Minnesota

Which state is called the land of the 10,000 lakes? Hot summers and very very cold winters? Find out about the rivalry of the twin cities, favorite outdoor sports and other interesting facts from Minnesota. #50states #MN
Transcript:
Hello, my name is Robert Mevissen and I'm an intern working in the Political Economic section of the American Embassy here in Vienna. I am from the great state of Minnesota, which is located in the middle of the United States and shares its northern border with Canada.
Because Minnesota is as far away from the ocean as the middle of Siberia and quite far north, we have very hot summers and very very cold winters. Temperatures can range from 46 degrees Celsius in the summer to minus 51 degrees in the winter.
Despite the extreme weather, we Minnesotans love to be outside. During the summer we go canoeing, camping, biking and swimming. And in the winter we can have a meter or more of snow on the ground, so we like to go sledding and cross-country skiing, as well as playing a Canadian sport called Broomball. But we especially enjoy activities on or near water.
The slogan for our state is the land of 10,000 lakes and while we aren't near the ocean, our lakes provide more shoreline than California, Hawaii and Florida combined! These lakes were actually formed millions of years ago by huge glaciers scraping the region's landscape. But we Minnesotans like to tell the legend of Paul Bunyan - a giant lumberjack- whose enormous footsteps formed the lakes while he wandered around lost in a blinding snowstorm with his pet ox, Babe.
The large number of lakes in our state plays an important role for the people and history of Minnesota.
The state's name itself comes from the American Indian tribes who lived there- Minnesota translates from the Dakota language as "sky-tinted or sky-colored water." These tribes hunted and fished along the lakes, and some of their most important activities and ways of life still influence Minnesotans today.
For example, tribes harvested wild rice from the northern lakes, drilled holes in the ice to go fishing in the winter, as well as collected sap from maple trees to make syrup. When I was growing up my family always made wild rice soup throughout the winter to keep us warm. "Fish fries" are also common social gatherings in Minnesota.
Because Minnesota is heavily forested in the north, more than half of Minnesota's population lives in or around the "Twin Cities" down in the south. The term "twin" refers to both the state capital Saint Paul and its sister city Minneapolis. Both cities are along the Mississippi river. For many years, the two cities were bitter rivals and as a result, all of our sports teams today like the Minnesota Twins, Vikings and Timberwolves have to be "Minnesotan" and cannot be named for either city.
Historically, both cities were settled by different immigrant groups from Europe. Swedes, Norwegians and Finns influenced the development of Minneapolis. Today the city appears much more modern with huge skyscrapers, famous music halls, and an abundance of theaters. Saint Paul, on the other hand, was settled by German, Irish and French immigrants and it has remained much more traditional with late Victorian-era "European-looking" architecture.
Now that you know more about Minnesota, come and discover it yourself! Whether you love exploring the great outdoors on your bike and in your canoe, or if you prefer visiting art museums and attending orchestra concerts, there is something for everyone here. You know you've arrived when you hear the friendly Minnesotan exclamations "Oofda!" and "Ya sure you betcha!"

[@Toni62R]

nice and informative video, thank you ! Greets from Germany

[@toddjrsutter2093]

Toni R yooo that’s like far away

[@bradyzkack]

A single tear ran down my face

[@suzannereiter3600]

I was born in MN and lived there until I was 18. I still have family there. I've heard of broom ball but I've NEVER heard "ooof da!"

[@TheBagelman99]

I'm from Minnesota and I've never heard of broom ball

[@kyleherman1979]

And we use Fahrenheit not Celsius

[@QASIMARA]

We use what we can get. damn!

[@jeffreywinters293]

Really?It's fun to play and you don't use skates.

[@minecraftgonewild184]

markhinr no, actually, we are the land of 15,000 lakes, we just get called 10,000 because its easier to say

[@QASIMARA]

Chinese say 10,000 to mean "buku many". It's Chinese.

[@nickhueper2906]

I'm Minnesotan and I'm part German and Norwegian so I'm both the twin city's

[@germanshepherd6638]

oh yeah eh?

[@minecraftgonewild184]

I love living in the great lake state, and yep, Monday its going to get near -45F due to windchill, first time in 20 years that all public schools are closed for the WHOLE day. :O

[@pammypja]

The difference between a lake in Wisconsin and a lake in Minnesota: Minnesota only calls it a lake if it is over 10 acres and has a name. Wisconsin includes all bodies of water over 5 acres. Michigan has more shoreline than either, I believe. Regardless, all three states have a lot of beauty, wildlife and water.

[@rdsa1148]

+pammypja Nope...Michigan has more "COASTLINE" referring to the coasts of the great lakes. And MN only measures lakes over 50 acres....not 10.

[@filipemedeiros7966]

sou Brasileiro.. e mesmo de longe amoo esse estado do minessota... um dia irei morar ai nesse paraiso.

[@skogsmullret]

sweden !! :D

[@giantasparagus]

Amazing green screen

[@markhinr]

Wrong? I think not. I said, "across the river from Minnesota", not across the river from Minneapolis-St. Paul. Wisconsin is indeed across the Mississippi from Minnesota except north of Hastings, MN. You can check a map if you don't believe me.

[@TheBurlingtonCrow]

wrong that would be the st croix river that hooks over half of your Wisconsin cheese head state. only the lower portion of the Mississippi river connects to the states.

[@gunshyking]

Oh really? That's odd no one says that where I live....

[@VisitBrainerd]

Brainerd, Minnesota's Playground

[@markhinr]

Ah, but Wisconsin, right across the Mississippipi River from Minnesota has even more lakes . . . as well as being bordered by the Mississippi River and the two largest great lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. Ya, sure. You betcha! : )