Michigan

Michigan is ranked 11th in the US in size and 10th in population.

It is 41.5% water and has more than 11,000 inland lakes. 

Because four of the 5 Great Lakes border Michigan, it is 2nd only to Alaska in the amount of shoreline it has.

Michigan is the only state with 2 distinct parts.  The Lower Peninsula, shaped like a mitten, is divided from the Upper Peninsula by Lake Michigan.

Dearborn has the largest percentage of Arabs of any city outside the Middle East.  The largest mosque in the US is in Dearborn.  

Western Michigan has the highest concentration of those with Dutch ancestry in the US.  

Michigan has the US's 2nd largest Finnish population.


The state legislature meets year-round on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week, except during holiday times.

Battle Creek is the world's top maker of breakfast cereal, and Fremont is the US's top maker of baby food (Gerber).

In 1904, Ransom Olds produced 5,000 cars, but they were too expensive for most people. In 1908, Henry Ford sold Model Ts for less, and then set up an assembly line, reducing the price enough for ordinary people to afford one.  Also in 1908, William Durant bought Olds, Buick and Chevrolet and called the new company General Motors.  Factory towns were established at Pontiac, Saginaw, Lansing and Flint.  Michigan became known as the Motor Capital of the World.


Michigan grows 75% of the US's crop of tart cherries.  It's also a top producer of the US's apples and grapes.  Michigan is the world's top producer of blueberries, cherries and cucumbers.

Michigan may have more golf courses than any other state.

The world's largest weathervane is in Montague.

Montague's weathervane

Floating post office

Detroit was the first US city to assign individual telephone numbers, and has the world's only floating post office.














Michigan has an official state children's book: The Legend of Sleeping Bear.