Did you know that you live in the second happiest state in the entire U.S.? A recent study done by the finance website, WalletHub, ranked Minnesota #2 in their analysis of the happiest states in our union.

WalletHub compiled a list of factors that went into determinng the happiest states in our country. They considered job security, work environment, recreational activities, physical health, emotional well-being and much more. I'm not completely sure how they graded some of these factors, but you can always check out their site and read about the study for yourself.

Minnesota was topped only by Utah, which ranked the highest in both work environment and recreational activities. With the outdoor recreation that Utah has, and the mountains, it's not difficult to understand why they got top marks. Our "rival" state across the St. Croix River, Wisconsin, ranked #18 of the "happiest" states.

In terms of qualatative studies that rank the individual states in the U.S., Minnesota has fared very well lately. Money Magazine ranks the best cities to live in the U.S. each year, and Minnesota consistenly has cities in the top ten. Forbes recently named Minnesota in the top ten of bussiness climates for each state, and now WalletHub is saying our state is very happy.

Not bad to hear if you're a Minnesotan. This is a great place to call home.

Photo courtesy of: Matthew Deery

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The St. Paul Pioneer Press just sold off their downtown headquarters. The 162,000 square foot, 1950s era property was sold to an apartment developer, the Stencil Group, based out of Sioux Falls. They wil move their operation to the River Park Plaza across the Mississippi River. The sum was undisclosed, though reports say the sale was not far off the asking price was $4.2 million.

The property will be refurbished into around 150 and 168 marketable apartments. The apartments will not be upscale or for only the wealthiest Twin City residents; the complex will be well-built, have nice interior designs and be moderately priced.

The newspaper industry has undergone many changes in recent years as the paper information industry continues to wane. In 2013, Pioneer Press closed down their St. Paul printing plant in favor of having their rival, the Star Tribune, print their papers. The Minneapolis plant now prints both papers.

St. Paul just lost an icon in their city's newspaper's headquarters.

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In recent months, gas prices have been plummeting much to the delight of Minnesota drivers everywhere. But have you ever been filling up at the pump and wondered if you are getting the best deal? There are few things that annoy me more than filling up and driving down the road and seeing a gas station selling gas for three cents cheaper. Well, now those days of "living in the dark" are over -- GasBuddy.com has created an interactive map that has all the best gas prices in the Twin Cities which will allow consumers to get the best deals at the pump every time. 

The map is even spans across the country so you can check out what gas prices are like in other states. Checking out the coasts, the map will make you happy to be a Minnesotan (the coasts are well over $2.50 a gallon). 

So any time you are complaining about freezing your butt off filling up, at least you are getting a great deal at the pump. 

Check out the interactive map below. 

Twin Cities Gas Prices provided by GasBuddy.com

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Ice Fishing is a long-practiced and well-loved recreational activity in Minnesota -- though the sport is often very safe, every now and then you hear stories about fishermen breaking through thin ice into the freezing water. 

This story has the nightmare of two fishermen falling through the ice, but also the heroics of two teens who saved their lives. Two Minnesota youth, Alex Stark and Cody Clements, both 16, saved the lives of Paul Monahan and Bruce Halvorson after the pair fell through the ice on Long Lake. 

After hearing their cries for help, Stark and Clements raced to the spot of crisis and used a shovel and rope to help pull the struggling (and freezing no doubt) fishermen to safety. 

On Tuesday, the two teens were presented with citizens' awards for bravery by James Van Elyll, the Long Lake Fire Chief. He commended the teens for their actions, stating how the sitiuation could have ended tragically if not for their efforts. 

Photo courtesy of: Petritap 

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Several Twin Cities suburbs made Money Magazine’s 2013 list of the best small towns to live in. Apple Valley MN, Chanhassen MN and Savage MN were ranked in the top 50 of the most highly rated communities national.

Chanhassen jumped from 10th place in 2011 to fourth this year. Apple Valley ended up at 17 and Savage jumped to 21, all the way from 51st in 2011.

Money Magazine’s list covers cities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000. It takes into account of such ­factors as local incomes, crime rates and schools, as well as amenities such as Savage’s new sports dome and walkable downtown.

Topping the “Best Places to Live” list was Sharon, Mass. Now for the information you’ve been waiting for!

Chanhassen, MN

Top 50 rank: 4
Population: 23,685

Chanhassen was affected by Minnesota's woes during the downturn, but the town is bouncing back and taking fresh steps to improve. The area school district recently provided $700,000 in grants for classroom tech projects and is now rolling out Wi-Fi on all school buses. The town also beefed up commuter options.
The housing market, which took a big hit, is surging back. Jobs have remained strong, and nearby Minneapolis offers big-name employers like Target and the Mayo Clinic.

