As a lifelong Minnesotan, there are a lot of things I am proud of my home state for. Being a trendsetter isn't one of the things that comes to mind.

In many ways, I think of Minnesota like my parents would advise me on my wardrobe choices during the winter season. Practical, functional, and ready for the weather...just not exactly trendy.

I guess this is proof my perspective might be a little off, because another state just jumped on this growing trend Minnesota is now known for.

What is Minnesota setting a trend in?

Major Snowstorm Pummels Minneapolis/St Paul Area
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Back in the winter of 2020-2021, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced a quirky, novel idea - asking the public to suggest and vote for names for new plow trucks.

Now, I am not 100% MNDOT was the first government entity to ever do this. I've dug around on the internet, and the best I can find is a number of states that appear to have started doing it in the years since.

READ MORE: MNDOT announces 2025 ‘Name a Snow Plow’ finalists

Connecticut is the latest state to jump on this plow naming bandwagon, not only borrowing the concept (that I'll argue originated in Minnesota until someone proves me wrong), but also a number of names Minnesotans have given plows.

Five of the 12 plows CT DOT named this year are names also used in Minnesota since the inception of this contest idea:

Ctrl-Salt-Delete (2021-2022)

Sleetwood Mac (2022-2023)

Blizzard of Oz (2021-2022)

Han Snowlo (2022-2023)

Taylor Drift (2023-2024)

I will give them credit for a couple of clever ones we haven't used, like 2 Fast 2 Flurryous, SNOWtorious BIG, Flurryous George, and Melton John.

What states besides Minnesota have a snow plow naming contest?

Blizzard Conditions, And Snow Of Up To 12 Feet Expected In California's Sierra Nevada
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In my casual research to see whether or not Minnesota might have been the first state to do this on a statewide level, I discovered that a sizable number of other states have jumped on the bandwagon.

States include the newest addition Connecticut, along with North Dakota, Vermont, Alaska, Idaho, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Arizona.

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While states like Wisconsin haven't done it at a statewide level, Cities like Madison or other lower-level governments around the country have jumped on the bandwagon too.

Even in Minnesota, the name a snow plow contest has trickled down. An example includes Duluth's contest, which it held for the first time in 2024.

Snowiest Cities & Towns In Minnesota

What Minnesota cities get the most snow each winter? Here are the 20 snowiest Minnesota towns according to data from NOAA spanning from 1991-2020.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper

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