The 9 Most Interesting Facts About Minnesota

Minnesota became a state on this day back in 1858, so in honor of our great state's birthday, here are the 9 Most Interesting Minnesota Facts. How many do you know?

First, a big shout-out to the Land of 10,00 Lakes! We're looking pretty good for 159, don'tcha think? And, actually, here's our first Minnesota fact: While our license plates proudly tout our '10,000 Lakes,' we're actually kind of selling ourselves a bit short. According to THIS History Channel story, we actually have closer to 11,842 lakes. But us Minnesotans are typically bashful about blowing our own horn, so to speak, right?

Here are some other facts about Minnesota. We all know our state's various nicknames, don't we? (Those would be, of course, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the North Star State, and the Gopher State.)

Our state tree? That'd be the red pine. How about the state flower? Yeah, that's the pink and white lady slipper. How about the Minnesota motto? If you said, "L’Étoile du Nord or “Star of the North," you're right.

And finally, what's the state bird of Minnesota? Nope, not the mosquito-- it's the common loon. (Which, of course, is featured as the logo for the Minnesota Lottery.)

Those are all pretty basic Minnesota facts. But did you know that Minnesota has 90,000 miles of shoreline, more than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined? True story-- thanks to those nearly 12,000 lakes (and the North Shore of Lake Superior), don'tcha know!

Happy Birthday, Minnesota!