The minnesota resource

Slightly more than half of all Minnesota residents live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the center of transport, business and industry, and home to an internationally-known arts community. The remainder of the state, often referred to as Greater Minnesota, consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture, eastern deciduous forests also heavily farmed and settled, and the less-populated northern boreal forest. The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", and those lakes and the other waters for which the state is named together with state and national forests and parks offer residents and tourists a vigorous outdoor lifestyle.

The extremes of the climate contrast with the moderation of Minnesota’s people. The state is known for its moderate-to-progressive politics and social policies and its civic involvement and voter turnout. It ranks among the healthiest states by a number of measures, with the fifth highest median household income and has one of the most highly-educated and literate populations.^[1]

Origin of the name

The word Minnesota comes from the Dakota name for the Minnesota River, mnisota. Mni (sometimes mini, or minne) can be translated as "water". Mnisota is then translated as sky-tinted water or somewhat clouded water.^[2]^[3] Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers by dropping milk into water and calling it mnisota. Many locations in the state contain the Dakota word for water, such as Minnehaha Falls ("Waterfall", not "laughing waters" as is commonly thought), Minneiska ("White water"), Minnetonka, ("Big water"), Minnetrista ("Crooked water"), and Minneapolis which is a combination of mni and the Greek word for "city", polis.

Geography

Minnesota is the northernmost state except for Alaska; its Northwest Angle is the only part of the 48 contiguous states lying north of the 49^th Parallel. The state borders Wisconsin on the east, and shares a water border in Lake Superior with Michigan. Iowa is to the south, North Dakota and South Dakota are west, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba are north. With 87,014 square miles (225,365 km²), or approximately 2.25% of the United States,^[4] Minnesota is the 12^th largest state, and second largest among the Midwestern states. Minnesota is in the sub-region known as the Upper Midwest.

Terrain

Much of the state is relatively flat, but pockmarked with lakes, having been eroded by glacial periods during the Ice Age. The extreme southeastern portion of the state is part of the Driftless Zone, which was not covered by the recent Wisconsin glaciation. It is here that Lake Pepin and the rugged high bluffs of the Mississippi River are found. The northeastern portion of the state is on the Canadian Shield and is covered by rugged ranges of hills, notably the Mesabi Range, rich in iron ore, the Sawtooth Mountains along the shore of Lake Superior, the Misquah Hills and the Laurentian Highlands in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Two continental divides meet in the northwestern part of Minnesota, creating three watersheds. Rain falling in the state can follow the Mississippi River south to the Gulf of Mexico, the St. Lawrence Seaway east to the Atlantic Ocean, or the Hudson Bay watershed to the Arctic Ocean.

The state's average elevation is 1,200 feet (366 m). The high point is Eagle Mountain at 2,301 ft (701 m) and a low of 602 ft (183 m) at the surface of Lake Superior. Minnesota is one of the most geologically stable regions in the country. It experiences very few earthquakes, most of which are minor; the strongest earthquake in the last century occurred near Morris in 1975 and rated between 4.6 and 4.8 in magnitude.

Flora and fauna

Three of the great biomes of North America converge in Minnesota: the Great Plains of the west, the Eastern deciduous forest, and the Northern coniferous forest of the Canadian Shield. Minnesota's northern forest has been nearly completely logged at one time or another leaving only a few patches of old growth forest such as in the Chippewa National Forest, but regrowth keeps large portions of the state forested. The northern coniferous forests are a vast wilderness of pristine pine and spruce forests mixed in with patchy stands of birch and poplar. While loss of habitat has created troubles for native animals such as the pine marten, North American elk, buffalo, cougar, woodland caribou and bobcat, the state contains the nation's largest population of timber wolves outside Alaska and supports healthy populations of black bear, moose and whitetail deer. Recent DNR reports have indicated an increase in cougar reports over the past decade, but many sightings have been attributed to people raising and releasing them as pets and western mountain animals seeking prey. ^[5] Located on the Mississippi Flyway, the state hosts migratory waterfowl such as geese and ducks, as well as game birds such as grouse, pheasants, and turkeys. Minnesota's lakes teem with the many sport fish of the region including walleye, bass, muskellunge, and northern pike. The streams in the southeast are populated with brook trout, brown trout, and rainbow trout.

