The Minnesota List

People born in MN (A-B)

2007-09-03T20:09:00.002-07:00

Anderson, Richard Dean (Minneapolis) actor - MacGyver
Anderson, Loni (St. Paul) actress, WKRP fame
Anderson, Louie (Minneapolis) comedian, also host of the game show Family Feud
Anderson, Alexander (Red Wing) scientist - discovered the process to puff wheat and rice; think rice cakes!
Andrews Sisters (Minneapolis) musicians - entertained Allied troops during WWII and appeared in several films
Arness, James (Minneapolis) actor - Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke and brother of actor Peter Graves
Bakken, Earl (Minneapolis) scientist - invented the first small, portable, battery-powered pacemaker in 1957; founded Medtronic
Bakker, Tammy Faye (International Falls) evangelist - former wife of Jim Bakker known for her tear-streaked mascara
Bancroft, Ann (St. Paul) adventurer - first woman to cross the ice to the North and South Poles
Bly, Robert (Madison) poet - also author of Iron John: A Book About Men
Brooks, Herb (White Bear Lake) coach - led the US Olympic hockey team in 1980 to gold
Bugliosi, Vincent (Hibbing) attorney - prosecutor in the Charles Manson case and author of the novel Helter Skelter
Burger, Warren Earl (St. Paul) judge - Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court from 1969 to 1986

People born in MN (C-D)

2007-09-03T20:09:00.001-07:00

Cochran, Eddie (Albert Lea) musician - rockabilly singer of "Summertime Blues" fame
Coen, Joel and Ethan (Minneapolis) directors - known for films, Fargo and O Brother Where Art Thou, and Oscar winner No Country for Old Men
Dahl, Arlene (Minneapolis) actress - mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas
Dahm Triplets (Minneapolis) entertainers - Playboy centerfolds
Day, Morris (Minneapolis) musician - lead of the band, The Time, featured in Prince's movie, Purple Rain
Demarest, William (St. Paul) actor - Uncle Charley on My Three Sons
Densmore, Frances (Red Wing) historian - recorded the voices of hundreds of American Indians, including Geronimo
Duffy, Julia (Minneapolis) actress - played Stephanie on Newhart
Dylan, Bob (Duluth) musician - considered the greatest American bard

People born in MN (E-F)

2007-09-03T20:08:00.002-07:00

Elise, Kimberly (Minneapolis) actress - star of the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Enger, Leif (Sauk Centre) writer - Peace Like a River, the Book Sense Book of the Year for Fiction 2002
Erdrich, Louise (Little Falls) writer - Love Medicine, the 1984 National Book Critics Circle Award winner
Farrell, Mike (St. Paul) actor - played Hunnicut on M*A*S*H
Fitzgerald, F. Scott (St. Paul) writer - The Great Gatsby, considered one of the greatest American novels
Friedman, Thomas (Minneapolis) writer - New York Times columnist

People born in MN (G-H)

2007-09-03T20:08:00.001-07:00

Garland, Judy (Grand Rapids) actress - immortalized as Dorothy in The Wizard of the Oz
Getty, J. Paul (Minneapolis) entrepeneur - founder of Getty Oil Company and art collector
Gilliam, Terry (Minneapolis) director - Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Brazil, 12 Monkeys
Graves, Peter (Minneapolis) actor - played Jim on TV series Mission Impossible; brother of actor James Arness
Gruchow, Paul (Montevideo) writer - also a conservationist; penned The Necessity of Empty Places
Hampl, Patricia (St. Paul) writer - recipient of MacArthur "genius grant" in 1990
Hedberg, Mitch (St. Paul) comedian - stand-up comic known for his odd subject matter
Hedlund, Garrett (Roseau) actor - performs in Troy and Four Brothers
Hedren, Tippi (New Ulm) actress - lead in Hitchhock's The Birds; also mother of actress Melanie Griffith
Hill, George Roy (Minneapolis) director - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting
Holm, Bill (Minneota) writer - The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth
Hong, James (Minneapolis) actor - the ubiquitous, all-purpose Asian actor

People born in MN (I-J)

2007-09-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Isbin, Sharon (Minneapolis) musician - 2001 Grammy Award winning guitarist
Jam, Jimmy (Minneapolis) producer - has more No. 1 hits than anyone except Beatles producer George Martin
Johnson, Ben Patrick (St. Paul) – signature voice of CBS, Fox and numerous movie trailers

People born in MN (K-L)

