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State nickname: Badger State
State motto: "Forward"
Other U.S. States
Capital Madison
Largest city Milwaukee
Governor Jim Doyle (D)
Official languages None
Area 169,790 km² (23rd)
- Land 140,787 km²
- Water 28,006 km² (17%)
Population (2000)
- Population 5,453,896 (18th)
- Density 38.13 /km² (24th)
Admission into Union
- Date May 29, 1848
- Order 30th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Latitude 42°30'N to 47°3'N
Longitude 86°49'W to 92°54'W
Width 420 km
Length 500 km
Elevation
- Highest point 595 m
- Mean 320 m
- Lowest point 177 m
Abbreviations
- USPS WI
- ISO 3166-2 US-WI
Web site www.wisconsin.gov
Wisconsin is a state in the United States, located in the Midwest.
Although the exact etymology of the name is uncertain, "Wisconsin" is thought to be an English version of a French adaptation of an Indian word. The Ojibwe word Miskasinsin, meaning "Red-stone place," was probably the name given to the Wisconsin River, which then was recorded as Ouisconsin by the French, and changed to its current form by the English. Other theories are that the name comes from words meaning "Gathering of the Waters" or "Great Rock." Wisconsin originally was applied to the Wisconsin River, and later to the area as a whole when Wisconsin became a territory. The state's name is abbreviated WI, Wis, or Wisc.
USS Wisconsin was named in honor of this state.
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Culture
3 Law and government
4 Geography
5 Economy
6 Demographics
6.1 Race
6.2 Ancestry
6.3 Religion
7 Important cities and villages
8 Education
8.1 Colleges and universities
8.1.1 Four-year and postgraduate institutions
8.1.2 Two-year institutions
9 Professional sports teams
10 Miscellaneous information
11 External links
[edit]
History
Main Article: History of Wisconsin
In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet became Wisconsin's first European explorer. The French controlled the area until 1763, when it was ceded to the British.
After the American Revolutionary War, Wisconsin was a part of the U.S. Northwest Territory. It was then governed as part of Indiana Territory, Illinois Territory, and Michigan Territory. Wisconsin Territory was organized on July 3, 1836 and became the 30th state on May 29, 1848.
Wisconsin's political history encompasses, on the one hand, Fighting Bob La Follette and the Progressive movement; and on the other, Joe McCarthy, the controversial anti-Communist censured by the Senate during the 1950s. The first Socialist mayor of a large city in the United States was Emil Seidel, elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1910; another Socialist, Daniel Hoan, was mayor of Milwaukee from 1916 to 1940. During both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, Wisconsin was considered a "swing" state due to its residents being relatively equally split between voting for the Democratic and Republican candidates. The state just barely (by about 5,700 votes) went for the Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in 2000, and by 14,000 votes to Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004, both of whom lost the national election.
The state mineral is Galena, otherwise known as lead sulfide, which reflects Wisconsin's early mining history. Many town names such as Mineral Point recall a period in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s when Wisconsin was an important mining state. When Indian treaties opened up southwest Wisconsin to settlement, thousands of miners—many of them immigrants from Cornwall, England—flocked to southern Wisconsin in what could almost be termed a "lead rush." At one point Wisconsin produced more than half of the nation's lead. During the boom it appeared that southwest Wisconsin might become the population center of the state, and Belmont was briefly the state capital. By the 1840s the easily-accessible deposits were worked out, and experienced miners were drawn out of Wisconsin by the California Gold Rush. This period of mining before and during the early years of statehood directly led to the development of state's nickname, "the Badger State." Many miners and their families lived in the mines in which they worked until adequate above-ground shelters were built and were thus compared to Badgers.