Climate

Minnesota has temperature extremes characteristic of its continental climate, with cold winters and mild to warm summers in the south and general cool summers in the north. The state's climate is profoundly affected by the jet stream which can create winter temperatures lower than some parts of Alaska. As Minnesota is located far inland, its climate is unmoderated by large bodies of water except for highly localized effects near Lake Superior. During northern Minnesota winter arctic cold spells usher in temperatures that do not climb above zero °Fahrenheit for weeks at a time. Temperatures in northern reaches of the state commonly dip below -45 °Fahrenheit. Minnesota is the coldest state, except Alaska with an annual average temperature of only 42 degrees °Fahrenheit. That is nearly 4 degrees colder than the next coldest state, Montana. ^{citation needed]}

Minnesota commonly experiences blizzards during its long winter, and thunderstorms during the rest of the year. The latter can spawn tornadoes. Tornado activity peaks during the months of May through July because the state is located on the northern edge of Tornado Alley.

Temperature extremes range from a low of -60 °Fahrenheit (-51 °C) measured at Tower in the north on February 2, 1996^[6], to highs of 114 °F (45.5 °C) reached in both 1917 and 1936 in the western part of the state.^[7] The average temperature in the coldest month, January, is 11.2 °F (-11.5 °C), and the average in the warmest month, July, is 73.1 °F (22.8 °C). Averages are cooler in the north and warmer in the south. The average annual precipitation is 28.32 inches (719 mm), with a snowfall figure of 49.6 inches (126 cm).

Snowfall extremes range from 260 inches in the rugged Superior Highlands of the North Shore to as little as 10 inches in the far reaches of southern Minnesota. The high average snowfall in Minnesota is about 155 inches at Grand Portage to the low end of 30 inches in southwestern portions of the state. ^{citation needed]}

Lakes and rivers

The state's nickname, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, is no exaggeration. In fact, there are 11,842 lakes over 10 acres in size.^[8] This may give the mistaken impression that Minnesota is the U.S state with the most lakes, but Alaska has over 3 million^[9]. Neighboring Wisconsin claims more (15,081), but admits the majority of that number are unnamed, and are under 10 acres^[10] The Minnesota portion of Lake Superior is the largest (962,700 acres) and deepest (1,290 feet) body of water in the state.^[8]

Minnesota has 6,564 natural rivers and streams that traverse a total of 69,000 miles.^[8] The Mississippi River, largest in the United States^[11] and at 2,340 miles, second in length only to the Missouri River's 2,540 miles)^[12] begins a 680 mile journey through Minnesota^[8] at Lake Itasca. It is joined at Fort Snelling by the Minnesota River, and in the southeast by many trout streams. The Red River of the North, in the bed of glacial Lake Agassiz, drains the northwest part of the state northward towards Canada's Hudson Bay.

Protected lands

Minnesota is home to many park lands. The state has 71 state parks (List of Minnesota state parks), 53 state forests (List of Minnesota state forests), two national forests (List of U.S. national forests) and many other wildlife preserves and regional parks. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is located on the northeastern border of the state, and Itasca State Park, the official source of the Mississippi River, is located in the north central section. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is in charge of managing state parks and forests.

History

Before European settlement, Minnesota was populated by the Anishinaabe, the Sioux, and the other Native Americans. European presence began with the arrival of French fur traders in the 1600s. During this century, the Ojibwe Indians migrated westward to Minnesota, and this caused tensions with the Sioux.^[13] Explorers such as Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, Father Louis Hennepin, Jonathan Carver, Henry Schoolcraft, and Joseph Nicollet, among others, mapped out the state.

In 1805, Zebulon Pike acquired land at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers. This was followed by the construction of Fort Snelling between 1819 and 1825.^[14]

The soldiers built a grist mill and a sawmill at Saint Anthony Falls, and as industry later sprung up around the falls, the city of Minneapolis grew up around it. Meanwhile, squatters, government officials, and tourists had settled in the vicinity of the fort. In 1839, the Army forced them to move downriver, and they settled in an area that became St. Paul.^[15] Minnesota Territory was formed on March 3, 1849. By 1858, thousands of people had come to build farms and cut timber, and Minnesota became the 32nd US state on May 11, 1858.

