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Michigan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

State nickname: Wolverine State

Largest City Detroit

Governor Jennifer Granholm

Official languages None

ISO 3166-2 US-MI

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Michigan is a state in the United States. The name is derived from Lake Michigan, which in turn is believed to come from the Chippewa Indian word meicigama, meaning "great water." Bounded by four of the Great Lakes, Michigan has the longest state shoreline in the continental United States, and more recreational boats than any state in the union.

The state is primarily known as the birthplace of the automobile industry. However, it is also home to a thriving tourist industry, with destinations such as Traverse City, Mackinac Island and the entire Upper Peninsula drawing vacationers, hunters and nature enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada.

When outsiders think "Michigan," they often conjure images of gritty, industrial Detroit. In reality, the state is a vast rural territory, graced with thousands of square miles of pristine wilderness. The clang and clamor of the Motor City's crowded freeways and labor-union battles stand in vivid counterpoint to the tranquility found in virtually every corner of the famously glove-shaped state.

An individual from Michigan is called a "Michigander" or "Michiganian." A resident of Michigan's Upper Peninsula ("the U.P.") is often called a "Yooper" (for "U-Per"). In turn, residents of the lower peninsula may be jokingly referred to as "trolls" -- because they "live below the Mackinac Bridge."

Its U.S. postal abbreviation is "MI" (old style: "Mich."). The U.S. Navy's USS Michigan was named in honor of the state.



History

Once a thriving lumber capital and supplier of iron and copper minerals, Michigan's economy underwent a massive shift at the turn of the 20th century. The birth of the automotive industry, with Henry Ford's first plant in the Highland Park suburb of Detroit, marked the beginning of a new era in personal transportation. It was a development that not only transformed Detroit and Michigan, but permanently altered the socio-economic climate of the United States.

Today, many automotive manufacturing plants remain. However, Detroit's industrial base steadily eroded after World War II, as auto companies abandoned some of the area's industrial parks in favor of less expensive labor found overseas and in the largely non-unionized southern United States.

Early European history

1622 Étienne Brûlé and his fellow explorers from Grenoble, France, were probably the first white men to see Lake Superior.

1668 Père (Father) Jacques Marquette establishes Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, first European settlement in Michigan

1701 Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac, with his lieutenant Alphonse de Tonty, established a trading post on the Detroit River which they named Fort Pontchartrain; present site of Detroit.

U.S. history

1805 Michigan Territory was created, with Detroit designated as the seat of government. William Hull appointed as governor. Detroit was destroyed by fire.

1828 Territorial Capitol was built at Detroit at a cost of $24,500.

1835 First Constitutional Convention. Stevens T. Mason inaugurated as the first Governor. Stevens T. Mason started a minor conflict with Ohio over the city of Toledo, (now Toledo, Ohio) known as the Toledo War the same year: Ohio was awarded Toledo but Michigan was given a majority of Michigan's upper peninsula.

1837 Admitted as a free state into the union (the 26th state), it was admitted with the slave state of Arkansas

Major historical events

January 26, 1837 Michigan became the 26th US State.

1838 Patriot War

1847 A law was passed by the State Legislature to locate the State Capital "in the township of Lansing, in the county of Ingham."

1879 New State Capitol dedicated in Lansing. The structure cost $1,510,130.

1890s and 1900s Ford, Chrysler and General Motors founded in southeastern Michigan.

1937 Flint Sit-down Strike ends with official recognition of the United Auto Workers by General Motors.

1957 Five-mile long Mackinac Bridge opened November 1.

1967 Race riots strike the city of Detroit. After 5 days of rioting, 43 people lay dead, 1189 injured and over 7000 people had been arrested. This had lasting effects on the entire metro region and is one of the reasons the Detroit area is one of the most segergated areas in the United States.

