Norway in the Midwest
The Midwest and Norway have strong ties. This is largely due to the large number of Norwegian-Americans in the area. They are the descendants of Norwegian immigrants who came to America primarily in the latter half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century.
The Midwest has had a rich Norwegian history ever since the first wave of Norwegian emigrants came in the 19th century. Read more
There are more than 4.5 million people of Norwegian ancestry in the U.S. today. Of these, approximately 3 million claim 'Norwegian' as their sole or primary ancestry. A little more than 2% of whites in the US are of Norwegian descent. In the Upper Midwest, especially Minnesota, eastern Wisconsin, northern Iowa, and the Dakotas, more than 15% of whites are of Norwegian descent. Read more
Are you moving to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area and are looking for a Norwegian community? Use this list to get in touch with Norwegian-American organizations in our region. Read more
“Norway and the United States share so much and we need each other in so many ways,” said former Vice-President Walter Mondale at the 2009 Science Week in Minneapolis. The 81-year old, whose ancestors came from Mundal, Norway may now have even closer ties to Norway than ever. For the past year he has spearheaded Norway's connection to the Midwest as the Norwegian Honorary Consul General in... Read more