2007-09-03T20:06:00.002-07:00

Kaine, Tim (St. Paul) politician - the Catholic Democratic governor of Virginia (2006 to present)
Keillor, Garrison (Anoka) writer - creator of The Prairie Home Companion and the imaginary town Lake Wobegon
Kilborn, Craig (Hastings) entertainer - former host of CBS The Late Late Show
Krause, Peter (Alexandria) actor - plays Nathan in the HBO series Six Feet Under
Kroc, Joan (St. Paul) billionaire - wife of Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's
LaFontaine, Don (Duluth) – the deep bass voice you usually hear in Hollywood movie trailers
Lange, Jessica (Cloquet) actress - two-time Oscar winner for Tootsie and Blue Sky
Lehman, Tom (Austin) athlete - 1996 British Open winner
Leigh Cook, Rachel (Minneapolis) actress - Baby-Sitters' Club, Get Carter, Josie and the Pussycats
Lewis, Sinclair (Sauk Centre) writer - first American to win Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930
Lillehei, C. Walton (Minneapolis) scientist - the "Father of Open Heart Surgery"
Lowe, Edward (St. Paul) inventor - Kitty Litter

People born in MN (M-N)

2007-09-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

Madden, John (Austin) coach - also NFL broadcaster
Maris, Roger (Hibbing) athlete - broke Babe Ruth's season home run record with 61 in 1961 and held it until 1998
Mars, Frank (Newport) entrepeneur - his company Mar-O-Bar became Mars Inc., originator of Milky Ways and M&Ms
McCarthy, Eugene (Watkins) politician - US Representative and Senator from 1949 to 1971
McHale, Kevin (Hibbing) athlete - Boston Celtics player
McKay, Harvey (unknown) entrepeneur - author of inspirational businesss books and CEO of Mackay Envelope Corp.
Miles, Alexander (Duluth) inventor - innovated elevators
Molitor, Paul (St. Paul) athlete - inducted in to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004
Mondale, Walter (Ceylon) politician - 42nd US Vice President from 1977 to 1981; nickname is Fritz
Moran, George "Bugs" (St. Paul) gangster - Al Capone's archenemy
Morris, Jack (St. Paul) athlete - pitched a 10-inning shutout against the Atlanta Braves to win 1991 World Series
Morrow, Barry (St. Paul) writer - Oscar-winning screenwriter of Rain Man in 1989
Neiman, Leroy (St. Paul) artist - known for stylized, modern paintings of sports figures

People born in MN (O-P)

2007-09-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

O'Brien, Tim (Austin) writer - authored The Things They Carried and other works touching upon the Vietnam War.
Ostroushko, Peter (Minneapolis) musician - mandolin/fiddle player makes regular appearances on A Prairie Home Companion
Paulucci, Jeno (Hibbing) entrepeneur - started Chung King, Jeno's Pizza and Luigino's
Pedersen, Wiliam (St. Paul) architect - Shanghai World Financial Center, which will be the world's tallest building when completed
Pirsig, Robert (Minneapolis) writer - cult classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Prince (Minneapolis) musician - considered to be a musical genius; birthname is Prince Rogers Nelson
Puckett, Gary (Hibbing) musician - frontman of the Gary Puckett & The Union Gap band - popular in the late 1960s

People born in MN (Q-R)

2007-09-03T20:04:00.002-07:00

Quimby, Fred (Minneapolis) producer - Tom & Jerry cartoons
Reisner, Marc (Minneapolis) writer - Cadillac Desert was about the environmental impact of Western water projects
Ross, Marion (Albert Lea) actress - played Mrs. C from Happy Days
Russell, Jane (Bemidji) actress - brunette bombshell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Ryder, Winona (Winona) actress - named after the town she was born in

People born in MN (S-T)

2007-09-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

Samuelson, Ralph (Lake City) inventor - waterskiing
Schneider, Maria (Windom) musician - nominated for 2004 Grammies in jazz
Schulz, Charles (St. Paul) cartoonist - Peanuts creator
Sears, Julia (Mankato) suffragette - first woman in the US to head a public college in 1872
Sherman, Patsy (Minneapolis) inventor - Scotchgard
Shield, Leroy Bernard (Waseca) - musician - wrote theme music used in the Little Rascals and Laurel and Hardy films for the Hal Roach Studios.
Solem, Phil (Duluth) musician - half of the band, The Rembrandts, known for the Friends theme song "I'll Be There For You"
Sondergaard, Gale (Litchfield) actress - won first-ever Academy Award for best supporting actress in 1936
Sorbo, Kevin (Mound) actor - Hercules
Spencer, LaVyrle (Browerville) writer - romance novels
Stassen, Harold E. (West St. Paul) politician - youngest governor in US history at age 31; ran for president 9 times (1948-1992)
Steger, Will (Richfield) explorer - led the first team to cross Antarctica by dogsled
Taylor, Glen (Worthington) billionaire - 306th richest person in the world in 2004 according to Forbes
Thompson, Lea (Rochester) actress - played Lorraine in Back to the Future
Tiegs, Cheryl (Breckenridge) model - 1970s poster girl
Todd, Mike (Minneapolis) producer - married to Elizabeth Taylor, won an Oscar for producing Around the World in 80 Days in 1956

