What makes you proud to be a Minnesotan?? (St. Paul: home, casino)

[knke0204]

My Favorite Minnesota - Natural Wonders - YouTube

[Beenhere4ever]

Excellent

[WannaBeinBoston]

I moved away and now am regretting it, even if I'm not a native!!

[Govie]

Better question is what doesn't make me proud to be from here. College City (St. Paul), highest life expectancy in the country, highest voter turnout per capita in the country, Most boaters per capita, most golf courses per capita. The Scandinavian, German, Polish, Italian, Irish cultures. All the four major pro sports teams. Have a harbor on the largest freshwater lake on the planet. I could go on and on.

[knke0204]

Originally Posted by Govie

Better question is what doesn't make me proud to be from here. College City (St. Paul), highest life expectancy in the country, highest voter turnout per capita in the country, Most boaters per capita, most golf courses per capita. The Scandinavian, German, Polish, Italian, Irish cultures. All the four major pro sports teams. Have a harbor on the largest freshwater lake on the planet. I could go on and on.

15,000 lakes, birth place of the largest river in the USA.

[Govie]

Originally Posted by knke0204

15,000 lakes, birth place of the largest river in the USA.

Indeed. And the Mighty Mississippi is actually clean up there.

[captainbob2]

I just did a quick visit of the twin cities and Duluth. I'd miss having the Appalachain mountains for recreation but everything else looked nice. Lake Superior seemed like an ok substitute for the oceans.

[wherespankakehouse?]

What makes me proud of Minnesota?

*close association with the Nordic countries, distinct cultural identity that isn't a muted blend of transplants

*high standards in education and overall quality of life

*good mix of politics- progressive, while maintaining conservative family values, ability to shed many of the Midwest stereotypes

*diversity of the landscape (plains, rolling farmland, river bluffs, northwoods, lakes, along with a vibrant metropolitan area)

*four distinct seasons

*northernmost point in the continental US, status as a northern outlier of the US, not being lost in a sea of surrounding metropolitan areas in all directions yields a distinct identity

*capital of cold (or at least co-capital w/ North Dakota), coldest major metropolitan area in the U.S.

*outdoor era of Minnesota Vikings football / the Bud Grant stare. I know one Super Bowl and a Final Four every ten years is important, but I'm secretly wishing that the regional event center concept falls apart and the ultimate outcome is a scaled down outdoor stadium.

*a bunch of punk bank robbers from MO come up here raising hell and the town's people of Northfield band together and cap their azzes

*dominating the U.S. curling scene at the Olympics

*the Upper Midwest in general, it's a good "neighborhood" to be in

*1-of-50 states produces 12-of-20 hockey players (plus the head coach) for what is widely considered the single most meaningful sporting event in the history of the nation.

*outdoors culture that doesn't shy away from bitter cold winter temperatures

*great parks, trail systems

*Coen Bros

*in the heartland of America, but still physically linked to the world via the Great Lakes and the Mississippi

[snofarmer]

Originally Posted by Govie

Indeed. And the Mighty Mississippi is actually clean up there.

This brought a smile to my face.

A lot of the locals find it funny to Peee in the origin of the river. We have a few times.
So it may not be as clean as you think.

To bad it can't make it out of the state without it turning in to an impaired water way.

The Mississippi River ranked third in the nation for receiving the most pollution, behind the Ohio and New Rivers.

[Govie]

Originally Posted by snofarmer

This brought a smile to my face.

A lot of the locals find it funny to Peee in the origin of the river. We have a few times.
So it may not be as clean as you think.

To bad it can't make it out of the state without it turning in to an impaired water way.

The Mississippi River ranked third in the nation for receiving the most pollution, behind the Ohio and New Rivers.

Yeah, it's just downright nasty in downtown St. Paul. Gross. I've a friend who fishes out of there down by Fort Snelling and he refuses to eat anything out of it.