Tag Archives: MN

Eight Things Minnesotans Take for Granted

It is a well known fact that Minnesotans tend to complain about their home state. It’s too humid, the mosquitoes are awful, the roads are too icy.. it seems endless. However all these negative phenomenon are not without their upsides! Despite what you might hear, Minnesota is a wonderful place to live. This northern land offers residents and visitors a unique set of activities, and a convenient lifestyle. Here are eight things Minnesotans take for granted about living in this great state.

Flickr Creative Commons: xmith xmith

Flickr Creative Commons: xmith xmith

 

1. Lakes

Why are there so many mosquitoes? Well, it’s because there are so many lakes for them to grow in! Lakes offer fishing, boating, tubing, swimming, ice skating, and many more activities. Did you know that numerous lakes are something that most states lack? Minnesota has over 7,000 sq. miles of water! We are lucky; there are twenty states in the USA have less than 1000 sq. miles of water.

 

2. Quality of Life

In Minnesota, you are never too far away from a grocery store, a biking trail, or a gas station. The cost of living is lower than the national average, and so is the unemployment rate. Relaxing is serious business – it is practically required to spend your summer doing whatever you please in the radiant sunshine. These factors allow for a superb quality of life, and make Minnesota a great place to raise a family.

Flickr Creative Commons: Richie Diesterheft

Flickr Creative Commons: Richie Diesterheft

 

3. White Winters

Snow is something Minnesotans complain about on a regular basis. But can you imagine having a snow-less holiday season every year? No sledding, no hot cocoa, no snowmen, no fireplaces; it would be a sad sight. Other states have to make fake snow just to make it feel like the holiday season. Next time you want to mention how much you hate the snow, try to remember that many people wish for it!

 

4. Entertainment Options

Minneapolis and St. Paul are notoriously busy with concerts, art exhibits, parades, and other activities. Minnesotans aren’t always aware that many other states lack this type of culture. People from the Dakotas, Illinois, and Wisconsin often must travel to Minnesota to see their favorite bands and shows.

 

5. Minnesota Nice

People in Minnesota are genuinely friendly. If someone is lost or needs advice, Minnesotans do not hesitate to ask each other for help, and give warm replies. Unless you have traveled to other states, you might not know that people do not behave this way everywhere. In many other states, if you get lost, you are on your own!

Flickr Creative Commons: Randen Pederson

Flickr Creative Commons: Randen Pederson

 

6. Fall Colors

The four seasons of Minnesota offer year-round beauty, but the fall is a special time of year. Many southern states are the same colors all year round – green and brown. Fall in Minnesota means vistas spattered with red, gold, yellow, purple, and orange.

 

7. Education

Minnesota has a great education system. In a study done by WalletHub, Minnesota was ranked as the eighth best state to get an education. Additionally, we have the University of Minnesota – one of the top and most affordable Big Ten schools.

Flickr Creative Commons:  m01229

Flickr Creative Commons: m01229

 

8. Safety

Overall, Minnesota is a very safe place to live; TheStreet ranked Minnesota as the 5th safest state to live it. With only 0.02437 crimes per capita, and  only .69 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, you and your family can feel safe living in this great state.

 

Know of any other things Minnesotans take for granted about their state? Let us know!

 

All photos used under this license.

 

 

Landscaping Tips for Homeowners

Having a landscaped garden is a great way of improving the overall value of your home, as well as its reputation around town. The costs you will need to pay to get things done will be there, but you can rest assured this will be money well-spent, making your home a much more welcoming place for all involved, guests and potential buyers as well. If you need the help, you can hire gardening and landscaping professionals to get things done for you, assisting you with the jobs you’re not sure you can do yourself. The time you spend on this will be up to you, but the main thing you need to remember is that landscaping gardeners will have the skills you need, but they may also know the type of garden that would work best for your chosen area. You can do some research on the web by yourself or through books if you need more information on the subject.

A gardening expert who works on designing such places will have a significant amount of information you can make use of, as well as ideas and the experience you need to get things organized. Nowadays people either don’t have the time to deal with such tasks or they simply don’t possess the skills in many cases. Having the area under the care of a professional will make sure you have less to worry about in the long run. You can have a great, low-maintenance approach to your new landscaping solution, which will make it much easier to take care of. A good example of that would be paving it with flagstone slabs that are easier to clean. Wood decking is also a good way of approaching things, though it will need some occasional cleanup and staining to make it look good. Although the initial costs of string trimmers, lawnmowers and other gardening tools will set you back, you will have great need of them as time goes by so you can keep your garden clean, weed-free and looking good.

You can also have a much more interesting and complex design for your landscaping needs, though this means you will need to deal with more maintenance too. Landscaped gardens can really stun with their amazing looks, especially if you have a strategically placed gazebo or something along those lines.

You will also have to deal with the right amounts of light levels for the plants in your landscaped area. This is especially important if you have trees or the home you live in or plan on selling creates a shade over some areas of the landscape. Certain flowers and other plants love the shade above all, so before you make your move you should ensure you understand what goes where as well as their specific needs. Another great addition to a landscaped area, ponds can be absolutely wonderful to have around, especially when combined with some ornamental statues, seating space and more. Whatever your choice may be, your vision is what defines the looks of your new landscape.

There are a great many flowers that may be grown in the Minnesota area, such as the following:

  • Cornflowers (Echinacea purpurea)

Lovely pink to purple and white colors, but also available in other colors such as yellow, red and more. Do keep in mind that some people are allergic to echinacea though, so you may want to make sure you’re not one of them.

