Wisconsin ( ) is one of the fifty
U.S. states. Located in the north-central United
States, Wisconsin is considered part of the
Midwest.
It is bordered by
Minnesota
to the west, Iowa
to the
southwest, Illinois
to the
south, Lake
Michigan
to the east,
Michigan
to the
northeast, and Lake
Superior
to the
north. Wisconsin's capital is Madison
, and its largest city is Milwaukee
. As of 2008 there are an estimated 5.6
million residents.
Etymology
The word
Wisconsin has its origins in the name given to
the
Wisconsin River by one of the
Algonquian speaking
American Indian groups
living in the region at the time of
European contact.
French explorer
Jacques Marquette was the first European
to reach the Wisconsin River and record its name, arriving in 1673
and calling the river
Meskousing in his journal. This
spelling was later corrupted to
Ouisconsin by other French
explorers, and over time this version became the French name for
both the Wisconsin River and the surrounding lands. English
speakers
anglicized the spelling to
its modern form when they began to arrive in greater numbers during
the early 19th Century. The current spelling was made official by
the legislature of
Wisconsin
Territory in 1845.
Through the course of its many variations, the Algonquian source
word for Wisconsin and its original meaning have both grown
obscure. Interpretations vary, but most implicate the river and the
red sandstone that line its banks. One leading theory holds that
the name originated from the
Miami word
Meskonsing,
meaning "it lies red," a reference to the setting of the Wisconsin
River as it flows by the reddish sandstone of the
Wisconsin Dells. Numerous other
theories have also been widely publicized, including claims that
name originated from one of a variety of
Ojibwa words meaning "red stone place," "gathering of
the waters," or "great rock."
History
Introduction to the West
In 1634, the Frenchman
Jean Nicolet
became the first European to explore what was to become Wisconsin.
He founded
the Green
Bay
colony. During the next 150 years, the area
was settled primarily by French fur traders. France then
transferred the territory to Britain in 1763. The United States
acquired the Wisconsin territory after the Revolution in 1783, but
it remained under
de facto British control until the
War of 1812.
The Nineteenth Century
saw settlement by "Yankees" (New Englanders
and people from upstate
New York), Cornish miners, and German, Scandinavian and Swiss
settlers. In 1793,
Dominique
Ducharme was the first white European to settle in the Fox
Valley. He paid two barrels of rum to two Indians for land on both
sides of the Fox River near the Kaukauna rapids, giving him control
of the portage around and of the lower Fox. The Ducharme deed was
Wisconsin's first recorded deed. He built a house on the land and
settled there. He began trading with the Menomini and Chippewa
Indians. At the time, 1,500 Indians lived in the village of
Kaukauna. The following year, he and another trader, Jacob Franks,
obtained from the Menominee Indians “for value received,” a
999-year lease on a total of on both sides of the Fox at La Baye;
at the time Ducharme already possessed a concession on one side of
the river beside one of the leased lots. He is presumed to have
continued to engage in fur trading in the west for the next 15
years; certainly he acquired a working knowledge of several native
dialects.
Borders
Welcome sign.
Wisconsin,
bordered by the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, and
Illinois, as well as
Lakes Michigan and Superior, has been part of United States' territory since the
end of the American
Revolution; the Wisconsin
Territory (which included parts of other current states) was
formed on July 3, 1836. Wisconsin ratified its
constitution on March 13, 1848, and
was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state.
A border
dispute with Michigan was settled
by two cases, both Wisconsin
v. Michigan, in
1934 and 1935.
Economy
Wisconsin's economy was originally based on
farming (especially dairy),
mining, and
lumbering. The
state was rich in virgin stands of old growth white pine and
hemlock. As lumber companies sawed the forest for timber, migrant
farmers settled the cleared land. Wisconsin's topography of rolling
glacial hills with rich (but rocky) soil coupled with unpredictable
seasons favored dairy farming. Industrial centers sprung up along
Lake Michigan and in the Fox Valley where there was easy access to
raw materials (lumber, iron ore) and shipping ports, most notably
at Milwaukee. After WWI Wisconsin became a major exporter of
durable goods, with Milwaukee being known as the "tool box of the
world." In the northern half of the state, farming had lost
significance due to short growing seasons and reverted back to
forest where staple crops of trees supplied a booming paper
industry that had access to cheap power sources along the
Wisconsin, Chippewa, and Fox Rivers. In the later 20th Century,
tourism became important, as many people
living on former farms commuted to jobs elsewhere. In recent
decades,
service industries,
especially medicine and education, have become dominant as heavy
industry declined. Wisconsin is also noted for having a stable
economy compared to most other states. This may be attributed to a
diversified economy as well as a low net population growth.
