The state of Michigan is believed to have gotten its name from an Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian word meaning “large lake.” Michigan is the only state to border on four of the five Great Lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. Sometimes called the Great Lakes State, Michigan has more coastline than any state other than Alaska. The capital is Lansing.
Michigan is located in the North Central United States. It is the only one of the original 48 states to be split into two large pieces of land: the Upper Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula. The Straits of Mackinac separate the two.
The Upper Peninsula is fairly long from east to west but rather narrow from north to south. The land extends north and east from Wisconsin. The peninsula is bordered by Lake Superior on the north and Lake Michigan on the south. On the east the St. Marys River separates the peninsula from the Canadian province of Ontario.
The Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten, with the “thumb” on the eastern side. It is bordered on the west by Lake Michigan and on the south by Indiana and Ohio. The Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair River separate eastern Michigan from Ontario. The peninsula is also bordered on the east by Lake Huron and Lake Erie.
Michigan has two major natural regions. An upland area covers the western half of the Upper Peninsula. This is a rough, forested tableland with a series of low ranges. The Ontonagon River is the largest of the many streams in this area. The eastern half of the Upper Peninsula and all of the Lower Peninsula are part of the Central Lowland region of the United States. Michigan's other land features include the sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan and more than 11,000 inland lakes.
With nearly 29 million acres (12 million hectares) of state and national forests, Michigan has more public forestland than any other state east of the Rocky Mountains. Fish, the most plentiful animal in the state, are found in the lakes, streams, and rivers. Other animals include deer, bears, elks, moose, quail, ducks, and wild turkeys.
Michigan once had a large population of beavers and other small fur-bearing mammals, but their numbers decreased as they were killed for their furs by early traders. Although Michigan is called the Wolverine State, there is no evidence that this animal ever roamed the state's forests. The nickname may have originated in a reference to wolves.
Most of Michigan's early settlers came to the state in the 1820s and 1830s during a wave of immigration called Michigan Fever. Many came from New York and New England through the Erie Canal, which was opened in 1825. German, Irish, Dutch, Italian, and Polish people settled throughout the state in the 19th century.
The African American population of Michigan increased greatly during the 20th century, from fewer than 16,000 in 1900 to more than 1.4 million by 2000. Michigan also has seen an increase in the number of Hispanic, Asian, and Arab residents.
Detroit, located on the Detroit River, is Michigan's largest city by far. It is sometimes called the Motor City because three of the country's largest automakers are located there or in the surrounding area. Lansing, the capital, is in the south-central part of the state. Other major cities are Grand Rapids, Warren, Flint, Ann Arbor, Dearborn, Kalamazoo, and Battle Creek. All are part of the Lower Peninsula.
Outdoor recreation in Michigan is dominated by woods and water. Tourists flock to the state's shores and forests to swim, camp, fish, hike, and hunt. Michigan also has many annual folk festivals that attract visitors from around the country. They include the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, the Bavarian Festival in Frankenmuth, and the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City.
Detroit is the center of much of Michigan's cultural life. The Detroit Institute of the Arts, founded in 1885, holds one of the nation's major art collections. The city also has a symphony and many theaters. Detroit's professional sports teams include the Tigers (baseball), Lions (football), Pistons (men's basketball), Shock (women's basketball), and Red Wings (hockey).
Although some earlier schools existed in Michigan, the modern state school system began in the 1830s. Michigan has two of the largest universities in the nation: the University of Michigan (at Ann Arbor) and Michigan State University (at Lansing). The state also is home to a variety of other public and private institutions of higher learning. The Cranbrook Educational Community in suburban Bloomfield Hills is a complex that contains an art school, an art museum, a science institute, and gardens.
Michigan's economy is dominated by the automobile industry. It accounts for about a third of manufacturing employment in the state. Many automobile factories are open both day and night. Tourism is an important industry as well.
Michigan is a major agricultural state. It is among the nation's leading producers of milk. Important crops include corn, beans, and wheat. The state is best known, however, for its fruit production. Michigan leads the nation in the production of cherries, and it is a major provider of apples, grapes, pears, plums, and peaches.
Michigan is one of the nation's leading producers of iron ore. Gravel, sand, limestone, petroleum, and natural gas are produced as well. The limestone quarry at Rogers City is the largest in the world.
In the 17th century, between 12,000 and 15,000 Native Americans lived in what is now Michigan. Some of the main tribes were the Ojibwa (Chippewa), the Potawatomi, the Ottawa, the Sauk, the Menominee, the Miami, and the Huron.
The first white settlers were French fur traders and trappers. The French developed a good relationship with the Native Americans of Michigan. The two sides traded in furs, metals, and weapons. Many Native Americans helped France fight against Great Britain in the French and Indian War (1754–63). After that war the Michigan region came under the control of Great Britain. It became part of the United States in 1783, after Great Britain's defeat in the American Revolution.
In 1787 Michigan became a part of the newly organized Northwest Territory. Completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 made travel to the West easier, and Michigan became a favorite destination for settlers and immigrants. Michigan joined the Union as the 26th state in 1837.
Michigan was strongly against slavery. For this reason it became a base for operations of the Underground Railroad, by which slaves in the South escaped to freedom in the North. About 90,000 Michigan men served in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–65).
The rise of the automobile industry was the most notable event in Michigan during the early 20th century. During World War II (1939–45) Michigan became known as the Arsenal of Democracy, lending its automotive plants for the production of planes and tanks. Many highways were built and many suburbs developed during the postwar years.
A race riot in Detroit in 1967 led to more than 40 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage. African American Coleman A. Young served as Detroit's mayor from 1974 to 1994, and he led many efforts to improve the city's image.
Economic problems throughout the nation in the early 1980s and early 1990s hit Michigan hard. People were not buying as many cars, leading many car factories to let go of workers. The economy improved somewhat in the late 1990s. Population (2000 census), 9,938,444.
