(If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you)
Michigan (
IPA: /
ˈmɪ.ʃə.gən/, roughly MISH-uh-gun)) is a
Midwestern state of the
United States of America, located in the
east north central portion of the country. It was named after
Lake Michigan, whose name was a
French adaptation of the
Ojibwe term
mishigami, meaning "large water" or "large lake". A person in Michigan is never more than 85
miles (137 km) from open Great Lakes water and is never more than 6 miles (10 km) from a natural water source.
Michigan is the only bi-
peninsular state. The
Lower Peninsula of Michigan, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is sometimes dubbed "the mitten," owing to its shape. When asked where in Michigan one comes from, a resident of the Lower Peninsula may often point to the corresponding part of his or her hand. The
Upper Peninsula (U.P.) is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the
Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile channel that joins
Lake Huron to
Lake Michigan. The Upper Peninsula (whose residents are often called "Yoopers") is economically important for tourism and its natural resources.
The Upper and Lower Peninsulas are connected by the five-mile-long
Mackinac Bridge, which is the third longest
suspension bridge between anchorages in the world. This is the source of the name "
trolls" for residents of the Lower Peninsula, for they live "under" (south of) the bridge. The Great Lakes that border Michigan are
Lake Erie,
Lake Huron,
Lake Michigan and
Lake Superior. Michigan also abuts
Lake Saint Clair, which is between Lake Erie and Lake Huron.
History French
voyageurs explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what later became Michigan were
Étienne Brûlé's expedition in 1622. The first European settlement was made in 1641 on the site where Father (or Père, in French)
Jacques Marquette established
Sault Sainte-Marie in 1668.
Saint-Ignace was founded in 1671, and
Marquette in 1675. Together with
Sault Sainte-Marie, they are the three oldest cities in Michigan. "The Soo" (Sault Ste. Marie) has the distinction of being the oldest city in both Michigan and
Ontario. It was split into two cities in 1818, a year after the U.S.-Canada boundary in the Great Lakes was finally established by the U.S.-UK Joint Border Commission.
In 1679,
Lord La Salle of France directed the construction of the
Griffin, the first European sailing vessel on the upper Great Lakes. That same year, La Salle built Fort Miami at present-day
St. Joseph.
1600s In 1701, French explorer and army officer
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded
Le Fort Ponchartrain du Détroit or "Fort Ponchartrain on-the-Strait" on the strait between Lakes
St. Clair and
Erie, known as the
Detroit River. Cadillac had convinced
King Louis XIV's chief minister,
Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain, that a permanent community there would strengthen French control over the upper Great Lakes and repel
British aspirations.
The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one
arpent Under terms negotiated in the 1794
Jay Treaty, Britain withdrew from Detroit and Michilimackinac in 1796. However, questions remained over the boundary for many years and the United States did not have uncontested control of the Upper Peninsula and
Drummond Island until 1818 and 1847, respectively.
1700s During the
War of 1812,
Michigan Territory (effectively consisting of Detroit and the surrounding area) was captured by the British and nominally returned to
Upper Canada until the
Treaty of Ghent, which implemented the policy of "Status Quo Ante Bellum" or "Just as Things Were Before the War." That meant Michigan stayed American, and the agreement to establish a joint U.S.-UK boundary commission also remained valid. Subsequent to the findings of that commission in 1817, control of the Upper Peninsula and of islands in the
St. Clair River delta was transferred from Ontario to Michigan in 1818, and Drummond Island (to which the British had moved their Michilimackinac army base) was transferred in 1847.
The population grew slowly until the opening of the
Erie Canal in 1825, which brought a large influx of settlers. By the 1830s, Michigan had some 80,000 residents, which was more than enough to apply for statehood. A state government was formed in 1836, although Congressional recognition of the state languished because of a boundary dispute with Ohio, with both sides claiming a 468 square mile (1,210 km²) strip of land that included the newly incorporated city of
Toledo on Lake Erie and an area to the west then known as the "
Great Black Swamp." The dispute came to be called the
Toledo War, with Michigan and Ohio militia maneuvering in the area but never coming to blows. Ultimately, Congress awarded the "
Toledo Strip" to Ohio, and Michigan, having received the western part of the
Upper Peninsula as a concession, formally entered the Union on
January 26,
1837.
