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State of Michigan
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Flag Of Michigan
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The Wolverine State,<br /> The Great Lakes State,<br /> The Automotive State, <br /> Winter Water Wonderland
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Lansing
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Detroit
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Metro Detroit
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Jennifer Granholm (D)
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Carl Levin (D)<br /> Debbie Stabenow (D)
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MI
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Mich
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None (English, ''de-facto'')
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11<sup>th</sup>
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253,793
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January 26 , 1837
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Eastern: UTC -5/ -4
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most of state
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Central: UTC -6/ -5
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4 UP counties
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Bounded by four of the five s (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-
Peninsula r 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 "
Troll s" 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.
See Also: Timeline of Michigan history
]]
Michigan was home to various
Native Americans centuries before
Colonization By Europeans . When the first European explorers arrived, the most populous and influential tribes were
Algonquian Peoples —specifically, the
Ottawa , the
Anishnabe (called "Chippewa" in French, after their language, "Ojibwe"), and the
Potawatomi . The Anishnabe, whose numbers are estimated to have been between 25,000 and 35,000, were the most populous. Although the Anishnabe were well-established in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, they also inhabited northern Ontario, northern Wisconsin, southern Manitoba, and northern and north-central Minnesota. The Ottawa lived primarily south of the Straits of Mackinac in northern and western Michigan, while the Potawatomi were primarily in the southwest. The three nations co-existed peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the
Council Of Three Fires . Other First Nations people in Michigan, in the south and east, were the
Mascouten , the
Menominee , the
Miami , and the
Wyandot , who are better known by their French name, "Huron".
French
Voyageur s 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 .
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 56 (about .85 acre, the equivalent of just under 200 feet on a side) and named it
Fort Pontchartrain . Cadillac's wife,
Marie Thérèse , soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of the first white women to settle in the Michigan wilderness. The town quickly became a major
Fur-trading and shipping post. The “Église de Saint-Anne,” or Church of Saint Ann, was founded the same year, and while the original building does not survive, it remains an active congregation today. At the same time, the French strengthened
Fort Michilimackinac at the
Straits Of Mackinac in order to better control their lucrative fur-trading empire. By the mid-eighteenth century, the French had also occupied forts at present-day
Niles and
Sault Ste. Marie . However, most of the rest of the region remained unsettled by whites.
From 1660 to the end of French rule, Michigan (along with Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, two-thirds of Georgia, and small parts of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Maine) was part of the Royal Province of
New France , administered from the capital city of Québec. In 1759, following the
Battle Of The Plains Of Abraham , in the
French And Indian War (1754–1763), Québec City fell to British forces. Under the 1763
Treaty Of Paris , Michigan and the rest of New France passed to
Great Britain .
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 km&
2) 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).
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 growing, 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 economic difficulties in the region since the recession of 2001.
at the Hall of Justice]]
See Also: List of Michigan Governors
List of United States Senators from Michigan
List of United States Representatives from Michigan
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,
Article II, § 9 of state constitution defined as "the power to propose laws and to enact and reject laws, called the initiative, and the power to approve or reject laws enacted by the legislature, called the referendum. The power of initiative extends only to laws which the legislature may enact under this constitution").
Michigan's state universities are immune from control by the legislature, many aspects of the executive branch, and cities in which they are located; but they are not immune from the authority of the courts. Some degree of political control is exercised as the legislature approves appropriations for the schools. Furthermore, the governor appoints the board of trustees of most state universities with the advice and consent of the state Senate. Only the trustees of the
University Of Michigan ,
Michigan State University , and
Wayne State University are chosen in general elections.
Michigan was the first state in the Union, as well as the first English-speaking government in the worldhttp://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=11&did=276http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/event2/history.html, to abolish the )
The Executive Branch of the State of Michigan has several Departments or agencies
{Link without Title} :
State of Michigan Departments
]]
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 .
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 ''
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.
Village s, 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 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) ''
See Also: Protected areas of Michigan
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 Michigan's only
National Park ), thence traveling 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 Mile s (150,504
Km&2 ) of land, 38,575 square miles (99,909
Km&2 ) of Great Lakes waters and 1,305 square miles (3,380
Km&2 ) 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 km&
2).
Land and Water Area of States, 2000
At a total of 97,990 square miles (253,793
Km&2 ), Michigan is the largest state east of the
Mississippi River (inclusive of its territorial waters). It is the 10th largest state in the Union. Michigan claims a land area of 58,110 square miles of land and 97,990 sq mi total, making it the tenth largest state,
Michigan in Brief 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.
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 fewer 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
Mile s (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 Island s 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 ,
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.
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.
{Link without Title} srh.noaa.gov. Last accessed November 1, 2006.
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.
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As of the July 1, 2006 population estimate, Michigan has an estimated population of 10,095,643, which is a decrease of 25,217, or -0.05%, from the prior year, but an increase of 157,199, or 1.6%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 235,760 people (that is 691,897 births minus 456,137 deaths) and a decrease from net
Migration of 42,183 people out of the state.
Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 354,544 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 165,084 people. The state's population increased by 817,000 between 1990 and 2004, an 8.8% growth. As of 2000, the state had the 8th largest population in the Union.
The
Center Of Population of Michigan is located in
Shiawassee County , in the southeastern corner of the
Civil Township of
Bennington , which is located directly north of the village of
Morrice State Centers .
As of 2006, the state had a foreign-born population of 688,413. In recent years, the foreign born population has grown in the state.
The five largest reported ancestries in Michigan are:
German (20.4%),
African American (14.2%),
Irish (10.8%),
English (9.9%),
Polish (8.6%).
Michigan has a large
White population (81.3%). Americans of European descent including German,
French , and
British ancestry are present throughout most of Michigan and
Metro Detroit . People of
Nordic (especially
Finnish ),
British (notably
Cornish ), and ancestry have a notable presence in the Upper Peninsula. Western Michigan is known for the
Dutch heritage of many residents (the highest concentration of any state), especially in the Grand Rapids-
Holland area.
Metro Detroit also has residents of
Polish and
Irish descent, while Dearborn has a large
Arab American community. African-Americans form a majority of the population of the city of Detroit and of some other cities, including
Flint and
Benton Harbor .
The religious affiliations of the people of Michigan are:Glenmary Research Center. ''Churches & Church Membership in U.S., 1990.''
Michigan has a higher percentage of
Muslims (who live mainly in the Metro Detroit area) and a higher percentage of
Reformed Christians (concentrated in the western part of the state) than any other American state. About 300,000 people trace their roots to the
Middle East .
Detroit Expects Half of Iraqi Refugees
See Also: List of companies based in Michigan
Economy of metropolitan Detroit
at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The GT500 is manufactured in Ford's Flat Rock, Michigan assembly plant.]]
The Michigan economy leads in job opportunities. The domestic Auto Industry accounts directly and indirectly for one of every ten jobs in the U.S.Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (2006).
From the 2003 Study "Contributions of the Automotive Industry to the U.S. Economy" University of Michigan and the Center for Automotive Reseach In March 2007 the Michigan unemployment rate was 6.5 percent.
Michigan has experienced economic difficulties brought on by the severe stock market decline following the
September 11, 2001 Attacks which caused a pension and benefit fund crisis for many American companies including
General Motors ,
Ford , and
Chrysler . The American Auto companies are proving to be more resilient than other affected industries as each company implements its respective turnaround plans (In 2007, General Motors reported a $9.6 billion surplus in its pension fund). Nevertheless, Michigan ranked second nationally in new corporate facilities and expansions in 2004. From 1997 to 2004, Michigan was listed as the only state to top the 10,000 mark for the number of major new developments, led by
Metro Detroit .MEDC (2005)
Michigan #2 in the Nation for New Corporate Facilities and Expansions in 2004 Globeinvestor.com PR NEWS WIRE
Even though Michigan is known as the birthplace of the
Automobile industry, its diverse economy leads in many other areas. Michigan has a booming
Biotechnology and
Life Sciences corridor.MEDC 2006.
Lifesciences Corridor State of Michigan.
As leading research institutions, the , Irwin Seating,
American Seating ),
Copper ,
Iron , and
Furniture (
Steelcase ,
Herman Miller , and
La-Z-Boy ).
Michigan has a thriving tourist industry. Visitors spend $17.5 billion a year in the state supporting 193,000 tourism jobs and Michigan's tourism website ranks among the busiest in the nation.Great Lakes IT Report. (May 3, 2007,).
Michigan's Tourism Website No. 1 in the U.S . Retrieved on August 10, 2007. Destinations such as
Traverse City ,
Mackinac Island ,
Ludington ,
Muskegon ,
Saugatuck , the
Upper Peninsula ,
Frankenmuth ,
Grand Haven ,
Grand Rapids , and
Detroit draw vacationers, hunters, and nature enthusiasts from across the United States and
Canada . Michigan is fifty percent
Forest land, much of it quite remote. Both the forests and thousands of miles of beaches are top attractions. Tourists also flock to many of the museums, particularly those in
Metro Detroit , including
The Henry Ford , the
Detroit Institute Of Arts and the
Arab American National Museum . The Metro Detroit area offers four major casinos, MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown, Motor City, and Casino Windsor; moreover,
Detroit is the largest city to offer casino gambling.
Hunting is a major component of Michigan's economy. Michigan ranks first in the nation in licensed hunters (over one million) who contribute
$ 2 billion annually to its economy. Over three-quarters of a million hunters participate in
White-tailed Deer season alone. Many K-12 school districts in rural areas of Michigan go so far as to cancel school on the opening day of rifle season, because of both safety and attendance concerns.
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources manages the largest dedicated state forest system in the nation. The forest products industry and recreational users contribute $12 billion and 200,000 associated jobs annually to the state's economy. Michigan has more than 90 native species of trees, more than all of
Europe combined.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Michigan's gross state product in 2004 was
$ 372 billion.http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrel/gspnewsrelease.htm Per capita personal income in 2003 was $31,178 and ranked twentieth in the nation.