People born in MN (U-V)

2007-09-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ueland, Brenda (Minneapolis) writer - If You Want to Write (1938)
Vaughn, Vince (Minneapolis) actor - Swingers, Old School
Ventura, Jesse (Minneapolis) pro wrestler - elected to be Minnesota's 38th governor from 1999 to 2003
Volstead, Andrew (Kenyon) politician - US Congressman; launched the Prohibition Act in 1919

People born in MN (W-Z)

2007-09-03T20:02:00.002-07:00

Wallace, DeWitt (St. Paul) publisher - co-founded Reader's Digest with his wife Lila in 1922
Weisman, Alan (Minneapolis) author, professor, journalist – his most popular work is The World Without Us about a post-human scenario.
Westerberg, Paul (Minneapolis) musician - lead singer of The Replacements; went solo in 1993
Widmark, Richard (Sunrise) actor - screend debut as a giggling, homicidal gangster in Kiss of Death (1947)
Winfield, Dave (St. Paul) athlete - one of seven players in baseball history to reach both 3,000 hits and 400 home runs
Young, Gig (St. Cloud) actor - won an Oscar in 1969 for They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Zahn, Steve (Marshall) actor - Reality Bites

People who grew up in MN

2007-09-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

Franken, Al (St. Louis Park) entertainer - currently Air America's host; played Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live
Hartnett, Josh (St. Paul) actor - Black Hawk Down, The Virgin Suicides
Hoag, Tami (Harmony) writer - popular suspense/thriller novelist
Hutchinson, Doug (Minneapolis) actor - played Percy, the cruel prison guard, in The Green Mile with Tom Hanks
Ingalls Wilder, Laura (Walnut Grove) writer - Little House on the Prairie books; lived along the banks of Plum Creek
Larsen, Libby (Minneapolis) composer - one of most prolific and most performed living composers in the US
Lindbergh, Charles (Little Falls) aviator - piloted the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927
Music, Lorenzo (Duluth) entertainer - voice of Garfield and Carlton the Doorman on The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Nagurski, Bronko (International Falls) athlete - Hall of Fame football player
Parks, Gordon (St. Paul) director - Shaft was only one accomplishment of this Renaissance man
Vaughn, Robert (Minneapolis) actor - The Man from U.N.C.L.E. went to North High School
Wellcome, Henry Solomon (Garden City) entrepeneur - made his fortune in pharmaceuticals and invented invisible ink at age 16

People who made a home in MN

2007-09-03T20:01:00.000-07:00

Buettner, Dan (St. Paul) explorer - has three Guinness World Records in long distance bicycling
DiCamillo, Kate (Minneapolis) writer - The Tale of Despereaux won the 2004 Newbery Medal
Guest, Judith (Edina) writer - her novel, Ordinary People, was adapted into a film that won 4 Oscars in 1981
Henke, Milburn (Hutchinson) resident - first enlisted man to land in Europe in WWII on January 26, 1942
Hill, James J. (St. Paul) tycoon - his Great Northern Railway fosterd Northwestern expansion in the 19th century
Humphrey, Hubert H. (Waverly) politician - 38th US Vice President from 1965 to 1969
Jennings, Mason (Minneapolis) musician - produced and released his first two albums himself
Kottke, Leo (Wayzata) musician - one of the most innovative folk-rock acoustic guitarist
LaDuke, Winona (White Earth Reservation) politician - 2000 Green Party VP candidate
LeMond, Greg (Medina) athlete - three-time Tour de France winner
McFerrin, Bobby (Minneapolis) musician - became the Creative Chair of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in 1994
Moua, Mee (St. Paul) politician - first Hmong-American legislator in the nation
Nolte, Nick (Minneapolis) actor - started his career in Minneapolis at the Eleanor Moore Agency as a print model
Olson, Sigurd (Ely) writer - also an influential conservationist; best known work is The Singing Wilderness
Page, Alan (Twin Cities) judge - former Minnesota Viking, now MN Supreme Court justice
Patch, Dan (Savage) athlete - famous horse* (ok, not a person) who never lost a harness race, lived in Hamilton, renamed Savage for his owner
Ross, Percy (Minneapolis) philanthropist - gave millions to people who read his newspaper column, Thanks a Million
Rowley, Coleen (Minneapolis) civil servant - Time's 2002 Person of the Year; recently retired from the FBI
Shepard, Sam (Stillwater) actor - lived in Stillwater from 1995 until 2004; married to Jessica Lange
Tiny Tim (Minneapolis) entertainer - moved to the Twin Cites in the 1990s and now buried in Lakewood Cemetary
Veblen, Thorstein (Nerstrand) economist - coined the phrase "conspicuous consumption" & wrote The Theory of the Leisure Class
Vee, Bobby (St. Cloud) musician - teen music idol from the 1960s
Wellstone, Paul (St. Paul) politician - popular, progressive US Senator from 1991 to 2002
Weyerhaeuser, Frederick (St. Paul) tycoon - ruled his lumber empire from MN starting in 1891
Wilson, August (St. Paul) writer - Pulitzer Prize winner founded the Black Horizons Theatre in 1968

