Curious Minnesota
We call Wisconsinites cheeseheads. What do they call us?
There have been some mostly halfhearted attempts to label Minnesotans over the years, mostly in reference to its sports teams.
Curious Minnesota
What do you want to know about the Minn. State Fair?
We're asking readers to tell us what they want to know about the people, history and culture of the State Fair. Your question could be our next Curious Minnesota story.
Curious Minnesota
![Miguel Fidler (12) of Edina celebrated after scoring a goal in the third period. Edina beat Duluth East by a final score of 3-2. ] CARLOS GONZALEZ cgo](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/QJY6S5BOCACXSEBGZ672TFYH4U.jpg?h=91&w=145&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Why does everyone love to hate Edina?
The "cake eaters" of Edina have been a target for generations. Why all the hate? Curious Minnesota tackles this reader question.
Curious Minnesota
Has Minnesota ever had a major earthquake?
Residents of the North Star State will persevere through the toughest blizzards, of course, and kids are drilled to take shelter away from windows during tornadoes. But earthquakes?
Curious Minnesota
How did these 11 Minnesota towns get their unusual names?
From Climax to Nimrod, Embarrass to Nowthen, we get to the root of some of Minnesota's most unusual place names.
Curious Minnesota
Why is 'southeast' Mpls. actually northeast of downtown?
The area considered southeast Minneapolis actually sits, from a bird's eye view, in the top-right quadrant of the city and north of I-94, which many consider the city's unofficial north-south divider.
Curious Minnesota
Sorry, but why do Minnesotans say 'ope' all the time?
Have you ever bumped into someone and uttered this phrase? Chances are you're from the Midwest.
Duluth
Is Duluth the most inland seaport in North America?
The Port of Duluth-Superior serves as a transportation epicenter, connecting railroads and interstates with the marine "highway" used to ferry millions of tons of cargo around the world.
Curious Minnesota
Why can't Minnesotans zipper merge? Here's how.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation says zipper merging reduces the overall length of a traffic backup by as much as 40 percent. Here's how to do it right.
Curious Minnesota
How did the Twin Cities become a hub for Somali immigrants?
The state has 52,333 people who report Somali ancestry — the largest concentration in America. How they ended up in the Upper Midwest is a combination of available jobs and a generally welcoming populace.
Curious Minnesota
Why was Minneapolis' mansion street destroyed, but St. Paul's survived?
At its peak, about 36 mansions lined Park from Franklin Avenue to 28th Street, once known as the "Golden Mile." Most of them were owned by boldface families of the era. Now, just a handful of the mansions remain.
Curious Minnesota
Why won't anyone in Minnesota take the last piece of food?
Who hasn't seen the last doughnut at the office cut in half, then halved again and again, until only a sliver is sitting on the plate? Is it Minnesota Nice at play, basic courtesy or something else?
Curious Minnesota
Why is the Minnesota Legislature's session so short?
The perennial end-of-session scramble raised a question for one reader: "They never get anything done, so why not extend it out and give them more time to get it done?"
Curious Minnesota
How many iconic roadside attractions does Minn. have? And where are they?
Minnesota is the Land of 10,000 Roadside Attractions, and no road trip is complete without seeing a giant ball of twine or one of the state's many Paul Bunyans.
Curious Minnesota
Does the Mississippi River really start in Minnesota's tiny Lake Itasca?
The location of the headwaters of the Mississippi River has been debated for centuries, and the answer isn't as clear as you might think.
Curious Minnesota
How much are electric vehicles affected by Minnesota's extreme cold?
Electric vehicles perform at their peak in temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees. Just how much does cold weather affect them?
Curious Minnesota
How did Nicollet Island become parkland with private housing on it?
The sliver of land in the Mississippi River is home to a secluded enclave of historic homes sitting atop public parkland. But that's just one of the oddities of this place, an often-overlooked landmark of early Minneapolis that looks radically different today than it did half a century ago.
Curious Minnesota
Why are Minnesotans the only ones to play Duck, Duck, Gray Duck?
While 49 other states are stuck playing Duck, Duck, Goose, Minnesota plays something that's "different."
Curious Minnesota
What is Minnesota Nice and where did the expressoin originate?
Tracking the roots of "Minnesota Nice" is difficult, partly because people don't agree on what it actually is.
Curious Minnesota
Why does Isle Royale belong to Michigan and not Minnesota?
The answer to the question can be traced to faulty maps, "copper fever" and a dispute over a strip of land in northern Ohio.
Curious Minnesota
Why does Minnesota tax Social Security benefits?
Minnesota is among a minority of states — just 13 — that impose a state-level tax on Social Security benefits. Why does Minnesota do that? The answer can be traced back to the overall design of our state's income tax system.
Curious Minnesota
Why is Uptown south of downtown in Minneapolis?
These days, Uptown is the common way to describe the district around Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street in Minneapolis, but that is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Curious Minnesota
Why is a casserole called hot dish in Minnesota?
Although it started as a staple of church basement potlucks, hot dish has become a hallmark of you-betcha Minnesota culture. But everywhere else it's called casserole.
Curious Minnesota
Why can't Minnesotans figure out how to zipper merge?
Zipper merging is the law in Minnesota. Why can't Minnesotans zipper merge, and why do some motorists get all worked up when people do it? Curious Minnesota investigates.
Curious Minnesota
Were Minneapolis' skyways first created to combat the cold – or something else?
Love them or hate them, the skyways' dual origin stories might surprise you.
Browse Local Sections
Curious Minnesota
Curious Minnesota, a Star Tribune community-driven reporting project, puts readers' inquiries at the center of our newsroom's reporting.