  • Lenten Roses (Helleboros orientalis)

Often found blooming in the shade, they are red, purple or almost black, whith pink, greens and white petals. You can place them near your walkways to enjoy their lovely colors.

  • Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)

A wonderful spring flower, which has purple to pink blooms, equally capable of surviving in the sun or in the shade. They can reseed themselves, so you don’t really need to worry about them too much.

  • Black-Eyed Susans (Redbeckia fulgida)

Gorgeous golden flowers wht a dark center, blooming for more than a month and even during August. You can grow them in the sun with no maintenance and no worries at all.

  • Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

These lovely flowers, also called milkweed that are very easy to grown, also being a real magnet for monarch butterflies. They have gorgeous clusters of yellow, pink or orange flowers with thin and delicate seedpods.

Landscape Design And Garden Services Kensington can help you with more ideas.

About the Author: Cora Carter is a professional writer. She lives in England with her husband and children. She wants to share her experience with her audience. She has many published articles on various topics such as home and garden, real estate, cleaning etc.

Minnetonka

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Whether it’s exploring the waters of colossal Lake Minnetonka or shopping at one of the 140 retail stores at Ridgedale Center, it’s no wonder why an increasing number of Minnesotans have chosen Minnetonka as their place to call home.
Besides serving as an entry point to the massive Lake Minnetonka, Gray’s Bay, the only part of Lake Minnetonka within the City of Minnetonka, is also the source of the Minnehaha Creek. The site is also a shoreline restoration are where invasive plants have been removed and replaced with boulders, logs and native flora to act as a natural filter to help preserve wildlife and water quality. This entry point is a great destination for those with canoes looking to get away from any motors, acting almost like a metro-area boundary waters for anyone feeling up to a winding and scenic 22 mile trek to Minnehaha Falls.

10210181584_5dd11dc8d6_cThose looking to keep their feet on land will find plenty of beautiful scenery as well. A drive or walk along the coast of Gray’s Bay acts as a tour of some of the most stunning homes in the metro area. With residential property on the lake at such a commodity, buyers are more than willing to shell out some extra money to be in such a prime location on one of Minnesota’s most famous lakes. Not that the homes themselves need any more reason to be on the pricier end. With many of the lake homes valued at over three million dollars, the opportunity to find luxury real estate is there for those diligent enough to snag one of these gorgeous homes.

10210391665_0b24865964_cA local favorite, the Gold Nugget Tavern and Grille, offers an interesting blend of a down-home bar and fine dining. The food is all made from scratch and presented with as much care as you’d see at an expensive fine restaurant. The history of the Gold Nugget is also very telling of how valued it is in the community. It was only reopened after some convincing by the neighborhood after the owner died. After a change in location and an upgrade to what the waitress says was considered “a dive,” the Gold Nugget continues to live on, offer great food and serve as the only bar in the Glen Lake neighborhood.
A great resource for residents is the Minnetonka Script, a newsletter that offers a wide variety of programs and services for those over the age of 55. From a wine making class to practicing Tai Chi to extended trips to Chicago and New York for the holidays, there’s no shortage for those looking to learn something new or plan a fun outing with friends.

10210402883_c784e4b779_cMinnetonka’s 49 community parks and 81 miles of sidewalks and trails also offer plenty of running room for residents. Among the most unique of these parks in Bennett Family Park which offers eight baseball diamonds of varying sizes and holds league games for baseball players of all ages.
With the majority of Minnetonka’s land being used for residential housing, there is certainly no shortage of homes to choose from. Whether you’re in the market for a starter home with close proximity to parks and trails or a fortress of luxury on the lake, Minnetonka’s spectrum could be considered for just about any type of buyer.

Neighborhood Resources


Minnetonka Schools

Faith Communities

 Hopkins School District  Adath Jesherun Congregation
 Minnetonka School District  All Saints Lutheran Church
 Wayzata School District  Bet Shalom Congregation
 International Spanish Language Academy (ISLA)  Bethlehem Lutheran Church
 Immaculate Heart of Mary  Cross of Glory Baptist Church
  Minnetonka Christian Academy  Fairview Evangelical Lutheran Church
 Sleepy Tigers Chinese Learning Center  Faith Presbyterian Church
 Good Shepherd Presbyterian
 Immaculate Heart of Mary
 Jehovah’s Witnesses
 Lutheran Community of Grace
 The Mills Church
 Minnetonka Lutheran Church
 Minnetonka Seventh Day Adventist Church
 Minnetonka United Methodist Church
 Oak Knoll Lutheran Church
 Old Apostolic Lutheran Church
 Redeemer Bible Church
 Ridgewood Church
 Sharei Chesed Congregation
 Slavic Baptist Church of Transfiguration
 St. David’s Episcopal Parish
 St. Luke Presbyterian Church
 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
 West Oaks Community Church

Public Parks

Local Restaurants

 Big Willow  Bacio
 Civic Center  Pairings Food & Wine Market
 Lone Lake  Gold Nugget Tavern & Grille
 Meadow  Spasso
 Purgatory  Redstone American Grill
 Crane Preserve  Christos Greek Restaurant
 Hilloway  The Marsh
 Jidana  Ham’s Sandwich Shop
 Kinsel  Living Waters Market & Cafe
 Lake Charlotte
 Lake Rose
 Victoria-Evergreen