Wisconsin's landscape, largely shaped by the
Wisconsin glaciation of the last
Ice Age, makes the state popular for both
tourism and many forms of outdoor recreation due to the many lakes,
streams, and rolling hills. Popular tourist destinations include
Door County, Wisconsin Dells, and the northern forest/lake region.
Most tourism is from neighboring states within driving distance,
especially Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota.
Geography
Wisconsin state welcome sign
Wisconsin
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. The state's boundaries include
the
Mississippi River and
St. Croix River in the
west, and the
Menominee River in the
northeast.
Wisconsin is the northernmost state that does
not share a border with Canada
.
With its
location between the Great
Lakes
and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a
wide variety of geographical features. The state is divided
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 has massive mixed
hardwood and coniferous forests including the Chequamegon-Nicolet National
Forest, as well as thousands of glacial lakes, and the state's
highest point, Timms
Hill
. In the middle of the state, the
Central Plain has 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,
including many bluffs on the
Mississippi River.
This region is part
of the Driftless Area, which also
includes portions of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. This area was not covered by
glaciers during the most recent ice age, the
Wisconsin Glaciation.
Overall, 46% of Wisconsin's land area is covered by forest.
Langlade County has a
soil rarely found outside of the county called
Antigo Silt Loam.
Areas under the management of the
National Park Service include the
following:
Additionally there is one national forest managed by the
US Forest Service in Wisconsin:
Climate
The highest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in the
Wisconsin Dells, on July 13, 1936, where it reached 114 °F (46 °C).
The
lowest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in the village of
Couderay
, where it reached –55 °F (-48 °C) on both February
2 and February 4, 1996.
|
Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Selected
Wisconsin Cities [°F (°C)] |
|
City |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Green Bay |
24/7(-4/-14) |
29/12(-2/-11) |
40/23(4/-5) |
55/34(13/1) |
68/45(20/7) |
77/54(25/12) |
81/59(27/15) |
78/56(26/13) |
70/48(21/9) |
58/37(14/3) |
42/26(6/-3) |
29/13(-2/-11) |
| La Crosse |
26/6(-3/-14) |
32/13(0/-11) |
45/24(7/-4) |
60/37(16/3) |
72/49(22/9) |
81/58(27/14) |
85/63(29/17) |
82/61(28/16) |
74/52(23/11) |
61/40(16/4) |
44/27(7/-3) |
30/14(-1/-10) |
| Madison |
25/9(-4/-13) |
31/14(-1/-10) |
43/25(6/-4) |
57/35(14/2) |
69/46(21/8) |
78/56(26/13) |
82/61(28/16) |
79/59(26/15) |
71/50(22/10) |
60/39(16/4) |
43/28(6/-2) |
30/16(-1/-9) |
| Milwaukee |
28/13(-2/-11) |
32/18(0/-8) |
43/27(6/-3) |
54/36(12/2) |
66/46(19/8) |
76/56(24/13) |
81/63(27/17) |
79/62(26/17) |
72/54(22/12) |
60/43(16/6) |
46/31(8/-1) |
33/19(1/-7) |
| [5908] |
Demographics
Wisconsin Population Density Map
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2000, Wisconsin had
a population of 5,363,675. Wisconsin's population was reported as
6.4% under the age of 5, 25.5% under 18, and 13.1% were 65 or
older. Females made up approximately 50.6% of the population.
Since its founding, Wisconsin has been ethnically heterogeneous.
Following the period of French fur traders, the next wave of
settlers were miners, many of whom were
Cornish, who settled the southwest area of
the state.
The next wave was dominated by "Yankees,"
migrants from New
England and upstate New
York; in the early years of statehood, they dominated the
state's heavy industry, finance, politics and education.