1974 Gerald R. Ford of Grand Rapids became the 38th President of the United States.

1976 Throw away bottles banned by referendum vote.

1987 Michigan celebrated 150 years of statehood.

Law and Government

Capital: Lansing

Law/Government of state

governor -- current, previous governors

Current: Jennifer Granholm

Michigan Legislature -- bicameral

Michigan State House of Representatives

Michigan Senate

structure of state judicary

state constitution

Referendum and Voter Initiative: Michigan's constitution provides for voter initiative and referendum (Article II, § 9 [ [1] (http://www.michiganlegislature.org/mileg.asp?page=getObject&objName=mcl-Constitution-II-9&queryid=3791545&highlight=referendum)] ), 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 counties and townships are statutory units of government, meaning that they have only those powers expressly provided or fairly implied by state law. Cities and Swarovski villages are vested with home rule powers, meaning that they can do almost anything not prohibited by law.

There are two types of townships in Michigan: general law and charter. Charter township status was created by the state 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.

See: List of Michigan Governors, List of United States Senators from Michigan, List of United States Representatives from Michigan

Geography

Michigan borders Indiana and Ohio to the south, and Wisconsin to the southwest of the Upper Peninsula. Michigan also borders Minnesota, Illinois and Ontario but only on water boundaries in the Great Lakes system. The highest point is Mount Arvon in the Upper Peninsula at 1979 feet (603 m). The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is Briar Hill at 1705 feet (520 meters).

Michigan consists of two peninsulas:

the Lower Peninsula and

the Upper Peninsula

The Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten and is 277 miles long from north to south and 195 miles from east to west. The heavily forested Upper Peninsula (often called simply "The U.P.") is as big as Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island combined, but has less than 320,000 inhabitants, who are sometimes called "Yoopers" (from "U.P.'ers") and whose speech has been heavily influenced by the large number of Scandinavian and Canadian immigrants who settled the area during the mining boom of the late 1800's.

Interior decorators can use a curio cabinet, display cabinet or a display showcase as design elements. In special cases particularly a high-quality collectors cabinet can be used for the keeping of precious pieces.

These two sections are connected only by the five mile long Mackinac Bridge -- the third longest suspension bridge in the world. The two peninsulas are surrounded by an extensive Great Lakes shoreline. Other than Alaska, Michigan has the longest shoreline of any state -- 2,242 miles (and another 879 miles if islands are included). This equals the length of the Atlantic Coast, from Maine to Florida. The Great Lakes which touch the two peninsulas of Michigan are Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. No point in Michigan is more than 6 miles from an inland lake or more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes, and the state has more than 11,000 inland lakes and more than 36,000 miles of rivers and streams.

Detroit, Michigan is the only city in the United States that is due north of Canada.

National parks

Isle Royale National Park

Keweenaw National Historical Park

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Father Marquette National Memorial

See also Protected areas of Michigan, List of Michigan state parks

Economy

State income

Major industries/products

Automobiles (General Motors, Ford, Daimler-Chrysler), Amway, Cereal (Kellogg's), Copper, Furniture (Steelcase, Herman Miller), Iron

state taxes

Demographics

Michigan Resident Population (2003 U.S. Census Bureau estimate): 10,079,985

The racial makeup of the state is:

80.2% White

14.2% Black

0.6% American Indian

1.8% Asian

3.3% Hispanic

1.3% other

1.9% mixed race

See also Highway map of Michigan

Important cities

Detroit (Motor City, Motown)

Grand Rapids (The Furniture City)

Lansing (the state capital)

Traverse City (the Cherry Capital of the World)

Education

Colleges and universities

Adrian College

Albion College

Alma College

Andrews University

Aquinas College

Baker College

Calvin College

Center for Creative Studies College of Art and Design

Central Michigan University

Cleary College

Concordia University, Ann Arbor

Cornerstone University

Davenport University

Eastern Michigan University

Ferris State University

Finlandia University

Grace Bible College

Grand Valley State University

Hillsdale College

Hope College

Kalamazoo College

Kendall College of Art and Design

Kettering University

Lake Superior State University

Lawrence Technological University

Madonna University

Marygrove College

Michigan State University

Michigan Technological University

Northern Michigan University

Northwood University

Oakland University

Olivet College

Rochester College

Saginaw Valley State University

Siena Heights University

Spring Arbor University

University of Detroit Mercy

University of Michigan System

University of Michigan Ann Arbor main campus

University of Michigan-Dearborn

University of Michigan-Flint

Walsh College

Wayne State University

Western Michigan University

William Tyndale College

Interiors can be enriched by curio cabinets, display cabinets and display showcases of all kinds in kitchen or in the living range. For the keeping of rare pieces or coins also collectors cabinets are suitable.

