce all the milk drank at the “All you can drink” milk booth for the 12 days of the fair? (3-4 years)
- What is the Minnesota State Fair’s all-time attendance record and when was it? (1,762,976 people attended the fair in 2001)
- Who broke the all-time record for the most tickets sold to a single Grandstand show? (Christina Aguilera)
- How much did famous racehorse, Dan Patch, sell for in 1902? ($60,000)
- Approximately, how many rolls of toilet paper are used during the fair? (22,000 rolls)
- When did the first merry-go-round appear at the fair? (1892)
- Why wasn’t there a fair in 1946? (the Polio epidemic)
- Which fair food contains the most calories? (The fried candy bars)
