Lake Wobegon is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Minnesota, said to have been the boyhood home of Garrison Keillor. Keillor reports the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion, broadcast live every Saturday afternoon over Minnesota Public Radio and public radio stations throughout the US. (Keillor was actually born and raised in Anoka, Minnesota.) Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties/Parishes/Boroughs, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Garrison Keillor (born Gary Edward Keillor on August 7, 1942) is an American author, humorist, columnist, musician, satirist, and radio personality. ... This article is about the radio show. ... Minnesota Public Radio logo Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is a regional public radio network based in the U.S. state of Minnesota that has been broadcasting since 1967. ... Public broadcasting (also known as public service broadcasting or PSB) is the dominant form of broadcasting around the world, where radio, television, and potentially other electronic media outlets receive funding from the public. ... Anoka is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. ...

Lake Wobegon is, according to Keillor's fictitious story, the seat of Mist County, Minnesota,^[1] a tiny county near the geographic center of Minnesota that supposedly does not appear on maps because of the "incompetence of surveyors who mapped out the state in the 19th century". The 800 residents are proud of the statue of the Unknown Norwegian (so called because the model left before the sculptor could get his name). The town is the home of the Whippets baseball team. It is served by Ralph's Pretty Good Grocery, the Sidetrack Tap, and the Chatterbox Cafe. The Catholic parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility and the Lake Wobegon Lutheran Church are there, although Keillor identifies the founders of Lake Wobegon as New England Unitarian missionaries who came to convert the Native American Ojibwe Indians through interpretive dance. A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lutheranism describes those churches within Christianity that were reformed according to the theological insights of Martin Luther in the 16th century. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Unitarianism is the belief... For other uses of Chippewa, see Chippewa (disambiguation). ... Interpretive dance is a family of dance styles that seeks to interpret the meaning inherent in music rather than by performing specific preformatted moves. ...

Tuna hotdish, snow, Norwegian bachelor farmers, ice fishing, tongues frozen to cold metal things, and lutefisk (fish treated with lye) are common elements of the local culture. Tater Tot Hotdish Hotdish is any of a variety of casserole dishes popular in the Midwest of the United States and especially the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. ... Ice fishing in the Finnish Miljoonapilkki fishing competition. ... Lutefisk (on the upper left side of the plate) as served in a Norwegian restaurant, with potatoes, mashed peas, and bacon. ...

Lake Wobegon represents many small farm towns in the upper Midwest and northeastern Montana, especially western Minnesota, North Dakota, and, to some extent, eastern South Dakota. These are rural, sparsely populated areas that were settled only in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, largely by homesteading immigrants from Scandinavia, especially Norway. Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Scandinavia is a historical and geographical region centered on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe and includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. ...

The characterization of the fictional location, where "the women are strong, the men are good looking, and all the children are above average," has been used to describe a real and pervasive human tendency to overestimate one’s achievements and capabilities in relation to others. The Lake Wobegon effect, where everybody claims to be above average, has been observed among drivers, CEOs, stock market analysts, college students, and state education officials, among others. The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate ones achievements and capabilities in relation to others. ...

Despite its fictional status, fans have made trips "to" the town. A book of photos, co-authored by Keillor, documents images which could have come from Lake Wobegon. Keillor has also written several semi-autobiographical books about life in Lake Wobegon.

The name is a play on words, with two possible meanings: The word "woebegone" means "beset with trouble," while the phrase "Woe, be gone" indicates a dismissal of troubles. On the show the town's name comes from an old Indian word meaning "the place where we waited all day in the rain [for you.]"

Lake Wobegon is occasionally said to be near St. Olaf, Minnesota, another fictional town referenced in The Golden Girls television series. St. ... The Golden Girls is an American sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985 to May 9, 1992. ...

Footnotes

The Lake Wobegon community is a combination of the following towns in central Minnesota also noted in the 2000 issue of National Geographic. Melrose, Minnesota Albany St. Ana Holdingford Avon Lake Wobegon Days, written by Garrison Keillor is a humorous, fictional account of life in small-town Minnesota. ... Melrose is a city located in Stearns County, Minnesota. ...

Other

• The Mall of America has a "Lake Wobegon, U.S.A." store which sells products connected with Keillor's program, and also with selected NPR and PBS programs.

This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... “NPR” redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

See also

• Lake Wobegon effect
• A Prairie Home Companion

The Lake Wobegon effect is the human tendency to overestimate ones achievements and capabilities in relation to others. ... This article is about the radio show. ...

External links

• Stearns County, Minnesota has named a bike trail after the fictitious town
• In Search of Lake Wobegon from National Geographic, part of an article plus links to related sites