Between
1850 and 1900, large numbers of European immigrants followed them, including Germans, Scandinavians (the largest group
being Norwegian), and smaller
groups of Belgians
, Dutch,
Swiss, Finns
, Irish, Poles and
others. In the 20th century, large numbers of
Mexicans
and African
Americans came, settling mainly in Milwaukee; and after end of
the Vietnam War came a new influx of
Hmongs.
The five largest ancestry groups in Wisconsin are:
German (42.6%),
Irish (10.9%),
Polish (9.3%),
Norwegian (8.5%),
English (6.5%). German is the most common
ancestry in every county in the state, except Menominee,
Trempealeau and Vernon. Wisconsin has the highest percentage of
residents of Polish ancestry of any state.The various ethnic groups
settled in different areas of the state.
Although Germans settled throughout the state, the largest
concentration was in Milwaukee. Norwegians
settled in lumbering and farming areas in the north and west.
Small
colonies of Belgians
, Swiss
, Finns and other groups settled in their particular
areas, with Irish and Polish immigrants settling primarily in urban
areas. African Americans
came to Milwaukee, especially from 1940 on.
Menominee
County
is the only county in the eastern United States
with an American Indian majority.
86% of
Wisconsin's African-American population lives in four cities:
Milwaukee, Racine
, Beloit
, Kenosha
, with Milwaukee home to nearly three-fourths of the
state's African Americans. Milwaukee is among the 10 major
U.S. cities with the most African Americans per capita.
In the
Great
Lakes region, only Detroit
and Cleveland
have a higher percentage of African
Americans.
33% of
Wisconsin's Asian population is Hmong,
with significant communities in Milwaukee
, Wausau
, Green Bay, Sheboygan
, Appleton
, Madison, La Crosse
, Eau Claire
, Oshkosh
, and Manitowoc
.
Numerous
ethnic festivals are held throughout Wisconsin to
celebrate its heritage.
Such festivals include Summerfest, Oktoberfest, German Fest, Festa
Italiana, Bastille Days, Syttende
Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), Brat(wurst) Days in Sheboygan, Cheese Days in Monroe
and Mequon
, African World Festival, Indian Summer, Irish Fest, Arab Fest, and many
others.
Religion
Christianity is the predominant
religion of Wisconsin. The largest Christian denominations are
Roman Catholic and
Lutheran; Lutherans primarily belong to the
ELCA,
Missouri Synod, and
Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS). The religious affiliations
of the Wisconsin residents are shown below:
- Christian – 85%
- Other religions – 1%
- Non-affiliated – 15%
Law and government
The
capital is Madison,
Wisconsin.
State Executive Officers
See also:
Politics
During the period of the
Civil
War, Wisconsin was a
Republican and
pro-Union stronghold. Ethno-religious issues in the late 19th
century caused a brief split in the Republican coalition. Through
the first half of the 20th century, Wisconsin's politics were
dominated by
Robert La
Follette and his sons, originally of the
Republican Party, but later of
the revived
Progressive Party.
Since 1945, the state has maintained a close balance between
Republicans and
Democrats. Republican Senator
Joe McCarthy was a controversial
national figure in the early 1950s. Recent leading Republicans
include former Governor
Tommy
Thompson and Congressman
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.;
prominent Democrats include Senators
Herb
Kohl and
Russ Feingold, and
Congressman
David Obey.
Much of the state's political history involved coalitions among
different ethnic groups. The most famous controversy dealt with
foreign language teaching in schools. This was fought out in the
Bennett Law campaign of 1890, when the
Germans switched to the
Democratic Party because of
the
Republican
Party's support of the Bennett Law, which led to a major
victory for the Democrats.
The cities of Wisconsin have been active in increasing the
availability of legislative information on the internet, thereby
providing for greater government transparency. Currently three of
the five most populous cities in Wisconsin provide their
constituents with internet based access of all public records
directly from the cities’ databases.
Wisconsin cities
started to make this a priority after Milwaukee began doing so, on
their page, in 2001. One such city, Madison, has been named the Number 1 digital city by the Center for Digital
Government in consecutive years. Nearly 18 percent of
Wisconsin’s population has the ability to access their
municipality’s information in this way.
Wisconsin has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in the
last six elections. The urban centers of Milwaukee and Madison tend
to vote strongly Democratic. The suburbs of those cities are
politically diverse, but tend to vote Republican. Counties in the
western part of the state tend to be liberal, a tradition passed
down from Scandinavian immigrants. The rural areas in the northern
and eastern part of the state are the most solidly Republican areas
in Wisconsin.
In the 2008 presidential election, Wisconsin voted for the
Democratic presidential nominee, Illinois Senator
Barack Obama. Obama captured 56% of the vote
statewide, with the urban centers of Milwaukee and Madison voting
strongly Democratic. Bucking the historic trend, Brown County (home
to Green Bay) and Outagamie County (home to Appleton) voted for
Obama over John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee. In
all, McCain captured approximately 42% of the vote statewide and
won 13 of the state's 72 counties. Of the counties won by McCain,
only a handful were by greater than 55% of the vote (Florence,
Green Lake, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha, with Washington
County providing his largest single-county percentage victory in
the state). In all, Obama was successful in 59 counties,
transcending the state's usual east/west and urban/suburban/rural
divides.
Wisconsin ranked second in voter turnout in the 2008 presidential
election, behind Minnesota.
Lawmakers in Wisconsin
The last election in which Wisconsin supported a Republican
Presidential candidate was in 1984. However, both the 2000 and 2004
presidential elections were close, with Wisconsin receiving heavy
doses of national advertising because it was a "swing," or pivot,
state. Al Gore carried the presidential vote in 2000 by only 5,700
votes, and
John Kerry won Wisconsin in
2004 by 11,000 votes. However, in 2008,
Barack Obama carried the state by 381,000 votes
and with 56%. Republicans had a stronghold in the
Fox Valley but elected a Democrat,
Steve Kagen, of
Appleton, for the 8th Congressional District in
2006.
Republicans have held Waukesha
County
. The City of Milwaukee heads the list of Wisconsin's Democratic
strongholds, which also includes Madison and the state's Native American
reservations. Wisconsin's
largest Congressional district, the 7th, has been a Democratic
stronghold since 1969. Its representative, David Obey, chairs the
powerful House Appropriations Committee.
- 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.
- In the early 20th century, the Socialist Party of America had a
base in Milwaukee. The phenomenon was referred to as "sewer socialism" because the elected
officials were more concerned with public works and reform than
with revolution (although revolutionary socialism existed in the
city as well). Its influence faded in the late 1950s, largely
because of the red scare and racial
tensions. 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; and a third,
Frank P. Zeidler, from 1948–1960. Socialist newspaper editor Victor Berger was repeatedly elected as a U.S.
Representative, although he was prevented from serving for some
time because of his opposition to the First World War.
- William Proxmire, a Democratic
Senator (1957–89) dominated the Democratic party for years; he was
best known for attacking waste and fraud in federal spending.
- Democrat Russ Feingold was the
only Senator to vote against
the Patriot Act in 2001.
- Democrat Tammy Baldwin from
Madison was the first, and is currently the only, openly lesbian
U.S. Representative.
- In
2004, Gwen Moore, a Democrat from
Milwaukee, became Wisconsin's first African-American
U.S. Representative.
In 2006, Democrats gained in a national sweep of opposition to the
Bush administration, and the Iraq War. The retiring GOP 8th
District Congressman, Mark Green, of Green Bay, ran against the
incumbent Governor
Jim Doyle. Green lost
by 8% statewide, making Doyle the first Democratic Governor to be
re-elected in 32 years. The Republicans lost control of the
state Senate. Although Democrats gained eight seats in the state
Assembly, Republicans retained a five vote majority in that house.
In 2008, Democrats regained control of the State Assembly by a
52-46 margin, marking the first time since 1987 the both the
governor and state legislature were both Democratic.
Taxes
Wisconsin collects personal
income taxes
(based on five
income brackets) which
range from 4.6% to 7.75%. The state
sales
and
use tax rate is 5.0%. Fifty-nine
counties have an additional sales/use tax of 0.5%.
Milwaukee County and four surrounding
counties have an additional temporary 0.1% tax which helps fund the
Miller
Park
baseball stadium, which was
completed in 2001. Retailers who make sales subject to
applicable county taxes must collect this tax on their retail
sales.