Community Colleges and Technical Schools

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

Kennedy-Western University

Kirtland Community College

Lake Michigan College

Lansing Community College

Macomb Community College

Mid-Michigan Community College

Monroe County Community College

Montcalm Community College

Mott Community College

Muskegon Community College

National Institute of Technology - Southfield

National Institute of Technology - Wyoming

North Central Michigan College

Northwestern Michigan College

Oakland Community College

Olympia Career Training Institute - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Olympia Career Training Institute - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Saint Clair County Community College

Schoolcraft College

Southwestern Michigan College

Suomi College

University of Phoenix - Detroit, Michigan

University of Phoenix - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Washtenaw Community College

Wayne County Community College

West Shore Community College

Professional sports teams

Detroit Tigers, Major League Baseball

Detroit Lions, National Football League

Detroit Red Wings, National Hockey League

Detroit Pistons, National Basketball Association

Detroit Shock, Women's National Basketball Association

Minor League baseball teams

West Michigan Whitecaps

Battle Creek Yankees (formerly the Michigan Battle Cats)

Lansing Lugnuts

Other notable sports teams

Detroit Fury, Arena Football League

Detroit Demolition, National Women's Football Association

Grand Rapids Rampage, Arena Football League

Grand Rapids Griffins, American Hockey League

Muskegon Fury, United Hockey League

Port Huron Beacons, United Hockey League

Flint Generals, United Hockey League

State symbols

State Motto: Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice

State Song: My Michigan (official, but disputed amongst Michiganders)

State Bird: American Robin

State Mammal: White-tailed Deer

State Fish: Brook Trout

State Reptile: Painted Turtle

State Fossil: Mastodont

State Flower: Apple Blossom

State Wildflower: Dwarf Lake Iris

State Tree: White Pine

State Stone: Petoskey stone

State Gem: Isle Royale greenstone

State Soil: Kalkaska Sand

Miscellaneous information

Michigan has 116 lighthouses. 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 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.

Although most famous for its automotive industry, over half of Michigan's land is forested, much of it quite remote.

Quick trivia

State nicknames include the Wolverine State, Great Lakes State, Mitten State, and Winter Water Wonderland.

The state motto, Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice is Latin for "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you", a paraphrase of a statement made by British architect Sir Christopher Wren about his influence on London.

The state stone, the Petoskey stone (Hexagonaria pericarnata), is composed of fossilized diatoms from long ago when the middle of the continent was covered with a shallow sea.

The state gem chlorastrolite, literally the green star stone, also known as the Isle Royale greenstone is found on Isle Royale and the Keweenaw.

The state wildflower, the Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris), is a federal-listed threatened species.

The state soil, Kalkaska Sand, ranges in color from black to yellowish brown, covers nearly a million acres (4,000 km²) in 29 counties.

Michigan is the only state composed of two separate peninsulas.

External links

Government Tourism Culture & History

State Website (http://www.michigan.gov/)

City of Detroit (http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/)

City of Grand Rapids (http://www.grand-rapids.mi.us/)

Travel Michigan (http://travel.michigan.org/)

UpNorth: The northern peninsula (http://www.michiweb.com/)

VisitDetroit (http://visitdetroit.com/)

Michigan Bed & Breakfasts (http://www.michiganbbinns.com)

Michigan's Top 100 Artists & Entertainers (http://www.freep.com/fun/features/web125_19991212.htm)

CoolCities project (http://www.coolcities.com/)

Michigan History Magazine (http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/)

Motown Historical Museum (http://www.motownmuseum.com)

Swarovski