Thought to be useless at the time, the Upper Peninsula was soon discovered to be a rich and important source of
lumber,
iron, and
copper, which would become the state's most sought-after natural resources.
Geologist Douglass Houghton and land surveyor
William Austin Burt were among the first to document and discover many of these resources, which led to a nation-wide increase of interest in the state. Michigan lead the nation in lumber production from 1850's to the 1880's.
Michigan made
a significant contribution to the Union in the American Civil War, sending over forty regiments of volunteers to the Federal armies.
Michigan's economy underwent a massive change at the turn of the 20th century. The birth of the automotive industry, with
Henry Ford's first plant in the
Highland Park enclave of Detroit, marked the beginning of a new era in transportation. It was a development that not only transformed Detroit and Michigan, but permanently altered the socio-economic climate of the United States and much of the world.
Grand Rapids, the second-largest city in Michigan, is also a center of automotive manufacturing. Since 1838, the city had also been noted for its thriving furniture industry (which has since declined substantially).
1800s In 1910 Michigan held its first primary election.
In 1920 Detroit's WWJ begins commercial broadcasting of regular programs, the first such radio station in the United States.
Detroit boomed through the 1950s, at one point doubling its population in a decade. In the 1920s some of the country's largest and most ornate skyscrapers were built in the city. Housing shortages and racial tension led to outward movement starting after World War II. After the 1950s, with suburban sprawl prevalent across the country, Detroit's population began to decline, and the rate increased after further racial strife in the 1960s and high crime rates in the 70s and 80s. Government programs such as road-building often enabled the sprawl.
Since the 1970s, Michigan's industrial base has eroded as the auto industry began to abandon the state's industrial parks in favor of less expensive labor found overseas and in the southern U.S. states. Nevertheless, with more than 10 million residents, Michigan continues to grow and remains a large and influential state, ranking eighth in population among the 50 states.
The
Detroit metropolitan area in the southeast corner of the state remains the largest metropolitan area in Michigan (roughly 50% of the population resides there) and one of the 10 largest metro areas in the country. The
Grand Rapids/
Holland/
Muskegon metro area on the west side of the state is the fastest growing metro area in the state presently, with over 1.3 million residents as of 2006.
Metro Detroit's population is now growing very little, and
Detroit's population is still shrinking, though strong redevelopment in central part of the cities, and a significant rise in population in the southwest part of the city, is contributing to some population inflow. A period of economic transition, especially in manufacturing, has caused this region's economy to perform worse than the national average for several years.
1900s to the present See also: List of Michigan Governors, List of United States Senators from Michigan, and List of United States Representatives from Michigan Law and Politics Lansing is the
state capital and is home to all three branches of state government. The
Michigan State Capitol was dedicated in 1879 and has hosted the state's executive and legislative branches ever since. The chief executive is the
Governor, and
Jennifer Granholm currently holds the office. The legislative branch consists of the
bicameral Michigan Legislature, with a
House of Representatives and
Senate. The Michigan legislature is a full-time legislature, though some representatives have voiced concerns about the long hours disrupting their home lives and wish to make the job part-time. The
Supreme Court of Michigan sits with seven justices. The
Constitution of Michigan of 1963 provides for voter initiative and
referendum (Article II, § 9,
The Executive Branch of the State of Michigan has several Departments or agencies
[3]:
State of Michigan Departments
Michigan Department of Agriculture Michigan Attorney General Michigan Civil Rights Michigan Civil Service Michigan Community Health Michigan Corrections Michigan Education Michigan Environmental Quality Michigan History, Arts and Libraries Michigan Human Services Michigan Department of Information Technology Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Growth Michigan Management and Budget Michigan Military and Veterans Affairs Michigan Department of Natural Resources Michigan Secretary of State Michigan Michigan State Police Michigan Department of Transportation Michigan Treasury Law The
Republican Party dominated Michigan until the
Great Depression. In 1912, Michigan was one of the few states to support progressive Republican and third party candidate
Theodore Roosevelt for President after he lost the Republican nomination to
William Howard Taft. In recent years, the state has leaned toward the
Democratic Party in national elections. Michigan has supported Democrats in the last four presidential elections. In 2004,
John Kerry carried the state over
George W. Bush, winning Michigan's 17 electoral votes with 51.2% of the vote. Democrats have won each of the last three, and nine of the last ten, US Senate elections in Michigan. Michigan Governor
Jennifer Granholm, also a Democrat, recently won a second term, beating out Republican candidate
Dick DeVos. Republican strength is greatest in the western, northern, and rural parts of the state, especially in the
Grand Rapids area. Democrats are strongest in the east, especially in
Detroit,
Ann Arbor,
Flint, and
Saginaw.
