79-638: The Mackinac Bridge Authority is an independent state agency of the U.S. state of Michigan that operates the Mackinac Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac . The Mackinac Bridge Authority has been directed by the state of Michigan to maintain the Mackinac Bridge as a self-supporting facility. The Mackinac Bridge is a toll bridge , with the tolls set at a level determined by the authority and its governing board. The Mackinac Bridge Authority
158-497: A 4.2-magnitude earthquake occurred on Saturday, May 2, 2015, shortly after noon, about five miles south of Galesburg, Michigan (9 miles southeast of Kalamazoo ) in central Michigan, about 140 miles west of Detroit, according to the Colorado-based U.S. Geological Survey 's National Earthquake Information Center . No major damage or injuries were reported, according to then-Governor Rick Snyder 's office. State government
237-536: A few hundred feet tall. It is divided by a low water divide running north and south. The larger portion of the state is on the west of this and gradually slopes toward Lake Michigan. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is either Briar Hill at 1,705 feet (520 m), or one of several points nearby in the vicinity of Cadillac . The lowest point is the surface of Lake Erie at 571 feet (174 m). The geographic orientation of Michigan's peninsulas makes for
316-660: A landmark during the day to safely guide the passenger ships and freighters traveling the Great Lakes (see: lighthouses in the United States ). The state's rivers are generally small, short and shallow, and few are navigable. The principal ones include the Detroit River, St. Marys River, and St. Clair River which connect the Great Lakes; the Au Sable , Cheboygan , and Saginaw , which flow into Lake Huron;
395-563: A long distance between the ends of the state. Ironwood , in the far western Upper Peninsula, lies 630 miles (1,010 kilometers) by highway from Lambertville in the Lower Peninsula's southeastern corner. The geographic isolation of the Upper Peninsula from Michigan's political and population centers makes the region culturally and economically distinct. Frequent attempts to establish the Upper Peninsula as its own state have failed to gain traction. A feature of Michigan that gives it
474-625: A nearly bloodless siege in 1812. A U.S. attempt to retake Detroit resulted in a severe American defeat in the River Raisin Massacre . This battle, still ranked as the bloodiest ever fought in the state, had the highest number of American casualties of any battle of the war. Michigan was recaptured by the Americans in 1813 after the Battle of Lake Erie . They used Michigan as a base to launch an invasion of Canada, which culminated in
553-430: A permanent community there would strengthen French control over the upper Great Lakes and discourage British aspirations. The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one arpent (about 0.85 acres (3,400 m ), the equivalent of just under 200 feet (61 m) per side) and named it Fort Pontchartrain . Cadillac's wife, Marie Thérèse Guyon, soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of
632-596: A significant amount of population due to global competition and the dramatic unavailability of manufacturing jobs. Meanwhile, Michigan had increased use of technology, specifically when the IBM Personal Computer started selling in the state, in which became mostly used at work. Michigan became the leading auto-producing state in the U.S., with the industry primarily located throughout the Midwestern United States ; Ontario, Canada; and
711-427: A warmer climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfa ) with hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of the Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula has a more severe climate (Köppen Dfb ), with warm, but shorter summers and longer, cold to very cold winters. Some parts of the state average high temperatures below freezing from December through February, and into early March in the far northern parts. During
790-641: Is bounded on the south by the states of Ohio and Indiana , sharing land and water boundaries with both. Michigan's western boundaries are almost entirely water boundaries, from south to north, with Illinois and Wisconsin in Lake Michigan; then a land boundary with Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, that is principally demarcated by the Menominee and Montreal Rivers ; then water boundaries again, in Lake Superior, with Wisconsin and Minnesota to
869-479: Is decentralized among three tiers—statewide, county and township . Counties are administrative divisions of the state, and townships are administrative divisions of a county. Both of them exercise state government authority, localized to meet the particular needs of their jurisdictions, as provided by state law. There are 83 counties in Michigan . List of U.S. states and territories by area From Misplaced Pages,
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#1732776830299948-489: Is home to the country's three major automobile companies (whose headquarters are all in Metro Detroit). Once exploited for logging and mining, today the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula is important for tourism because of its abundance of natural resources. The Lower Peninsula is a center of manufacturing , forestry , agriculture , services , and high-tech industry. When the first European explorers arrived,
