Minnesota became America’s 32nd state in 1858, however, the history of the land which is now home to nearly six million Americans has been occupied by indigenous people since at least the 11th century. 

The state's modern history begins with French explorers moving west across the country and settling on land in Minnesota. The numerous forests fueled the timber industry, with the flat prairies making good farmland for agriculture. To connect the state to the rest of the country, railroads were built across the vast land in Minnesota. All three of these industries provided jobs for Minnesotans and brought new people to the state in search of work and land for sale. Minnesota still has numerous jobs in each of these three industries today.

Large numbers of Scandinavian and German immigrants made their way to Minnesota and brought with them their European heritage which still permeates a lot of the culture to this day. It’s not just Europeans who made Minnesota their home, in more recent years many Somalians and Hmong immigrants have come to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, bringing with them their respective cultures and adding to the diversity of the state. 

Minnesota has 11 Native American reservations with seven belonging to the Ojibwe tribe and four belonging to the Dakota tribe.

Since Minnesota is quite a large state, there’s a vast difference in the temperatures in the southern part of the state compared to the north. Mankato, about an hour from the southern border, has an average summer temperature of 86-degrees while winter highs average 23-degrees. Up at the Canadian border, residents of International Falls see temperatures around 77 degrees in summer and 15 degrees in winter. 

Minnesota experiences much of the same weather events as other midwestern states including rain, snow, hail, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and blizzards. Annually, the state gets 19 to 35 inches of precipitation throughout the year which makes it comfortable to live here year-round and there’s good weather for people to carry out their plans to build on the land for sale in Minnesota.  

Minnesota boasts more than 70 state parks and six national parks, meaning there is always open, free land in Minnesota for residents and visitors to explore. 

Itasca State Park is the oldest state park and includes 32,000 acres of forest and trails. Walk across the start of the Mississippi River or hike the numerous miles of trails. Visitors can stay in lodges and cabins, or tent camp at the designated campsites. 

Children will be taken in by the larger-than-life Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues at Lake Bemidji State Park. Located on the northeast side of the lake, explore the bogs and old-growth pine forests. In summer you can boat and fish, and in winter, you can rent snowshoes to explore the park on foot. 

Further up north, Cascade River State Park connects to the Superior Hiking Trail and offers scenic walks along the Cascade River. Bird and animal watchers will appreciate the variety of wildlife that call the park home, and keep your eyes open for rainbows that often appear over the river.