A number of treaties with the Sioux and Ojibwe gradually forced them off their land and onto smaller reservations. As conditions became less favorable for the Sioux, tensions rose, and the Sioux Uprising of 1862 resulted. The result of the six-week war was the execution of 38 Indians, the largest mass execution in United States history, and the exile of most of the rest of the Sioux to the Crow Creek Reservation in Nebraska.^[16]

The early economy of Minnesota was based on logging and farming. The sawmills at Saint Anthony Falls, as well as logging centers like Marine on St. Croix, Stillwater, and Winona, processed a large amount of lumber. These cities were well-situated on rivers that were ideal for transportation.^[16] Later, Saint Anthony Falls was tapped to provide power for flour mills. Innovations by Minneapolis millers led to the production of Minnesota "patent" flour, widely regarded as the finest bread flour of its time. By 1900, Minnesota mills, led by Pillsbury and the Washburn-Crosby Company (a forerunner of General Mills), were grinding 14.1 percent of the nation's grain. ^[17]

Minnesota also became established as an iron mining state with the discovery of iron in the Vermilion Range and the Mesabi Range in the 1880s, followed by the discovery of iron in the Cuyuna Range in the early 1900s. The iron was shipped by rail to Two Harbors and Duluth, then loaded onto ships and transported eastward throughout the Great Lakes. ^[16]

As a result of industrial development and the rise of manufacturing, the population gradually shifted from rural areas to cities during the early 1900s. Nevertheless, farming remained strong throughout the state. During the years of the Great Depression, the Minnesota economy was hit hard, resulting in lower prices paid to farmers, layoffs among iron miners, and various instances of labor unrest. On top of that, western Minnesota and the Dakotas were hit by drought from 1931 through 1935. Programs as part of the New Deal provided some economic turnaround. The Civilian Conservation Corps, in addition to programs elsewhere in the state, established jobs for Indians on their own reservations. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 also provided a self-government mechanism for the Indian tribes. This had the effect of providing more of a voice within the state and promoting more respect for tribal customs, as religious ceremonies and native languages were no longer suppressed.^[14]

After World War II, the pace of industrial development quickened. Many technological developments increased productivity on farms, such as automation of feedlots for hogs and cattle, machine milking at dairy farms, and raising chickens in large buildings. Planting also became more specialized with hybridization of corn and wheat, and mechanical equipment such as tractors and combines became the norm. University of Minnesota professor Norman Borlaug contributed to this knowledge as part of the Green Revolution.^[14] During this time, suburban development accelerated as a result of postwar housing demand, convenient transportation, and increased mobility to more specialized jobs.^[14]

Minnesota also became a center of technology after the war. Engineering Research Associates was formed in 1946 to develop computers for the United States Navy. It later merged with Remington Rand, and later became Sperry Rand. William Norris left Sperry in 1957 to form Control Data Corporation (CDC).^[18] Cray Research was formed when Seymour Cray left CDC to form his own company. Medical device maker Medtronic also got its start in the Twin Cities in 1949.

Cities and towns

The capital city of Minnesota is Saint Paul, located in the east-central part of the state along the east bank of the Mississippi River. Saint Paul is neighbored across the river by Minnesota's largest and most populous city, Minneapolis; together they and their suburbs are known as the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the 16^th largest metropolitan area in the United States^[19] and home to about 59% of the state's population as of April 1, 2005.^[20] The remainder of the state is known as Greater Minnesota or Outstate Minnesota.

Minnesota cities with estimated 2005 populations above fifty thousand are, in descending order: Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Rochester, Duluth, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Plymouth, Eagan, St. Cloud, Coon Rapids, Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, Woodbury, Blaine, and Minnetonka.^[21] Of these, only Rochester, Duluth, and St. Cloud are outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Demographics

The Census Bureau estimates that Minnesota's population was 5,132,799 in 2005, making it the 21^st most populous state in the nation. The population has increased 213,307 or 4.3% since 2000.^[22] The gain since 2000 has resulted from a natural increase of 161,252 people (358,012 births minus 196,760 deaths) and net migration of 54,032 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 70,800 people, while migration within the country produced a net loss of 16,768 people.

