Is it Minnesota or Minneapolis?

[question everything]

I have heard about how people from out of state use the term Minnesota when they mean Minneapolis.

This morning I was listening to someone reporting from shivering Atlanta and he said something: a real story about the cold engulfing the whole country really should come from Atlanta, not Minnesota. And I blurted back: hey, why are you comparing cities and states?

Oh well.. Too many vowels, I suppose.

[trotsky]

1. In college I attended a seminar on the East Coast...

where many students from around the country had gathered. We were sitting around introducing ourselves, saying where we were from, etc. When it came to me I said "I'm from Minnesota" knowing that the chances were slim anyone would be familiar with cities in it.

A guy from California said, "What state is that in?"

We can't win.

[question everything]

6. Did he end up consulting Palin? (nt)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Probably because for some people the whole area is a wasteland

of frozen lakes and forests full of wolves and bears, and Minneapolis is the only city in the entire state that they've ever heard of.

[question everything]

7. Last year, after we saw the movie "Nebraska"

in black and white, showing the empty bleak land dotted with bales of hay, I could see people from both coasts thanking their luck that they do not live in the "flyover" states.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. Except that Minnesota isn't much like Nebraska at all.

We have wolves and bears. Nebraska only has coyotes.

[Brickbat]

3. Honestly, I wonder if some of it has to do with the names of our pro sports teams.

They're all "Minnesota." Most other teams are identified by city, with some exceptions (Utah Jazz, California Angels).

[question everything]

9. And then they are called the Los Angeles Lakers

I wonder whether anyone ever questions the source of this name.

And least when the "Senators" moved to town, they changed the name to Twins.

(and that sums my knowledge of pro sports..)

[geardaddy]

4. I went to college in Upstate NY with a lot of east coasters

When when woman from Connecticut asked where I was from, I said, "Minneapolis" and she said, "Yeah, but where?" I repeated, "in Minneapolis" and she huffed "Minneapolis, Minneapolis?"

Then I told her, "Uhm, no. Minneapolis, Minnesota"

[geardaddy]

5. There's also the countless people who call it "Minnieanapolis"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. When I was a student at Cornell University, I met a guy who asked me to lunch

He was from New York City, and he asked me in all seriousness if Minnesota had a seacoast.

Oh, and when the Republicanites sullied our fair state with their convention a couple of years back, I kept seeing East Coast media sources refer to the convention as taking place in Minneapolis. Even the New York Times made this mistake.

[glinda]

11. When I lived and worked in NYC, someone asked me where I was from and

I said "Minnesota". "Oh, I think I've heard of it" was his response. Bwahahahaaaaa!

[the_sly_pig]

12. Let's remain under the radar.

Cold weather keeps the nuts away.

[mndemsocialist]

13. A question about the question

I know that I am a little late to this discussion, but I am not sure about the significance and meaning of this question.

I am relatively new to MN, so maybe there is something in this question and the responses of which I am not aware. Please enlighten me.

[question everything]

14. People travel. They meet with others. Everyone is saying where s/he is from

I am from Chicago. I am from Tulsa. I am from Kansas City. I am from Sacramento.

And too often, people from Minneapolis will say: I am from Minnesota. Seems that Minnesota and Minneapolis are interchangeable. Which, of course, they are not. Just as Des Moines and Iowa are not (though many think they are

One reason may be that both start with similar letters and pronunciation. And look for another story that I am going to post soon.

Thus, when a weatherman compared Atlanta to Minnesota - I "told" him to keep his cities and states separate. Either compare to Atlanta to Minneapolis, or to St. Paul, or compare Georgia to Minnesota.

And this brought memories from others about the ignorance of non-Minnesotans. I just read a comment that former LA Senator Mary Landrieu thought Minnesota might have a long border with the Bahamas. If true, this alone should be a good reason for her to lose..