1027-526: Is rugged. The state's highest point, in the Huron Mountains northwest of Marquette, is Mount Arvon at 1,979 feet (603 m). The peninsula is as large as Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island combined but has fewer than 330,000 inhabitants. The people are sometimes called "Yoopers" (from "U.P.'ers"), and their speech (the " Yooper dialect ") has been heavily influenced by the numerous Scandinavian and Canadian immigrants who settled
1106-431: Is the largest state by total area, land area, and water area. It is the seventh-largest country subdivision in the world. [REDACTED] The area of Alaska is 18% of the area of the United States and equivalent to 21% of the area of the contiguous United States . [REDACTED] The second largest state, Texas , has only 40% of the total area of the largest state, Alaska. [REDACTED] Rhode Island
1185-418: Is the smallest state by total area and land area. [REDACTED] San Bernardino County is the largest county in the contiguous U.S. and is larger than each of the nine smallest states; it is larger than the four smallest states combined. [REDACTED] Michigan is second (after Alaska) in water area, and first in water percentage. [REDACTED] Florida is mostly a peninsula, and has
1264-467: Is the state's largest metropolitan area (roughly 50% of the population resides there) and the eleventh largest in the United States. The Grand Rapids metropolitan area in Western Michigan is the state's fastest-growing metro area, with more than 1.3 million residents as of 2006 . Michigan consists of two peninsulas separated by the Straits of Mackinac . The 45th parallel north runs through
1343-519: The 11th-largest by area, and the largest by area east of the Mississippi River . Its capital is Lansing , and its largest city is Detroit . Metro Detroit is among the nation's most populous and largest metropolitan economies. The name derives from a gallicized variant of the original Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ ( mishigami ), meaning "large water" or "large lake". Michigan consists of two peninsulas . The Lower Peninsula resembles
1422-560: The American Revolution . When Quebec split into Lower and Upper Canada in 1791, Michigan was part of Kent County , Upper Canada. It held its first democratic elections in August 1792 to send delegates to the new provincial parliament at Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake ). Under terms negotiated in the 1794 Jay Treaty , Britain withdrew from Detroit and Michilimackinac in 1796. It retained control of territory east and south of
1501-654: The Battle of the Thames . But the more northern areas of Michigan were held by the British until the peace treaty restored the old boundaries. A number of forts, including Fort Wayne , were built by the United States in Michigan during the 19th century out of fears of renewed fighting with Britain. Michigan Territory governor and judges established the University of Michigan in 1817, as the Catholepistemiad, or
1580-551: The Guardian Building , each of which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark (NHL). In 1927 a school bombing took place in Clinton County . The Bath School disaster resulted in the deaths of 38 schoolchildren and constitutes the deadliest mass murder in a school in U.S. history. Michigan converted much of its manufacturing to satisfy defense needs during World War II ; it manufactured 10.9% of
1659-587: The Netherlands were especially numerous. Migration from Appalachia and of Black Southerners as part of the Great Migration increased in the 1930s, with many settling in Metro Detroit. Although Michigan has developed a diverse economy, in the early 20th century it became widely known as the center of the U.S. automotive industry , which developed as a major national economic force. It
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#17327768302991738-560: The North Country National Scenic Trail passes through Michigan. With 78 state parks , 19 state recreation areas, and six state forests , Michigan has the largest state park and state forest system of any state. Michigan has a continental climate with two distinct regions. The southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula (south of Saginaw Bay and from the Grand Rapids area southward) have
1817-581: The Ontonagon , and Tahquamenon , which flow into Lake Superior; and the St. Joseph , Kalamazoo , Grand , Muskegon , Manistee , and Escanaba , which flow into Lake Michigan. The state has 11,037 inland lakes—totaling 1,305 square miles (3,380 km ) of inland water—in addition to 38,575 square miles (99,910 km ) of Great Lakes waters. No point in Michigan is more than six miles (9.7 km) from an inland lake or more than 85 miles (137 km) from one of
1896-487: The automotive industry . Ford's development of the moving assembly line in Highland Park marked a new era in transportation. Like the steamship and railroad, mass production of automobiles was a far-reaching development. More than the forms of public transportation, the affordable automobile transformed private life. Automobile production became the major industry of Detroit and Michigan, and permanently altered