As of 2004 6.1% of Minnesota residents were foreign-born, compared to 11.1% for the nation.

Race and ancestry

Over 75% of the population is of Western European descent, with the largest reported ancestries being German (37.3%), Norwegian (17.0%), Irish (12.2%), and Swedish (10.0%).^[23] The state had a reputation of being relatively homogenous, but that is changing. Chinese and Japanese people have had long presences in the state, and the Latino population of Minnesota continues to increase.^[24] Recent immigrants have come from all over the world, including Hmongs, Somalis, Vietnamese, Indians, Middle Easterners, and emigrants from the former Soviet bloc. The state has the third-largest population of Hmong speakers in the United States. It is also first in concentration of Hmong population.^[25] Many modern immigrants have been sponsored and assisted by religious congregations.

Population distribution

Religion

Over 75% of the Minnesota's population identify themselves as Christians. Recently immigrants have formed appreciable communities of Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. Religious affiliations in Minnesota:^[27]

Economy

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Minnesota's total state product in 2005 was $233.3 billion. Per capita personal income in 2004 was $36,184, 8^th in the nation.^[28] The average household income in 1999 was approximately $48,000, also ranking eighth in the nation (U.S. Census Bureau). Average household income per county averages range from $17,369 in Todd County to $42,313 in Hennepin County. In general, salaries are lowest in more rural areas, particularly in the northwest portion of the state.

Retail sales per capita were $10,260 in 1997, higher than the U.S. average of $9,190 (U.S. Census Bureau). The Twin Cities suburb of Roseville has the highest per capita sales, which recorded $14,870 per capita, but total revenues are much higher in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, and Edina.

Industry and commerce

Minnesota's economy has transformed in the past 200 years from one based on raw materials to one based on finished products and services. The earliest industries were fur trading and agriculture. Agriculture is still a major part of the economy even though only a small percentage of the population, around 2%, consider themselves to be farmers. Minnesota is a leading US producer of sugar beets, soybeans, and corn. State agribusiness has changed from mere production to processing and the manufacture of value-added food products by companies such as General Mills, Cargill (milling), Hormel Foods Corporation of Austin (prepackaged and processed meat products), and the Schwan Food Company of Marshall (frozen foods).

Forestry, another early industry, remains strong with logging, pulpwood processing, forest products manufacturing and paper production.

Minnesota was famous for its soft-ore iron mines which produced a significant portion of the world's iron ore for over a century. Although the pure ore is now depleted, taconite mining remains strong using processes developed locally to save the industry. 3M Co. (formerly Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co.), a company having its origins in mining, today is a diversified manufacturer of industrial and consumer products.

As might be expected in state with an outdoor orientation, boats and other recreational products are manufactured by a number of companies, and Polaris Industries makes snowmobiles and other off-road recreational vehicles.

Retail is represented by Target Corporation, Best Buy, and International Dairy Queen, all headquartered in the Twin Cities. The largest shopping mall in the United States, the Mall of America, is located in Bloomington. Ecolab provides sanitation services and supplies.

Financial institutions include U.S. Bancorp, TCF Bank, and Wells Fargo & Co.; insurers include St. Paul Travelers and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

An active high-technology sector is represented by Honeywell, Cray Computers, Imation, and a large IBM plant in Rochester. Medtronic represents a growing biomedical industry spawned by university research, and Rochester is the headquarters of the world-famous Mayo Clinic.

Energy use and production

Ethanol fuel is produced in the state, and a 10% mix of ethanol into consumer gasoline has been mandated since 1997. As of 2006, Minnesota is the only U.S. state with such a mandate. 20% ethanol will be mandated in 2013. A 2% biodiesel blend has also been required in diesel fuel since 2005. Electricity producing wind turbines have become popular, particularly in the windy southwest region. As of June 2006, the state is the country's fourth-largest wind energy producer, with 744 megawatts installed and an additional 128 MW planned.^[29]

Like many Midwestern states that experience cold winters, Minnesota is heavily dependent on natural gas for home heating. Just over two-thirds of homes use the fuel. The state does not produce any petroleum of its own but boasts the largest oil refinery of any non-oil-producing state, the Pine Bend Refinery. One of the longest pipelines in the world, the Lakehead Pipeline, also traverses northern Minnesota. Most of the petroleum used in the state comes from Canada and the northwestern United States.