People who studied in MN

2007-09-03T20:00:00.002-07:00

Albert, Eddie (Minneapolis) actor - Green Acres, attended U of Minnesota
Annan, Koffi (St. Paul) politician - UN Secretary General graduated from Macalester College in 1961
Brando, Marlon (Faribault) actor - after being expelled from Shattuck Military Academy in 1940, he moved to NYC
Earhart, Amelia (St. Paul) aviator - she attended Central High School in 1913
Fonda, Henry (Minneapolis) actor - The Grapes of Wrath and On Golden Pond; attended U of Minnesota from 1923 to 1925
GrandPre, Mary (Minneapolis) illustrator - Harry Potter books, graduated from Minneapolis College of Art + Design (MCAD)
Hudson, Ernie (Minneapolis) actor - played Winston in Ghost Busters, U of Minnesota
Karim, Jawed (St. Paul) entrepeneur - YouTube co-founder graduated from Central High School
Osborne, Barrie M. (Northfield) producer - Oscar winner for The Return of the King, graduated from Carleton College
Otto Lawrence, Shawn (St. Paul) writer - House of Sand and Fog screenwriter graduated from Macalester College
Perlman, Ron (Minneapolis) actor - Hellboy, graduated from U of Minnesota
Reasoner, Harry (Minneapolis) journalist - 60 Minutes, studed journalism at the U of Minnesota
Spencer, Carol (Minneapolis) designer - Chief Barbie Designer at Mattel holds a BFA in Fashion Design from the Mpls College of Art & Design
Susanka, Sarah (Minneapolis) architect - best known for the book The Not So Big House; M.S. from the U of Minnesota in 1983
Wilkins, Roy (Minneapolis) - executive director of the NAACP from 1955 to 1977
Yanni (Minneapolis) singer - earned a B.A. in psychology from the U of Minnesota

Bands

2007-09-03T20:00:00.001-07:00

Cloud Cult (Minneapolis) - the indie rock band who does everything environmentally friendly as possible
Hüsker Dü (St. Paul) - the punk rock trio influenced the pop-punk hybrid sound that came out in the early 1990s
Low (Duluth) - indie rock group
Semisonic (Minneapolis) - alternative rock; "Closing Time" was their 1998 hit
Soul Asylum (Minneapolis) - their album, Grave Dancers Union, went multiplatinum; they played at Clinton's inaugural in 1992
The Jayhawks (Minneapolis) - they blend country, folk, and bar band rock
The Replacements (Minneapolis) - influential alternative rock group known for their loud, drunken performances
The Time (Minneapolis) - led by Morris Day and featured in Purple Rain

