As a non-native Minnesotan, I will say I encountered A LOT of surprises upon my move to Minneapolis.  Any new Minnesotan will quickly learn we have loads of lakes and accents that may occasionally seem funny to outsiders, but there are definitely some lesser know things about Minnesota.

As a Californian, I will admit, I thought Minnesota was a butter-filled arctic wasteland. But I did my research, and was pleasantly surprised enough to pack up my car and drive all the way to the land of 10,000 lakes. Here are the 20 things that may surprised you the most when moving to Minnesota”

1. I had no idea until I moved here that Minneapolis is America's 3rd most literate city.
Flickr/faungg's photos
And I totally get it now. It's awesome!
2. It is actually not the snow or ice that makes winter hard, but the cold. It's the wind chill and below freezing temperature that will cause the most grief.
Flickr/Sharon Mollerus
But...you can stay inside all winter if you really want to with all these skyways.
3. People actually leave their car running in parking lots.
Flickr/Greg Gjerdingen
I'm still too paranoid to ever do that but I see it all the time in the winter.
4. The suburbs are full of fortune 500s. I knew there were a few but I never quite knew the extent of Minnesota's business prowess.
Flickr/Michael R. Johnson
Heads up Cali, your tech start-ups would be nothing without these guys.
5. Theater is huge in Minnesota!
Flickr/Tony Webster
Minneapolis has the second highest rate of theater seats per capita, yet most people have no clue.
6. And Minnesota is actually an extremely healthy state!
Flickr/Martin Cathrae
People here are FIT and vegetarians and vegans are much more common than I thought for the midwest.
7. Despite the fact that hotdish is a real thing. I didn't even know that was a word until I moved here.
Flickr/Keith Ellison
8. Super Target is pretty much everywhere.
Flickr/Mike Mozart
I grew up in a land of no super Targets, and the fact that people do their normal grocery shopping here continues to perplex me.
9. Caribou is the coffee of choice here. It's much easier to find than Starbucks.
Flickr/m01229
A world without a Starbucks on every corner... when I first moved I was so confused I drove from downtown to Wayzata to go to Starbucks. Then I tried Caribou and converted.
10. Minnesotans are connoisseurs of a lot of things. Among them, apples.
Flickr/Alice Henneman
I had no idea that Minnesotans loved apples so much. I can't wait to get my hands on some this fall.

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11. Ice Cream. Minnesotans are also serious about craft ice cream.
Flickr/nullrend
Why wouldn't you be?
12. And of course, beer. The sign is old but the shoe still fits.
Flickr/Minnesota Historical Society
Craft beer is on a completely different level here.
13. Jucy Lucy... Juicy Lucy? Who cares how it's spelled or who made it, I thought cheese on the inside of a burger was a Pinterest invention until I moved here.
Flickr/Kim
Doesn't matter the who, when, or where. These are DELICIOUS.
14. Meat Raffles are a regular occurrence. Another thing non-native Minnesotans have probably never heard of.
Flickr/Eugene Kim
It's the best excuse I've ever found to hang out at a bar.
15. The Twin Cities have some of the best parks in the nation. And the outlying areas are just as good.
Flickr/Mr. Moment
Everywhere you go is another beautiful park here and it's fantastic!
16. Golf is huge here.
Flickr/Krzysztof Urbanowicz
Minneapolis has the most golfers per capita.
17. And so is biking.
Flickr/Gail Simpson
Minneapolis is extremely bike friendly which is probably part of the reason it's a midwest hipster paradise.
18. Jokes aside, it really is hipster heaven.
MemeGenerator
Craft everything, booming art and theater...move over Seattle and Berkeley because this is the original hipster home.
19. There are so many festivals! You will never have a free weekend.
Flickr/H. Michael Miley
Check out the article on unique festivals! It's just the tip of the iceberg. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/minnesota/unique-festivals-mn/
20. There are a lot of these.
Flickr/frankieleon
Another great way to avoid leaving the car in winter.

So, for all the native Minnesotans, remember you have a lot to be proud of. This is a beautiful and wonderful state and it doesn’t get nearly enough credit!

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