One perk of Twin Cities-area living is access to the great outdoors. Chanhassen MN's highlights include 34 parks, 90 miles of trails, and the 1,137-acre Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. When below-zero wind chills set in, there's February Festival with ice-fishing contests, sledding, and cookouts.

Apple Valley, MN

Top 50 rank: 17
Population: 49,863

If you don't mind cold winters, there's plenty to recommend this family-friendly Twin Cities suburb. There's a wide range of affordable ...

There’s a new story on the local Minnesota beer front and it isn’t the Surly Brewery going up in Minneapolis. Flat Earth Brewing Co., part of the Twin Cities’ growing craft beer economy, plans to expand into several abandoned buildings at the old Hamm’s Brewery in the East Side neighborhood of St. Paul.

The microbrewer has won initial approval from the city for a $375,000 loan to spur the move from its current quarters on Benson Avenue. If and when the City Council approves the loan, Flat Earth will move its brewing operation into Building 8, which is the former Hamm’s keg-washing operation. Flat Earth is also looking at Buildings 7 and 9 for future use as a public tap/tasting room and maybe a beer garden.

The St. Paul-based microbrewer wants to increase production and expand its distribution network outside of Minnesota. Brews such as Angry Planet Pale Ale and Livid Planet Pale Ale and seasonal favorite Black Helicopter Coffee Stout are popular among Twin Cities beer-drinkers, but there hasn’t been room to produce more. Privately held Flat Earth produced 1,300 barrels of beer in 2012.

Flat Earth will be renovating and retrofitting buildings that have been part of St. Paul’s East Side for about 150 years. Building 9, a former carpentry shop that dates back to 1864 and 1867, is in bad shape, especially after a fire that occurred in 2005. Buildings 7 and 8, erected in...

Men’s Health Magazine recently released a list of 100 American cities and the overall happiness level of their citizens. Would you be surprised to know the Twin Cities ranked in the top 20?

Saint Paul is listed as the eighth happiest city on the list. Its Minneapolis neighbor to the west ranked a less-cheerful-but-still-impressive 14th. St. Paul received an A- for an overall grade, while Minneapolis earned a B+.

The results were calculated using an algorithm that took into account suicide rates, unemployment numbers, antidepressant usage and a measure of people who report feeling “blue”.

The top 10 happiest cities are as follows:

1. Honolulu, HI ~ A+
2. Manchester, NH ~ A
3. Fargo, ND ~ A
4. Omaha, NE ~ A
5. Boston, MA ~ A-
6. Madison, WI ~ A-
7. Sioux Falls, SD ~ A-
8. St. Paul, MN ~ A-
9. Burlington, VT ~ A-
10. Plano, TX ~ A-

The 10 saddest cities, according to Men's Health, are:

91. Las Vegas, NV ~ F
92. Reno, NV ~ F
93. Miami, FL ~ F
94. Birmingham, AL ~ F
95. St. Louis, MO ~ F
96. Louisville, KY ~ F
97. Tampa, FL ~ F
98. Memphis, TN ~ F
99. Detroit, MI ~ F
100. St. Petersburg, FL ~ F

“Men’s Health” says it found that even locations with abundant sunshine and warmth were particularly susceptable to the blues. Researchers also discovered that bike paths and parks play a role in how happy residents are, allowing people to recover from stress and fatigue. Green space and bike paths, of course, are abundant in the Twin Cities.

For the full list, visit menshealth.com/best-life/frown-towns.

Source: ...

Five Minnesota cities have been named among the 100 best communities for young people. The cities of Edina, Landfall, Mankato-North Mankato, Northfield and St. Louis Park all made the list created by America's Promise Alliance.

The organization created list using what they call Five Promises for the success of young people: caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others.

The Twin Cities suburb Edina made the list for the first time. Northfield and Landfall have made the list twice. Mankato-North Mankato and Saint Louis Park were among the top 100 for the fourth time.

• Edina was named one of the nation's 100 Best because of its community-wide commitment to raising healthy young people, fostering youth leadership and cultivating high-achieving students.
• Landfall was named one of the nation's 100 Best for its long-time commitment to meet the needs of local young people.
• Mankato-North Mankato was named one of the nation's 100 Best because of the community's investment in young people, preparing them to be productive and successful future leaders.
• Northfield was named one of the nation's 100 Best because of its commitment to providing an environment that nurtures and supports its youth. 
• St. Louis Park was named one of the nation's 100 Best because of its holistic view of youth as resources to nurture from a young age through the college years.

