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.

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https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250530-why-minneapolis-is-one-of-the-worlds-happiest-places?ysclid=mkxgvg8uab261069332

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MEANWHILE:

Tensions are flaring in Minneapolis as protestors decrying ICE and its agents’ use of force face off with federal law enforcement and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mobilizes the state National Guard to stand ready to assist.

Crowds of bundled-up demonstrators chanted and waved signs Saturday in subfreezing temperatures in downtown Minneapolis and at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building. Extra measures were put in place in downtown Minneapolis with blocked roads and at least one hotel bolstering security due to the protests.

At the federal building, there were tense standoffs between federal law enforcement officers in riot gear and protesters. As a large group of officers approached the protesters from the federal building, the crowd responded with chants of expletives and boos. Some demonstrators urged the crowd to stay calm and stay together.

CNN saw several protesters detained by federal law enforcement near the federal building, though the protest appeared largely peaceful and it’s not immediately clear why they were detained or what preceded the detentions. CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

In addition to Customs and Border Protection and Bureau of Prisons officers, personnel from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department were also present but told CNN in the evening that they did not detain or arrest anyone at Saturday’s protests. Sheriff’s deputies’ vehicles were used to block parts of the street from demonstrators and deputies appeared to mostly remain in their cars.

Earlier in the day, a far-right content creator led a small group supporting ICE in what was dubbed the “March Against Minnesota Fraud” near City Hall but was outnumbered and chased away by a much larger group of counter-protesters, CNN affiliate KAREreported. The Minneapolis Police Department told CNN Saturday evening they gave a dispersal order but made no arrests and the crowd “eventually dispersed without incident.”

Officials have urged demonstrators to stay peaceful. “Stay safe and stay peaceful today,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told the public in a social media post Saturday.

Walz has mobilized the state National Guard to support the Minnesota State Patrol, a spokesperson for the guard said Saturday. An official in the governor’s office said the move was a reconfirmation of Walz’s direction for the state National Guard to mobilize in support of the local law enforcement. The guard hasn’t been deployed.

Protests intensified after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, in her car, more than a week ago. Her killing has sparked protests across the country and fueled outrage at the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which has seen armed and masked agents employing aggressive tactics in targeted campaigns across the country. Outrage continued to build again this week when another federal agent shot and injured a Venezuelan man who DHS accused of “violently” resisting arrest.

Demonstrations now continue with new restrictions on federal immigration agents placed by a federal judge on Friday: Agents carrying out a sweeping operation in Minnesota can’t deploy certain crowd-control measures against peaceful protesters or arrest them.

The limitations came as word spread that the Department of Justice is investigating Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey over possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The probe raises the possibility of criminal consequences for the two Democrats, who have repeatedly told protesters to remain peaceful and to “not take the bait” that could lead to a heavier federal response.

Minneapolis is no stranger to protests: Good was killed just blocks away from where George Floyd was murdered by a police officer five years ago, triggering anger and demonstrations against police use of force, particularly towards Black people.

In the past days of protests, federal agents have arrested people and deployed tear gas, pepper spray, and other crowd control measures. A CNN crew was hit with tear gas Thursday.

Federal agents from Operation Metro Surge – which involves thousands of federal agents dispatched to the Twin Cities to target undocumented Somali immigrants – are not allowed to arrest or retaliate against peaceful protesters or use “pepper-spray or similar nonlethal munitions and crowd dispersal tools” against them, US District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled in a preliminary injunction issued Friday.

Menendez also said the agents can no longer stop and detain drivers when there is “no reasonable articulable suspicion” they are forcibly obstructing or interfering with federal operations. “The act of safely following” the officers “at an appropriate distance does not, by itself, create reasonable suspicion to justify a vehicle stop,” the judge added.

The order only applies in Minnesota and only to agents involved in the current operation, and does not apply to other federal officers handling routine duties elsewhere, the order specified.

In a response to the ruling, DHS said it is “taking appropriate and constitutional measures to uphold the rule of law and protect our officers and the public from dangerous rioters.”

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said despite these threats, agents follow training and use “the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves, the public, and federal property.”

Top Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino, who has been spotted leading patrols in Minneapolis, said, “We will continue enforcing the law, making arrests, and keeping #Minneapolis safe,” in a post on X after the ruling. “Undeterred. Unapologetic.”

The city of Minneapolis, meanwhile, responded with a statementsaying, “As this is a federal court order, we expect the federal administration to change course and comply for the safety of all.”

The preliminary injunction was requested by activists who filed a lawsuit last month alleging the federal government was violating their constitutional rights. The case is separate from a different lawsuit filed by Minnesota and the Twin Cities on Monday seeking a court-ordered end to what it calls a “federal invasion” during Operation Metro Surge.

The National Guard is “staged and ready to respond,” Minnesota National Guard spokesperson Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya said in a statement to CNN. “We are not deployed to city streets at this time.”

Troops will help provide “traffic support to protect life, preserve property, and support the rights of all Minnesotans to assemble peacefully,” Tsuchiya said.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety posted photos Saturday of state National Guard troops in beanies, gloves and jackets appearing to be gathering bags of equipment, along with guard trucks lined up on a snowy road.

“At Gov. Walz’s direction, the Minnesota National Guard have been mobilized,” the post read, specifying troops are in place to “support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies.”

With protests expected to continue, here’s what else to know:

• Walz and Frey respond: Neither the Minnesota governor nor the Minneapolis mayor confirmed the reported DOJ investigation for possible obstruction of federal law enforcement, but both accused the Trump administration of trying to intimidate its political opponents. A host of Democratic governors and members of Congress issued statements casting the reported investigation as an abuse of power.
• Outcry over federal tactics: Democratic members of Congress held a field hearing at Minnesota’s state capitol Friday to highlight alleged abuses happening during the immigration crackdown. American citizens going about their daily business are getting tackled or detained due to their ethnicities, lawmakers and local residents said at the hearing. A DHS spokesperson has insisted federal agents do not use racial profiling to make arrests and told CNN in an email that such claims are “disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE.”
• Ongoing protests: Protesters gathered again Saturday at Minneapolis’ Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, the staging facility for immigration operations and were seen detaining several people. The day before, federal officers in tactical gear forcefully moved a group of protesters away from the street, and at least one person appeared to be detained after triggering a heavy response from at least five agents.
• No Insurrection Act “right now”: Trump reiterated Friday he’s willing to use the Insurrection Act to send US troops into Minnesota – but added: “I don’t think there’s any reason right now to use it.” Trump has threatened multiple times to invoke the centuries-old law, which hasn’t been used since 1992.
• Federal officials visit: FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche visited Minneapolis Friday amid ongoing tensions between immigration officers and activists as well as open conflict between local leaders and Trump administration officials over the tactics of federal agents.
• Children hospitalized: Two children, including a baby, were hospitalized Wednesday night after federal agents deployed tear gas, the city of Minneapolis said in a statement. A family was driving their children home from an athletic event when federal agents shot tear gas during a protest, which got too close to a car, and the family got “caught in the middle of” the situation, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday. Initial reports indicate the tear gas caused “a 6-month-old infant inside the vehicle to experience breathing difficulties,” the city’s statement said. When first responders reached the family, “the infant was breathing and stable, but (in) serious condition,” the city said.

This story has been updated with additional information.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/17/us/ice-shooting-minneapolis-protests-renee-good-hnk

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