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Located on the banks of Lake Superior and at the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi river, Minnesota has earned the nickname “Land of 10,000 Lakes” for good reason. In fact, there are 11,842 lakes in the state that cover a total of over 2.6 million acres. Minnesota is truly a nature lover’s paradise, filled with lakes, rivers, wide open prairies, and dense pine forests. Many locals enjoy fishing and hunting during the summer and snowmobiling and ice fishing in the winter. The state has a large Scandinavian influence, and Minnesotans are often known for being “Minnesota Nice” – the locals tend to be hospitable and friendly, and enjoy sharing each other's company over a home-cooked meal. Whether you’re a fan of relaxing in nature and enjoying outdoor recreation, or you’d prefer spending time in a major city like Minneapolis, Minnesota has something to offer everyone.
Let A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Advisors help you find the best retirement homes Minnesota has to offer. Currently, A Place for Mom partners with more than 290 independent living communities in Minnesota. The median monthly cost of independent living in Minnesota is about $2,050.
Each state regulates senior living communities differently. Because independent living is often provided by assisted living communities, states may regulate independent living within their guidelines for assisted living. You can use APFM’s guide to assisted living regulations to learn more about access to facility records in Minnesota.
In Minnesota, independent living communities — also known simply as retirement communities — are geared towards seniors who are able to live on their own, without daily assistance, and prefer to live among people their age. This usually means residents are self-sufficient and do not require hands-on care. Think of independent living communities as age-restricted (typically 55+) complexes, which provide organized activities, meal services, and transportation.
Overall, the cost of living in Minnesota is considered to be slightly less affordable than the national average. This is because the state has a relatively high grocery cost index due to much of the population living in rural areas. The region’s primary industry is agriculture, with the state producing large amounts of corn, soybeans, and dairy products. Minnesota used to be the largest producer of iron ore in the United States, however many of the mines located in the Iron Range have closed, and the state has switched much of its focus to clean and renewable energy production such as hydroelectric power and biofuels. Minnesota has a very large retail industry and is home to several major corporations as well as one of the largest shopping malls in the world, the Mall of America. The following index scores are based on a scale with the national average set at 100.
About 15% of Minnesota’s population are seniors. In the 2016 presidential election, Minnesota leaned slightly liberal. The more left-leaning parts of the state are located in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, known locally as the Twin Cities. The rest of the state is quite rural and tends to vote conservative.
Minnesota is classified as having a continental type of climate. The state experiences the widest temperature fluctuations in the continental United States, with the summer temperatures reaching above 100 F, and winter temperatures dropping as low as -25 F before wind chill is even calculated. Minnesota also receives high volumes of snow and rainfall, and the state experiences thunderstorms and tornadoes, especially during the summer. Minnesota has one of the largest concentrations of freshwater in the United States, and is known for having over 10,000 lakes, including Lake Superior – the largest freshwater lake in the country by surface area. The headwaters of the Mississippi river are also located in northern Minnesota and run all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
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