1975-437: The 1830s, Michigan had 30,000 residents, more than enough to apply and qualify for statehood. On November 1, 1935, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative 3-cent stamp celebrating the 100th anniversary of Michigan statehood. Michigan's statehood, however, wasn't officially established until January 26, 1837, but since the campaign for statehood actually began in 1835, Michigan chose to hold its centennial celebration in 1935,
2054-679: The 2010 census, unlike previous years, as the U.S. Census Bureau no longer collects data on the Minor Outlying Islands. References [ edit ] ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates" . census.gov . 2010 . Retrieved December 2, 2023 . ^ "Census 2000 Geographic Terms and Concepts" , Census 2000 Geography Glossary , U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2007 . ^ "United States Summary: 2000, Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau. April 2004. p. 1 (Table 1). Archived from
2133-507: The Beautiful quarters Snowiest places Symbols Tallest buildings Temperature extremes Time zones [REDACTED] Category [REDACTED] Commons [REDACTED] Portals Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_area&oldid=1256009828 " Categories : United States geography-related lists Lists of subdivisions of
2212-851: The British forces, ending the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the North American front of the Seven Years' War in Europe. Under the 1763 Treaty of Paris , Michigan and the rest of New France east of the Mississippi River were ceded by defeated France to Great Britain. After the Quebec Act was passed in 1774, Michigan became part of the British Province of Quebec . By 1778, Detroit's population reached 2,144 and it
2291-521: The Detroit River, which are now included in Ontario, Canada. Questions remained over the boundary for many years, and the United States did not have uncontested control of the Upper Peninsula and Drummond Island until 1818 and 1847, respectively. During the War of 1812 , the United States forces at Fort Detroit surrendered Michigan Territory (effectively consisting of Detroit and the surrounding area) after
2370-685: The French established a trading post and Fort St. Joseph along the St. Joseph River at the present-day city of Niles . In 1701, French explorer and army officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or "Fort Pontchartrain on-the-Strait" on the strait, known as the Detroit River , between lakes Saint Clair and Erie . Cadillac had convinced King Louis XIV's chief minister, Louis Phélypeaux, Comte de Pontchartrain , that
2449-631: The Great Lakes. The state is home to several areas maintained by the National Park Service including: Isle Royale National Park , in Lake Superior, about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Other national protected areas in the state include: Keweenaw National Historical Park , Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore , Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , Huron National Forest , Manistee National Forest , Hiawatha National Forest , Ottawa National Forest and Father Marquette National Memorial . The largest section of
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2528-504: The Lower Peninsula, Michigan is drained by the Great Lakes- St. Lawrence watershed and is the only state with the majority of its land thus drained. No point in the state is more than six miles (9.7 km) from a natural water source or more than 85 miles (137 km) from a Great Lakes shoreline. The Great Lakes that border Michigan from east to west are Lake Erie , Lake Huron , Lake Michigan and Lake Superior . The state
2607-707: The MBA is appointed by MDOT with MBA approval, and the MDOT director serves on the board. William Gnodtke has been the chairman of the board since 2002, and the executive secretary is Kim Nowack since 2019. Michigan Michigan ( / ˈ m ɪ ʃ ɪ ɡ ən / MISH -ig-ən ) is a state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest region of the United States . It borders Wisconsin to
2686-548: The Southern United States. With almost ten million residents in 2010, Michigan is a large and influential state, ranking tenth in population among the fifty states. Detroit is the centrally located metropolitan area of the Great Lakes megalopolis and the second-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. (after Chicago ) linking the Great Lakes system. The Metro Detroit area in Southeast Michigan
2765-639: The U.S.), an Anishinaabe tribe, were established in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and northern and central Michigan . Bands also inhabited Ontario and southern Manitoba , Canada; and northern Wisconsin , and northern and north-central Minnesota . The Ottawa Indians lived primarily south of the Straits of Mackinac in northern, western , and southern Michigan , but also in southern Ontario, northern Ohio, and eastern Wisconsin. The Potawatomi were in southern and western Michigan, in addition to northern and central Indiana, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and southern Ontario. Other Algonquian tribes in Michigan, in