State taxes

Minnesota has three brackets of income tax rates, ranging from 5.35 percent to 7.85 percent. The sales tax in Minnesota for most items is 6.5 percent. The state does not charge sales tax on clothing, some services, or food items for home consumption.^[30] It does tax prepared food, candy and soft drinks.^[31] The state also imposes a use tax on items purchased elsewhere but used within Minnesota. Minnesota property owners pay property tax to their county, municipality, school district, and special taxing districts. Three factors that affect the tax bill are: the amount the local governments spend to provide services to the community, the estimated market value of the property, and the classification of the property.

Minnesota businesses and individuals paid an average of 11.8% of their income in state and local taxes in 1998, down from 12.7% in 1996 (Minnesota Department of Revenue).

Culture

Fine arts and architecture

The Twin Cities area is considered the capital for the arts in the Upper Midwest, the lead region among others such as the Twin Ports (Duluth, Minnesota-Superior, Wisconsin), Madison, Wisconsin and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There is a very high per-capita attendance of theatrical, musical, and comedy events across the area, which some believe may be boosted by the cold winters but can be more realistically attributed to the large number of colleges, universities, and a generally strong economy, providing strong supply and demand for arts. In 2000, 2.3 million theater tickets were sold in the Twin Cities region. There are more theatre seats per capita than in any other American city, including New York City.

Entertainment

Minnesotan musicians from all genres have gained notoriety over the years, with the singing Andrews Sisters gaining worldwide prominence during World War II, followed most notably by Hibbing, MN native Bob Dylan (who launched his career playing free shows on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus), to the rise of punk rockers Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, the Replacements, and the rhythm and blues stylings of Morris Day and the Time and Prince in the 1980s. R&B mega-producing team Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis have origins in the Twin Cities, and jazz musician Lester Young lived there for a time in his youth.

These later sources brought the Minneapolis music scene to national attention; the period from about 1977 to 1987 was a period of incredible dynamism in the Minneapolis music scene, with offshoots in the punk scene including Soul Asylum, Babes in Toyland, the Clams and many other seminal favorites, while Prince's immense power in the industry (which peaked during this period) created a Rhythm and Blues mini-empire at his Paisley Park Studios, based in suburban Chanhassen.

Contemporary local artists continue to enjoy critical acclaim such as hip-hop duo Atmosphere and frontman Slug's label Rhymesayers Entertainment, the smaller Doomtree, and commercially successful pop-rockers Semisonic. While things have slowed considerably, the Twin Cities are still the region's musical hotbed. The area has also shown an unusual affinity for certain artists. For instance, while largely unnoticed on their home turf in New York City, the Twin Cities accounted for the majority of national sales for Soul Coughing's second album Irresistible Bliss during its first eight weeks of release; this followed from the fledgling fan that Soul Coughing found here while touring for their first effort, Ruby Vroom.

Minnesota and Wisconsin have also contributed significantly to comedy in its many different forms. Ole and Lena jokes can't be fully appreciated unless delivered in the sing-songy accent of Scandinavian-Americans, and Garrison Keillor is known around the country for resurrecting the old-style radio comedy with A Prairie Home Companion. Local television had the satirical show The Bedtime Nooz in the 1960s, while area natives Lizz Winstead and Craig Kilborn helped create the increasingly influential Daily Show decades later. The standup scene of Minneapolis-St. Paul during the 1980s and 1990s was a major force in national comedy. Joel and Ethan Coen have produced many films featuring dark comedy, and numerous others brought the offbeat cult shows Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Let's Bowl to the national cable-waves from the Twin Cities.

