01/18/2025
National Michigan Day is celebrated every year on January 18. Michigan is fondly called ‘The Great Lakes State’ because it is bordered by four of the five Great North American Lakes — Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario, and Superior. The state is also the only one that’s spread across lower and upper peninsulas with over 60,000 ponds and inland lakes, and the Upper Peninsula is an important tourist destination thanks to its stunning natural vistas. Michigan is famous for its automobile industry, home to the ‘Big Three’ which refers to the three largest automobile manufacturers — General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler.
Michigan is an upper Midwestern state in the United States, located in the Great Lakes region. The name is a French variant of the Ojibwe word ‘mishigami,’ which means ‘large water or lake.’ Michigan has a population of about 10.1 million and an area of roughly 97,000 square miles, making it the 10th largest state by population and 11th largest by area. Lansing is the state capital, and Detroit is its largest city. The Straits of Mackinac — a five-mile channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan — separates the Lower Peninsula (shaped like a mitten) from the Upper Peninsula (or ‘the U.P.’), and the Mackinac Bridge connects the two peninsulas.
Rich in iron and copper, Michigan was first explored by the French, and was soon a center of industrial activity, becoming an American territory in 1783. In the past, ferries would carry travelers back and forth the Straits of Mackinac to move from one peninsula to the other. The Mackinac Bridge was built in 1957 to connect the two sides, making the journey safer and more convenient. At 26,372 feet long, it is the third-longest suspension bridge in the world! Industry dominated the early 20th century in Michigan, from logging and shipping to rail and automotive. This resulted in a population boom with the influx of workers during war and peacetime. Through skilled trades like engineering and manufacturing, employment grew exponentially, and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, assembly workers were in great demand across the country. Since Michigan was the epicenter of the automobile industry, it was inevitable that skilled workers found their way to the state. Of the many factory workers in Michigan, the most famous was a Willow Run worker who became the main Rosie the Riveter spokesperson, wearing the iconic bandana and flexing her muscles to sell war bonds. Rose Will Monroe’s efforts, as well as thousands of other women in Michigan and across the country, changed the status of women for generations to come.
Also known for its Motown sound and legendary music makers, Michigan launched some of the most memorable names in jazz and gospel music. Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, the Jackson 5, and Stevie Wonder were some of the most influential musicians in their genre, and they all came from Michigan.
