Minnesota

Capital	St. Paul
Population	4,919,479 Source: U.S. Census Bureau GCT-PH1-R. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density (geographies ranked by total population): 2000 Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data
Governor	Tim Pawlenty (R, to January 2011)
Entered the Union	May 11, 1858 as the 32nd state
Motto	Fatti L'Etoile du Nord (The North Star)
Nickname	North Star State, Gopher State, Land of 10,000 Lakes
Flower	Showy lady slipper
Bird	Common loon (also known as Great Northern Diver)
Song	Hail Minnesota
Sports Teams (sport listing policy)	Minnesota Timberwolves(Basketball); Minnesota Vikings(Football); Minnesota Twins(Baseball); Minnesota Wild(Hockey)
Origin of Name	From a Dakota Indian word meaning "sky-tinted water"
Major Industries	Farming, Commerce, Tourism
Historical Sites	Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Voyageurs National Park, North Shore Drive
Points of Interest	Minnesota Zoological Gardens and the state's more than 10,000 lakes
Bordering States	Minnesota borders Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the nation of Canada.
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Follow these links to read articles about Minnesota from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Encarta Concise Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

• Minnesota North Star
  http://www.state.mn.us/
  This is the official website for the State of Minnesota.
• Minnesota Library Resources
  http://www.state.mn.us/libraries/
  Here is the homepage for the Minnesota State Library Agency and the libraries of Minnesota.
• The Minnesota Historical Society
  http://www.mnhs.org/
  Here is the homepage for the Minnesota State Historical Society.
• Minnesota History Center Museum
  http://www.mnhs.org/places/historycenter/
  Here is the homepage for the Minnesota Historical Society History Center Museum.
• Minnesota State Archives
  http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/
  Here is the homepage for the Minnesota State Archives.
• Minnesota State Parks
  http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/index.html
  Here is the homepage for Minnesota State Parks.
• Explore Minnesota
  http://www.exploreminnesota.com/
  Here is the official state tourism website for Minnesota.
• Minnesota North Star Kids Page
  http://www.state.mn.us/cgi-bin/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?id=-536881315
  Here is the official Minnesota page for kids.

• 50states.com: Minnesota
  http://www.50states.com/minnesot.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about Minnesota. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in Minnesota
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/MN/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about Minnesota's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: Minnesota Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/mn.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in Minnesota.
• The Woodshed: The MINNESOTA Page
  http://www.deckernet.com/minn/
  In existence since 1994, this site is a collection of Web pages about Minnesota with links to almost anything "Minnesotan" on the Web. Use it to find out all kinds of information about the state, or even take a virtual tour.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: Minnesota
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/27000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in Minnesota.

• The Minnesota state tree is the Red (or Norway) pine, state fish is the Walleye, and the state mushroom is the Morel.
• Some of the leading products produced by Minnesota farmers are corn, wheat, rye, alfalfa, sugar beets, butter, eggs, milk, potatoes, green peas, barley, soy beans, oats, and livestock.
• Rochester,Minnesota, is the home of the internationally famous Mayo Clinic, known for its achievements in the field of medicine.

• Bob Dylan (1941 - ), songwriter and singer whose songs of protest made him a hero to the civil-rights and student movements of the 1960s.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940), novelist, known for the novelsThe Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night.
• Judy Garland (1922 - 1969), actress and singer.
• Hubert H. Humphrey (1911 - 1978), U. S. senator and vice president of the U. S. (1965 - 1969); Democratic candidate for president, 1968.
• Sinclair Lewis (1885 - 1951), author, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature; wrote novels such as Babbitt, Elmer Gantry, and Main Street.
• Charles H. Mayo (1865 - 1939), and William J. Mayo(1861 - 1939), physicians who founded the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
• Walter Frederick Mondale (1928 - ), 42d vice-president of the United States (1977 - 1980); Democratic candidate for president of the United States in 1984.
• John S. Pillsbury (1828 - 1901), a leader in flour milling, he helped found the family company in Minneapolis in 1872; three-time Republican governor of Minnesota (1876 - 1882).