Politics Administrative divisions State government is decentralized among three tiers — statewide, county and township. Counties are administrative divisions of the state, and townships are administrative divisions of a county. Both of them exercise state government authority, localized to meet the particular needs of their jurisdictions, as provided by state law. There are 83
counties in Michigan.
See also: Administrative divisions of Michigan, List of Michigan county seats, and List of counties in Michigan County government Cities, state universities, and villages are vested with home rule powers of varying degrees.
Home rule cities can generally do anything that is not prohibited by law. The fifteen state universities have broad power and can do anything within the parameters of their status as educational institutions that is not prohibited by the state constitution.
Villages, by contrast, have limited home rule, in that they are not completely autonomous from the county and township in which they are located.
There are two types of
township in Michigan:
general law township and
charter.
Charter township status was created by the Legislature in 1947 and grants additional powers and stream-lined administration in order to provide greater protection against annexation by a city. As of April
2001, there were 127 charter townships in Michigan. In general, charter townships have many of the same powers as a city but without the same level of obligations. For example, a charter township can have its own fire department, water & sewage department, police department, and so on—just like a city—but it is not
required to have those things, whereas cities
must provide those services. Charter townships can opt to use county-wide services instead, such as deputies from the county sheriff's office instead of a home-based force of ordinance officers.
See also: Administrative divisions of Michigan and
List of municipalities in Michigan (by population) Local and Municipal government See also: Protected areas of Michigan and List of Michigan state parks Michigan consists of two peninsulas that lie between 82°30' to about 90º30' west longitude, and are separated by the Straits of Mackinac.
The state is bounded on the south by the states of
Ohio and
Indiana, sharing both land and water boundaries with both. Michigan's western boundaries are almost entirely water boundaries, from south to north, with Illinois and Wisconsin in Lake Michigan; then a land boundary with Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, that is principally demarcated by the
Menominee and
Montreal rivers; then water boundaries again, in
Lake Superior, with
Wisconsin and
Minnesota to the west, capped around by the Canadian province of
Ontario to the north and east. The northern boundary then runs completely through Lake Superior, from the western boundary with
Minnesota to a point north of and around
Isle Royale, (which is Michigans only
National Park), thence travelling southeastward through the lake in a reasonably straight line to the Sault Ste. Marie area.
Windsor, Ontario, once the south bank of Detroit, Upper Canada, has the distinction of being the only part of Canada which lies to the
due south of a part of the lower 48 contiguous United States. In
Southeastern Michigan there is a water boundary with the Canada along the entire lengths of the
St. Clair River,
Lake St. Clair (including the
First Nation reserve of
Walpole Island) and the
Detroit River. The south-eastern boundary ends in the western end of
Lake Erie with a three-way convergence of Michigan, Ohio and Ontario.