Places

2007-09-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (northern MN) - one million acres and over 1,000 miles of canoe waterways
Duluth (Duluth) - location of the country's largest inland harbor
First Avenue (Minneapolis) - music club enshrined in the film Purple Rain
Foshay Tower (Minneapolis) - tallest building in Minneapolis until 1971
Frank Lloyd Wright designed gas station (Cloquet) - built in 1956
Grand Portage National Monument (Grand Portage) - reconstructed sites celebrates fur trade and the Ojibwe lifestyle
Great Lakes Aquarium (Duluth) - the first and only all-freshwater aquarium in the US
Greyhound Bus Museum (Hibbing) - birthplace of the American bus industry
Guthrie Theater (Minneapolis) - nationally renowned theater opened in 1963
Hazelden (Center City) - leading alcohol & drug rehabilitation center in the country
Hull Rust Mahoning Mine (Hibbing) - biggest operating open pit iron ore mine in the world
International Wolf Center (Ely) - unique organization to support the survival of the wolf through education
Johanna Kiln (Collegeville) - St. John's University has the largest wood burning kiln in the US
Lake Pepin (Lake Pepin) - a 22 mile-long lake on the Mississippi River
Lake Superior (Great Lakes) - the largest freshwater lake in the world by area borders the state
Lakewood Cemetery Memorial Chapel (Minneapolis) - Byzantine mosaic art make this chapel a hidden gem
Little House on the Prairie site (Walnut Grove) - along the banks of Plum Creek; see Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mall of America (Bloomington) - largest mall in the US
Mankato (Mankato) - site of largest mass execution in US history when 38 Dakota Indians were hanged in 1862
Mayo Clinic (Rochester) - the world-renowned medical practice has served a king and a president
Metrodome (Minneapolis) - only facility to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis) - the largest urban sculpture garden in the US
Minnesota State Fair (St. Paul) - the second largest state fair in the US
North House Folk School (Grand Marais) - traditional northern crafts school inspired by the Scandinavian "folkehøjskole"
Orfield Labs (Minneapolis) - listed as the quietest place on Earth in Guinness World Records
Paisley Park (Chanhassen) - Prince's former home and studio space
Pipestone National Monument (Pipestone) - quarry site for the stone to make ceremonial pipes by anyone of Indian ancestry
Red River (ND and MN) - forms the North Dakota and Minnesota border and flows north! to Lake Winnepeg
Sister Kenny Institute (Minneapolis) - est. in 1942 to help polio patients and grew into a physical therapy center
Source of the Mississippi River (Lake Itasca) - the second largest river in the US starts in what is now a state park
Southdale (Edina) - first enclosed shopping mall in US opened in 1956
St. Anthony Falls on the Mississippi River (Minneapolis) - location of first hydroelectric station in the US
St. Paul (St. Paul) - once known as "Poison Spot of American Crime"
The Bakken (Minneapolis) - a library and museum of electricity. See Earl Bakken
The Loft (Minneapolis) - literary center with a national reputation
The Museum of Questionable Medical Devices (St. Paul) - a collection of medical quackery
US Hockey Hall of Fame (Eveleth) - a shrine to the puck-on-ice game
Voyageurs National Park (northern MN) - a water based park named for the French-Canadian canoe-men

Based or created in MN (A-B)

2007-09-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

3M (Maplewood) - the three Ms stand for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
Andersen Windows (Bayport) - founded in 1903 Hudson, WI; moved to Minnesota in 1913
Arctic Cat (Thief River Falls) - the snowmboile and ATV maker
Art Instruction Schools (Minneapolis) - famous for "Draw Me"; founded in 1914 in Minneapolis
ArtSpace (Minneapolis) - nation's leading nonprofit real estate developer for the arts
ATK (Edina) - country's largest ammunitions manufacturer
Automotive Information Systems (AIS) (St. Paul) - nation's largest source of automotive repair knowledge
Aveda (Blaine) - founded in 1978 in Minneapolis and sold to Estee Lauder in 1997
Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS), (South St. Paul) - makes aircraft emergency parachute systems
Best Buy (Richfield) - Richard Schulze opens Sound of Music store St. Paul in 1966
Better Business Bureau (Minneapolis) - nation's first BBB was founded in 1912
Betty Crocker (Minneapolis) - invented in 1921 to personalize letters to customers
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (Minneapolis) - HQ in the Twin Cities for over 50 years; recently relocated to Charlotte, NC
Bisquick (Minneapolis) - the baking mix was a revolutionary product when introduced in 1931
Breathe Right strips (Minneapolis) - Bruce Johnson tinkered for 3 years before applying for a patent in 1991
Buca (Minneapolis) - they own 77 Italian-styled restaurants, Buca di Beppo and Vinny T's of Boston
Buffets, Inc. (Eagan) - runs 400 buffet restaurants across the US, including Old Country Buffet
Bundt cake pan (Minneapolis) - invented by Nordic Ware in 1950 by Dave and Dotty Dalquist

Based or created in MN (C-D)

2007-09-03T19:57:00.002-07:00

Capella University (Minneapolis) - one of the biggest online universities in the US
Cargill (Wayzata) - the largest private corporation in the US
Caribou Coffee (Minneapolis) - 2nd largest US coffee chain, now owned by First Islamic Investment Bank
Carlson Companies (Minnetonka) - private corp. owns Radisson, TGI Friday's, Country Kitchen, Country Inn & Suites
Cheerios (Minneapolis) - introduced as CheeriOats in 1941 by General Mills; marketed as first ready-to-eat cereal
Cirrus (Duluth) - world's 2nd largest manufacturer of single-engine, piston-powered aircraft
Control Data Corp. (Minneapolis) - pioneering supercomputer company
Cray Supercomputer (Chippewa Falls) - Seymore Cray, the chief designer, set up a lab in his hometown in 1962
Cursor (Minnepolis) - educates the public on the relationship between media and society
Dairy Queen (Edina) - began in 1938 in Illinois, but their American corporate HQ is now in Minnesota
Dayton's (Minneapolis) - department store
Deluxe (Shoreview) - the checkmaker
Duluth packs (Duluth) - sturdy packs first made in 1882 by French Canadian Camille Poirer
Dunn Bros Coffee (Minneapolis) - the coffeehouse franchise now has locations in 6 states

