Quality of life is one of those intangible attributes that all states and communities like to brag about. But Minnesota seems to have more bragging rights than most. In Minnesota, you can experience urban life and the great outdoors - at virtually the same time. When it comes to health or saving money or owning a house, Minnesota ranks among the best. One survey even put the Twin Cities among the top places in the country to have fun. And we’re among the cleanest, we vote more than other people and we’re highly educated. Here’s a sampling of what makes the state a special place to live:

Minneapolis / St. Paul

• Minneapolis was the most literate city in the country in 2007 and St. Paul was the third most literate, according to a study by Central Connecticut State University. The study focused on six key indicators of literacy: newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment and Internet resources.
• Out of 50 cities, Minneapolis-St. Paul ranks seventh nationwide for “fun,” according to Bizjournal.com. The Twin Cities ranked particularly high in gambling, “high-impact” spectator sports and shopping.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul has the sixth-highest quality of life among large metropolitan areas in the country, according to a 2007 study by Expansion Management magazine. Rankings included factors such as affordable housing, good public schools, traffic and commuting, and low crime rates.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul has some of the smartest people nationwide (second), according to a poll by Travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News. The Twin Cities also rank high in public parks and spaces (second), theaters (second) and friendly people (third).
• Minneapolis is the most affordable place to live well, according to 2007 rankings by Forbes. Minneapolis ranks the highest due to large corporations (Target and Cargill) donating large sums of money to the city’s schools, cultural and health services. Furthermore, housing and cost of living are both affordable and below national averages.
• Because of its extensive use of bike lanes, light rail and bus system, Minneapolis-St. Paul was named in 2007 the second cleanest city in U.S. and the fifth in the world by Forbes.
• Minneapolis has more parkland per person (770 square feet per resident) than any other major U.S. city. Every neighborhood has a park, which ensures that no Minneapolis resident is more than a few blocks from the benefits of open space.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the five best cities nationwide for families with children, according to a 2007 report by Kiplinger magazine. The Twin Cities ranks high due to excellent day care, healthy and well-educated residents, great hospitals and a high regarded public schools and wealth of colleges and universities.
• Due to its vibrant cultural institutions, Minneapolis was named one of the “Top Five International Hot Spots” for 2006 by Travel and Leisure. Of particular interest are the new blue Guthrie Theater on the Mississippi River Front, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Children’s Theater Company and the newly expanded Walker Art Center.

Minnesota

• Minnesota consistently leads the nation in voter participation, according to a study by the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. In the last presidential election in 2004, 77 percent of the eligible voters in the state turned out, compared with 60 percent in the nation as a whole. In the 2006 midterm elections, Minnesota again led the nation with 59.6 percent participation.
• Minnesota’s population is the second healthiest nationwide, according to a 2007 report by UnitedHealth Group. Rankings are based on 19 indicators, such as occupational fatalities, children in poverty and lack of insurance. The state ranked particularly high due to low numbers of poor mental health days (first), cardiovascular deaths (first) and infant mortality (second).
• Minnesotans are among the top savers for retirement, ranking third nationwide in the 2007 “Nest Egg Index” by A.G. Edwards. Rankings considered states with strong housing markets and a propensity to save and invest, especially through 401(k) plans, pension plans and other retirement vehicles.
• Three Minnesota companies are among the best in the country for working mothers, according to Working Mother magazine’s “2007 100 Best Companies” list. Carlson Cos., RSM McGladrey Inc. and General Mills offer great advantages to working mothers such as flexible schedules, on-site day care and flex vacations. Furthermore, General Mills ranked fourth nationwide.
• Minnesota ranked second in the 2007 most livable state ratings. According to Morgan Quitno Press, some of the factors that have made Minnesota one of the most livable states in the last 12 years are its healthy and well-educated population, low poverty and unemployment rates.
• Minnesota ranked fifth nationally in 2006 in home ownership, with 75.6 percent of the households in the state being owner-occupied, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• With a per capita income of $ $38,751, Minnesota ranked first among the Midwest states and 13th among all states in 2006, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Per capita income in the state exceeded the national average by about 6 percent.
• The 2006 Kids Count Data Book ranked Minnesota fourth nationwide in child-well being based on 10 measures such as infant mortality, low birth weight babies and children in poverty.
• Minnesota is among the 20 safest states, according to Morgan Quitno Press 2007 Awards. Rankings are based on six crime categories — murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.
• Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and boasts over 90,000 miles of shoreline - more than California, Florida and Hawaii combined.
• Minnesota offers a variety of recreation opportunities for its residents, including broad access to free, outdoor activities such as walking paths and public access to beaches and waterways. With more than 700 miles of asphalt-paved bikeways - more than in any other state - Minnesota’s secluded, scenic trails are a cyclist’s dream.
• Minnesota offers thousands of miles of hiking trails in 66 state parks and along Lake Superior’s North Shore through varied scenery. Minnesota also ranks 11th in the U.S. in the number of golf courses.

Greater Minnesota

• Duluth was considered one of the best towns to play outdoors in 2007 by Outdoors magazine. Advertised as a city with “gentrified Nordic funk,” Duluth was noted for its ski-jumps, cross-country skiing, hiking trails, biking paths and, believe it nor not, surfing.
• The towns of Lanesboro and Grand Marais in Greater Minnesota were both among The 100 Best Art Towns in America (4th edition, 2005), a guide to galleries, museums, festivals, lodging and dining.
• The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is a unique area located in northeastern Minnesota. Approximately 1.3 million acres in size, it extends nearly 150 miles along the International Boundary adjacent to Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park and bordered on the west by Voyageurs National Park. The BWCAW contains over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 15 hiking trails and approximately 2,000 designated campsites.