Popular culture

Stereotypical Minnesotan traits include Lutheranism, "Minnesota nice," "hot dish" (a Minnesotan term for casserole), "lutefisk" (a pungent preparation of fish from Scandinavian recipes that include soaking in lye), a strong sense of community and shared culture with many other Minnesotans instead of just with one's town or city, Minnesota's form of Upper Midwest American English (including Scandinavian-sounding words like "uff da"), and a distinctive type of upper Midwestern accent.

Outdoor activities are major parts of the lives of many Minnesotans. Fishing is popular in Minnesota, over 36% of Minnesotans fish, second only to Alaska.^[32] During the winter ice fishing is popular, as it has been since the early Scandinavian immigrants arrived. Hunting is another common activity. Families frequently own or share cabins on central and northern tracts of land in forests and adjoining lakes, and weekend trips out to these properties are common, particularly in the summer.

The 71 state parks which protect diverse landscapes in a state of nature are quite popular. A concern for environmentalism is shared by most state residents in one form or another, vegans and hunters alike. As with other northwoods states (such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Maine), residents like to joke that the mosquito is the state bird because of their high populations in these areas. In reality, Minnesota's state bird is the common loon, whose distinctive cry can often be heard by campers in the northern part of the state and can even on occasion be found as far south as the lakes of Minneapolis.

Socio-economic

Education

One of the first acts of the Minnesota Legislature when it opened in 1858 was the creation of a Normal School at Winona. Since then, Minnesota has remained among the ten strongest states in the United States in education in most surveys. It ranks sixth on the 2005-06 Morgan Quitno Smartest State Award and first on the percentage of its residents with a high school diploma or higher.^[33]^[34] While Minnesota has resisted movements in education such as school vouchers and the teaching of intelligent design, it is home to one of the first charter schools.

Health

The University of Minnesota Medical School is a highly-rated teaching institution which has made a number of significant breakthroughs in treatment, and its research activities significantly contribute to the state's growing biotechnical industry.^[35] The Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned medical practice, is based in Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo and the University are partners in the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics a state-funded program which conducts research projects in cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, heart health, obesity, and other areas.^[36]

Minnesota ranks first in the percentage of residents engaging in regular physical exercise, and second in three crucial indices: low infant mortality; long life expectancies, and death rate per 100,000.^[37]^[38]^[39]^[40] These and other measures have led one group to rank Minnesota as the healthiest state in the nation, and another to rank it fourth.^[41]^[42]^[43]

Crime and safety

After reaching a record 97 homicides in 1995, the city of Minneapolis gained an unpleasant nickname because of the violence: Murderapolis. The term gained widespread use after The New York Times used it when reporting that Minneapolis had surpassed the per capita homicide rate of New York City. The murder rate retreated in the following years, but area residents often grow concerned that the nickname may make a comeback whenever there is an uptick in violence in the city.

Transportation

Transportation in Minnesota is overseen by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Minnesota's major Interstate highways are I-35, I-90, and I-94, with I-35 and I-94 passing through the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, and I-90 going east-west at the very southern edge of the state. There are nearly two dozen rail corridors within the State, most of which also pass through the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Water transportation is primarily based in the Mississippi River system and ports along Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.

Minnesota's principal airport is Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the headquarters and a major passenger and freight hub for Northwest Airlines. MSP is also a hub for Sun Country Airlines, and is served by most other domestic carriers. Large commercial jet service is also provided to and from airports at Duluth and Rochester, with scheduled commuter service available to six smaller cities with Eagan, MN based Mesaba Airlines.

Public transit in Minnesota is currently limited to bus systems in a number of the larger cities as well as a light rail commuter line in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Law and government

As in the national government of the United States, power in Minnesota is divided into three main branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

Executive

The executive branch is headed by the governor, currently Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, whose term began 6 January 2003. The current lieutenant governor of Minnesota is Carol Molnau. Molnau also currently serves as the head of the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Both the governor and lieutenant governor have four-year terms. The governor has a cabinet consisting of the leaders of various government agencies in the state, called commissioners. The other constitutional offices are secretary of state, attorney general and state auditor.

Legislative

The Minnesota Legislature is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The state has 67 districts, each covering about 60,000 people. Each district has one senator and two representatives (each district being divided into A and B sections). Senators serve for four years and representatives for two years. In the November 2004 election, the Republican Party retained control of the Minnesota House of Representatives by a single seat (68-66), having lost a total of 13 seats. The Minnesota Senate is controlled by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) (38-29).