2844-513: The United States military armaments produced during the war, ranking second (behind New York ) among the 48 states. Detroit continued to expand through the 1950s, at one point doubling its population in a decade. After World War II, housing was developed in suburban areas outside city cores to meet demand for residences. The federal government subsidized the construction of interstate highways , which were intended to strengthen military access, but also allowed commuters and business traffic to travel
2923-697: The University of Michigania. The population grew slowly until the opening in 1825 of the Erie Canal through the Mohawk Valley in New York, connecting the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and New York City. The new route attracted a large influx of settlers to the Michigan territory. They worked as farmers, lumbermen, shipbuilders, and merchants and shipped out grain, lumber, and iron ore. By
3002-463: The area during the lumbering and mining boom of the late 19th century. The Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten and many residents hold up a hand to depict where they are from. It is 277 miles (446 km) long from north to south and 195 miles (314 km) from east to west and occupies nearly two-thirds of the state's land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial moraines usually not more than
3081-560: The area, settling largely along the waterways. After France's defeat in the French and Indian War in 1762, the region came under British rule. Britain ceded the territory to the newly independent United States after its defeat in the American Revolutionary War . The area was part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory . Michigan Territory
3160-769: The authority board. Six members of the governing board of the Mackinac Bridge Authority are appointed by the Governor of Michigan ; the Transportation Department Director is an ex officio member. The MBA is an independent state agency responsible for the Mackinac Bridge and thus maintains that section of the overall State Trunkline Highway System . The MBA works with the Michigan Department of Transportation but does not report to it. The executive secretary of
3239-579: The authority to the Michigan Treasury construing that the Michigan State Treasurer is the authority's treasurer. On August 12, 2005, Jeff asserted engineering inspections and insurance would be handled by MDOT instead of the MBA based on a 40-year-old Attorney General's opinion; Jeff would not release the opinion. In September 2005, Governor Jennifer Granholm was in talks between MDOT and the MBA to develop an agreement between
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3318-403: The authority was originally scheduled for dissolution in 1986 after the last of the bonds were to be paid in full. Over the course of 2004 and 2005, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Gloria Jeff made moves to challenge the independence of the authority against previous practices claiming that the authority is not an independent agency. In 2004, Jeff moved $ 25 million from
3397-475: The coast is much indented. Keweenaw Bay, Whitefish Bay , and the Big and Little Bays De Noc are the principal indentations on the Upper Peninsula. The Grand and Little Traverse , Thunder , and Saginaw bays indent the Lower Peninsula. Michigan has the second longest shoreline of any state—3,288 miles (5,292 km), including 1,056 miles (1,699 km) of island shoreline. The state has numerous large islands ,
3476-559: The coldest recorded temperature is −51 °F (−46 °C) at Vanderbilt on February 9, 1934. The state averages 30 days of thunderstorm activity per year. These can be severe, especially in the southern part of the state. The state averages 17 tornadoes per year, which are more common in the state's extreme southern section. Portions of the southern border have been almost as vulnerable historically as states further west and in Tornado Alley . For this reason, many communities in
3555-671: The distinct shape of a mitten is the Thumb , which projects into Lake Huron, forming Saginaw Bay . Other notable peninsulas of Michigan include the Keweenaw Peninsula , which projects northeasterly into Lake Superior from the Upper Peninsula and largely comprising Michigan's Copper Country region, and the Leelanau Peninsula , projecting from the Lower Peninsula into Lake Michigan, forming Michigan's "little finger". Numerous lakes and marshes mark both peninsulas, and
3634-691: The entire Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula exhibits Lower Silurian sandstones, limestones, copper and iron bearing rocks, corresponding to the Huronian system of Canada . The central portion of the Lower Peninsula contains coal measures and rocks of the Pennsylvanian period. Devonian and sub-Carboniferous deposits are scattered over the entire state. Michigan rarely experiences earthquakes , and those that it does experience are generally smaller ones that do not cause significant damage. A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck in August 1947. More recently,
3713-439: The first European women to settle in what was considered the wilderness of Michigan. The town quickly became a major fur-trading and shipping post. The Église de Saint-Anne (Catholic Church of Saint Anne) was founded the same year. While the original building does not survive, the congregation remains active. Cadillac later departed to serve as the French governor of Louisiana from 1710 to 1716. French attempts to consolidate
