Minnesota Nice

I've heard the term Minnesota Nice all of my life, but after an all-too-brief visit to the homeland (I was born and raised there) I now know what it means. This is not a slogan. It's not some PR guy's idea for an advertising campaign. It's not a joke. It's just the plain truth – Minnesotans are really nice people. They're not out to sell you something. They aren't setting you up for some sort of scam.

They're friendly, they're eager to help, they're actually interested in other people and really want to know where they're from and how they're doing, and where they're going and where they've been. They'll go out of their way to show you directions when you can't find your way. They'll stop and jump out of their cars to help you when your #%$%! vehicle breaks down on a country road. They'll feed you and shelter you if you need it. And they will never ask for a dime in return.

These people are honest and they're hard workers, but they enjoy a slower, more relaxed lifestyle. When they do some work for you they won't charge you an arm and a leg. All they really expect is the same in return – what goes around comes around. And when some farmer driving down a country road waves at you it wasn’t a case of mistaken identity. These people consider everybody a friend and the Minnesota Wave is a common greeting. Wave back, or they’ll be sure to know you’re from out of town…….

The costs of living are different in rural Minnesota than in the cities – many things are cheaper, some are more expensive. The needs are different and these people have a different perspective. They generally understand what life is really about and they recognize what’s going on in America today. They place great importance in people, especially their friends, neighbors and family. They place great emphasis on education – Minnesota has recently risen from somewhere in the middle of the 50 states economically to the top ten and they credit their education system for this improvement.

Minnesotans are “nice” people and they make very pleasant company. They’re still the way most of America was until the last generation or so turned so selfish and greedy. They are traditional Americans. It’s really too bad that so much of the rest of America seems to have lost track of our roots. If you really would like to get away from it all, rest and relax with a little respite from the daily grind, I highly recommend a trip to Minnesota. It’s quite the deal!