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MICHIGAN - USA
Michigan is a state in the United States. Its
U.S. postal abbreviation is MI (old style: Mich.). The name is derived from
Lake Michigan, which in turn is believed to come from the Chippewa word
meicigama, meaning "great water."
The state is known as the birthplace of the automobile industry. However, it
also has a large tourist industry. Destinations like Traverse City, Mackinac
Island, and the entire Upper Peninsula draw vacationers, hunters, and nature
lovers from all over the U.S. and Canada. Michigan has the longest coastline
of any state except Alaska and more recreational boats than any other state.
USS Michigan was named in honor of the state.
An individual from Michigan is called a
Michigander or Michiganian. A resident of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (the
UP) is often called a Yooper (and in turn, residents of the lower peninsula
may be jokingly referred to as trolls because they live "below the Mackinac
Bridge".)
History
Once a thriving lumber capital and supplier of iron and copper minerals,
Michigan's declining natural resources gave way at the turn of the twentieth
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 that permanently changed the socio-economic climate
of America. Many automotive manufacturing plants remain, however, Detroit
lost its grandeur after World War II, as automotive companies abandoned huge
industrial parks in the area for the cheaper labor found in Southern U.S.
and offshore plants.
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.
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 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.
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 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" 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.
These two sections are connected only by the 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.
National parks
Isle Royale National Park
Keweenaw National Historical Park
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Father Marquette National Memorial
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 (2000 Census): 9,938,444
racial/ethnic makeup of state
religious makeup of state
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
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.
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