More than 350 communities in all 50 states and Washington, DC were nominated, and the top 100 were chosen by a panel of business, civic and nonprofit leaders.

Read more at My Fox Twin Cities.

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Life really is pretty good in the Twin Cities metro. According to a survey commissioned by Portfolio.com, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area is among the least-stressful metropolises in the United States.

Portfolio.com's survey compared the nation's 50 largest metro areas on such things as crime rates, commuting time, unemployment and heart-disease deaths. Minneapolis and St. Paul came up third on the list of "least-stressed cities," behind Salt Lake City and Virginia Beach-Norfolk, Va. Detroit, Los Angeles and Cleveland ranked as the three most stressful cities.

With some of the lowest unemployment, murder, poverty and even ozone pollution levels in the country, the Twin Cities meto area ranked pretty well in all of these catgories in 2009. In contrast, Detroit languished due high unemployment, poverty and crime rates.

"It's no secret that living in a big city can add some serious stress to your life. But that doesn't you have to be truly stressed out just by being in one of the nation's population hubs. This study shows that a healthy and relatively low stress life can be achieved in at least a few urban areas," said J. Jennings Moss, editor of Portfolio.com.

View the full analysis at Portfolio.com.

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The Hastings Economic Development and Redevelopment Authority is hoping a $10,000 marketing study will help them to promote current businesses and try to attract new ones.

Hastings MN, with its population of about 22,000, is split between Dakota and Washington counties. With its small stature, Hastings is ready to battle the perception that it is too small and too far away from Minneapolis and St. Paul. The city wants to emphasize its small-town, family-friendly atmosphere and easy access to big-city benefits.

"Hopefully, this is the Miracle-Gro of economic development," Mayor Paul Hicks said.

The depressed economy and resultant falling tax base is inviting more communities to think like a company by pursuing businesses. From start-ups to established organizations looking to expand or relocate, competition is fierce. Twin Cities municipalities are using type of incentive they can think of to entice.

"We're trying to identify the uniqueness of Hastings," Hicks said. "We want to think bigger."

The $10,000 budget for the work is a bargain; similar-sized communities have spent between $80,000 and $100,000 for similar studies. Officials hope that the relatively small investment will help put Hastings into the minds of potential businesses and residents.

The study and review of the recommendations will coincide with the replacement of the Highway 61 bridge, Hastings primary thoroughfare.

Browse Hastings MN real estate

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The Pioneer Press recently published an article about the small-scale retailers that have helped reinvigorate the Merriam Park neighborhood in Saint Paul. Local business owners and entrepreneurs have brought much needed food, retailers, and services to places where they could truly benefit the community.

For decades Marshall Avenue was a bustling streetcar route, a major artery that crossed the Mississippi River to link the Twin Cities. Shops focused on everyday needs, even after buses replaced streetcars.

In 1965, this single block boasted a remarkable assortment: a corner drugstore, a grocery store, a hardware store, a bakery, a Laundromat, a paint store, a barber shop, a cafe, a beauty salon, a variety store, a TV repairman, a restaurant, a dentist's office and, in this strongly Catholic neighborhood, a Catholic gift shop.

By 1980, virtually all were gone. The rise of freeways, malls, suburbs and national chains sapped its vitality. Marshall's traffic plummeted, after Interstate 94 opened nearby in 1968. So a new type of tenant came to the block, one that didn't rely as much on passersby.

There was a prosthetics business, a siding shop, a used furniture outlet. Neighbors still smile about some of the more unusual enterprises — the flag store, the baseball card shop and a shop that sold chairs from old sports stadiums.

But circumstances are always fluid. Older neighborhoods were beginning to be recognized once again for their charm. And local residents dreamt of making a real contribution toward helping the community thrive.

In 1989, Pat and Dick Trotter opened a small bakery called Trotter's Cafe. From the start, they were passionate about local before it was a movement. They insisted on using...

Civic, community, educational and political leaders in Saint Paul want to create a long-term plan to revitalize the Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods.

Along with 339 other communities in the U.S., the Wilder Foundation of St. Paul has applied for a $500,000 grant to plan the Promise Neighborhood. This Saint Paul neighborhood would be designed to improve the lives of its residents by focusing on the health and well-being of children and families.

From making more fruit and veggie servings available to prekindergarten children to tracking students's progress through college, the Promise Neighborhood idea is sometimes referred to as a "cradle-to-career" approach. The Promise Neighborhood's proposed all-emcompassing philosophy is modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone. The Harlem Children's Zone Project is a unique, holistic approach to rebuilding a community so that its children can stay on track through college and go on to the job market.

