How did Minneapolis end up with a street named after a Persian king?
In the late 1800s, the population of Minneapolis was booming and city engineers sought to create alphabetical and numerical street grids that could be reliably navigated.
Should you let your car run in the cold before driving it?
A reader wonders if it's really important to let your car warm up before driving in the cold. Also: Does it matter exactly how cold it is?
Were grizzly bears ever indigenous to Minnesota?
Long before grizzlies were driven into the mountains, they thrived in the plains, with their brown fur blending in almost perfectly with tall prairie grasses,
Did Ford make millions of windows from sand mined beneath its plant?
Henry Ford chose the St. Paul site carefully. Minnesota was a central location, and the plant was sitting on a mine — not of gold, but of pure, white silica sand.
Listen: How is Mississippi River water made safe to drink?
We visited Minneapolis' drinking water treatment facility to understand the complex process that makes river water safe to drink.
Ask a question now: What are you curious about, Minnesota?
Help us answer questions that matter to you.
How are courts in Minnesota coping with the pandemic?
There were only five state jury trials in December, with COVID-19 protocols in place, but plenty of court hearings are happening, mostly remotely.
Curious Minnesota
Why doesn't Minnesota charge a sales tax on clothing?
Minnesota is one of just a handful of states that does not charge sales tax on clothing — a bit of tax policy that's so well known that it attracts tourists.
Curious Minnesota
Why was I-94 built through St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood?
The highway connected Minneapolis and St. Paul, but its construction tore a hole through a thriving, historic Black neighborhood.
- When's the last time a Minn. Republican won a majority statewide? • Curious Minnesota
- Why does Minneapolis keep planting trees under power lines? • Curious Minnesota
- Listen: Will Minnesota join push toward a national popular vote? • Curious Minnesota
- Why are car tabs more expensive in Minnesota? • Curious Minnesota
- Why is Minnesota the only mainland state with an abundance of wolves? • Curious Minnesota
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