Minnesota is a northern state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, North and South Dakota to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north. Often called "The Land of 10,000 Lakes" due to its... well... Lakes. note
The state was founded in 1858 and was the 32nd state to join the United States. It got its name from the Dakota word "mní sóta" which means "clear blue water". The state soon became a popular destination for Scandinavian immigrants; today, over 1.5 million Minnesotans claim Scandinavian ancestry, which (1) is about a full third of the state's population and (2) is more than any other state. This has a profound effect on the state's culture.
Nearly half of all Minnesotans live in the Twin Cities of St. Paul, Minneapolis, and surrounding suburbs. However, outside of the Twin Cities you have smaller cities like Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, Fargo-Moorhead, and Mankato. The rest of the state is either farmland or wilderness.note
In terms of politics and culture, Minnesota is a very progressive state, with the majority of voters voting for Democratic candidates. It was the only state that did not vote for Ronald Reagan in 1984,note and the last time it voted for a Republican was in 1972.note Minnesota is known for being more accepting of minority cultures, although racism and bigotry still exist in some places and the wealthier areas are mostly white. Despite this, diversity is growing in certain places like St. Cloud, Willmar, and Worthington. Across the state there are thriving Native American, Hispanic, Black, and Hmong communities, and Minnesota boasts the largest Somali-American population. Minnesotans are also more accepting of LGBT people with support groups and medical centers for trans people at the University of Minnesota. One quirk of the state's politics, and a legacy of the more populist yet progressive political history of the state, is that Minnesota's Democrats are actually known as the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party - the Farmer-Labor part referring to a now long subsumed left populist party active in the 1920s and 1930s.
Minnesota-based media has its fair share of unique tropes. Minnesota Nice is the obvious culprit, but there are other, smaller ones as well. For example, many creators seem to think Minnesota has a lot of mobsters (Fargo being the prime example).
The state also has a small but thriving film industry, and in the 1980s became the first state to offer tax incentives to bring in more film productions.
Notable Minnesotans include (people from the Twin Cities should go to that page):
- Bob Backlund (Princeton)
- Jessica Biel (born in Ely, moved frequently before her family settled in Colorado)
- Bob Dylan (born in Duluth, grew up in Hibbing)
- Patrick Flueger (Red Wing)
- Chad Gable (St. Michael)
- Judy Garland (born and spent her first few years in Grand Rapids before moving to California)
- Garrett Hedlund (Roseau)
- Molly Holly (Forest Lake)
- Peter Krause (Alexandria)
- Jessica Lange (Cloquet
- Chris Pratt (born and spent his first few years in Virginia, moved frequently before his family settled in Seattle)
- Winona Ryder (born in Winona County and raised there for a few years before her family moved and settled to California)
- Tiffany Stratton (Prior Lake)
- Lea Thompson (Rochester)
- Shantel VanSanten (Luverne)
- Steve Zahn (Marshall)
Minnesota in fiction:
- Artificial
showcases popular Duluth landmarks.
- Blood Stripe: The army-veteran protagonist takes a much-needed vacation working at at a bible camp in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota.
- Cold November is a coming-of-age story that explores hunting culture in Minnesota.
- Drop Dead Fred was filmed in Minnesota.
- Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
- Fargo takes place in Brainerd and the Twin Cities.
- Gleahan and the Knaves of Industry makes a point of showcasing Duluth and exaggerates the "Minnesota Mobster" trope to ridiculous levels.
- Grumpy Old Men features two old Minnesotans and plays with the darker side of Minnesota Nice.
- I Am Not a Serial Killer was filmed on the Iron Range.
- In Winter shows a bleak view of northeastern Minnesota.
- Iron Will was filmed in the state.
- Jennifer's Body is set in the fictional Minnesota town of Devil's Kettle, which was named after the real Devil's Kettle Falls.
- Jingle All the Way takes place in Minneapolis and mentions several landmarks.
- Juno takes place in St. Cloud. Screenwriter Diablo Cody grew up in Minnesota.
- Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter is an adaptation of the Urban Legends that say a Japanese woman saw Fargo, thought the money-filled briefcase was real, and traveled to Minnesota (in the winter, no less) to dig it up.
- The Mighty Ducks and its sequel series center around youth hockey teams from Minnesota.
- North Country tells the story of a real-life sexual harrassment lawsuit on the Iron Range and was filmed in Hibbing.
- Purple Rain. Naturally, since Prince was behind it. From the scenes at First Avenue to being "baptized in the waters of Lake Minnetonka," this film oozes Minnesota.
- Solatium uses Duluth as its main backdrop.
- American Girls Collection: Kirsten's stories follow a Swedish family settling on the Minnesota prairie in the 1850s.
- Chrissa's (Girl of the Year for 2009) books and movie take place in the fictional town of Edgewater.
- Betsy-Tacy
- Little House on the Prairie: Most of the books tell about the Ingalls family's time at a homestead on the Minnesota prairie.
- Touching Spirit Bear: Cole Matthews and his parents, Peter Driscal and Garvey all live in Minneapolis.
- The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn: The novel and its sequels take place mainly in the fictional town of Hoosac, which is inspired by the real-life town of Winona. Protagonists Anthony Monday and Myra Eells live there, and Myra's brother Emerson lives further away in St. Cloud.
- War for the Oaks
- Coach
- Fargo: Season 1 takes place in Bemidji and Duluth. Season 2 takes place in Luverne (and the Dakotas). Season 3 takes place around St. Cloud. None of these were actually filmed in Minnesota, though.
- How I Met Your Mother: Marshall Ericksen is from St. Cloud and has visited there a few times, especially during the sixth season after his father passed away.
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show takes place in Minneapolis.
- Stargate SG-1: Jack O'Neill comes from Minnesota and has a cabin there. O'Neill even believes that Minnesota is the only place on Earth that interests the Goa'uld.
- A Prairie Home Companion, and especially the Lake Wobegon segments.
- Rocky and Bullwinkle: Frostbite Falls, a fictional Minnesota town supposedly inspired by the real-life International Falls. Adding credence to this interpretation is Frostbite Falls' location in International Falls' real-life location of Koochiching County.