Nicknames: “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” “The Gopher State,” “The North Star State”

Organized as territory: March 3, 1849

Entered union: May 11, 1858 (32nd state)

Motto: L’Etoile du Nord (The North Star)

Area: 86,938.87 square miles (12th largest state)
     Land area: 79,610.08 square miles
     Inland waters: 7,328.79 square miles

Width: 385 miles

Length: 405 miles, extending from 43º 30' to 49º 23' 4"

Population: 5,167,101 (2006 estimate—21st largest state)

Density per square mile: 65.2

Largest cities: Minneapolis 387,711; St. Paul 287,385; Rochester 97,191;
     Duluth 85,889; and Bloomington 84,347

Percent urban population: approximately 72

Percent rural population: approximately 28

Total income per capita: $37,322 (2006)
     Median household income: $47,111 (2000 Census)
     Median family income: $56,874 (2000 Census)

Highest point: Eagle Mountain (Cook County), 2,301 feet

Lowest point: Surface of Lake Superior, 602 feet

Major river systems: Mississippi, Minnesota, and Red River of the North; Minnesota water
     flows in three directions: north to Hudson Bay, east to the Atlantic Ocean, and south to
     the Gulf of Mexico; no water flows into the state

Number of lakes: 11,842 that are larger than 10 acres

Number of rivers and streams: 6,564 (92,000 miles)

Climate: 30-Year Average

Sources: State Climatology Office, Department of Natural Resources Division of Waters, State Demographer’s Office, U.S. Census Bureau, National Weather Service