although i rarely use this blog for the purpose of vindication, with the general exception of a running commentary on a certain past relationship and my current irritation with the state of reading in america…something has happened that must be addressed.
two of my dearest friends in the world, m. and r., have recently indulged in some serious minnesota-hating via facebook. now, i’m certain that they knew i would see their respective comments (after all i, like every red blooded female in america, am addicted to facebook newsfeed)…but regardless of whether they are provoking me or not i am rising to the challenge. why? because i am fiercely proud of my native state. some might say abnormally proud…but before you jump to conclusions i would like to share with you several reasons why minnesota, in fact, is the best state in the union:
1. barack obama announced his candidacy in st. paul. need i say more? and even though i may disagree with them, the republicans are also holding their national convention in the land of the frozen chosen. why, you might ask? well, perhaps it has something to do with our exceptionally high level of civic engagement and voter turnout. in fact, we averaged a 76% turnout in presidential election years between 1992 and 2004. that is 16 points higher than the national average and the best in the upper midwest. we also allow same day voter registration, in the ultimate effort to be sure that everyone is included in the democratic process.
2. minneapolis and st. paul constitute two of the top three most literate cities in america. we are also home to the minnesota center for book arts and graywolf press, one of the nation’s leading independent book publishers.
3. minnesota is home to some of the most physically imposing and beautiful landscape in the country. from the rich prairies of blue earth county in the southern part of the state, to the bluffs near red wing and winona, to the craggy shores of lake superior…we have 267,000 acres of state parks. this number does not include the 1.9 million acres of the boundary waters canoe area in northern minnesota, one of the most pristine wilderness areas left in the country. All of this in addition to our famed 10,000 lakes (and, for the record, it is actually closer to 12,000).
4. minnesotans enjoy an exceptionally high quality of life, we are rated the second most healthy state overall and have one of the lowest poverty rates in the country. we are ranked third for the overall wellbeing of our children and have one of the highest rates of volunteerism in the country.
5. minnesota has one of the finest arts communities in the country. the minnesota orchestra is consistently ranked among the top ten in the nation, while the walker and minneapolis institute of arts offer two of the most well rounded collections of art in the midwest. we are also home to the st. paul chamber orchestra and minnesota public radio, one of the most successful public radio stations in the country. minnesota has also produced significant popular music acts, including bob dylan and the jayhawks.
6. famous writers from minnesota: garrison keillor, f. scott fitzgerald, maud heart lovelace, louise erdrich, anne tyler, tim o’brien, sinclair lewis and robert bly.
7. some of the best institutions of higher learning in the country are in minnesota. including four of the 100 best liberal arts colleges (as ranked by USNews). these are: carleton college, macalaster college, ST. OLAF COLLEGE and the college of st. benedict. oh, and for all you haters out there, st. olaf college is THE ONLY college in minnesota to be included in loren pope’s acclaimed book “colleges that change lives”. so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
8. inventions that wouldn’t exist without l’etoile du nord (the star of the north): masking tape, scotch tape, wheaties, aveda products, caribou coffee, spam, milky way candy bars, bisquick, staplers and green giant vegetables. not to mention TARGET, perhaps the single favorite retail store of 20-somethings everywhere.
9. we are the source of the freaking mississippi river!
10. the list could go on, but the number 10 reason is that i am from minnesota. and that, in and of itself, makes my state great.
xoxo.
ellie