See also
Peshtigo Fire
Territory of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Walleye War
[edit]
Culture
The Milwaukee Art MuseumKnown as "America's Dairyland," Wisconsin is also known for cheese. Citizens of Wisconsin are referred to as Wisconsinites, although a common nickname (sometimes used pejoratively) among non-residents is "Cheeseheads," due to the prevalence and quality of cheesemaking in the state. Another nickname is "Badgers," after the state's nickname and school mascot of the University of Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee is known for its unique architecture. The Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens cover over 200 acres (800,000 m²) of land on the far west side of the city. Madison is home to the Vilas Zoo which is free for all visitors, and the Olbrich Gardens conservatory, as well as the hub of cultural activity at the University of Wisconsin. It is also known for Monona Terrace, a convention center that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
[edit]
Law and government
The capital is Madison and the largest city is Milwaukee. Beginning with the governorship of Robert M. La Follette, Sr. in the early 1900s and the state Progressive Party establishment soon thereafter, Wisconsin and in particular, Madison, have often been seen as leaders in labor, and social welfare legislation as well as legislation popularly termed "socially progressive." For example, in 1982 sexual orientation was added by the state legislature as a protected category under existing anti-discrimination laws, a step in the context of the 1980s seen as highly innovative. Russ Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act and Tammy Baldwin is the only openly lesbian U.S. Representative.
The state has supported Democrats in the last five presidential contests. In 2004, John Kerry narrowly won the state's 10 electoral votes by a margin of 0.4 percentage points and 49.7% of the vote. Republicans are concentrated in the eastern and north-central parts of the state, especially in the suburban counties around Milwaukee.
Governors of Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Legislature
Wisconsin State Senate
Wisconsin State Assembly
U.S. Congressional Delegations from Wisconsin
List of U.S. Senators from Wisconsin
[edit]
Geography
One area of Wisconsin's sceneryThe state is bordered by the Montreal River, Lake Superior and Michigan to the north, by Lake Michigan to the east, by Illinois to the south, and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west. Part of the state's boundaries includes the Mississippi River and St. Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast.
With its location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features. These features allow the state to be broken into five distinct regions. In the north, the Lake Superior Lowland occupies a belt of land along Lake Superior. Just to the south, the Northern Highland includes the state's highest point, Timms Hill, as well as massive forests and thousands of small glacial lakes. In the middle of the state, the Central Plain possesses some unique sandstone formations like the Dells of the Wisconsin River in addition to rich farmland. The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands region in the southeast is home to many of Wisconsin's largest cities. In the southwest, the Western Upland is a rugged landscape with a mix of forest and farmland.
The varied landscape of Wisconsin makes the state a vacation destination popular for outdoor recreation. Winter events include curling matches and snowmobile derbies. The distinctive Door Peninsula, which extends off of the eastern coast of the state, contains one of the state's most beautiful tourist destinations, Door County. The area draws thousands of visitors yearly to its quaint villages, seasonal cherry picking, and ever-popular fish boils.
Wisconsin's self-promotion as "America's Dairyland" sometimes leads to a mistaken impression that it is an exclusively rural state. In fact Wisconsin contains cities and towns of all sizes. Milwaukee is a city slightly larger than Boston and part of a largely developed string of cities that stretches down the western edge of Lake Michigan into greater Chicago and also into northwestern Indiana. This string of cities along the western edge of Lake Michigan is generally considered to be an example of a megalopolis. Madison's triple identity as state capital, university town, and working city give it a cultural richness unusual in a city its size. Medium-sized cities dot the state and anchor a network of working farms surrounding them.
Badger State
State Animal: Badger
State Domesticated
Animal: Dairy Cow
State Wild Animal: White-tailed Deer
State Beverage: Milk
State Bird: Robin
State Capital: Madison
State Dog: American Water Spaniel
State Fish: Muskellunge
State Flower: Wood Violet
State Fossil: Trilobite
State Grain: Corn
State Insect: Honeybee
State Motto: Forward
State Song: "On Wisconsin"
State Tree: Sugar Maple
State Mineral: Galena (Lead sulphide)
State Rock: Red Granite
State Soil: Antigo Silt Loam
State Dance: Polka
State Symbol of Peace: Mourning Dove
See also
List of Wisconsin counties
List of cities in Wisconsin
List of villages in Wisconsin
List of towns in Wisconsin
List of Wisconsin rivers
[edit]
Economy
In addition to cheese, Wisconsin is known for its beer, bratwursts, cranberries and many festivals, such as Summerfest and the EAA Oshkosh Airshow. Wisconsin is also the largest producer by volume of ginseng, cranberries, and paper products in the United States. The once coveted title of top milk producer no longer belongs to Wisconsin; the position of top milk producer is now held by California. The University of Wisconsin is an international leader in stem-cell research.
[edit]
Demographics
Historical populations
Census
year Population
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1820 1,444
1830 3,635
1840 30,945
1850 305,391
1860 775,881
1870 1,054,670
1880 1,315,497
1890 1,693,330
1900 2,069,042
1910 2,333,860
1920 2,632,067
1930 2,939,006
1940 3,137,587
1950 3,434,575
1960 3,951,777
1970 4,417,731
1980 4,705,767
1990 4,891,769
2000 5,363,675
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2004, Wisconsin's population was 5,509,026. There are 229,800 foreign-born residents in the state (4.2% of the state population), and an estimated 41,000 illegal aliens living in the state, accounting for 18% of the foreign-born.
Between 1990 and 2004 the state's population grew 617,000, a growth of 12.6%
[edit]
Race
The racial makeup of the state:
87.3% White
5.7% Black
3.6% Hispanic
1.7% Asian
0.9% Native American
1.2% Mixed race
[edit]
Ancestry
The five largest ancestry groups in Wisconsin are: German (42.6%), Irish (10.9%), Polish (9.3%), Norwegian (8.5%), English (6.5%)
People of German ancestry are the largest ancestry group most of the state, with about half of the state's white population reporting at least partial German ancestry on the Census, and Wisconsin is widely regarded as the most "German-American" state in the Union (although North Dakota, with 43.9% German ancestry, can make this claim). People of Scandinavian descent, especially Norwegians, are heavily concentrated in some western parts of the state. Wisconsin also has the highest percentage of residents of Polish ancestry of any state. Menominee county is the only county in the eastern United States with an American Indian majority.
33% of Wisconsin's Asian population is Hmong, with significant communities in Milwaukee, Wausau, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Appleton, La Crosse, Madison, and Eau Claire.
6.4% of Wisconsin's population were reported as under 5, 25.5% under 18, and 13.1% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.6% of the population.
[edit]
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Wisconsin are shown in the list below:
Christian – 85%
Protestant – 55%
Lutheran – 23%
Methodist – 7%
Baptist – 6%
Presbyterian – 2%
United Church of Christ – 2%
Other Protestant or general Protestant – 15%
Roman Catholic – 29%
Other Christian – 1%
Other Religions – 1%
Non-Religious – 14%
[edit]
Important cities and villages
Cities and villages are incorporated urban areas in Wisconsin. Towns are unincorporated minor civil divisions of counties.
Cities/Metroplitan areas in Wisconsin with population of 50,000 or more as of 2000 include:
Milwaukee, pop. 596,125 (1,500,741 in metropolitan area)
Madison - pop. 208,054, state capital, flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin
Green Bay, pop. 102,263, home of Green Bay Packers football team; other area attractions include the National Railroad Museum and the Neville Public Museum.
Kenosha, pop. 90,625; considered part of the greater "Chicagoland" area; site of Kenosha Velodrome, opened in 1927, oldest operating velodrome in the U. S.; International HQ of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Racine, pop. 81,703, headquarters of S. C. Johnson (Johnson Wax) with Frank Lloyd Wright-designed administration building. Once home of the Racine Belles, an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team.
Appleton, pop. 70,232. Location of Lawrence University and the Harry Houdini Historical Center, controversial for a 2004 exhibit showing the secret of Houdini's famous "Metamorphosis" trick
Waukesha, pop. 65,092
Oshkosh, pop. 63,325. Home of the busiest airport in the world—during the week when the Experimental Aircraft Association, devoted to hobbyist-built aircraft, holds its annual Oshkosh Airshow.
Eau Claire, pop. 61,702. Home of National Presto and Menards.
Janesville, pop. 60,294. Home to a major General Motors assembly plant, 3.5 million square feet (325,000 m²) in size.