3792-535: The five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair . It also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds . Michigan has the second-most water area of any state, behind only Alaska. The area was first occupied by a succession of Native American tribes over thousands of years. In the 17th century, French explorers claimed it as part of the New France colony, when it was largely inhabited by Indigenous peoples. French and Canadian traders and settlers, Métis , and others migrated to
3871-7532: The 💕 This is a complete list of all 50 U.S. states , its federal district ( Washington, D.C. ) and its major territories ordered by total area, land area and water area. The water area includes inland waters , coastal waters , the Great Lakes and territorial waters . Glaciers and intermittent bodies of water are counted as land area. Area by state, federal district or territory [ edit ] Land, water and total area by U.S. state, district or territory, sortable State / territory Total area Land area Water area sq mi km sq mi km sq mi km % [REDACTED] Alaska 665,384 1,723,337 570,641 1,477,953 94,743 245,383 14.2% [REDACTED] Texas 268,596 695,662 261,232 676,587 7,365 19,075 2.7% [REDACTED] California 163,695 423,967 155,779 403,466 7,916 20,501 4.8% [REDACTED] Montana 147,040 380,831 145,546 376,962 1,494 3,869 1.0% [REDACTED] New Mexico 121,590 314,917 121,298 314,161 292 757 0.2% [REDACTED] Arizona 113,990 295,234 113,594 294,207 396 1,026 0.3% [REDACTED] Nevada 110,572 286,380 109,781 284,332 791 2,048 0.7% [REDACTED] Colorado 104,094 269,601 103,642 268,431 452 1,170 0.4% [REDACTED] Oregon 98,379 254,799 95,988 248,608 2,391 6,191 2.4% [REDACTED] Wyoming 97,813 253,335 97,093 251,470 720 1,864 0.7% [REDACTED] Michigan 96,714 250,487 56,539 146,435 40,175 104,052 41.5% [REDACTED] Minnesota 86,936 225,163 79,627 206,232 7,309 18,930 8.4% [REDACTED] Utah 84,897 219,882 82,170 212,818 2,727 7,064 3.2% [REDACTED] Idaho 83,569 216,443 82,643 214,045 926 2,398 1.1% [REDACTED] Kansas 82,278 213,100 81,759 211,754 520 1,346 0.6% [REDACTED] Nebraska 77,348 200,330 76,824 198,974 524 1,356 0.7% [REDACTED] South Dakota 77,116 199,729 75,811 196,350 1,305 3,379 1.7% [REDACTED] Washington 71,298 184,661 66,456 172,119 4,842 12,542 6.8% [REDACTED] North Dakota 70,698 183,108 69,001 178,711 1,698 4,397 2.4% [REDACTED] Oklahoma 69,899 181,037 68,595 177,660 1,304 3,377 1.9% [REDACTED] Missouri 69,707 180,540 68,742 178,040 965 2,501 1.4% [REDACTED] Florida 65,758 170,312 53,625 138,887 12,133 31,424 18.5% [REDACTED] Wisconsin 65,496 169,635 54,158 140,268 11,339 29,367 17.3% [REDACTED] Georgia 59,425 153,910 57,513 148,959 1,912 4,951 3.2% [REDACTED] Illinois 57,914 149,995 55,519 143,793 2,395 6,202 4.1% [REDACTED] Iowa 56,273 145,746 55,857 144,669 416 1,077 0.7% [REDACTED] New York 54,555 141,297 47,126 122,057 7,429 19,240 13.6% [REDACTED] North Carolina 53,819 139,391 48,618 125,920 5,201 13,471 9.7% [REDACTED] Arkansas 53,179 137,732 52,035 134,771 1,143 2,961 2.1% [REDACTED] Alabama 52,420 135,767 50,645 131,171 1,775 4,597 3.4% [REDACTED] Louisiana 52,378 135,659 43,204 111,898 9,174 23,761 17.5% [REDACTED] Mississippi 48,432 125,438 46,923 121,531 1,509 3,907 3.1% [REDACTED] Pennsylvania 46,054 119,280 44,743 115,883 1,312 3,397 2.8% [REDACTED] Ohio 44,826 116,098 40,861 105,829 3,965 10,269 8.8% [REDACTED] Virginia 42,775 110,787 39,490 102,279 3,285 8,508 7.7% [REDACTED] Tennessee 42,144 109,153 41,235 106,798 909 2,355 2.2% [REDACTED] Kentucky 40,408 104,656 39,486 102,269 921 2,387 2.3% [REDACTED] Indiana 36,420 94,326 35,826 92,789 593 1,537 1.6% [REDACTED] Maine 35,380 91,633 30,843 79,883 4,537 11,750 12.8% [REDACTED] South Carolina 32,020 82,933 30,061 77,857 1,960 5,076 6.1% [REDACTED] West Virginia 24,230 62,756 24,038 62,259 192 497 0.8% [REDACTED] Maryland 12,406 32,131 9,707 25,142 2,699 6,990 21.8% [REDACTED] Hawaii 10,932 28,313 6,423 16,635 4,509 11,678 41.2% [REDACTED] Massachusetts 10,554 27,336 7,800 20,202 2,754 7,134 26.1% [REDACTED] Vermont 9,616 24,906 9,217 23,871 400 1,035 4.2% [REDACTED] New Hampshire 9,349 24,214 8,953 23,187 397 1,027 4.2% [REDACTED] New Jersey 8,723 22,591 7,354 19,047 1,368 3,544 15.7% [REDACTED] Connecticut 5,543 14,357 4,842 12,542 701 1,816 12.6% [REDACTED] Puerto Rico 5,325 13,791 3,424 8,868 1,901 4,924 35.7% [REDACTED] Delaware 2,489 6,446 1,949 5,047 540 1,399 21.7% [REDACTED] Northern Mariana Islands 1,976 5,117 182 472 1,793 4,644 90.7% [REDACTED] Rhode Island 1,545 4,001 1,034 2,678 511 1,324 33.1% [REDACTED] U.S. Virgin Islands 733 1,898 134 348 599 1,550 81.7% [REDACTED] American Samoa 581 1,505 76 198 505 1,307 86.9% [REDACTED] Guam 571 1,478 210 543 361 935 63.2% [REDACTED] District of Columbia 68 177 61 158 7 19 10.3% Minor Outlying Islands 16 41 16 41 0 0 0.0% Contiguous US 3,120,428 8,081,869 2,954,843 7,653,006 165,589 428,865 5.3% 50 States 3,796,676 9,833,342 3,531,846 9,147,436 264,834 685,907 7.0% 50 States and DC 3,796,744 9,833,519 3,531,907 9,147,594 264,841 685,926 7.0% United States 3,805,927 9,857,306 3,535,932 9,158,022 269,995 699,284 7.1% [REDACTED] U.S. states by total area [REDACTED] U.S. states by land area [REDACTED] U.S. states by water area [REDACTED] U.S. states by water percentage [REDACTED] Alaska
