Land of Ten Thousand Lakes - An Introduction to Minnesota

Minnesota is known as the "Land of Then Thousand Lakes" as it is teeming with bodies of water - check out a terrain map of Minnesota and it looks like a human artery system.

The state is generally unpopulated (well, ok, sparsely populated), with little under 5 million people spread over 87,014 sq mi.







Yes, that puts things into perspective, doesn't it?


With all that great out doors, Minnesotans are very environmentally friendly - my St. Olaf brochure was printed on recycled paper. (Recycled paper - what's that?!!) People enjoy hunting (ok, not so environmentally friendly), camping, and, with all that water, fishing. Over 36% of Minnesotans fish!


The problem with the great out doors is that, being so great and outside-ish, it snows for about 1/3 of the year. People who stay indoors from the snow can get "cabin fever" - which actually isn't a fever at all but a mild craziness. Winter sports are therefore almost a must-do to prevent half of the population from going nuts - ice fishing, skiing, and (my favorite) figure skating are all encouraged. No wonder it's the 2nd healthiest state in the nation!




A huge majority of Minnesotans are of Scandinavian or German decent. So lots of blonds.

But they aren't a bunch of provincials - Minneapolis and St. Paul is known to be the home of artists and writers. There are festivals all year round for dance, visual arts, and music - especially folk music. It's one of the most educated and literate states in the U.S (wiki).



Other miscellaneous information include:

• they seem to have an over-abundance of squirrels
• many Minnesotans speak English with a Scandinavian-influenced accent
• lots of the people there are Lutherans

The snow worries me. Quite a bit. So does the accent.

But if I can learn to speak like a Norseman and dress in woolly jumpers, I imagine everything else will fall into place.

It'll be a very cold Renaissance.