Based or created in MN (E-F)

2007-09-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

Eckankar (Chanhassen) - new religious movement; some call it a cult
Ecolab (St. Paul) - commercial cleaning and sanitizing since 1923
Fair Isaac (Minneapolis) - developed FICO, one of the most used credit scoring measures
Famous Dave's (Minnetonka) - chain of BBQ restaurants in almost 30 states
Fingerhut (Minnetonka) - once the country's second largest catalog retailer
Ford Ranger trucks (St. Paul) - a plant by the Mississippi River assembled them

Based or created in MN (G-H)

2007-09-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

Gander Mountain (Bloomington) - outdoor specialty retailer in 14 states
Geek Squad (Minneapolis) - the computer repair service started in 1994 and acquired by Best Buy in 2002
General Mills (Golden Valley) - started by the banks of the Mississippi in the 1860s as flour mills
Gentle Leader (Twin Cities) - dog collars developed in the 1980s by a veterinarian and a dog obedience trainer
Global Volunteers (St. Paul) - sends volunteers around to world to work on development projects
Golf Galaxy (Eden Prairie) - large golf retailer in 16 states
Grain Belt Beer (Minneapolis) - one of the last of the classic regional brands still produced in the area where it was born
Great American Think-Off (New York Mills) - televised event where ordinary people debate serious issues
Great Clips (Minneapolis) - haircutter chain founded in Minneapolis in 1982
Green Giant (LeSeur) - founded as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1903
Green Mill Restaurant (St. Paul) - the pizza franchise now in 4 states dates back to the 1930s
Greyhound Lines (Hibbing) - started in 1914 to transport miners in northern Minnesota
H.B. Fuller (St. Paul) - they make the adhesives that keep cereal boxes closed for example
Hamm's Beer (St. Paul) - the pale ale made even more popular by its bear mascot in ads
Herberger's (St. Cloud) - about 40 department stores acquired by the Bon-Ton Stores in 2006
Historical Remedies (St. Paul) - maker of homeopathic medicines and lozenges
Honeywell (Minneapolis) - founded in 1885, Honeywell instruments helped US astronauts land on the moon in 1963
Hormel Foods (Austin) - founded in 1891; called Geo. A. Hormel & Company for 102 years

Based or created in MN (I-J)

2007-09-03T19:54:00.002-07:00

Imation (Oakdale) - spun off of 3M in 1996; develops and manufactures storage media
Jacob Wetterling Foundation (St. Paul) - organization to educate families and communities to prevent the exploitation of children
Jefferson Lines (Minneapolis) - a bus service from a family-based company
Jerome Foundation (St. Paul) - gives grants to artists living in MN and NYC
Jostens (Bloomington) - the class ring king

Based or created in MN (K-L)

2007-09-03T19:54:00.001-07:00

Kitty Litter (St. Paul) - first cat litter to use clay instead of sand. See Edward Lowe
Lake Wobegon (nowhere) - a fictitous town in Minnesota created by Garrison Keillor
Lakes Entertainment (Minnetonka) - their business is to manage tribal casinos
Land O' Lakes (Arden Hills) - national agricultural cooperative; began in 1921
Lawson Software (St. Paul) - enterprise software company
Log Cabin syrup (St. Paul) - St. Paul grocer Eugene Towle created the syrup, which became a huge hit in the early 1900s.

Based or created in MN (M-N)

2007-09-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Magnepan (White Bear Lake) - makes speakers for audiophiles
magnetic poetry (Minneapolis) - writer's block turns into entrepeneurial gold; check your fridge
Malt-O-Meal (Northfield) - roots as a hot wheat cereal company in 1919
Manhattan Group (Minneapolis) - toy maker of the popular Groovy Girls
Mariner Software (Minneapolis) - produces alternatives to Microsoft Office for the Mac platform
Mar-O-Bar Company (Minneapolis) - started in 1920 and introduced the Milky Way chocolate bar in 1923. See Frank Mars
Masking Tape (St. Paul) - 3M engineer Richard Drew invented it in 1925.
McKnight Foundation (Minneapolis) - one of the largest American philanthropic foundations
Medtronic (Fridley) - world's largest company in medical technology
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) (Minneapolis) - widely used test of adult psychopathology
Minnesota Public Radio (St. Paul) - largest producer of national public radio programs
Minnetonka Moccasin (Minneapolis) - the private footwear company began in 1946; most popular style is the Thunderbird
MoneyGram (St. Louis Park) - Travelers Expresss, founded in 1940, bought the 2nd largest money transfer in the world in 1998 and renamed itself in 2005
Music Go Round (Minneapolis) - franchise for used musical instruments. See Winmark
Musicland Group (Minnetonka) - owns Sam Goody, Suncoast and MediaPlay stores
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Eden Prairie) - the tv show on Minnesota's public access channel became a cult hit
Nada-Chair (St. Paul) - makes back-supporting slings for sitting
National Arbitration Forum (Minneapolis) - alternative dispute resolution provider
Nobel Peace Prize Forum (various) - an annual collegiate event with cooperation from the Norweigan Nobel Institute
Nordic Track (Excelsior) - inventor Ed Pauls filed for a patent in the mid 70s
Northwest Airlines (Bloomington) - first major airline to ban smoking on international flights
Nutrisoda (Minneapolis) - a line of nutrient-infused sodas from Ardea Beverage Co.