3950-565: The fur trade led to the Fox Wars , in which the Meskwaki (Fox) and their allies fought the French and their Native allies. At the same time, the French strengthened Fort Michilimackinac at the Straits of Mackinac to better control their lucrative fur-trading empire. By the mid-18th century, the French also occupied forts at present-day Niles and Sault Ste. Marie, though most of the rest of
4029-708: The late 19th to early 20th century, working in lumbering areas in counties on the Lake Huron side of the Lower Peninsula, such as the Saginaw Valley, Alpena, and Cheboygan counties, as well as throughout the Upper Peninsula, with large concentrations in Escanaba and the Keweenaw Peninsula . The first statewide meeting of the Republican Party took place on July 6, 1854, in Jackson, Michigan , where
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#17327768302994108-673: The most populous tribes were the Algonquian peoples , which include the Anishinaabe groups of Ojibwe , Odaawaa/Odawa (Ottawa) , and the Boodewaadamii/Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi) . The three nations coexisted peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the Council of Three Fires . The Ojibwe, whose numbers are estimated to have been at least 35,000, were the largest. The Ojibwe Indians (also known as Chippewa in
4187-456: The nation. Many private colleges were founded as well, and the smaller cities established high schools late in the century. Michigan's economy underwent a transformation at the turn of the 20th century. Many individuals, including Ransom E. Olds , John and Horace Dodge , Henry Leland , David Dunbar Buick , Henry Joy , Charles King , and Henry Ford , provided the concentration of engineering know-how and technological enthusiasm to develop
4266-401: The original (PDF) on February 3, 2017 . Retrieved December 28, 2023 . ^ "United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF) . United States Census Bureau . September 2012. pp. V–2, 1 & 41 (Tables 1 & 18) . Retrieved February 7, 2014 . ^ "World Factbook Country Comparison: Area" . The World Factbook . CIA . Archived from
4345-4206: The original on August 4, 2018 . Retrieved August 1, 2018 . v t e United States state-related lists List of states and territories of the United States Demographics Population African American Amish Asian Birth and death rates Density Hispanic and Latino Historical Household income Immigration LGBT Non-Hispanic white Pacific Islander Spanish-speaking Educational attainment Largest cities by population Median age Most popular given names Most populous counties Net migration Populated places Population density (cities) Race/ethnicity Religiosity Irreligion Economy Billionaires Budgets Companies Credit ratings Employment rates Exports and imports Federal tax revenue Federal taxation and spending Gross domestic product Growth rate Per capita Income Inequality Median home prices Median wages Millionaire households Minimum wages Poverty rates R&D spending Sales taxes Savings rate Socioeconomic factors Sovereign wealth funds State income taxes Unemployment rates Union affiliation Vehicles per capita Environment Botanical gardens Carbon dioxide emissions Parks National Natural Landmarks National Wildlife Refuges Nature centers Electricity ( Renewable ) Superfund sites Wilderness areas Geography Area Bays Beaches Coastline Elevation Extreme points Forest Geographic centers Highest cities Islands Lakes Mountains Regions Volcanoes Government Agriculture commissioners Attorneys general Capitals Capitol buildings Comparison Congressional districts Members Counties Alphabetical List Courts Governors Lieutenant governors Legislatures Libraries and archives Official languages Poets laureate Politics by state or territory Political party strength State auditors State legislators Alabama–Missouri Montana–Wyoming State senators State secretaries of state State speakers State chief justices State presidents pro tempore State superintendents of education State supreme courts State treasurers Statewide elected executive officials Health Changes in life expectancy, 1985–2010 Fertility rates Hospitals Human Development Index American Human Development Index Life expectancy Infant mortality rates Obesity rates Road deaths Smoking History Date of statehood Name etymologies Historical societies Museums National Historic Landmarks National Register of Historic Places State partitions Historic regions Law Abortion Age of consent Alcohol Dry communities Alford plea Cell phone use while driving Constitutions Firearms Firearms death rates Gun Violence Homicide Rate Law enforcement agencies Legality of cannabis Peace Index Prisons Incarceration rate Same-sex unions Former constitutional bans Marriage law Seat belt laws Self-representation Smoking bans Speed limits ( by jurisdiction ) Statutory codes Violent Crime Rate Miscellaneous Abbreviations Airports Bus transit systems Casinos Cemeteries Demonyms Flags Hotels Insignia Coats of arms License plates Malls Mottos Newspapers Nicknames Numbered highways Quarters 50 states District of Columbia and territories America
