I have been jumping through bureaucratic hoops for the past week trying to get a copy of my birth certificate (don’t get me started on that hornet’s nest of incompetence.) During my search, it dawned on me that because I lived in Red Wing, Minnesota for less than a year after my birth, I didn’t really know anything about where I was born. Lets start off with a photo.

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redwinglogo23.jpgWhat a gorgeous city! At least when it isn’t covered in snow… but then I imagine it has another beauty altogether. Red Wing is home of the world famous Red Wing Shoes – more famous now for their rugged line of boots.

The article on Wikipedia is an excellent resource that gives a bunch of census data and interesting facts. It is the county seat of Goodhue County – what a great name for a county. Looking at the picture, it appears to be the perfect small town (16,610 pop.) I love the cliffs and bluffs overlooking the city and of course all the trees. If it wasn’t for the 60ft snowdrifts and 6 months of winter, I just might be tempted to pack everything up and move.

For now, I will just be content to continue learning about my childhood home in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” – Minnesota.

The state is known for its moderate-to-progressive politics and social policies and its civic involvement and voter turnout. It ranks among the healthiest states by a number of measures, with the fifth highest median household income and has one of the most highly-educated and literate populations.

No wonder when I moved to Texas, it took me three years of schooling before I learned something new. No offense to Texas, it is full of some of the greatest people on the planet, it was lagging quite far behind in education back then and has improved much since that time.