A research site used for retrieved U.S. Government data on many topics--a particularly helpful resource for journalists, and easier to navigate than some of the other government sites.
A site maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau which can be used to access statistics across a variety of topics for your state, county, or town in various formats like profiles, tables, or maps.
the MN DNR's website has information on everything from the sorts of plants and animals that live in MN to hunting, trail systems, and other recreational information.