Portal:Minnesota
 | Portal maintenance status: (June 2018)
Please take care when editing, especially if using automated editing software. Learn how to update the maintenance information here. |
Introduction
Minnesota (/ˌmɪnɪˈsoʊtə/ (
listen)) is a state in the Upper Midwest and northern regions of the United States. Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. state on May 11, 1858, created from the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory. The state has a large number of lakes, and is known by the slogan the "Land of 10,000 Lakes". Its official motto is L'Étoile du Nord (French: Star of the North).
Minnesota is the 12th largest in area and the 22nd most populous of the U.S. states; nearly 60% of its residents live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area (known as the "Twin Cities"). This area is the center of transportation, business, industry, education, and government, while being home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now partially cleared, farmed, and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation.
Selected community
 Blooming Prairie, Minnesota  |
| Photo: User:Jonathunder. Map: User:Arkyan |
Suggest a community
Selected biography
Countryman 1917
Gratia Alta Countryman (pronounced gray-sha) (November 26, 1866 – July 26, 1953) was a nationally-known librarian who led the Minneapolis Public Library from 1904 to 1936. She pioneered many ways to make the library more accessible and user-friendly to all of the city's residents, regardless of age or economic position. Countryman was called the "first lady of Minneapolis" and the "Jane Addams of the libraries". Countryman graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor of science degree in 1889 and started work at the Minneapolis Public Library under James Kendall Hosmer, at a salary one third less than her predecessor. Countryman was a capable leader who, over her 32 years as head librarian, helped increase the library’s scope and reach exponentially. Never married, she oversaw the building of 12 branches and a mobile library truck, she and her staff added over 500,000 volumes to the already substantial catalog, the programs she developed encouraged children to read, adolescents and young adults to continue their education, and helped adults find and hold jobs during times of war, recession and depression. Due to her philosophy of outreach, collections and reading rooms were established in Minneapolis fire halls, factories, hospitals, and an open-air reading area in Gateway Park. (Full article)
Suggest a biography
Minnesota in the news
No recent news
Selected image
 Minneapolis, Minnesota 20 June 1949 |
| Credit: courtesy User:Infrogmation |
See more • Suggest an image
Did you know...
Dessert bar
- ... that dessert bars (pictured) are considered one of two essentials for potlucks in Minnesota, the other being hotdish?
- ... that Minneapolis hip hop duo Ill Chemistry performed live as part of a Minnesota Ballet production?
- ... that a track on the Soviettes' LP III was included on Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1?
Suggest a DYK
Scenic Minnesota
 The High Falls of the Pigeon River in Grand Portage State Park |
| Credit: User:Rufus Sarsaparilla |
Suggest an image
Associated Wikimedia
Topics
 State of Minnesota | |
|---|---|
Saint Paul (capital) | |
| Topics |
|
| Society |
|
| Regions |
|
| Largest cities pop. over 25,000 |
|
| Counties |
|
Portals
| Parent portals | Neighboring U.S. states | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |
North America | United States | Iowa | North Dakota | South Dakota | Wisconsin |
