Michigan, the shagbark version
Created | Updated Jan 5, 2012
Michigan: One of the United States of America. It is situated on the Canadian border in the Great Lakes region.
- Lansing is the State Capital.
- The total area is 58,527 square miles.
- The population is 9,883,6401
- State Bird: Robin
- State Flower: Apple Blossom
- State Tree: White Pine2
- State Stone: Petosky Stone3
- State Fish: Brook Trout
Michigan is known as the 'Wolverine State' and 'Great Lakes State'.
The State motto is 'Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice', which translates as 'If you are looking for a beautiful peninsula, look around you'. A poll conducted in 2011 showed a majority of residents call themselves Michiganders while official sites try to be more sophisticated and call them Michiganians.
Toledo Not Included
Before Michigan could become a state the boundaries had to be set. A dispute over the southern boundary resulted in a fight between
Ohio and Michigan , which became known as the Toledo War.
This almost became a real war. Things had been smoldering since 1787 and land surveys were held in 1817, one of which allowed Michigan temporary possession.
Had this survey been accepted, Michigan would have included the city of Toledo. By 1835 both states claimed it and even appropriated money for armies to hold the property. When Michigan's Territorial Governor actually took 250 volunteers to occupy the land and kick the government of Ohio off the land these armies came close to clashing. There were no fatalities4, but there was a scandal about the disappearance of a pig, whose fate is still unknown. Finally President Andrew Jackson personally intervened and got Michigan to accept a deal where the US Congress would grant them statehood, and add the Upper Peninsula to their land if they agreed to cede the Toledo strip to Ohio. So Toledo became a part of Ohio and Michigan got a second peninsula.
Geography
There are two peninsulas in Michigan, each of which is hundreds of miles long. These are defined by Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior.
The two peninsulas are joined by the Mackinac Bridge. The State shares borders with Wisconsin in the northwest and Indiana and Ohio to the south.
The major cities in Michigan include Sault Ste Marie, which is the third oldest continuous settlement in the USA; Marquette; Ann Arbor; Kalamazoo; Battle Creek; Lansing; Grand Rapids; Midland; Port Huron; and Detroit.
Michigan connects to Canada at three points: Detroit, Port Huron and Sault Ste Marie. There are bridges in all three of these cities.
Also Detroit, which is north of Windsor, Ontario, has a tunnel under the Detroit River connecting it to Canada.
Climate
Michigan has four seasons.
Winters usually last from mid-November through March. Spring is usually April and May. Summer is June through Mid-September. Autumn is mid-September through mid-November. We gripe about the extremes5 sometimes but they are usually short-lived.
Agriculture
Michigan farmers raise cattle, chickens and pigs. They also grows many crops. Among these are corn, wheat, soy beans, sugar beets, potatoes, sweet cherries and apples6.
The Population Shifts
Among the 50 states, Michigan was the only state in the US to lose population during the aughts. This means that the population in the year 2000 which was
9,938,444 decreased 0.6 percent, giving a new figure in April 2010 of 9,883,640 people. Due to this decline Michigan loses one seat in the US House of Representatives.
The main reason for this decline is jobs. Most industry in Michigan takes place south of a line from
Grand Rapids
to Midland.
Michigan is noted for its automobile industry. It also had been noted for furniture, cereal, and plastics.
The various treaties of the US and other financial pressures have caused employers to move their manufacturing elsewhere. In 2011 Michigan's Governor, Rick Snyder, instituted a dashboard on the state website to track this and other problems.As employers cut their workforce, the State of Michigan attempted to provide a safety net with Unemployment Compensation cheques.
These however are for a limited number of weeks
and a newspaper article in December 2010 stated that there were
166,000 people in Michigan no longer eligible for these payments.
It is expected that many of these will move to other states in search of employment. Many recent college graduates are also accepting job offers elsewhere and moving out of Michigan.
Tourism
Michigan is also a great tourism centre.
With picturesque lake shores, museums, State and National parks, and an assortment of other things to see and do, Michigan is a good place to visit. One warning to hitchhikers- If you get within five miles of a prison, like those at Milan or Ionia, expect that you will not be given any rides.
Some Destinations
This is just a small list- there are many places not included.
- Tahquamenon Falls Nature at its prettiest. Especially when the leaves turn in autumn.
- Sleeping Bear Dunes
A major sand dune overlooking Lake Michigan. - Henry Ford Museum
The ultimate in automotive museums. - State Historical Museum
In the Capitol City. A collection showing Michigan through the ages. - Traverse City
On the shores of Lake Michigan northwest of Grand Rapids. Known as a resort city, and also for the many sweet cherries that grow in the Grand Traverse Bay area.
An assortment of notable people
Many notable people have been born in Michigan.
Alice Cooper, General Custer, Michael Moore, Bob Eubanks, Alfred P Sloan, Charles Mott, the Dodge brothers, Lee Iacoca, John DeLorean, James Earl Jones, Chief Pontiac, Tim Allen, Pat Paulson, Joe Louis, Theodore Roetchke, Barry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Levi Stubbs, Aretha Franklin, Jeff Daniels, Ellen Burstyn, Bruce Catton, Roger Chaffee, Francis Ford Coppola, Thomas E Dewey, Edna Ferber, Henry Ford, Ali Haji-Sheikh, Julie Harris, Earvin Magic Johnson, Ring Lardner, Charles A Lindbergh, Madonna, Dick Martin, Terry McMillan, John N. Mitchell, Ted Nugent, Gilda Radner, Della Reese, Jason Robards Sr, Diana Ross, Steven Seagal, Bob Seger, Tom Selleck, Lily Tomlin, Danny Thomas, Margaret Whiting, Jef Mallett, and Stevie Wonder.
Then there are those who made a name in Michigan after being born elsewhere:
- Herbert H Dow --born 1866 Beleville, Ontario
founder of Dow Chemical Co - Ransom E Olds-- born 1864 Geneva, Ohio
father to both Oldsmobile and REO Motors - Ernest Hemingway-- born 1899 in Chicago summer boyhood home Walloon Lake
- Malcolm X -- World renowned activist born 1925 Omaha, Nebraska
lived from age 3 to age 16 in Michigan - Thomas A Edison -- World renowned inventor born 1847 Milan, Ohio
lived from age 7 to age 16 in Michigan - Charlton Heston-- actor born in Evanston, Illinois, raised in Michigan
- Robin Williams--actor and comedian born in Chicago, Illinois raised in Michigan.7
The Approved Version
The approved version can be seen at
MICHIGAN USA
The coldest temperature ever recorded in the state is –51°F (–46°C), registered at Vanderbilt on 9 February 1934; the all-time high of 112°F (44°C) was recorded at Mio on 13 July 1936. Both sites are located in the interior of the lower peninsula, away from the moderating influence of the Great Lakes.6 There are over 21 varieties of apples grown in Michigan,everything from Courtlands to Ida Reds, Winesap, Mcintosh, and Northern Spy.7 His career is included in Great Comedy Acts.
