Waterford Michigan real estate

Welcome to Michigan

Michigan, upper midwestern state of the United States. It consists of two peninsulas thrusting into the Great Lakes and has borders with Ohio and Indiana (S), Wisconsin (W), and the Canadian province of Ontario (N,E).

Area, 58,216 sq mi (150,779 sq km).
Pop. (2000) 9,938,444, a 6.9% increase since the 1990 census.
Capital, Lansing.
Largest city, Detroit.
Motto, Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice [If You Seek a Pleasant Peninsula, Look about You].
State bird, robin.
State flower, apple blossom.
State tree, white pine.

The northern Michigan wilds, numerous inland lakes, and some 3,000 mi (4,800 km) of shoreline, combined with a pleasantly cool summer climate, have long attracted vacationers. In the winter Michigan's snow-covered hills bring skiers from all over the Midwest. Places of interest in the state include Greenfield Village, a re-creation of a 19th-century American village, and the Henry Ford Museum, both at Dearborn ; Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes national lakeshores; and Isle Royal National Park.
Lansing is the capital, and Detroit is the largest city. Other major cities are Grand Rapids, Warren, Flint and Ann Arbor.

Manufacturing accounts for 30% of Michigan's economic production, more than twice as much as any other sector. The manufacture of automobiles and transportation equipment is by far the state's chief industry, and Detroit, Dearborn, Flint, Pontiac, and Lansing are historic centers of automobile production, although the industry is now in dramatic decline throughout the state. The automobile industry's mass-production methods, developed here, were the core of the early-20th-century industrial revolution. The chemical industry in Midland is one of the nation's largest; Kalamazoo is an important paper-manufacturing and pharmaceuticals center; Grand Rapids is noted for its furniture, and Battle Creek for its breakfast foods.

Although mining contributes less to income in the state than either agriculture or manufacturing, Michigan still has important nonfuel mineral production, chiefly of iron ore, cement, sand, and gravel, and is a leading producer of peat, bromine, calcium-magnesium chloride, gypsum, and magnesium compounds.

Motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you)

State symbols:

flower	apple blossom (1897)
bird	robin (1931)
mammal	white-tailed deer (1997)
fishes	trout (1965), brook trout (1988)
gem	isle royal greenstone (chlorastrolite) (1972)
stone	petoskey stone (1965)
tree	white pine (1955)
soil	kalkaska soil series (1990)
reptile	painted turtle (1995)
flag	“Blue charged with the arms of the state” (1911)
wildflower	Dwarf Lake iris (1998)

Nickname: Wolverine State

Origin of name: From Indian word “Michigana” meaning “great or large lake”

10 largest cities (2005 est.): Detroit, 886,671; Grand Rapids, 193,780; Warren, 135,311; Sterling Heights, 128,034; Flint, 118,551; Lansing, 115,518; Ann Arbor, 113,271; Livonia, 97,977; Dearborn, 94,090; Westland, 85,623

Land area: 56,804 sq mi. (147,122 sq km)

Geographic center: In Wexford Co., 5 mi. NNW of Cadillac

Number of counties: 83

Largest county by population and area: Wayne, 1,998,217 (2005); Marquette, 1,821 sq mi.

State parks and recreation areas: 97

Residents: Michigander, Michiganian, Michiganite

2005 resident population est.: 10,120,860

2000 resident census population (rank): 9,938,444 (8). Male: 4,873,095 (49.0%); Female: 5,065,349 (51.0%). White: 7,966,053 (80.2%); Black: 1,412,742 (14.2%); American Indian: 58,479 (0.6%); Asian: 176,510 (1.8%); Other race: 129,552 (1.3%); Two or more races: 192,416 (1.9%); Hispanic/Latino: 323,877 (3.3%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 73.9; 65 and over: 12.3; median age: 35.5.

See additional census data

Area codes

Tourism office

Map of Michigan

Indian tribes were living in the Michigan region when the first European, Étienne Brulé of France, arrived in 1618. Other French explorers, including Jacques Marquette, Louis Joliet, and Sieur de la Salle, followed, and the first permanent settlement was established in 1668 at Sault Ste. Marie. France was ousted from the territory by Great Britain in 1763, following the French and Indian Wars.

After the Revolutionary War, the U.S. acquired most of the region, which remained the scene of constant conflict between the British and U.S. forces and their respective Indian allies through the War of 1812.

Bordering on four of the five Great Lakes, Michigan is divided into Upper and Lower peninsulas by the Straits of Mackinac, which link lakes Michigan and Huron. The two parts of the state are connected by the Mackinac Bridge, one of the world's longest suspension bridges. To the north, connecting lakes Superior and Huron, are the busy Sault Ste. Marie Canals.

While Michigan ranks first among the states in production of motor vehicles and parts, it is also a leader in many other manufacturing and processing lines, including prepared cereals, machine tools, airplane parts, refrigerators, hardware, and furniture.

The state produces important amounts of iron, copper, iodine, gypsum, bromine, salt, lime, gravel, and cement. Michigan's farms grow apples, cherries, beans, pears, grapes, potatoes, and sugar beets. Michigan's forests contribute significantly to the state's economy, supporting thousands of jobs in the wood-product, tourism, and recreation industries. With 10,083 inland lakes and 3,288 mi of Great Lakes shoreline, Michigan is a prime area for both commercial and sport fishing.

Points of interest are the automobile plants in Dearborn, Detroit, Flint, Lansing, and Pontiac; Mackinac Island; Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshores; Greenfield Village in Dearborn; and the many summer resorts along both the inland lakes and Great Lakes.

See more on Michigan:
Encyclopedia: Michigan
Encyclopedia: Geography
Encyclopedia: Economy
Encyclopedia: Government
Encyclopedia: History
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