fishing and other outdoor activities on the region's lakes. The cluster of lakes around Brainerd known as the Brainerd Lakes Area are probably the best-known, thanks in part to the many Twin Cities residents who own cabins or land on or near the area's biggest lakes. In addition, several esteemed resorts are on Gull Lake. Culture The ethnic makeup of central Minnesota is largely representative of the first settlers who came to the region. People of German and Scandinavian heritage are the majority of the region's residents, though there is also a sizable Native American population. Two of the state's largest reservations, the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and the White Earth Indian Reservation, are in central Minnesota, as is the small Mille Lacs Indian Reservation, along the southern shore of Mille Lacs Lake, from near Garrison to Isle. The 1996 film Fargo and its television series are largely set in the region's cities of Brainerd and Bemidji, but central Minnesotans' accents are not as pronounced as those in the franchise. The central Minnesotan dialect resembles that of the entire Upper Midwest. Cities Central Minnesota is home to one MSA and one μSA. St. Cloud MSA (pop. 192,510) Saint Cloud (pop. 66,389) Sartell (pop. 16,523) Sauk Rapids (pop. 13,348) Waite Park (pop. 7,469) St. Joseph (pop. 6,820) St. Augusta (pop. 3,545) Brainerd μSA (pop. 91,067) Brainerd (pop. 13,349) Baxter (pop. 8,198) Other Central Minnesota cities include: Bemidji (pop. 15,404) Elk River (pop. 25,835) Fergus Falls (pop. 13,419) (one county east of the Wahpeton, ND μSA) Alexandria (pop. 13,568) Detroit Lakes (pop. 9,165) (one county east of the Fargo-Moorhead MSA) Little Falls (pop. 8,689) Higher education Central Minnesota is home to the following colleges and universities: Four-year colleges College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University St. Cloud State University University of Minnesota Morris Two-year colleges Alexandria Technical and Community College Central Lakes College Minnesota State Community and Technical College (Detroit Lakes, Fergus Falls, and Wadena campuses) Northwest Technical College St. Cloud Technical and Community College Notable residents Notable people who hail from central Minnesota, with the names of cities they grew up in listed in parentheses, include: Brian Kobilka (Little Falls) Charles Lindbergh (Little Falls) Sinclair Lewis (Sauk Centre) Eugene McCarthy (Watkins) Gig Young (St. Cloud) Lesley J. McNair (Verndale) External links Exploreminnesota.com guide to cities in central portion of state Charles Lindbergh State Historic Site Judy Garland Museum Lake Itasca Region Pioneer