Wisconsin
Capital:
Madison
Date of Entry:
May 29, 1848
Maps:
Map of USA. Wisconsin outlined in dark ink & with name written on it. |
A close-up of Wisconsin & its neighbors. |
Neighbors:
Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota
Water Borders:
Lake Superior, Green Bay, Lake Michigan, Mississippi River, St. Croix River
Total Area:
65,498 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine
Famous Geographical Point:
Lake Winnebago
State Nickname:
The Badger State. According to this website, the nickname came about due to the miners who dug in the hills for lead ore, but it's also the official state animal.
Famous Person:
Les Paul, musician, inventor, electric guitar pioneer
Book Set In/About:
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler
Five men who grew up in the (fictional) small town of Little Wing, WI come back together as adults to share their lives.
Movie Set In/About:
"Lars and the Real Girl" (2007), directed by Craig Gillespie
A socially awkward young man in a small Wisconsin town purchases a realistic sex doll that he presents as his girlfriend, much to the consternation of his brother.
Headline of the Day:
"Dairy Feedlot Appeal Will Proceed in Waukesha, Not Madison" in U.S. News & World Report
Wisconsin is a state that I always want to misspell. I want to make that last "i" an "e". I've had to start chanting, "the sin in Wisconsin" as I type it out.
ReplyDeleteThis is the area of the country where, when free-hand drawing a map of the US, things would get really confusing. I was studying your state map and I found myself surprised that Iowa went halfway up the west side of Wisconsin.
When I was reading about Frank Lloyd Wright, I was always confused that they would pop up to their second home in Wisconsin from Chicago. I thought the two were very far away. But it seems they are not at all.
I've also never been there, so that doesn't help. Perhaps someday I will take a nice driving vacation around Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Not a far drive at all to pop over to certain parts of Wisconsin from Chicago!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you say this area of the country seems "murky" to you. It doesn't to me, because I grew up in the Midwest, but I have another area that's "murky" to me, the Northeast. Even as an adult, I've never been there. It wasn't until I started doing my geography project that I really started nailing down the location of, say, Maryland vs. Massachusetts.
I've driven through Wisconsin and don't remember being particularly wowed by it but both Michigan and Minnesota are quite pretty. All of them would be lovely in the autumn, though.