The US state of Minnesota is located in the northern United States on the border with Canada. Neighbors to the northeast is the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the states of Michigan and Wisconsin. The name comes from the Indians and means “water colored with sky”.
The US State of Minnesota
Wisconsin borders Minnesota to the east and southeast, Iowa to the south, North and South Dakota to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba to the north.
The capital, Saint Paul, is the second largest city in the state behind Minneapolis.
More than five million people live in the 225,000 km² that the state of Minnesota has.
More than three quarters of Minnesota’s population are descended from ancestors from Western Europe.
Germans form the largest group at 39 percent, while 17.2 percent are of Norwegian, 11.9 percent Irish and 9.6 percent Swedish descent. The largest mall in the United States, the Mall of America is located in Bloomington.
Minnesota was the first US state to file for bankruptcy on July 1, 2011.
The biggest cities
The population figures are from the Census in 2010 and are rounded.
1. Minneapolis 380.000
2. Saint Paul 285.000
3. Rochester 107.000
4. Duluth 86.000
5. Bloomington 83.000
Weather and climate conditions
If you live in Minnesota, you tend to like it cooler in the winter. The state has a continental climate. In winter, temperatures well below zero degrees Celsius are common, which is why Minnesota is also the coldest state after Alaska. Summers, on the other hand, are hot and humid, at least in the south of the state. Cold snaps and blizzards can occur throughout the winter. The annual mean temperature is two to eight degrees Celsius.
The Northeast regions are also influenced by the balancing effect of Lake Superior. This means that winter temperatures are comparatively warm for the region, while the lake has a cooling effect in summer.
Annual precipitation ranges from around 480 mm in the north-west to 860 mm in the south-east, and droughts occur about every ten to 50 years. The south is characterized by prairie with cattle pastures, the north has been reforested and the more than 50 state forests can be found there. More than 10,000 lakes run through the state, fishing and water sports are popular here.
We would choose the time in spring and autumn as the best travel time, when the temperatures are moderate. However, if you like it very warm, you should visit Minnesota in summer.