Michigan encompasses 58,110
square miles (150,504
km²) of land, 38,575 square miles (99,909
km²) of Great Lakes waters and 1,305 square miles (3,380
km²) of inland waters. Only the state of Alaska has more territorial water. After Michigan is third ranked Florida which has 11,827.77 square miles (30,633.8 km²). but the U.S. Census Bureau claims only 56,803.82 sq mi of land and 96,716.11 sq mi total, making it the 11th largest. </ref>
The heavily forested Upper Peninsula is relatively mountainous in the west. The
Porcupine Mountains, which are the oldest mountains in North America, rise to an altitude of almost 2,000
feet above sea level and form the watershed between the streams flowing into Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The surface on either side of this range is rugged. The state's highest point, in the
Huron Mountains northwest of Marquette, is
Mount Arvon at 1,979 feet (603
m). The peninsula is as large as
Connecticut,
Delaware,
Massachusetts, and
Rhode Island combined, but has less than 330,000 inhabitants, who are sometimes called "Yoopers" (from "U.P.'ers") and whose speech (the "
Yooper dialect") has been heavily influenced by the large number of Scandinavian and Canadian immigrants who settled the area during the mining boom of the late 1800s.
The Lower Peninsula, shaped like a mitten, is 277
miles (446
km) long from north to south and 195 miles (314 km) from east to west and occupies nearly two-thirds of the state's land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial moraines usually not more than a few hundred feet tall. It is divided by a low water divide running north and south. The larger portion of the state is on the west of this and gradually slopes toward Lake Michigan. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is not definitely established but is either Briar Hill at 1,705
feet (520
m), or one of several points nearby in the vicinity of
Cadillac. The lowest point is the surface of Lake Erie at 571 feet (174 m).
The geographic orientation of Michigan's peninsulas make for a long distance between the ends of the state.
Ironwood, in the far western Upper Peninsula, lies 630 highway miles (1,015 km) from the
Toledo, Ohio suburb of
Lambertville in the Lower Peninsula's southeastern corner. The geographic isolation of the Upper Peninsula from Michigan's political and population centers makes it culturally and economically distinct, and the feeling that Lansing and Detroit do not care about the U.P. has led to occasional calls for
secession from Michigan and admission as a new state called "
Superior."
There are numerous lakes and marshes in both peninsulas, and the coast is much indented. Keweenaw,
Whitefish, and the Big and
Little Bays De Noc are the principal indentations on the Upper Peninsula, while the
Grand and
Little Traverse,
Thunder, and
Saginaw bays indent the Lower Peninsula. After
Alaska, Michigan has the longest shoreline of any state—3,288 miles (5,326 km). An additional 1,056 miles (1,699 km) can be added if islands are included. This roughly equals the length of the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida. The state has numerous large islands, the principal ones being the
Manitou,
Beaver, and
Fox groups in Lake Michigan;
Isle Royale and
Grande Isle in Lake Superior; Marquette,
Bois Blanc, and
Mackinac Islands in Lake Huron; and
Neebish,
Sugar, and
Drummond Islands in
St. Mary's River (
see also Islands of Michigan).
The state's rivers are small, short and shallow, and few are navigable. The principal ones include the
Au Sable,
Thunder Bay,
Cheboygan, and
Saginaw, all of which flow into Lake Huron; the
Ontonagon, and
Tahquamenon, which flow into Lake Superior; and the
St. Joseph,
Kalamazoo,
Grand, and
Escanaba, which flow into Lake Michigan. (
See List of Michigan rivers). The state has 11,037 inland lakes and 38,575 square miles (62,067 km) of Great Lakes waters and rivers and 1,305 square miles of inland water on top of that. No point in Michigan is more than 6 miles (10 km) from an inland lake or more than 85 miles (137 km) from one of the Great Lakes.
Detroit is the only major city in the United States from which one must travel southward to cross the border into Canada. Metropolitan Detroit/Ann Arbor/Flint/Windsor is also the world's largest international metropolitan area.
The state is home to one
national park:
Isle Royale National Park. Other national
protected areas in the state include:
Keweenaw National Historical Park,
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore,
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and
Father Marquette National Memorial. The
North Country National Scenic Trail also passes through Michigan. Michigan also has the largest state park system of any state.
