 Minnesota
Information
Capital
City: St. Paul
Economy: Agriculture, timber, industry, high technology
and tourism.
Population: 4,972,294
Time Zone: 6 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (-6
GMT). Daylight Saving Time is observed from the first Sunday in
April to the last Sunday in October
Minnesota's Flag:
The Minnesota state flag is royal blue, with a gold fringe. In the
center of the flag is the state seal. Around the state seal is a
wreath of the state flower, the lady slipper. Three dates are woven
into the wreath:1858, the year Minnesota became a state; 1819, the
year Fort Snelling was established; and 1893, the year the official
flag was adopted. Nineteen stars ring the wreath. The largest star
represents Minnesota.
History of Minnesota:
Following the visits of several French explorers, fur traders, and
missionaries, including Jacques Marquette, Louis Joliet, and sieur
de la Salle, the region was claimed for Louis XIV by Daniel Greysolon,
sieur Duluth, in 1679. The U.S. acquired eastern Minnesota from
Great Britain after the Revolutionary War and 20 years later bought
the western part from France in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
Much of the region was explored by U.S. Army Lt. Zebulon M. Pike
before the northern strip of Minnesota bordering Canada was ceded
by Britain in 1818. The state is rich in natural resources. A few
square miles of land in the north in the Mesabi, Cuyuna, and Vermillion
ranges produce more than 75% of the nation's iron ore. The state's
farms rank high in yields of corn, wheat, rye, alfalfa, and sugar
beets. Other leading farm products include butter, eggs, milk, potatoes,
green peas, barley, soybeans, oats, and livestock. Minnesota's factory
production includes nonelectrical machinery, fabricated metals,
flour-mill products, plastics, electronic computers, scientific
instruments, and processed foods. It is also one of the nation's
leaders in the printing and paper-products industries. Minneapolis
is the trade center of the Midwest; and the headquarters of the
world's largest super-computer and grain distributor. St. Paul is
the nation's biggest publisher of calendars and law books. These
“twin cities” are the nation's third-largest trucking
center. Duluth has the nation's largest inland harbor and now handles
a significant amount of foreign trade. Rochester is the home of
the Mayo Clinic, an internationally famous medical center. Today,
tourism is a major revenue producer in Minnesota, with arts, fishing,
hunting, water sports, and winter sports bringing in millions of
visitors each year. Among the most popular attractions are the St.
Paul Winter Carnival; the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre, the Institute
of Arts, Walker Art Center, and Minnehaha Park, in Minneapolis;
Boundary Waters Canoe Area; Voyageurs National Park; North Shore
Drive; the Minnesota Zoological Gardens; and the state's more than
10,000 lakes.
Other Minnesota Links:
Association of Metropolitan Municipalities
(AMM)
League of Minnesota Cities
Minnesota Office of Tourism
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce |
