Wisconsin: The Badger State

Wisconsin: The Badger State — page 1 — 4 WISCONSIN INTRODUCTION Located in the area of the United States known as the Midwest Wisconsin has long been noted for its dairy industry and natural beauty The slogan on the state’s license plates America’s Dairyland displays Wisconsin’s pride in its strong dairy industry Since the mid-1800s the state has been a leading producer of most milk products especially cheese During the last Ice Age most of Wisconsin was covered by giant glaciers As the ice sheets melted they carved out one of the nation’s most scenic states In addition to numerous lakes and rivers Wisconsin features rolling hills and fertile valleys There are also abundant forests especially in the north The state of Wisconsin is home to more than 1 million cows which produce approximately 2 5 billion gallons of milk every year Dairy farms abound in Wisconsin Wisconsin entered the Union on May 29 1848 as the 30th state Wisconsin is nicknamed the Badger State Early miners in the state often dug homes out of hillsides like badgers The state motto is Forward The state song is On Wisconsin with music by William T Purdy and lyrics by J S Hubbard and Charles D Rosa The state was named for its main river which was called Ouisconsin in early records Some believe the word came from a Native American word meaning gathering of waters

Wisconsin: The Badger State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee is the largest airport in Wisconsin More than 10 airlines offer several hundred arrivals to the airport each day For those traveling by bus there is also a Greyhound Terminal in Milwaukee with buses going to many of the cities in the state Train travelers can take several routes into the state Highways out of Wisconsin connect to several large cities in the United States The State Trunk General Mitchell International Airport serves more than 6 million passengers every year Highway system includes approximately 11,800 miles of roadways and 4,600 bridges This system makes up about 10 percent of all roads in the state but it carries 60 percent of all traffic The main highway Interstate 94 connects Milwaukee with Chicago to the south Wisconsin Location Map Capital Madison Interstate highways Scale 0 0 25 40 50 80 Mi Km Population 5,363,675 Size 65,500 square miles Highest peak Timms Hill 1,951 feet The state flag was adopted in 1863 Changes were made to it in 1913 and 1979 It has a dark blue background with the state coat of arms in the center The word Wisconsin appears above the coat of arms in white letters and 1848 is underneath Four sections in the shield on Wisconsin’s coat of arms represent the state’s major industries agriculture mining manufacturing and shipping A pile of lead and a cornucopia below the shield represent minerals and farm products

Wisconsin: The Badger State — page 3 — 6 WISCONSIN Wisconsin is in the north central portion of the United States Lake Superior borders it to the north for about 150 miles and Lake Michigan borders it to the east for approximately 425 miles The state is bordered by Illinois to the south Michigan to the northeast Iowa to the southwest and Minnesota to the west Wisconsin is mostly a rural state with a strong agricultural base The larger cities such as Milwaukee Madison Green Bay and Racine are urban places The northern and eastern coasts of Wisconsin border two of the Great Lakes Lake Superior and Lake Michigan with strong roots in history Dairy farming is concentrated in southwestern Wisconsin which was not covered by glaciers during the Ice Age This area is known as the Driftless Area The state capital of Wisconsin is Madison Madison lies in the south-central part of Wisconsin The city was founded by James Duane Doty and named after the fourth president of the United States James Madison The state symbol of peace is the mourning dove The state seal was adopted in 1851 It consists of the state coat of arms with the words Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin above and a line of 13 stars below The stars represent the original 13 states in the Union

Wisconsin: The Badger State — page 4 — INTRODUCTION 7 Wisconsin’s beautiful scenery and recreation areas attract millions of visitors each year With more than 15,000 lakes and thousands of rivers the state draws many people who enjoy fishing boating swimming and other water sports Skiing tobogganing and ice boating are popular winter pastimes in Wisconsin The manufacturing industry is a significant part of Wisconsin’s economy The state is one of the nation’s main producers of food products machinery and paper products Wisconsin is considered one of the nation’s most progressive states Many social educational and political reforms that spread throughout the United States began in Wisconsin Wisconsin’s long winters make it ideal for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding Boating is a popular pastime of many Wisconsinites The area of Wisconsin is 65,500 square miles including 1,831 square miles of inland water The state’s total area also includes 9,355 square miles of water in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior The University of Wisconsin was the first in the nation to offer extension courses The state also had the country’s first vocational schools as well as the first kindergarten which opened in 1856 in Watertown In 1911 Wisconsin introduced the country’s first modern personal income tax system Door Peninsula an 80 mile-long piece of land between Green Bay and Lake Michigan is a popular vacation area Wisconsin was the first state to pass a law requiring that all automobiles sold in the state have seatbelts

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