Minnesota's neighbor Michigan may be known as the home of one of the world's most important inventions in the history of mankind (the automobile, of course), but that doesn't mean that Minnesota is bereft of interesting inventions of notable and worthwhile contributions to this American life. For instance, among the notable things invented in Minnesota are Masking and Scotch tape, Wheaties brand breakfast cereal, HMOs, the bundt cake pan, Green Giant vegetables and Bisquick (because there are few things better than hot, fresh pancakes and biscuits). In 1919, the nation's first armored car came off the line in a Minneapolis factory, while Hibbing was where the American bus industry first came into being.
Minneapolis is also the home of a truly unique bit of city and social planning. The city's famed Skyway system connects 52 blocks (nearly 5 miles) of downtown, thus making it possible to live, eat, work and even shop without ever having to go outside. That's probably a great thing during the winter months where the weather can get truly frightful.
Of course, if you do go outside there are nearly 5 million registered vehicles to get you from point A to point B. Minnesota drivers do a lot of point A to point B driving as they log an average of 17,449 miles every year. Dealerships with cars for sale are great at enabling Minnesotans' driving habits. There are 1,563 dealerships across the state that help generate nearly $8 billion in new car sales and more than 103,000 auto industry jobs.
Just be sure, when you're driving around Minneapolis and looking for a place to park, that you don't double park in a lot somewhere. That's against the law. (And could literally result in you being put into a chain gang.)
