Stay Minnesota Rentals, Vacation Rentals in Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state on May 11, 1858. Known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", the state's name comes from a Dakota word for sky tinted water. Those waters, together with forests, parks, and wilderness areas, offer residents and tourists a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. Minnesota is the 12th most extensive and the 21st most populous of the 50 United States. Nearly 60 percent of Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis Saint Paul metropolitan area known as the Twin Cities, the center of transportation, business, industry and education, and home to an internationally known arts community. The remainder of the state consists of western prairies now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now cleared, farmed and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation.

People visit Minnesota for many different reasons. The state's scenic beauty, lakes, and woods make it a popular choice for vacationers. If you like to hunt, fish, camp, canoe, or hike, go to Minnesota. Visit Duluth, the country's leading Great Lakes port. In addition, Minnesota has set aside more area than any other state for the protection and preservation of game animals. If you'd rather ride a roller coaster or shop until you drop, Minnesota may be the place for you. There are movie theaters, nightclubs, an indoor amusement park, and about 400 stores at the Mall of America, located in Bloomington. See ski-jumping and ice sculpture contests at the Winter Carnival in St.Paul, the state's capital. Other people go to Minnesota to seek treatment at the famous Mayo Clinic, one of the world's largest medical centers.

Minnesota has a continental climate, with cold, often frigid winters and warm summers. The growing season is 160 days or more in the south-central and southeastern regions, but 100 days or less in the northern counties. Normal daily mean temperatures range from –14°C in January to 19°C in July for Duluth, and from –11°C in January to 23°C in July for Minneapolis-St. Paul, often called the Twin Cities. The lowest temperature recorded in Minnesota was –51°C, at Tower on 2 February 1996; the highest, 46°C, at Moorhead on 6 July 1936. Annual precipitation (1971–2000) averaged 31 inches at Duluth and 29.4 inches at Minneapolis-St. Paul. Precipitation is lightest in the northwest, where it averaged 19 inches per year. Heavy snowfalls occur from November to April, averaging about 70 inches annually in the northeast and 30 inches in the southeast. Blizzards hit Minnesota twice each winter on the average. Tornadoes occur mostly in the south; on average there are 18 tornadoes in the state each year.

Minneapolis: An arty city hemmed in by pretty lakes and home to a vivacious art scene, Minneapolis is all flashy skyscrapers and good time nights out. Unsubtly nicknamed ‘the mini apple’.

Saint Paul: Rochester is Minnesota's third largest city, and at just over 100,000 inhabitants, is the largest city outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area.

Duluth: Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,918 in the 2000 census.

Eagan: Eagan is a fantastic city, deemed 12th best place to live in the US by CNN Money Magazine in 2007. Eagan is a short drive from the twin cities and the Mall of America.

Edina: Edina is a wealthy suburb of Minneapolis. It's a great area to drive around and look at all the fancy homes. It's also a great place to drive around and relax.

Stillwater: Stillwater is the dubbed "the Birth Place of Minnesota" because it is the first town to be founded in the state.

Grand Marais: Grand Marais is a small town in northern Minnesota that lies on Lake Superior. There isn't much to do in the town itself but plenty to do in the area.

Silver Bay: Silver Bay is a small town on the north shore of Lake Superior originally founded as a home for employees of the Northshore Mining iron mine.

Beaver Bay: Beaver Bay is the oldest community associated with the Northshore Mining Iron Mine on the north shore of Lake Superior. The town sits on the Beaver River.

People visit Minnesota for many different reasons. The state's scenic beauty, lakes, and woods make it a popular choice for vacationers. If you like to hunt, fish, camp, canoe, or hike, go to Minnesota. Visit Duluth, the country's leading Great Lakes port. In addition, Minnesota has set aside more area than any other state for the protection and preservation of game animals. If you'd rather ride a roller coaster or shop until you drop, Minnesota may be the place for you. There are movie theaters, nightclubs, an indoor amusement park, and about 400 stores at the Mall of America, located in Bloomington. See ski-jumping and ice sculpture contests at the Winter Carnival in St.Paul, the state's capital. Other people go to Minnesota to seek treatment at the famous Mayo Clinic, one of the world's largest medical centers.

Transportation in Minnesota is overseen by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Principal transportation corridors radiate from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area and Duluth. The major Interstate highways are I-35, I-90, and I-94, with I-35 and I-94 passing through the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, and I-90 going east-west along the southern edge of the state. In 2006, a constitutional amendment was passed that required sales and use taxes on motor vehicles to fund transportation, with at least 40 percent dedicated to public transit. There are nearly two dozen rail corridors in Minnesota, most of which go through Minneapolis-St. Paul or Duluth. There is water transportation along the Mississippi River system and from the ports of Lake Superior.

Minnesota's principal airport is Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, a major passenger and freight hub for Delta Air Lines and Sun Country Airlines. Most other domestic carriers serve the airport. Large commercial jet service is provided at Duluth and Rochester, with scheduled commuter service to six smaller cities via Delta Connection Contracted Carriers Comair Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, SkyWest Airlines, Compass Airlines' and Pinnacle Airlines.

Amtrak's daily Empire Builder (Chicago–Seattle or Portland) train runs through Minnesota, calling at Midway Station in St. Paul and five other stations. Intercity bus providers include Jefferson Lines, Greyhound, and Megabus. Local public transit is provided by bus networks in the larger cities and by two rail lines: The Northstar Line commuter rail service runs from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis, and the Blue Line electrified light rail service runs from the Northstar's terminus to the MSP Airport and Bloomington.