FUN FACT: Rochester, MN is One of the Windiest Cities in the US

It's another windy day in Rochester, Minnesota. A common phrase you'll hear is: 'It would be such a nice day if it wasn't for the wind.'

It feels like we get pounded with crazy winds many times in the year and as many people know, certain areas in downtown Rochester specifically are literal wind tunnels.

There was one time that my husband and I were walking downtown with some friends and I believe we were walking by the Gonda Building. It was so windy I thought it was going to rip my earrings out!

ALSO READ: Rochester Restaurant is One of the Most Popular in MN Right Now

Yes, we can deal with a lot of wind here, but it's not like we're nicknamed The Windy City or anything.

Although... maybe we should be.

The Windiest Cities in America

A study was done by the real estate company Redfin to determine which cities in the US are the windiest.

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In order to determine the rankings, they focused "on cities that have the highest average annual wind speed." There are plenty of cities that can get hit with really bad tornadoes but that's not consistent.

They also only looked at cities with a population size of 100,000 or more.

So where did Rochester end up on the list? And did The Windy City itself, Chicago, make the list?

Top 10 Windiest Cities in the US

10. Abilene, TX (avg. wind speed: 10.9 MPH)

9. Fargo, ND (avg. wind speed: 11.1 MPH)

8. Wichita Falls, TX (avg. wind speed: 11.2 MPH)

7. Oklahoma City, OK (avg. wind speed: 11.3 MPH)

6. Boston, MA (avg. wind speed: 11.5 MPH)

5. Wichita, KS (avg. wind speed: 11.5 MPH)

4. Corpus Christi, TX (avg. wind speed: 11.7 MPH)

3. Lubbock, TX (avg. wind speed: 12 MPH)

2. Rochester, MN (avg. wind speed: 12 MPH)

1. Amarillo, TX (avg. wind speed: 12.9 MPH)

Rochester is the 2nd windiest city in the ENTIRE country! That's crazy!

And what's also crazy is that Chicago isn't even in the top 10. Fun fact about Chicago, it's actually not that windy there.

Why is Chicago Named The Windy City?

History.com writes that there are two theories as to why it's called The Windy City:

1. They can get big winds from Lake Michigan (but not enough to be one of the windiest cities in the country).

2. The nickname was "coined in reference to Chicago’s bloviating residents and politicians, who were deemed to be 'full of hot air.'"