Geography Michigan has a
humid continental climate throughout the state, although there are two distinct regions. The southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula (south of
Saginaw Bay and from the
Grand Rapids area southward) has a warmer climate (
Koppen climate classification Dfa) with hot, humid summers and cold, but shorter winters. The northern part of Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula has a more severe climate (Koppen
Dfb), with warm, humid but shorter summers and long, cold to very cold winters. Some parts of the state averaging high temperatures below freezing from December through February, and into early March in the far northern parts. During the late fall through the middle of February the state is frequently subjected to heavy
lake effect snow. The state receives a good amount of precipitation throughout the year, averaging from 30-40 inches (750-1000 mm) annually. Typically, from December through March is slightly drier, while July through September is slightly wetter than the rest of the year, although this difference isn't extreme as in some other states.
The entire state averages around 30 days of thunderstorm activity per year, and these can be severe, especially the further south in the state one goes. The state averages 17 tornadoes a year, and these are much more common in the extreme southern portion of the state with portions of the southern border nearly as vulnerable historically as parts of
Tornado alley. Further north, in the Upper Peninsula, tornadoes are rare, but have occurred.
Climate The geological formation of the state is greatly varied. Primary boulders are found over the entire surface of the Upper Peninsula (being principally of primitive origin), while Secondary deposits cover the entire Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula exhibits Lower
Silurian sandstones, limestones, copper and iron bearing rocks, corresponding to the Huronian system of Canada. The central portion of the Lower Peninsula contains coal measures and rocks of the
Permo-Carboniferous period.
Devonian and sub-Carboniferous deposits are scattered over the entire state.
The soil is of a varied composition and in large areas is very fertile, especially in the south. However, the Upper Peninsula for the most part is rocky and mountainous, and the soil is unsuitable for agriculture. The climate is tempered by the proximity of the lakes and is much milder than in other locales with the same latitude. The principal forest trees include basswood, maple, elm, sassafras, butternut, walnut, poplar, hickory, oak, willow, pine, birch, beech, hemlock, witchhazel, tamarack, cedar, locust, dogwood, and ash.
Demographics The religious affiliations of the people of Michigan are:
Christian – 82%
- Protestant – 58%
- Baptist – 15%
Methodist – 10%
Pentecostal – 7%
Lutheran – 5%
Reformed – 4%
United Church of Christ – 3%
Church of Christ – 2%
Other Protestant – 12%
Catholic – 23%
Other Christian – 1%
Muslim – 2%
Jewish – 1%
Other Religions – <1%
Non-Religious – 15% Religion
See also: List of companies based in Michigan and Economy of metropolitan Detroit
The Michigan economy leads in information technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Michigan ranks fourth nationally in high tech employment with 568,000 high tech workers, including 70,000 in the automotive industry.
Economy
Transportation
Main article: Michigan Services Railroads Interstate 75 is the main thoroughfare between Detroit and Flint, extending all the way to Sault Saint Marie and providing access to
Sault Saint Marie, Ontario. The expressway crosses the
Mackinac Bridge between the Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Branching highways include I-275 and I-375 in Detroit; I-475 in Flint; I-675 in Saginaw.
Interstate 69 enters the state near the Michigan-Ohio-Indiana border, and it extends to
Port Huron and provides access to the
Blue Water Bridge crossing into
Sarnia, Ontario.
Interstate 94 enters the western end of the state at the Indiana border, and it travels east to Detroit and then northeast to Port Huron and ties in with I-69. I-194 branches off from this freeway in Battle Creek.
Interstate 96 runs east-west between Detroit and Muskegon. I-496 loops around Lansing.
I-196 branches off from this freeway at Grand Rapids and connects to I-94 near Benton Harbor. I-696 branches off from this freeway at Novi and connects to I-94 near
St Clair Shores and
Eastpointe.
Interstate Highways Include:
US 2,
US 8,
US 10,
US 12,
US 23,
US 24,
US 31,
US 41,
US 45,
US 127,
US 131,
US 141,
US 223.