4424-682: The party adopted its platform. The state was predominantly Republican until the 1930s, reflecting the political continuity of migrants from across the Northern Tier of New England and New York. Michigan made a significant contribution to the Union in the American Civil War and sent more than forty regiments of volunteers to the federal armies. Michigan modernized and expanded its system of education in this period. The Michigan State Normal School, now Eastern Michigan University ,
4503-441: The population boom. By the 1930s, so many immigrants had arrived that more than 30 languages were spoken in the public schools, and ethnic communities celebrated in annual heritage festivals. Over the years immigrants and migrants contributed greatly to Detroit's diverse urban culture, including popular music trends. The influential Motown Sound of the 1960s was led by a variety of individual singers and groups. Grand Rapids ,
4582-484: The principal ones being the North Manitou and South Manitou , Beaver , and Fox groups in Lake Michigan; Isle Royale and Grande Isle in Lake Superior; Marquette, Bois Blanc , and Mackinac islands in Lake Huron; and Neebish , Sugar , and Drummond islands in St. Mary's River . Michigan has about 150 lighthouses , the most of any U.S. state. The first lighthouses in Michigan were built between 1818 and 1822. They were built to project light at night and to serve as
4661-418: The region more easily. Since 1960, modern advances in the auto industry have led to increased automation, high-tech industry, and increased suburban growth. Longstanding tensions in Detroit culminated in the Twelfth Street riot in July 1967. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, increasing fuel costs and other factors made significantly more global competition and recession among families. Michigan lost
4740-453: The region remained unsettled by Europeans. France offered free land to attract families to Detroit, which grew to 800 people in 1765. It was the largest city between Montreal and New Orleans. French settlers also established small farms south of the Detroit River opposite the fort, near a Jesuit mission and Huron village. From 1660 until the end of French rule, Michigan was part of the Royal Province of New France . In 1760, Montreal fell to
4819-528: The second-largest city in Michigan also became an important center of manufacturing. Since 1838, the city has been noted for its furniture industry. In the 21st century, it is home to five of the world's leading office furniture companies. Grand Rapids is home to a number of major companies including Steelcase , Amway , and Meijer . Grand Rapids is also an important center for GE Aviation Systems . Michigan held its first United States presidential primary election in 1910. With its rapid growth in industry, it
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#17327768302994898-435: The shape of a mitten , and comprises a majority of the state's land area. The Upper Peninsula (often called "the U.P.") is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac , a five-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge connects the peninsulas. Michigan has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the United States, being bordered by four of
4977-418: The socioeconomic life of the United States and much of the world. With the growth, the auto industry created jobs in Detroit that attracted immigrants from Europe and migrants from across the United States, including both blacks and whites from the rural South . By 1920, Detroit was the fourth-largest city in the U.S.. Residential housing was in short supply, and it took years for the market to catch up with
5056-552: The south and east, were the Mascouten , the Menominee , the Miami , the Sac (or Sauk), and the Meskwaki (Fox) . The Wyandot were an Iroquoian-speaking people in this area; they were historically known as the Huron by the French, and were the historical adversaries of the Iroquois Confederation . French voyageurs and coureurs des bois explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what became Michigan were those of Étienne Brûlé 's expedition in 1622. The first permanent European settlement
5135-402: The southwest in the Upper Peninsula , and Indiana and Ohio to the south in the Lower Peninsula ; it is also connected by Lakes Superior , Michigan , Huron , and Erie to Minnesota and Illinois , and the Canadian province of Ontario . With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of 96,716 sq mi (250,490 km ), Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population,
5214-406: The state, marked by highway signs and the Polar-Equator Trail— along a line including Mission Point Light near Traverse City , the towns of Gaylord and Alpena in the Lower Peninsula and Menominee in the Upper Peninsula. With the exception of two tiny areas drained by the Mississippi River by way of the Wisconsin River in the Upper Peninsula and by way of the Kankakee - Illinois River in
5293-566: The third-largest water area and seventh-largest water area percentage. See also [ edit ] [REDACTED] Geography portal [REDACTED] United States portal List of Canadian provinces and territories by area List of European countries by area List of political and geographic subdivisions by total area List of the largest country subdivisions by area List of U.S. cities by area List of U.S. states and territories by population Notes [ edit ] ^ Areas were not published in
