Minnesota

Located in the heart of the Midwest, Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." The state has a rich culture and history and is home to 17 Fortune 500 companies, the internationally renowned Mayo Clinic, the thriving Twin Cities metro area, and the vast agricultural, forest, mining, and prairie lands of Greater Minnesota.

Minnesota is an exciting state to explore, from our State Fair (where you can enjoy one of over 60 types of various food on a stick), to the SPAM Museum in Austin, to one of Minnesota's 11,843 lakes, including the beautiful, rugged shoreline of our largest lake – Lake Superior.

Minnesota Tourism Links

• Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
• Explore Minnesota 
• Minnesota Historical Society Website

Fun Minnesota Facts

• Francis Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• The world's largest pelican stands at the base of the Mill Pond dam on the Pelican River, right in downtown Pelican Rapids. The 15 1/2 feet tall concrete statue was built in 1957.
• The first open heart surgery and the first bone marrow transplant in the United States were done at the University of Minnesota.
• The stapler was invented in Spring Valley, Minnesota.
• Minnesota is home to the world’s largest freestanding hockey stick and puck in Eveleth and the world’s largest ball of twine created by one man – farmer Francis Johnson – in Darwin.
• We’re home of the nation’s premier outdoor pond hockey tournament, held every year on Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis.
• There are 201 Mud Lakes, 154 Long Lakes, and 123 Rice Lakes in Minnesota.