Molly O’Connor/Winonan
Everyone residing in Minnesota has a reason for choosing to settle into the 32nd state. Whether it’s the natural beauty, the cities or the unique and oftentimes quirky culture, people continue to choose this state out of 49 different options.
The Land of 10,000 Lakes has a lot to offer its civilians and has a diverse cultural history. Minnesota is responsible for a number of delicious and famous recipes —anyone fancy the Juicy Lucy burger?— Summit Beer is a product of Saint Paul, Minneapolis is responsible for music legend Prince, and Saint Paul native Herb Brooks brought the U.S. men’s hockey team to a golden victory in the Olympic games of 1980. Minnesota is even being represented at this year’s Academy Awards by “Captain Philips” breakout star Barkhad Abdi, who lives in the Twin Cities.
Despite all of this and more, there are a few less impressive things that Minnesota is most known for nationwide.
Folks who are not originally from Minnesota are warned about three major conclusions about Minnesotans and their home: the accents, the unusual level of friendliness and the bitter cold.
The famous Minnesotan accent has been the driving force behind the mocking of Minnesota. The elongated “O” sound gives character to the speech of a true Minnesotan and has been the source of many jokes.
Even in a state not too far from Minnesota, Minnesotan accents are a defining characteristic. Patrick Andries, who comes from Naperville, Ill., observed the rather silly pronunciations of vowels.
“Minnesotans definitely talk funny,” Andries said. “But it is rubbing off on me, too.”
April Herndon, a Winona State University professor originally from Virginia, came to Minnesota in 2004 and moved to Winona in 2006. She had heard of the accent due to friends who lived in Minnesota before she did.
Speaking from experience, Herndon said she knew what it was like to have an unfamiliar accent.
“I will say that people here have been very nice about my accent, with most saying they find it charming,” Herndon said, regarding her southern twang. “I hope, when they say that they’re not just being Minnesota nice.”
The classic stereotype of Minnesota Nice is exactly what it implies: it regards Minnesotans as being extremely polite and openly nice. Almost a little too nice; this sometimes translates into the idea that they are more passive aggressive than genuinely friendly.
For Andries, the concept of Minnesota Nice took him by surprise when he first came to Minnesota three years ago.
“People don’t just say ‘hi’ when you’re walking down the sidewalk in the city,” Andries said about his visits to Chicago. “Here, people do. Minnesotans do genuinely seem nicer and happier than in other places.”
Herndon, on the other hand, is suspicious of the niceness that comes from complete strangers.
“I will admit that I do find that people here are, in general, very nice,” she said. “That said, I’ll also own that I have sometimes said ‘Minnesota Nice’ might be just as easily called ‘Minnesota Passive Aggressive.’ Sometimes the niceness seems to be at a surface level.”
While the people are overall nice, the weather of Minnesota can hardly be deemed as the same. Winters have given Minnesota a bad rap in the Midwest.
The icy condition of the sidewalks in Winona last week, which has contributed to nasty falls and a need for snow cleats, has done little to deter the overall annoyance of stereotypical Minnesotan winters.
For some, the cold is second nature and tolerable.
“I think everything is prettier in the winter,” Andries said. “I mean, I’m fine with the cold.”
But for those who come from warmer climates, the shock of the cold temperatures is unwelcome and unpleasant.
Herndon had to acquire special gear in her adaptation to the colder weather, including ice cleats and a roof rake.
“Y’all learn to walk on the slippery stuff early in life, I guess,” she said. “People here just get out and go and live with it, and that’s taught me to just do the same. It is what it is.”
The winters that can curse the Midwest seem to only be associated with Minnesota, despite Wisconsin and the Dakotas being so similar to Minnesota.
“It’s like Virginia and West Virginia,” Herndon said, comparing the Midwest to her home state and its neighbor. “So similar – not enough difference between the two to shake a stick at – yet folks in Virginia complain about folks in
West Virginia and vice versa.”
The teasing and ridicule that Minnesota gets on a regular basis, whether it’s for the accents, the politeness, how we handle winters, or the fact that we refer to casserole as hotdish, is only a small part in what makes Minnesota its own unique state.
“As an outsider, I must say that Minnesota doesn’t get a bad rap,” Herndon said. “In general, it’s known as a state with good social policies and people who tend to be pretty independent thinkers.”