Whether St. Paul gets the grant or not, officials plan to move forward with the vision anyway. Community meetings could start as soon as this summer. Actually, some of the ideas envisioned for the Promise Neighborhood are already in different stages of implementation in St. Paul. One of those programs is Achievement Plus, which brings additional learning opportunities and support to students at three St. Paul elementary schools: Dayton's Bluff, North End and John A. Johnson.

Officials have secured the equivalent of $250,000 in matching donations if the grant is awarded, which includes $160,000 from local foundations.

The U.S. Department of Education will award the grants this year. Afterwards, it will begin accepting applications for...

An empty city lot in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul is being converted into an urban garden. The transformation is part of a nationwide effort to bring fresh foods to places where it may be hard to acquire.

The garden is sprouting up thanks to the Urban Farming organization. Urban Farming has planted 50 gardens in 20 cities across the nation. St. Paul was the last stop.

"It's amazing how much food you can grow in a small area," [founder of Urban Farming] Taja Sevelle said. "We're encouraging people to grow their own food at home and get back to the simple basics of growing your own food."

"We have a beautification aspect to it, environmental aspect to it, this is the perfect opportunity to add this proponent of edible gardens and vegetable gardens," Jill Henricksen said, Executive Director of Frogtown Community Development.

This project serves multiple purposes. As people tend the garden, a sense of community will grow along with the vegetables. Newbie gardeners will be able to pick up tips from avid green thumbs. And of course, the urban farm will produce healthy foods for both the gardeners and families in need. As food ripens, people can respectfully take what they need.

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Of the nation's 52 largest metropolitan areas surveyed in 2009, the Twin Cities Metropolitan area ranked 4th best in the nation in terms of well-being, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. San Jose, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Raleigh, N.C., were 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. San Francisco was 5th. That's a lot of coastal cities, but we know that one reason the Twin Cities are great is because we experience all of the seasons here in full force without the earthquakes or the hurricanes.

This Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index defines large cities as those with a population size of 1 million or greater. Interviews were conducted with more than 353,000 Americans during 2009, asking individuals to assess their jobs, finances, physical health, emotional state of mind and communities. Technically, the poll combined the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Bloomington to determine its results, but the standard of living in the Twin Cities is relatively the same throughout the metro. Of the six sub-indexes that comprise the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, San Jose and the Twin Cities had the highest scores on two indexes each in 2009: Emotional Health and Basic Access in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Physical Health and Healthy Behaviors in San Jose.

In a larger Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index poll that expands the 52 metropolitan areas to include a total of 162 large and medium-sized cities, locations shift a little bit but the Twin Cities are still relatively high on the list. Boulder, CO, Holland-Grand Haven, MI, Honolulu, HI, Provo-Orem, UT, and Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA, made up the top 5. The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington areas appeared on the list at 16th. We're still included in the top 10% of 162 for well-being, even when the competition has been expanded to...

Eagan was established as a township in 1860, a year before the Civil War began, and two years after Minnesota became a state. This year, Eagan will host several events to commemorate its 150 year history and its big birthday.

War and outlaws, homesteads and wheat fields. 150 years ago, Eagan MN was a very different place. Even 100 years ago, the city was known as "The Onion capital of the World." When was the last time you heard it called that? Eagan has slowly transformed from a ruffed landscape to farms to a suburban community outside the city of Saint Paul.

The city has been collecting historical photos, and Eagan Communications Director Tom Garrison said he's been surprised looking at them. A photo of a car accident on Yankee Doodle Road and Pilot Knob Road in the early 1960s shows the intersection was surround by almost all fields. Today, it is one of the busiest intersections in Dakota County.

The idea is to celebrate the town's history, not by creating tons of new events, but by bolstering existing events, such as Eagan's July 4th Funfest celebration. Still, the committee is planning the kickoff, a fall celebration banquet and a food drive. They hope to collect 150,000 pounds of food for their 150th year.

The celebration starts this Saturday with a party at the Eagan Community Center....

Crews digging under Fourth Street in downtown St. Paul for the proposed Central Corridor light-rail line unearthed a piece of its 1800s predecessor, the cable car. Officials have decided to preserve the U-shaped "iron yoke" and upon completion of the 11-mile Central Corridor, display it at the proposed Union Depot station in St. Paul.

Unlike electric streetcars or modern light rail, cable cars had no internal power supply. Their systems consisted of narrow-gauge tracks split by an open groove. Under the groove, a single continuous cable ran the entire length of the line, constantly in motion. Cable car operators controlled a device that grabbed the cable, which pulled the car along. The iron yokes sat U-side-up a few inches beneath grade, protecting the cable.

