In the Upper Peninsula, across the Straits of Mackinac, lumber and copper have been the principal commodities from the 19th century, and the northern part of the Lower Peninsula boasts rich farmland.
Michigan's boundaries include parts of four of the five Great Lakes. It has more coastline than any state except Alaska.
Michigan has had an outstanding reputation in higher education. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Michigan State are helping to foster the state's high tech industries.
The state's heavy reliance on auto manufacturing makes it vulnerable to economic downturns, as well as the general contraction of the American industry.
The name Michigan comes from the Fox "mesikami", "large lake." It's nicknames are the Wolverine State and the Lake State.
Michigan's capital is in Lansing. Michigan. The state entered the Union on January 26, 1837 as the 26th state.
The state motto is "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice," "If you are looking for a beautiful peninsula, look around you!"
Tree - White Pine
Michigan, My Michigan
A song to thee, fair State of mine,
Michigan, my Michigan.
But greater song than this is thine,
Michigan, my Michigan.
The whisper of the forest tree.
The thunder of the inland sea;
Unite in one grand symphony
Of Michigan, my Michigan
I sing a State of all the best,
Michigan, my Michigan;
I sing a State with riches bless'd
Michigan, my Michigan;
Thy mines unmask a hidden store,
But richer thy historic lore,
More great the love thy builders bore,
O Michigan, my Michigan.
Sung to the melody of the Christmas song "O Tannenbaum."
LAND
Total area of Michigan is 58,527 square miles (23rd largest in USA) including 1573 square miles of inland water. Michigan's borders are Lake Superior, Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Ohio, Indiana, Lake Michigan and Wisconsin. Some rivers are the Brule, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Menominee, Montreal, Muskegon, St. Joseph, and the St. Mary's.
Major lakes include: Burt, Higgins, Houghton, Huron, Manistique, Michigan, Mullett, St. Clair, and Superior.
Other Notable features include: Isle Royale, Mt. Curwood (1,980'), Saginaw Bay, Traverse Bay and Whitefish Bay.
PEOPLE
(1993) 9,477,545 (8th in nation).
Race/National origin (1990):
- White 83.4%
- Black 13.9%
- Indian 0.6%
- Asian 1.1%
- Other 0.9%
- Hispanic 2.2%
CITIES - 1990
- Detroit 1,027,974
- Grand Rapids 189,126
- Warren 144,864
- Flint 140,761
- Lansing 127,321>
- Sterling Heights 117,810
- Ann Arbor 109,592
- Livonia 100,850
- Dearborn 89,286
- Westland 84,724.
BUSINESS
Gross State Product (GSP, 1990) $188.04 Billion (9th in the
nation).
Sectors of GSP:
- Farms 1.01%
- agricultural services, forestry, and fisheries 0.32%
- mining 0.61%
- construction 3.83%
- manufacturing 27.13%
- transportation and public utilities 7.36%
- wholesale trade 6.39%
- retail trade 9.33%
- finance, insurance, and real estate 15.75%
- services 17.51%
- federal government 1.21%
- federal military 0.31%
- state and local government 9.21%.
Fortune 500 companies (1993): 22 including General Motors, Ford Motor, Chrysler, Dow Chemical, Whirlpool, Kellogg, Upjohn, Dow Corning, Gerber Products, Thorn Apple Valley and La-Z-Boy Chair.
FAMOUS NATIVES
Ralph J. Bunche, statesman (Nobel Peace Prize, 1950)
Paul de Kruif, bacteriologist
Thomas Dewey, politician
Herbert H. Dow (b Canada) chemical manufacturer
Edna Ferber, author
Henry Ford, industrialist
Edgar Guest, journalist/poet
Robert Ingersoll, industrialist
Will Kellogg, businessman/philanthropist
Charles A. Lindbergh, aviator
Antoine de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac (b France), founded Detroit
Pontiac, Ottawa chief
William Upjohn, drug manufacturer.
NOTEWORTHY PLACES
- Detroit Historical Society
- Detroit Institute of Arts
- Dossin Great Lake Museum, Detroit
- Great Lakes Indian Interpretive Museum, Detroit
- Greenfield Village, Dearborn
- Historic Ft. Wayne, Detroit
- Isle Royale National Park
- Mackinac Island
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Lake Superior
- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Lake Superior
MEMORABLE EVENTS
- 1634 French explorers first arrive.
- 1668 Jacques Marquette settles Sault Sainte Marie.
- 1701 Detroit is founded as a French military post.
- 1763 Region is ceded to England.
- 1783 Region is ceded to United States.
- 1805 Michigan Territory.
- 1818 First steamboat on Great Lakes reaches Detroit.
- 1837 Statehood.
- 1846 First state to outlaw capital punishment.
- 1854 Republican party organized at Jackson.
- 1935 United Auto Workers first to use sit-down strike successfully in
contract negotiations.
- 1967 Race riot, one of the worst in US history, leaves 43 dead and $200
million in damages in Detroit.
- 1979 Congress authorizes $1.5 billion in federal loan guarantees to bail
out Chrysler Corporation.
 | Awesome Almanac : Michigan
Everything you wanted to know!
|
- by Jean Blashfield , Annette Newcomb(Compiler)
Paperback List: $12.95 -- Amazon.com Price: $10.36 -- You Save: $2.59 (20%)
Published by B & B Pub, Publication date: September 1993
ISBN: 1880190060
Availability: On Order; usually shipped within 1-2 weeks.
Click here to order from Amazon.com
TOURIST INFORMATION.......1-800-543-2YES or 1-517-373-1195.
Copyright © 1995 - 2000 RING! Inc.
©
Return to Program Guide