Major bridges include the
Ambassador Bridge,
Blue Water Bridge,
Mackinac Bridge, and
International Bridge. Michigan also has the
Detroit-Windsor Tunnel crossing into Canada.
U.S. Routes Further information: List of cities, villages, and townships in Michigan The largest municipalities in Michigan are (according to 2005 census estimates):
Other important cities include:
Half of the wealthiest communities in the state are located in
Oakland County, just north of Detroit. Another wealthy community is located just east of the city, in
Grosse Pointe. Only three of these cities are located outside of
Metro Detroit. Detroit, with a per capita income of $14,717, ranks 517th on the list of
Michigan locations by per capita income.
Benton Harbor is the poorest city in Michigan, with a per capita income of $8,965, while
Barton Hills is the richest with a per capita income of $110,683.
Battle Creek ("Cereal City U.S.A." - world headquarters of
Kellogg Company)
Benton Harbor /
St. Joseph - headquarters of
Whirlpool Corporation East Lansing (home of
Michigan State University)
Kalamazoo (home to
Western Michigan University)
Marquette (largest city in the
Upper Peninsula with 19,661 people).
Midland (headquarters of the
Dow Chemical Company and the
Dow Corning Corporation)
Muskegon (Largest Michigan city sitting on
Lake Michigan)
Pontiac, a major automobile manufacturing center, and the home of the
Pontiac Silverdome Port Huron (major international crossing and home of the
Blue Water Bridge)
Sault Ste. Marie (home of the
Soo Locks and
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge)
Saginaw (The largest of the Tri-Cities, which are comprised of Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw)
Traverse City ("Cherry Capital of the World")
Ypsilanti (Home of
Eastern Michigan University)
Important cities and townships Education Adrian College Albion College Alma College Andrews University Aquinas College Ave Maria College Ave Maria School of Law Baker College Calvin College Calvin Theological Seminary Center for Humanistic Studies Central Bible College Central Michigan University Cleary University College for Creative Studies Concordia University Cornerstone University Cranbrook Academy of Art Davenport University Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary Eastern Michigan University Ecumenical Theological Seminary Ferris State University Finlandia University Grace Bible College Grand Rapids Theological Seminary Grand Valley State University Great Lakes Christian College Hillsdale College Hope College Kalamazoo College Kendall College of Art and Design Kettering University Kuyper College Lake Superior State University Lawrence Technological University Lewis College of Business Madonna University Marygrove College Michigan Jewish Institute Michigan State University Michigan Technological University Michigan Theological Seminary Northern Michigan University Northwestern Michigan College Northwood University Oakland University Olivet College Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Rochester College Sacred Heart Major Seminary SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary Saginaw Valley State University Siena Heights University Spring Arbor University Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches Thomas M. Cooley Law School University of Detroit Mercy University of Michigan System
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Michigan-Dearborn
University of Michigan-Flint
Walsh College of Accountancy and Business
Wayne State University
Western Michigan University
Western Theological Seminary
William Tyndale College
Yeshiva Gedolah Ateres Mordechai of Greater Detroit Colleges and universities
Ross Medical Education Center - Saginaw, Flint, Grand Rapids, Brighton, Muskegon, Redford, Warren, Port Huron, Lansing, Ann Arbor
American College of Computer and Information Sciences
Alpena Community College
Bay de Noc Community College
Bay Mills Community College
Delta College
Ellis College of NYIT
Glen Oaks Community College
Gogebic Community College
Grand Rapids Community College
Henry Ford Community College
ITT Technical Institute - Canton, Grand Rapids, and Troy
Jackson Community College
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Kellogg Community College
Kirtland Community College
Lake Michigan College
Lansing Community College
Macomb Community College
Mid-Michigan Community College
Michigan Career and Technical Institute
Michigan Institution of Aviation and Technology
Monroe County Community College
Montcalm Community College
Mott Community College
Muskegon Community College
National Institute of Technology - Southfield and Wyoming
North Central Michigan College
Northwestern Michigan College
Oakland Community College
Olympia Career Training Institute - Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo
Saint Clair County Community College
Schoolcraft College
Southwestern Michigan College
University of Phoenix - Detroit and Grand Rapids
Washtenaw Community College
Wayne County Community College
West Shore Community College Community colleges and technical schools
Most major league sports teams in Michigan are located in Metro Detroit, with the Detroit Tigers baseball team (MLB), Detroit Lions football team (NFL), and Detroit Red Wings ice hockey team (NHL) located within the city of Detroit. The Detroit Pistons men's basketball team of NBA and the Detroit Shock women's basketball team of the WNBA play at the Palace of Auburn Hills. (The Pistons played at Detroit's Cobo Arena until 1978, and at Pontiac's Silverdome until 1988) The Detroit Lions played at Tiger Stadium in Detroit until 1974, then moved out to the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac before moving back to Detroit's Ford Field in 2002. The Arena Football League's Grand Rapids Rampage is the state's other "major league" sports team. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams was born in Saginaw. Professional hockey got its start in Houghton, Michigan in the U.P., when the Portage Lakers were formed.