Yes, St. Paul had a cable car system. Though they were invented in San Francisco in the 1870s, they exploded across the United States.  By 1889, St. Paul had two cable car lines operated by the St. Paul City Railway Co. One line ran along East Seventh Street from Wabasha Street downtown to Duluth Street on the city's East Side. The other ran along Fourth from Broadway to Seven Corners, climbed Selby Hill and followed Selby Avenue to Fairview Avenue.

There will likely be more artifacts found. Tracks from streetcars that ran along University Avenue remain and were simply submerged when the roadway was paved over years ago. If the light-rail project moves forward, those tracks are scheduled to be removed once the digging begins.

Cold facts: Cable cars were heated in the winter by small coal-burning stove.

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With the first significant snowfall of the season, let the Snow Emergencies begin! The City of Saint Paul declares a Snow Emergency after snowfalls of “3” or more or with an accumulation of “3” of snow over several days. Snow removal begins on the evening a snow emergency is declared at 9 pm and continues the following day until 5 p.m.

All streets are either Night Plow Routes or Day Plow Routes. Night Plow Routes have a red and white plow route signs. Day Plow Routes do not have plow route signs.

St. Paul officials are sticklers when it comes to clearing the roads quickly, which often results in hundreds of vehicles towed to the impound lot during heavy snows.  It costs nearly $300 to bail your car out, so if you park on the street, pay attention when snow is forecast.

Check out the snow emergency information provided on the City of Saint Paul website. For 24-hour Snow Emergency information, call (651) 266-7569 or (651) 292-6600.

Other cities throughout the metro area have different rules for parking in the winter. Most restrict or prohibit evening and overnight parking on the street after heavy snowfalls so that plows can clear the streets. Check your city's website to learn their specific parking rules.

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Blaine MN is a lively and involved community that's seen an increase in business and residential development in the recent years. The population now standing at about 54,000, Blaine is truly a community in the middle of a growth spurt. Straddling both Anoka and Ramsey Counties, it is in a first-rate location that offers superb access to the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area.

In 2006, Blaine was named one of Money Magazine's Top 100 Places to Live, and it shouldn't take long to understand why. Blaine, MN has an assortment of real estate and employment options for its residents. The city is a well-planned variety of business, light manufacturing, commercial, retail and residential areas. A handful of large employers are based in Blaine, including Aveda, Dayton Rogers Manufacturing and the Anoka County Airport. Nine universities are located in and around the city.

Great athletic, entertainment, and leisure activities are available for people who call Blaine MN home. The National Sports Center, an Olympic-class training facility, provides top athletes the space to practice and prepare to be the best in competition. The Schwan Super Rink, also in Blaine, is the world's largest indoor rink and it allows children and adults to ice skate and play ice hockey. For golfers, Blaine lays claim to the Tournament Players Club of the Twin Cities and features a course designed by Arnold Palmer and Minnesota's Tom Lehman. Brunswick Lanes bowling, Foss swimming and pool complex, and over 60 parks with trails, playing fields and courts can also be found here. Finally, Blaine is competing to become the home of the Minnesota Vikings new stadium.

From Blaine's mature, established neighborhoods to newer developments, there is sure to be right house for you to call home. Whether you can afford a multi-million dollar mansion, want to build on an empty lot, seek a pre-owned, single-family home or you just want a cozy townhouse, ...

A 15 minute drive north of Minneapolis and St. Paul, one can find the city of Arden Hills and its 10,000 residents. It is located close to the Twin Cities, but far enough away for peace and quiet. Could you be happy in Arden Hills MN? The signs point to yes! The City conducted a Quality of Life study recently and the results show that most residents are "very satisfied" living in the Arden Hills community.

Thanks to a solid commercial base, the employment outlook in Arden Hills is good. A range of businesses and services, from large corporations to unique smaller boutiques, call the city home. Bethel College and Northwestern College, based in Arden Hills MN, provide residents with higher education and career enhancing opportunities.

Like other Minnesota cities, Arden Hills MN residents' enjoy the local outdoors. People can often be found at the city's lakes, parks, and walking/biking trails. Arden Hills' 13 parks cover almost 102 acres, and offer a variety of facilities like trails, playgrounds, playfields, and picnic areas.

Arden Hills has an extensive variety of housing and commercial districts. A number of affordable, yet beautiful, Minnesota real estate options are there for the finding in the lovely community of Arden Hills. The opportunities are endless when looking for Arden Hills MN real estate.

Are you ready to see what Arden Hills has to offer?...