Judicial

Minnesota's court system has three levels. Trial courts are where most cases start. There are 257 trial court judges in ten judicial districts. Above that the Minnesota Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court. Sixteen judges sitting in three-judge panels hear appeals from the trial courts. Beyond that the Minnesota Supreme Court is composed of seven justices and hears appeals from the Court of Appeals, the Tax Court, and the Worker's Compensation Court. It also reviews all first-degree murder convictions and election disputes.

The state has two special courts created by state law as executive-branch agencies. The three-judge Tax Court deals with non-criminal tax cases. The five-judge Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals deals with cases involving worker injuries under the statutory worker's compensation scheme.

Federal cases are heard in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, which holds court in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and Fergus Falls. Appeals are heard by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals based in St. Louis, Missouri and St. Paul.

Regional government

Below the city and county levels of government found in the United States, Minnesota has other entities that provide governmental oversight and planning. Some actions in the Twin Cities metropolitan area are coordinated by the Metropolitan Council, and many lakes and rivers are overseen by watershed districts and soil and water conservation districts.

Politics

Minnesota is known for active yet quirky politics, with populism being a longstanding force among all of the state's political parties. Minnesota politics include such oddities as Jesse Ventura, a professional wrestler turned governor and R.T. Rybak, a protester turned crowd-surfing mayor. Minnesota has consistently high voter turnout; in the 2004 U.S. presidential election 77.2% of eligible Minnesotans voted, the highest of any U.S. state,^[44] due in part to its liberal voter registration laws. Previously unregistered voters can register on election day, at their polls, with evidence of residency.

In the last half of the 20th century Minnesota has leaned Democratic but now is viewed as more a swing state. Minnesotans have voted for Democrats for president ever since 1976, longer than any other state. Minnesota and the District of Columbia were the only electoral votes not won by incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan. Minnesota voters instead chose former Vice President and Senator Walter Mondale, a Minnesota native. Mondale or Hubert Humphrey were on the Democratic ticket as candidates for President or Vice President in the 1964, 1968, 1976, 1980 and 1984 elections.

The state has had active third party movements. The Reform Party was able to elect the former mayor of Brooklyn Park, and former professional wrestler, Jesse Ventura to the governorship in 1998. The state's Green Party has elected several city council members and other local office-holders in Duluth, Minneapolis and Winona, and has made strong runs for state legislature during the past two election cycles. In 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader received just over 5% of the presidential votes cast, gaining Major Party status for the Green Party of Minnesota. The Independence Party has also received sufficient support to receive major party status.

Media

The Twin Cities area is the 15^th largest media market in the United States as ranked by Nielsen Media Research. The state's other top 210 media markets are Fargo-Moorhead (118^th), Duluth-Superior (137^th), Rochester-Mason City-Austin (152^nd), and Mankato (200^th).^[45]

Broadcast television in Minnesota, and the Upper Midwest, started on April 27th, 1948 when KSTP-TV began broadcasting.^[46] Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation which owns KSTP is now the only locally owned television company in Minnesota. There are currently 39 analog broadcast stations and 23 digital channels broadcast all over Minnesota.

The Twin Cities metro area has the state's two largest newspapers: the Star Tribune in Minneapolis and the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. A number of other weekly and monthly publications (most of which are fully supported by advertising) are also available. The most prominent of these is City Pages, the alternative weekly, with 2002 newcomer The Rake offering some competition in the form of a free monthly.

Two of the largest public radio networks are based in Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and Public Radio International (PRI). MPR has the largest audience of any regional public radio network, while PRI provides more than 400 hours of programming to affiliates across the United States.^[47]^[48]

Sports

Minnesota has a team in all four major professional leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL), and the University of Minnesota is part of the oldest functioning major college conference (Big Ten).

Two other nationally prominent sports teams were formerly located in Minnesota. The Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA played as the Minneapolis Lakers from 1947 to 1960. The Dallas Stars of the NHL played as the Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1993.

State symbols

minnesota

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