Michigan Geography

Michigan is a state of many lakes, and many nicknames. One of them, fittingly, is The Great Lake State, or, a variation: The Great Lakes State. Both versions are accurate, as there are more than 11,000 inland lakes in Michigan. The Michigan Historical Center reports that, in this state, you never need travel more than six miles to reach an inland lake. And, likewise, you are never more than 85 miles from one of the four Great Lakes, which border the state: Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie. Nearly half of Michigan's surface area is water and Michigan has a freshwater shoreline of 3,177 miles, the longest in the United States. Needless to say, the state enjoys a robust recreational industry, and is first in the nation with approximately one million registered pleasure boats. Other water-related nicknames include Water Wonderland, Water-Winter Wonderland, and Lady of the Lake.

Michigan is also known at The Wolverine State. It is often assumed that this nickname came about because a large number of these animals once lived in the area. In fact, wolverines were very rare in Michigan. Another theory purports that during a border dispute with Ohio, Michigan residents were "as vicious as wolverines."

Michigan is the only state divided into two peninsulas. The Upper Peninsula, wilder and more sparsely populated, is referred to as the U.P., and people who live there often call themselves "Yoopers." The Lower Peninsula is called "The Mitten," because of its shape. (If you ask Lower Peninsula residents where in the state they live, they may point to a spot on their hands which matches the location of their homes on "The Mitten.")

The two peninsulas are separated by the Strait of Mackinac, a channel which links Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. In 1957, the Mackinac Bridge, the third-longest suspension bridge in the world, was built to connect the peninsulas and to boost economic development of the Upper Peninsula. Yet another nickname emerged from the construction of the Mackinac Bridge "Trolls," a name given those who live on the Lower Peninsula, "under," or south of, the bridge.

Michigan Economy

The manufacture of automobiles has been vital to the Michigan economy and history and has given rise to still another nickname, The Auto State. And although the industry has been declining in recent years, its methods of mass production were at the heart of the industrial revolution.

The Michigan economy relies heavily on its various manufactures, which, at 30%, are more than double that of any other segment. The state is among the top producers of machinery and tools, airplane parts, chemicals, furniture, and cereals. The city of Battle Creek is known as "The World's Cereal Bowl," a well-deserved nickname as, beginning with William K. Kellogg's accidental creation of Corn Flakes in 1906, the city has produced more cereals than any other in the world.

Michigan has a flourishing biotechnology sector, and its outstanding research universities - University of Michigan, Michigan State, and Wayne State - are essential to this effort. Employers are drawn to the state's educated and highly skilled workforce and to policies designed to encourage and retain businesses, such as the single tax on small firms, scheduled to expire by 2009. Such policies account for Michigan's rank among the top 5 business-friendly states.

Michigan Demographic Information

Michigan's population of more than 10 million ranks it 8th in the U.S. The following ancestries are represented: German, Nordic, British and French - mostly in the Upper Peninsula; Dutch, in western Michigan; and African-American, Polish and Irish in Detroit, which also has the largest Arab and Chaldean community in the nation.

In 2005, 87% of Michigan residents 25 years and older had at least a high school diploma, and 25% had earned a bachelor's degree or higher.

Michigan Real Estate

The Michigan real estate market has been somewhat sluggish, even during the boom times of the recent past. There have been forecasts of further declines with serious results. However, some Michigan economists believe these predictions are exaggerated. One such expert, commenting on reports that 2007 will see median home prices dropping at a rate of 3.6%, points out that while home prices and numbers of sales have been declining, he views this activity as a correction from record-high levels. Other factors that should counter the slow housing market are income and stock market gains, greater numbers of job relocations, and the gradual reduction in the unemployment rate.