5372-411: The two agencies to solve the recent issues brought to the fore as the MDOT Director attempt to cut cost, due to statewide budget pressures, at the authority by reducing the board's power. The talks ended with an agreement for the bridge authority to resume operations as it has in the past with MDOT implementing its decisions and the MDOT Chief Deputy Director Kirk Steudle assigned the director's position on
5451-468: The very southern portions of the state have tornado sirens to warn residents of approaching tornadoes. Farther north, in Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula, tornadoes are rare. The geological formation of the state is greatly varied, with the Michigan Basin being the most major formation. Primary boulders are found over the entire surface of the Upper Peninsula (being principally of primitive origin), while Secondary deposits cover
5530-456: The west, capped around by the Canadian province of Ontario to the north and east. The heavily forested Upper Peninsula is relatively mountainous in the west. The Porcupine Mountains , which are part of one of the oldest mountain chains in the world, rise to an altitude of almost 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level and form the watershed between the streams flowing into Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. The surface on either side of this range
5609-445: The western part of the Upper Peninsula as a concession and formally entered the Union as a free state on January 26, 1837. The Upper Peninsula proved to be a rich source of lumber, iron, and copper. Michigan led the nation in lumber production from the 1850s to the 1880s. Railroads became a major engine of growth from the 1850s onward, with Detroit the chief hub . A second wave of French-Canadian immigrants settled in Michigan during
5688-432: The winter through the middle of February, the state is frequently subjected to heavy lake-effect snow . The state averages from 30 to 40 inches (76 to 102 cm) of precipitation annually; however, some areas in the northern lower peninsula and the upper peninsula average almost 160 inches (4,100 mm) of snowfall per year. Michigan's highest recorded temperature is 112 °F (44 °C) at Mio on July 13, 1936, and
5767-462: The year the stamp was first issued. A constitutional convention of assent was held to lead the territory to statehood. In October 1835 the people approved the constitution of 1835, thereby forming a state government. Congressional recognition was delayed pending resolution of a boundary dispute with Ohio known as the Toledo War . Congress awarded the "Toledo Strip" to Ohio. Michigan received
5846-604: Was an important center of industry-wide union organizing, such as the rise of the United Auto Workers . In 1920 WWJ (AM) in Detroit became the first radio station in the United States to regularly broadcast commercial programs. Throughout that decade, some of the country's largest and most ornate skyscrapers were built in the city. Particularly noteworthy are the Fisher Building , Cadillac Place , and
5925-436: Was created in 1950 to study the feasibility of constructing a suspension bridge to connect Michigan's Lower Peninsula with its Upper Peninsula The MBA was empowered by legislation in 1952 "to issue revenue bonds 'for the purpose of paying for the cost of a bridge ' ". The authority managed the bridge's construction from 1954 until 1957, and has overseen the operation of the bridge since its opening on November 1, 1957, although
6004-470: Was formed in 1805, but some of the northern border with Canada was not agreed upon until after the War of 1812 . Michigan was admitted into the Union in 1837 as the 26th state, a free one . It soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region, attracting immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from many European countries . Immigrants from Finland , Macedonia , and
6083-438: Was founded in 1668 on the site where Père Jacques Marquette established Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan , as a base for Catholic missions. Missionaries in 1671–75 founded outlying stations at Saint Ignace and Marquette . Jesuit missionaries were well received by the area's Indian populations, with few difficulties or hostilities. In 1679, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle built Fort Miami at present-day St. Joseph . In 1691,
6162-577: Was founded in 1849, for the training of teachers. It was the fourth oldest normal school in the United States and the first U.S. normal school outside New England . In 1899, the Michigan State Normal School became the first normal school in the nation to offer a four-year curriculum. Michigan Agricultural College (1855), now Michigan State University in East Lansing , was founded as the first agricultural college in
6241-501: Was the third-largest city in Quebec province. During the American Revolutionary War , Detroit was an important British supply center. Most of the inhabitants were French-Canadians or American Indians, many of whom had been allied with the French because of long trading ties. Because of imprecise cartography and unclear language defining the boundaries in the 1783 Treaty of Paris , the British retained control of Detroit and Michigan after
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