West Allis, pop. 60,254. Home of the Pettit National Ice Center (formerly the West Allis Olympic Ice Rink), training center for the U. S. Olympic speedskating team, and the West Allis Speedskating Club, which as of 2005 has nurtured 17 Olympians and 95 national champions.
La Crosse, pop. 51,907. Wisconsin's main port on the Mississippi River and home of Trane.
Sheboygan, pop. 50,792.
Fond du Lac, pop. 42,203 (57,479 in metropolitan area). Nearly equidistant from both Madison and Milwaukee.
Wausau, pop. 38,469 (81,421 in metropolitan area). Home to Granite Peak Ski Area; located at crossroads of Interstate 39 and State Highway 29.
Manitowoc, Wisconsin , pop. 34,567 (53,456 in micropolitan area)
Among other municipalities are:
Wisconsin, showing rivers and roadsAntigo, pop. 8,560,
Baraboo, pop. 10,717, home of Circus World Museum
Beloit, pop. 35,821, home of Beloit College
De Pere pop. 20,559 home of St. Norbert College
Portage, pop. 9,728, birthplace of Frederick Jackson Turner, Zona Gale
Ripon, birthplace of the Republican Party, 1854
Stevens Point, pop. 24,539, home of the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame, commemorating Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and others
Superior, pop. 27,389
Waterloo, pop. 3,259, home to the headquarters of one of the world's largest bicycle manufacturers, Trek Bicycle Corporation
Watertown, site of the first kindergarten in the United States
Wauwatosa, pop. 47,271, home to one of two level 1 trauma centers in the state
Wisconsin Dells, pop. 2,418 (approx. 4,000 including Lake Delton), popular resort area, home of Tommy Bartlett's thrill shows and numerous hotels and themeparks.
Wisconsin Rapids, pop. 18,435
[edit]
Education
[edit]
Colleges and universities
[edit]
Four-year and postgraduate institutions
Alverno College
Beloit College
Cardinal Stritch College
Carroll College
Carthage College
Concordia University Wisconsin
Edgewood College
Lakeland College
Lawrence University
Maranatha Baptist Bible College
Marian College of Fond du Lac
Marquette University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Mount Mary College
Mount Senario College
Nashotah House
Northland College
Ripon College
St. Norbert College
Silver Lake College
University of Wisconsin System
UW-Eau Claire
UW-Green Bay
UW-La Crosse
UW-Madison
UW-Milwaukee
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Parkside
UW-Platteville
UW-River Falls
UW-Stevens Point
UW-Stout
UW-Superior
UW-Whitewater
Viterbo College
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology
Wisconsin became a state in 1848[edit]
Two-year institutions
UW Colleges
UW-Baraboo/Sauk County
UW-Barron County
UW-Fond du Lac
UW-Fox Valley
UW-Manitowoc
UW-Marathon County
UW-Marinette
UW-Marshfield/Wood County
UW-Richland
UW-Rock County
UW-Sheboygan
UW-Washington County
UW-Waukesha
Wisconsin Technical College System
Blackhawk Technical College
Chippewa Valley Technical College
Fox Valley Technical College
Gateway Technical College
Lakeshore Technical College
Madison Area Technical College
Mid-State Technical College
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Moraine Park Technical College
Nicolet Area Technical College
Northcentral Technical College
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College
Waukesha County Technical College
Western Wisconsin Technical College
Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College
[edit]
Professional sports teams
Milwaukee Brewers, Major League Baseball
Minor League Baseball Teams
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Beloit Snappers
Northwoods League baseball teams
Eau Claire Express
La Crosse Loggers
Madison Mallards
Wisconsin Woodchucks
Milwaukee Bucks, National Basketball Association
Green Bay Packers, National Football League
Milwaukee Admirals, American Hockey League
Milwaukee Wave, Major Indoor Soccer League
Milwaukee Wave United (dormant for 2005), United Soccer Leagues
[edit]
Miscellaneous information
List of people from Wisconsin
List of television stations in Wisconsin
List of Wisconsin state parks
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
List of Wisconsin railroads
[edit]
External links
Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:
Wisconsin
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin state symbols
U.S. Census Bureau
Wisconsin Court System
Wisconsin State Legislature
The State of Wisconsin Collection from the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center
Can Wisconsin Pick a Presidential Candidate, or What? - Article looking at the Presidential voting record of Wisconsin from 1900 to 2004.