Based or created in MN (O-P)

2007-09-03T19:52:00.002-07:00

Old Dutch, (St. Paul) - the Mid-West's potato chip maker
Once Upon A Child (Minneapolis) - franchise for used childrens' goods. See Winmark
Pearson's Candy (St. Paul) - the confectioner known for its Nut Roll
Pillsbury (Minneapolis) - once a company, now a brand under General Mills
Pillsbury Doughboy (Minneapolis) - used to be called Poppin' Fresh Doughboy...tee-hee
Piper Jaffray (Minneapolis) - this financial institution got its start in 1895 from George Lane
Plato's Closet (Minneapolis) - franchise for used clothing. See Winmark
Play It Again Sports (Minneapolis) - franchise for used sporting goods. See Winmark
Polaris Industries (Roseau) - a pioneer in the production of snowmobiles
Post-it notes (St. Paul) - 3M strikes again with this invention in 1968

Based or created in MN (Q-R)

2007-09-03T19:52:00.001-07:00

Rainforest Cafe (Hopkins) - the theme restaurant that started up 1994 is now a Houston-based company
Red House Records (St. Paul) - label specializing in acoustic performances
Red Wing Shoes (Red Wing) - Charles H. Beckman starts his company in 1905
Regis Corp. (Edina) - world's largest salon industry company founded in Minneapolis in 1922
Retek (Minneapolis) - sells retail business software; sold to Oracle
Riedell Skates (Red Wing) - well-known manufacturer of ice skates
Rollerblades (Minneapolis) - two brothers, who played hockey, refined the inline skate design in 1980

Based or created in MN (S-T)

2007-09-03T19:51:00.001-07:00

Sam Goody (Minnetonka) - first store opened in Minneapolis in 1956. See Musicland Group
Schwan's (Marshall) - the largest, branded frozen-food company in the US
Select Comfort (Plymouth) - the mattress maker has your Sleep Number, too
Shakers Vodka (Benson) - premium vodka made with Minnesotan grain
SkyWeb Express (Fridley) - Taxi 2000 Corp. develops Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems
Smarte Carte (St. Paul) - Jim Muellner of White Bear Lake designed the now ubiquitous luggage carts
SPAM (Austin) - ingredients = chopped pork shoulder meat with ham meat added, salt, water, sugar and sodium nitrite.
St. Paul Companies (St. Paul) - merged with Travelers in 2004 to form the nation's second largest insurer
St. Paul Saints (St. Paul) - minor league baseball team co-owned by actor Bill Murray
Summit Brewing Co. (St. Paul) - tasty premium "crafted" beer
Sun Country Airlines (Mendota Heights) - privately owned airlines flies to 30 cities
Supervalu / CubFoods (Eden Prairie) - largest publicly-held food wholesaler in the US; started in 1870
Target (Minneapolis) - first store of the discount big box retailer opened in Roseville in 1962
Tennant Co. (Minneapolis) - leading manufacturer of floor cleaning products and floor coverings, sweepers, and scrubbers
Thermo King (Minneapolis) - Frederick Jones invented the first refrigerated truck in 1938
Tilt-a-Whirl (Faribault) - the classic and popular amusement park ride was invented in 1926 by Herbert Sellner
Tonka Trucks (Mound) - first one was made in 1947 in a basement near Lake Minnetonka
Toro (Bloomington) - they call themselves the turf specialists
Totino's (Minneapolis) - a frozen pizza brand owned by General Mills that had its origins in a Minneapolis restaurant

Based or created in MN (U-V)

2007-09-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

United Health Group (Minnetonka) - one of the largest US healthcare corporations
US Bancorp (Minneapolis) - sixth largest financial services holding company in the US
Utne Magazine (Minneapolis) - founded in 1982 as a digest of articles from alternative media sources
Valspar (Minneapolis) - sixth largest paint company in the world; in operation since 1806