Michigan's
Tax rate on personal income of 3.90 percent gives it one of the lowest top brackets in the nation. Some cities impose additional income taxes. Michigan's state
Sales Tax is 6 percent. The state does not allow city or local sales taxes.
Property Tax es are assessed on the local, not state, level. In 2007, Michigan repealed its Single Business Tax (SBT) and replaced it with an all new Michigan Business Tax (MBT) in order to stimulate job growth by reducing taxes for seventy percent of the businesses in the State.Office of the Governor (June 15, 2007).
New Michigan Business Tax Key to State's Economic Future ''State of Michigan''.Retrieved on August 10, 2007. The Bureau of Economic Analysis, recent growth in Michigan is 0.1%.
Bureau of Economic Analysis
See Also: Michigan Services
The state is traversed by several railroads, with mileage amounting to several hundreds of miles.
Freight Rail traffic represents the use of most of the railroads.
There is
Amtrak Passenger Rail service in the state, connecting the cities of
Detroit ,
East Lansing ,
Grand Rapids ,
Jackson ,
Ann Arbor ,
Kalamazoo , and
Port Huron , among others, to
Chicago ,
Illinois . There are plans for
Commuter Rail for Detroit and its
Suburbs .
Freep SOME COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE FACTS RELEVANT TO DETROIT
AMTRAK passenger rail service no longer continues east of Port Huron to Toronto via Sarnia. Lengthy customs delays made it impossible for AMTRAK and VIA trains to maintain their schedules. AMTRAK trains originate and terminate at Port Huron. VIA trains terminate and originate at Sarnia.
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 .
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.
]]
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.
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:
See Also: List of Michigan sport championships
- Michigan is the first state in the Union to have outlawed affirmative action for college admission.
- 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.
- The canal and locks at Lake Huron were opened in 1855.
- Michigan is nicknamed the "Great Lakes State", and also the "Wolverine State", from a nickname earned during the Toledo War .
- Michigan has around 150 Lighthouse s, the most of any U.S. state. The first lighthouses in Michigan were built between 1818 and 1822. They were built to project light at night and to serve as a landmark during the day to safely guide the passenger ships and freighters traveling the Great Lakes. See Lighthouses In The United States .
- Michigan has the most registered boats (over 1 million) of any state in the Union.
- Michigan has six international crossings with Ontario, Canada:
- --- International Bridge ( Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario )
- --- Blue Water Bridge , a twin-span bridge ( Port Huron, Michigan and Point Edward, Ontario , but the larger city of Sarnia, Ontario is usually referred to on the Canadian Side
- --- Detroit-Windsor Tunnel
- --- Ambassador Bridge
- ---Canadian Pacific Railway tunnel
- --- Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry ( Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario )
- ---A second international bridge is currently under development between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario . Detroit River International Crossing Study Website
- Michigan Forestland covers more than 52 percent of the state at 18.5 million acres.http://www.for.msu.edu/extension/ExtDocs/wmywl.html
- 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.
- 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 ranks 1st in the nation in the number of registered Snowmobile s.
- Michigan ranks 3rd in the nation in licensed Hunter s at over 750,000.
- State Nickname s: ''Wolverine State'', ''Great Lakes State'', ''Mitten State'', ''Water Winter Wonderland''
- Sir Christopher Wren about his influence on London .
- State Song : ''My Michigan'' (official since 1937, but disputed amongst Michiganders, see Michigan's State Songs )
- (since 1931)
- (traditional, though not codified)
- State game animal: White-tailed Deer (since 1997)
- (since 1965)
- (since 1995)
- (since 2000)
- (adopted in 1897, official in 1997)
- State wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris (since 1998). Known as ''Iris lacustris'', it is a federally listed threatened species.
- (since 1955)
- (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.
- (since 1973). Also called ''chlorastrolite'' (literally "green star stone"), the mineral is found on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula .
- (since 1990), ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly a million acres (4,000 km&2) in 29 counties.
34. http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-38948-121641--,00.html
- F. Clever Bald, ''Michigan in Four Centuries'' (1961),
- William P. Browne and - Kenneth VerBurg. ''Michigan Politics & Government: Facing Change in a Complex State'' University of Nebraska Press. 1995.
- Bureau of Business Research, Wayne State U. ''Michigan Statistical Abstract'' (1987)
- Willis F. Dunbar and George S. May. ''Michigan: A History of the Wolverine State'' (1995)
- Michigan, State of . ''Michigan Manual'' (annual), elaborate detail on state government
- ''Michigan Historical Review'' Central Michigan University (quarterly).
- Charles Press et al., ''Michigan Political Atlas'' (1984).
- Public Sector Consultants. ''Michigan in Brief. An Issues Handbook'' (annual)
- Wilbur Rich. ''Coleman Young and Detroit Politics: From Social Activist to Power Broker'' (Wayne State University Press, 1988).
- Bruce A. Rubenstein and Lawrence E. Ziewacz. ''Michigan: A History of the Great Lakes State.'' (2002)
- Richard Sisson ed. ''The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia'' (2006)
- George Weeks, ''Stewards of the State: The Governors of Michigan'' (Historical Society of Michigan, 1987).
