Roasted Jun 1, 202680 views80 pts
We're sorry. Actually, no we're not.
Mankato's greatest claim to fame is a 22-foot fiberglass chef holding a spatula over a restaurant parking lot. The man has never said a word, which is honestly more charisma than anything else happening in this college town that peaked in 1963.
Nothing says "tourist destination" like being the site of the largest mass execution in U.S. history. Thirty-eight Dakota men were hanged in 1862, and now there's a memorial in Reconciliation Park where you can quietly reflect on how your town got on the map. Talk about a conversation starter at your next book club meeting.
For 52 years, the Minnesota Vikings used Mankato for summer training camp, then packed up for Eagan faster than you could say "Super Bowl drought." Even professional football players couldn't pretend this place was worth staying in year-round. The MoonDogs baseball team is still here though, which tells you everything about the local entertainment standards.
Imagine being proud of a spot in the top five in a state where your biggest competition is Duluth and Rochester. With 44,000 people, Mankato is like the participation trophy of Minnesota cities - big enough to have a Target, small enough that the Happy Chef statue counts as a major landmark.
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