Minneapolis ranked among the world's happiest cities for 2025. Locals say the secret lies in its Nordic roots, creative energy and community spirit that bring all-season joy.

When it comes to measuring the happiest places in the world, the Nordic countries often come out on top. That was certainly the case in this year's 2025 Happy Cities Index, conducted by the Institute for the Quality of Life, where Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden all had at least one city rank in the top-marked "Gold" category. So perhaps it's no surprise that Minneapolis – the only US city aside from New York City to earn a Gold happiest city designation – has its own ties back to Scandinavia.

Home to the largest population of Norwegians, Finns and Swedes outside of Europe, Minnesota and its largest city Minneapolis still maintain strong ties to their early settlers who came to the United States in the mid-19th Century, fleeing religious persecution and famine. With its long, cold winters and abundant lakes, Minneapolis's climate and landscape certainly can resemble its Nordic counterparts. In the same vein, its residents have long learned to embrace the four seasons, and even say it contributes to their overall sense of happiness.

"Although the winters do get cold and the summers can be hot and humid, we have a lot more sunny days than many metros," says Steven Rothberg, who moved here from Winnipeg in 1988. "People here embrace the outdoors. It is a rare day that is cloudy, gloomy or drizzling, which makes outdoor activities much easier to plan and enjoy, even if it is cold or hot." He notes that the city consistently ranks among the country's highest number of commuters who bike to work, with more than two thirds of the population reporting they often or sometimes ride a bike to go to school or run errands.

The Midwest city has made continuous improvements to its cycling infrastructure, with the 51-mile loop Minneapolis Grand Rounds Scenic Byway as its crown jewel, connecting the downtown riverfront with the Mississippi River and Chain of Lakes region to the north-east part of the city. In total, Minneapolis has 21 miles of on-street protected bike lanes and 106 miles of off-street sidewalk and trail miles – many which were converted from former railway lines.

"The Rails-to-Trails paths converted abandoned former rail lines into bike and walking paths. If you look at a map of them, you can see how easy it is to get from almost anywhere in the Twin Cities to almost anywhere else without having to bike more than a mile on a city street," said Rothberg. "The beauty, serenity and safety of the trails is a massive benefit to living here, and one that I take advantage of almost every day, year-round."

The Happy Cities Index gave Minneapolis particularly high marks in the environment category,........

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