Known variously as The North Star State, The Land of 10,000 Lakes, and The Gopher State, Minnesota might well be called The Gneisses State after rocks discovered there that are the oldest ever found on earth. At 3.6 billion years old, the rocks are 80% as old as the planet. More recently, some 12,000 years ago, glaciers covered most of Minnesota and when they withdrew they carved the state’s terrain and left behind Minnesota’s 11,842 lakes.
Despite its reputation of being quite homogenous, Minnesota’s population of 5,197,621 includes rapidly growing Hispanic, Asian and other minority communities. The state is home to the headquarters of thirty-six of America’s top 1,000 publicly traded companies including Target, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, General Mills, and Cargill. This historically progressive state was the first in the Union to mandate the use of ethanol fuel and stands as the country’s fourth-largest producer of wind power. Travel options within the state consist of an extensive state and interstate highway system, more than a dozen rail corridors, and water transportation along the Mississippi River.
Roads
Interstate 35: From its southern terminus in Laredo, TX at the Mexican border to its northern one in Duluth, MN, I-35 spans the girth of America’s Heartland. The 260 miles of I-35 that traverse Minnesota pass through the major cities of Albert Lea, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Interstate 90: I-90 is the longest of all U.S. Interstates extending 3,100+ miles from Seattle, WA to Boston, MA. 276 miles of I-90 are contained in Minnesota, including the cities of Worthington, Fairmont, Albert Lea, Austin and Rochester.
Interstate 94: A strictly northern route, I - 94 begins in Billings, MT and ends in Port Huron, MI. The 259 miles of I-94 that pass through Minnesota have interchanges at Moorhead, Fergus Falls, Alexandria, St. Cloud, Minneapolis and Saint Paul.