Based or created in MN (W-Z)

2007-09-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

Water Gremlin (White Bear Lake) - manufacturing fishing sinkers since 1949
Wenonah Canoes (Winona) - one of the largest canoe makers; established in 1968
West Publishing (Eagan) - founded in 1872 in St. Paul; became one of the largest law publishing companies
Wheaties (Minneapolis) - The Breakfast of Champions was made in 1924
Willie's American Guitars (St. Paul) - Retailer Dick Youngblood sells to Billy Joel and Mick Jagger et al
Winmark (Minneapolis) - parent company of Play It Again Sports, Once Upon a Child, Music Go Round, Plato's Closet
World Poker Tour (Minnetonka) - televised tournament owned by Lakes Entertainment
Xcel Energy (Minneapolis) - fourth largest electricity and natural gas energy company in the US
Zubaz (unknown) - a fad; animal print bodybuilder/workout pants in the 1980s

Filmed in MN

2007-09-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

A Prairie Home Companion (St. Paul) - Robert Altman directs an ensemble cast about the homegrown radio favorite
A Simple Plan (various) - Sam Raimi film features Bridget Fonda and Billy Bob Thornton
Airport (Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport) - won 10 Oscars in 1970
American Dream (Austin) - 1991 Oscar-winning documentary about striking Hormel employees
Aurora Borealis (various) - a 2005 film about a young man struggling after his father's death
Beautiful Girls (various) - Uma Thurman and Natalie Portman in an ensemble cast
Catch Me If You Can (St. Cloud) - a 1989 film about fundraising high schoolers
D2: The Mighty Ducks (various) - the follow-up to The Mighty Ducks
D3: The Mighty Ducks (various) - more from The Mighty Ducks franchise
Drop Dead Fred (various) - Phoebe Cates (remember her?) has an imaginary friend
Drop Dead Gorgeous (various) - Kirstie Alley with a horrible Minnesotan accent
Equinox (various) - evil twin/good twin played by Matthew Modine
Factotum (various) - Matt Dillon as a guy who tries to find jobs that don't interfere with his personal life
Far North (Duluth) - directed and written by Sam Shepard and starring Jessica Lange
Fargo (various) - directed and written by the Coen brothers; won 2 Oscars in 1997
Feeling Minnesota (various) - Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves flop
Graffiti Bridge (various) - the sequel to Purple Rain
Grumpier Old Men (various) - sequel to Grumpy Old Men with Sophia Loren
Grumpy Old Men (various) - Walter Malthau, Jack Lemmon and Ann Margaret made this a sleeper hit
Heartbreak Kid (Minneapolis) - Newlywed Charles Grodin wants Cybill Shepherd instead
Herman USA (New Germany) - 78 bachelors from a small town advertise for brides
Ice Castles (various) - Robby Benson helps an ice skater realize her dreams
Iron Will (various) - a young man joins a cross-country race to support his family
Jingle All the Way (various) - Arnold Schwarzenegger does Christmas
Joe Somebody (various) - comedian Tim Allen wants to be somebody
Little Big League (various) - a 12-year-old boy becomes the owner of the Minnesota Twins
Mallrats (Eden Prairie) - Kevin Smith directs Shannen Doherty
North Country (various) - fictionalzed story of the first major sexual harrassment US lawsuit-Jenson vs Eveleth Mines
Patti Rocks (various) - two men roadtrip to visit a woman one of them impregnated
Purple Rain (various) - semi-autobiographical story of Prince's life
Rachel River (various) - tale about a young journalist returning home; written by Judith Guest
Strange as Angels (St. Paul) - a painter tries to blend her need for independence with romance
Sweet Land (various) - a Norweigan woman travels to MN to meet her husband
The Emigrants (Marine on St. Croix) - Swedish film won best foreign-language Oscar in 1972
The Mighty Ducks (various) - Emilio Estevez coaches a pee wee hockey team
The Personals (Minneapolis) - A local 1989 romantic comedy about a divorced man loving for love
Untamed Heart (Mendota) - Christian Slater, with a baboon heart, falls in love with Marisa Tomei
Youngblood (Mendota) - Rob Lowe stars as a budding hockey player

Radio & TV programs set in MN

2007-09-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Coach (Minnesota State U.) - set at a fictional college in MN but the locale eventually moved to FL
Mary Tyler Moore Show (Minneapolis) - single working gal looking for love and friendship in a city
Prairie Home Companion (St. Paul) - popular radio show with Garrison Keillor since 1974
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (Frostbite Falls) - location inspired by International Falls, MN