11. Minnesota

There is actually a world where I went to college in Minnesota, and I moved there instead of moving to Washington. Boy would my life have been different.

Wouldn’t it be messed up if I ranked it higher than my home! But, I didn’t of course! Minnesota ranks here as the highest of all the midwest. I think there was a lot for me to consider when I made the choice. And I did really like my time that I spent there.

Minnesota along Lake Superior

I know I haven’t mentioned it much so far, but I absolutely love snow. I feel like a lot of the people see Minnesota winters as the worst of the worst because of how extreme they are. But I think that was a big part of the charm to me. An endless winter without any hope of coming out; that sounds awful. But bearing intense snow storms while you huddle up inside for months with your closest people until the days everything turns green; that’s exactly what I love about some of these states ranked so high. And then when you get those couple days of sun in the winter, the experience as you go outside as everything around you shimmers and every tree branch is covered in white. When I get to experience that, it is one of the most heart filling experience. And you get to experience that in Minnesota for months.

Minnesota is also the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, and it goes a long way into giving the state its natural beauty. Water is absolutely everywhere. And water is life. It does give some major troubles to mosquitoes in the summer though. I feel like maybe I should give a little more weight to how mosquitoes and ticks make states a little bit (or a lot harder) to deal with, but it’s not really something I think about when going through experiences with a state. Plus for most of the country, if you get away from one, you get closer to the other. And I’m not going to the Southwest in the summer to get away from these pests! So maybe mosquitoes are bad in Minnesota, but they are also pretty bad right now as I write this post outside at 8 pm, and I’m still able to see past that and appreciate where I am.

Beyond the water, the snow, and the forests, what makes Minnesota stand out above every other Midwest state is Minneapolis. I think it is my favorite city in the region, and almost singlehandedly brought me to college there. Unfortunately there was another city I love more that pulled me instead. Still, I think Minneapolis is so special because of how cool of a location and community it is. Sitting right at the beginning of the Mississippi River, you get to see it before it gets muddy and downright disgusting. 

ICE Protests in Minneapolis early 2026

One thing I admire about Minneapolis is that when there is ever a social issue that our country needs to recognize, the city always seems to be at the forefront. It is a city that truly cares about its community above all else and is willing to push back if it sees the oppression of its residents. From Black Lives Matter to ICE protests, Minneapolis is always the city that makes our nation aware.

Minnesota gets ultimately dragged down a little bit because once you go to the eastern part of the state, it starts looking like the Dakotas. And as you can see from how long ago I talked about those states, I’m not the biggest fan. Still, most of where you would go to travel there doesn’t look like those plains at all. 

Minnesota is an amazing place and I will be back very soon. It only barely misses the top 10. I’ll see you all tomorrow as I kick off my 10 favorite states!