Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes—and, as you’d expect, a Minnesota retirement offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation. Minnesotans are very physically active, and among the healthiest of all 50 states—so active retirees, especially those who love to fish, will feel right at home in Minnesota.
If you choose retirement living in Minnesota, you’ll have access to 72 state parks, over 20,000 miles of snowmobile trails statewide, and more miles of bike trails than you’ll find in any other state. But many of the outdoor activities popular in Minnesota involve water. There’s boating, waterskiing—which was invented in Minnesota, incidentally—canoeing, and fishing. A large number of residents own cabins on one of the state’s many lakes, and over 36% of the population fishes both in the warmer and colder months.
Minnesota is famous for its harsh winters—temperatures can get as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit—but Minnesotans have learned to make the most of their winters. Ice fishing, skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling are all popular activities in the winter months.
Most of Minnesota’s residents—nearly 60%–live in the Twin Cities area, in or near the cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul. St. Paul and Minneapolis assisted living communities are located in the state’s main centers of culture, business, transportation, and health care.
The Twin Cities offers several major fine art museums, including the Walker Art Center, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. For music lovers, there’s the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, with full-time professional musicians. There are several prominent theatres, including the Guthrie Theatre, and attendance is high. The number of theatre seats per capita in the Twin Cities ranks behind only New York City.
Minneapolis assisted living communities have access to plenty of large-scale events in the Twin Cities area, including the Minnesota State Fair, attracting over 1.8 million visitors annually in a state of 5.2 million people. The fair features a wide range of attractions including agricultural, fine arts, sciences, music, and more. Other attractions include the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, the Minneapolis Aquatennial, and the Mill City Music Festival.
The people of Minnesota are known for their good health. Minnesotans are outdoorsy—and the state is ranked first in the nation for its percentage of inhabitants who exercise regularly. Health care is top-notch in Minnesota, which is home to two health care facilities with outstanding reputations: the University of Minnesota Medical School and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. At the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, both institutions conduct advanced research into cancer, heart ailments, Alzheimer’s disease, and other health issues that affect retirees.
Costs of living in Minnesota are generally low, but taxes are fairly high. In 2008, Minnesota held the rank of 12th out of 50 states in the nation for total per capita state and local taxes. There is no sales tax on prescription drug medications, however. Your Social Security income will be taxed at the state level in Minnesota at the same level as on your federal return. Private and military pensions are taxed, but residents aged 65 or older can subtract some income if their income is under a certain limit.
Minnesota senior housing has a lot to offer—including access to close-knit communities of people who love the outdoors, stay active and healthy, and are dedicated to environmental issues. There are plenty of Minnesota retirement communities out there in the Twin Cities area as well as more rural townships—check out our listings to find your ideal Minnesota retirement community today.
