The first inhabitants came to Minnesota during the last of the ice age, following herds of large game as the glaciers melted. Long before any European arrived, Native American tribes of Dakota (Sioux) and Chippewa Indians thrived on buffalo, fish and crops of corn, beans, squash and wild rice. The first French fur traders, or voyageurs, arrived in the late 1600s. In the 1830s immigrants from Scandinavia came to Minnesota for its growing lumber and farm industries. Later, as the industry of mining rich iron ranges grew, people of German origin moved to Minnesota. The land of Hiawatha, Paul Bunyan and the Mall of America became a state in 1858.

Minnesota, which in Dakota Sioux language means “water that reflects the sky,” is a state rich in natural resources. Today’s most lucrative Minnesota industries evolved from the early success of the mining, farming and lumber industries. The Mesabi, Cuyuna and Vermillion iron ranges produce more than 75% of the nation's taconite or iron ore. Farms rank high in yields of sugar beets, corn, soybeans, vegetables and livestock. The state is also a world leader in high-technology research, creating such breakthrough products as the cardiac pacemaker by Medtronic and supercomputers by Cray Research. Timely consumer products, such as 3M’s “Post-It” notes and Scotch brand tape, were invented in Minnesota.

Minnesota cities thrive on the emergence of new industry. Minneapolis is the trade center of the Midwest and the headquarters of the world's largest super-computer and grain distributor. The state capital, St. Paul, is the nation's biggest publisher of calendars and law books. The Twin Cities are the nation's third-largest trucking center. Duluth has the nation's largest inland harbor and now handles a significant amount of foreign trade. Rochester is the home of the Mayo Clinic, an internationally famous medical center.

Yet, the beauty of nature is what made Minnesota great before and it is the abundant forests and miles of gleaming water, which make Minnesota great today. Tourism remains a vital component of the state’s economy. Millions of people visit the state every year to take part in the excitement of canoe excursions on Kabetogama Lake, hikes along Cruiser Lake Trail, cross-country skiing at Voyaguers National Park, the only national park without a road, fishing, ice fishing and boating. Water-skiing was even invented in Minnesota in 1922 by a young man eager to zoom across Lake Pepin, a three-mile-wide part of the Mississippi River.

While Minnesota has more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined, there is still plenty for city-dwellers to enjoy. Theaters abound across the state, including the famous Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. There are fine art and history museums to visit, such as the Minnesota Transportation Museum, which recreates the coming of the railroad. Children develop into professional ice hockey players at numerous indoor ice rinks throughout the state. The Minnesota Zoo and the Mall of America are top destinations. Today’s Minnesota is a state that offers its residents the best of all worlds.