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Deal of the Week
Though
MINNESOTA
is about a thousand miles from either coast,
it’s virtually a seaboard state, thanks to
Lake Superior, connected to the
Atlantic via the St Lawrence Seaway. The
glaciers that, millions of years ago,
flattened all but its southeast corner
gouged out more than 15,000 lakes,
and major rivers run along the
eastern and western borders. Ninety-five
percent of the population lives within ten
minutes of a body of water, and the very
name Minnesota is a Sioux word meaning
“land of sky-tinted water.”
French explorers in the sixteenth century
encountered prairies to the south and, in
the north, dense forests whose abundant
waterways were an ideal breeding ground for
beavers and muskrats. Fur trading, fishing
and lumbering flourished, and the
Ojibway and Sioux were eased out by waves of
French, British and American immigrants.
Admitted to the Union in 1858, the new state
of Minnesota was at first settled by Germans
and Scandinavians, who farmed in the west
and south. Other ethnic groups followed,
many drawn by the massive iron ore
deposits of north central Minnesota, which
are expected to hold out for another two
hundred years.
Minnesota still thrives on its natural
resources and on a progressive social
outlook typified by such Democratic
heavyweights as Hubert Humphrey, Walter
Mondale and Eugene McCarthy. Current
governor, Jesse Ventura, a former
professional wrestler, has garnered
attention nationally and beyond for his
unconventional and even outspoken approach
to politics.
More than half of Minnesota’s hardy
inhabitants, who endure some of the fiercest
winters in the nation, live in the
southeast, around the so-called Twin Cities
of Minneapolis and St Paul,
attractive and basically friendly rivals who
together rank as the Midwest’s great civic
double act for their combined cultural,
recreational and business opportunities.
Smaller cities include the northern shipping
port of Duluth, the gateway to the Scenic
Hwy-61 lakeshore drive, and Rochester,
near pretty river towns like Red Wing and
Winona. The tranquil waters of Voyageurs
National Park lie halfway along the
state’s boundary with Canada.
In recent years, the state has earned a
reputation as the “Hollywood of the
North,” thanks to its increased use as an
affordable, talent-rich filmmaking locale.
Internationally acclaimed fraternal
filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, responsible
for the Oscar-winning, Minnesota-set Fargo,
were raised in the Twin Cities’ suburb of
St Louis Park.
Click here to go to Minnesota
State web site |
