Located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. The state is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," and those lakes and the other waters for which the state is named, together with state and national forests and parks, offer residents and tourists a vigorous outdoor lifestyle. Nearly 60% of Minnesota's residents live in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It ranks among the healthiest states by a number of measures, and has one of the most highly educated and literate populations.