Minnesotans, We Need To Talk About Something We Make Fun Of Other States About

I recently spent some time hiking and camping on the Minnesota North Shore. During my hikes, climbing a few hundred feet in elevation to get to some spectacular views, I got to thinking.

While it is nothing even remotely like the truly mountainous states, I appreciate the "mountains" (or so they're called) along the North Shore and the bluffs and tall hills of Southeastern Minnesota as part of the diverse landscape we have here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

So I got to wondering, how does Minnesota compare to other states when it comes to how flat the state is? I mean, many Minnesotans make jokes about the "flat and boring" sweeping field-like landscape of many of our neighboring states.

While we don't compare to the elevation changes you'd see in true mountain states, we have to be better off than places like Iowa when it comes to not being just a flatland, right?

Right?

Well...

When you see the stark difference you see along Minnesota's North Shore between the lowest elevation in the state whole state (the Lake Superior shoreline at 602 feet) and the tops of the Sawtooth Mountains reaching over 1,500 feet in many places, it can feel like Minnesota has some elevation variability.

About 15 miles away from the state's lowest elevation is Minnesota's highest elevation, Eagle Mountain, standing at 2,301 feet. That's almost 1,700 feet in elevation difference in a small area.

READ MORE: Did You Know Minnesota Has Native Cactus Species Growing Wild In The State?

The thing is, once you get away from that sharp rise along the North Shore, it turns out Minnesota is a pretty flat state. Yes, there are hills and valleys, but those variations are pretty small when you compare them to other states.

As it turns out, Minnesota is actually the fifth-flattest state in the whole country, not far behind Louisana (#4), North Dakota (#3), Illinois (#2), and Florida, the flattest state in the country.

Yep, that means that Iowa is less flat than Minnesota. Considerably so, actually. Iowa is actually the 18th flattest state, being hillier than places like South Dakota, Michigan, and even Kansas (#7).

I'll admit, I feel kind of shook after finding this out. I would have never guessed Minnesota to be so flat! Sure, we have the North Shore, the Iron Range, and places like the Smoky Hills near Park Rapids, but the hills apparently aren't all that big here. Even when compared to places like Iowa.

Researchers say 47% of the state is considered flat, which isn't far from the flattest state of Florida with 52% of the state being considered flat.

You know what I blame? I mean, if there's "blame" to be cast...our trademark feature.

All of those lakes are flat, right? I know we have a lot more land than we do water, but those 10,000+ lakes (and the geological forces that left them behind) are what make up the state's geography.

Get our free mobile app

So while we might be flatter than Iowa, we have way more lakes than you. Oh, and trees. Those too.