Michigan

The Great Lakes State

Michigan is surrounded by the largest freshwater system on Earth, giving the state a character shaped by lakes, shipping, manufacturing, forests, agriculture, recreation, and communities built along thousands of miles of shoreline. Native peoples lived throughout the Great Lakes region for generations before French traders and missionaries arrived. Michigan became the 26th state in 1837, and its waterways helped timber, mining, shipping, and manufacturing grow rapidly. Detroit became the center of the American automobile industry, changing transportation around the world and earning Michigan a lasting place in industrial history. The city also made an extraordinary contribution to American music through Motown. Grand Rapids became known for manufacturing and furniture, while Lansing developed as the capital and communities throughout both peninsulas grew around agriculture, mining, tourism, and industry. Michigan consists of two large peninsulas connected by the Mackinac Bridge and bordered by Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie. The state is known for cherries, apples, blueberries, automobiles, freshwater beaches, lighthouses, forests, dunes, and lake communities. Michigan's story is about people making things and moving things—from ships and automobiles to music and agricultural products—while living alongside a freshwater landscape unlike anywhere else in America.

I've been there.
I know that place.
Michigan is part of my story.

MICHIGAN
The Great Lakes StateExplore the places. Learn their stories. Remember the journey.

MILEAMERICA
Wear the Journey.