Other notable sports teams include:
Professional sports teams
See also: List of Michigan sport championships
Former Professional Teams
The section could be improved by integrating relevant items into the main text and removing inappropriate items.
Michigan is the first state in the Union to have outlawed affirmative action for college admission.
Windsor, Ontario is south of Detroit, Michigan, and is separated by the Detroit River. Windsor marks the only border crossing where entering the mainland United States from Canada involves traveling north.
The Detroit-Windsor international border is the busiest border between the United States and Canada.
Michigan is simultaneously known for its cities, supported by heavy industry, and its pristine wilderness, home to more than 11,000 lakes. The clang and clamor of Metro Detroit's crowded thoroughfares and busy factories stand in vivid counterpoint to the tranquility found in virtually every corner of the state.
An individual from Michigan is called a "Michigander" or "Michiganian".
Michigan has the largest State Forest system in the nation.
Michigan has 4 National Forests. The Manistee, Hiawatha, Ottawa, and Huron, although the Manistee and Huron are administratively combined.
Michigan is home to more public golf courses than any other state.
Michigan has two official Governor's Residences. One is in Lansing, the other is at Mackinac Island.
The soda beverage Vernors was invented in Michigan
Because of their high concentration of confectionery shops, Northern Michigan residents often refer to tourists as "Fudgies".
Faygo was founded in Detroit on November 4, 1907.
Michigan is the largest producers of cherries of all the states.
Michigan is the 3rd leading grower of Christmas trees.
Michigan ranks 1st in the nation in the number of registered snowmobiles.
Michigan ranks 3rd in the nation in licensed hunters at over 750,000. Trivia
State nicknames: Wolverine State, Great Lakes State, Mitten State, Water Winter Wonderland, "Automotive State",
State motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (Latin: If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you). This is a paraphrase of a statement made by British architect Sir Christopher Wren about his influence on London.
State song: My Michigan (official since 1937, but disputed amongst Michiganders, see Michigan's State Songs)
State bird: American Robin (since 1931)
State animal: Wolverine (traditional, though not codified)
State game animal: White-tailed Deer (since 1997)
State fish: Brook Trout (since 1965)
State reptile: Painted Turtle (since 1995)
State fossil: Mastodon (since 2000)
State flower: Apple Blossom (adopted in 1897, official in 1997)
State wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris (since 1998). Known as Iris lacustris, it is a federally listed threatened species.
State tree: White Pine (since 1955)
State stone: Petoskey stone (since 1965). It is composed of fossilized coral (Hexagonaria pericarnata) from long ago when the middle of the continent was covered with a shallow sea.
State gem: Isle Royale greenstone (since 1973). Also called chlorastrolite (literally "green star stone"), the mineral is found on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw peninsula.
State soil: Kalkaska Sand (since 1990), ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly a million acres (4,000 km²) in 29 counties. State symbols
Shiga Prefecture, Japan See also
34. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-38948-121641--,00.html
Notes
Lefthit