Wisconsin's Name: Where It Came From and What It Means
Wisconsin Newspapers
Wisconsin Electronic Reader. Stories, essays, letters, poems, biographies, journals and tidbits from Wisconsin history. Many first hand accounts - profusely illustrated.
Wisconsin Pioneer Experience. The Wisconsin Pioneer Experience is a digital collection of diaries, letters, reminiscences, speeches and other writings of people who settled and built Wisconsin during the 19th century.
Wisconsin Public Land Survey Records: Original Field Notes and Plat Maps. The field notes and plat maps of the public land survey of Wisconsin, conducted between 1832 and 1866 by the federal General Land Office. This work established the township, range and section grid; the pattern upon which land ownership and land use is based.
Public Documents of the State of Wisconsin. Public Documents of the State of Wisconsin, commonly known as Wisconsin Public Documents (WPD), consists of the annual and biennial reports of all important Wisconsin state agencies from 1852-1914 and is an important collection of documents issued by the state of Wisconsin during this time period. In addition to the annual and biennial reports of various state officers, departments and institutions, WPD is a source for Wisconsin statistical tables, financial charts, vintage photographs, supplementary documents, maps, other graphics and research monographs on specific topics. Virtually all aspects of the social sciences in Wisconsin during the 1852-1914 timeframe are represented in this online collection of 118 volumes.
History of Wisconsin Agriculture and Rural Life. The History of Wisconsin Agriculture and Rural Life collection is based on a bibliography compiled as part of the National Preservation Project for Agricultural Literature. Items in this online collection are primary and secondary materials, published through 1945, that document the history of agriculture and rural life in late 19th and early 20th century Wiscosnin.
Geology and Natural Resources of Wisconsin. Geology and Natural Resources of Wisconsin consists of nine foundation volumes that provide detailed documentation of mid- to late-19th century Wisconsin geological and natural history. Contents include government reports and land surveys of Wisconsin and surrounding states, supplemented with numerous maps and illustrations.
The Antiquities of Wisconsin. The Antiquities of Wisconsin, Increase A. Lapham's most important published work, includes 92 pages of text, illustrated with 61 wood engravings, and 55 lithographed plates and was the result of his research into the Indian effigy mounds found on Wisconsin's Landscape.
Wisconsin
Regions: Central Plain | Eastern Ridges and Lowlands | Lake Superior Lowland | Northern Highland | Western Upland
Largest cities: Appleton | Beloit | Brookfield | Eau Claire | Fond du Lac | Franklin | Green Bay | Greenfield | Janesville | Kenosha | La Crosse | Madison | Milwaukee | New Berlin | Oshkosh | Racine | Sheboygan | Waukesha | Wausau | Wauwatosa
Counties: Adams | Ashland | Barron | Bayfield | Brown | Buffalo | Burnett | Calumet | Chippewa | Clark | Columbia | Crawford | Dane | Dodge | Door | Douglas | Dunn | Eau Claire | Florence | Fond du Lac | Forest | Grant | Green | Green Lake | Iowa | Iron | Jackson | Jefferson | Juneau | Kenosha | Kewaunee | La Crosse | Lafayette | Langlade | Lincoln | Manitowoc | Marathon | Marinette | Marquette | Menominee | Milwaukee | Monroe | Oconto | Oneida | Outagamie | Ozaukee | Pepin | Pierce | Polk | Portage | Price | Racine | Richland | Rock | Rusk | Sauk | Sawyer | Shawano | Sheboygan | St. Croix | Taylor | Trempealeau | Vernon | Vilas | Walworth | Washburn | Washington | Waukesha | Waupaca | Waushara | Winnebago | Wood
Political divisions of the United States
States Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Federal district District of Columbia
Insular areas American Samoa | Baker Island | Guam | Howland Island | Jarvis Island | Johnston Atoll | Kingman Reef | Midway Atoll | Navassa Island | Northern Mariana Islands | Palmyra Atoll | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands | Wake Island