The most common property tax assessed on Wisconsin residents is the
real
property tax, or their residential
property tax. Wisconsin does not impose a property tax on vehicles,
but does levy an annual registration fee. Property taxes are the
most important tax revenue source for Wisconsin's local
governments, as well as major methods of funding school districts,
vocational technical colleges, special purpose districts and tax
incremental finance districts. Equalized values are based on the
full market value of all taxable property in the state, except for
agricultural land. In order to provide property tax relief for
farmers, the value of agricultural land is determined by its value
for agricultural uses, rather than for its possible development
value. Equalized values are used to distribute state aid payments
to counties, municipalities, and technical colleges. Assessments
prepared by local assessors are used to distribute the property tax
burden within individual municipalities.
Wisconsin does not assess a tax on
intangible property. Wisconsin does not
collect
inheritance taxes. Until
January 1, 2008 Wisconsin's
estate tax
was decoupled from the federal estate tax laws; therefore the state
imposed its own estate tax on certain large estates.
There are no
toll roads in Wisconsin;
highway and road construction and
maintenance is funded by
motor fuel
tax revenues.
Economy
In 2008 Wisconsin’s gross state product was $240.4 billion,
making it 21st among states. The per capita personal income was
$35,239 in 2008. The economy of Wisconsin is driven by
manufacturing,
agriculture, and
health
care. Although manufacturing accounts for a far greater part of
the state's income than farming, Wisconsin is often perceived as a
farming state.
The largest employers in Wisconsin are:
- Wal-Mart
- University of
Wisconsin–Madison
- U.S. Postal Service
- Milwaukee Public
Schools
- Wisconsin
Department of Corrections
- Menards
- Kohl's
- Ultra Mart Foods aka Roundy's
- City of
Milwaukee
- Kohler Company
Agriculture
Wisconsin produces more dairy products than any other state in the
United States except California and leads the nation in
cheese production.
Wisconsin ranks second behind California
in overall production of milk and butter, and third in per-capita
milk production, behind Idaho
and
Vermont
. Based on poll results, a Holstein cow, an
ear of corn, and a wheel of cheese were chosen for Wisconsin's
50 State Quarters design.
Wisconsin ranks first in the production of
corn for
silage,
cranberries,
ginseng, and
snap beans for processing. Wisconsin is
also a leading producer of
oats,
potatoes,
carrots, tart
cherries,
maple
syrup, and
sweet corn for
processing.
Given Wisconsin's strong agricultural tradition, it is not
surprising that a large part of the state's manufacturing sector
deals with food processing. Some well-known food brands produced in
Wisconsin include
Oscar Mayer,
Tombstone frozen pizza,
Johnsonville brats, and
Usinger's
sausage.
Kraft Foods alone employs
over 5,000 people in the state. Milwaukee is a major producer of
beer and was once the headquarters of
Miller Brewing Company, the nation's
second-largest brewer, until it merged with Coors Brewing Company.
At one
time, Schlitz, Blatz
, and
Pabst were cornerstone breweries in Milwaukee. Today, Milwaukee's economy is more diverse
with an emphasis on health care. In 2004, four of the city's ten
largest employers (including the top two) were part of the health
care industry.
Transportation industry
Wisconsin is also home to several transportation equipment and
machinery manufacturers. Major Wisconsin companies in these
categories include the
Kohler
Company,
Rockwell
Automation,
Johnson
Controls,
Seagrave Fire
Apparatus,
Pierce
Manufacturing(fire apparatus),
Briggs & Stratton,
Miller Electric,
Milwaukee Electric Tool
Company,
Bucyrus
International, Super Steel Products Corp.,
Oshkosh Truck, and
Harley-Davidson.
Wisconsin also ranks
first nationwide in the production of paper
products; the lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago
to Green Bay has 24 paper
mills along its stretch.
The development and manufacture of health care devices and software
is a growing sector of the state's economy with key players such as
GE Healthcare,
Epic Systems, and
TomoTherapy.
Tourism
Tourism is also a major industry in Wisconsin – the state's third
largest, according to the Department of Tourism.
This is attributed to
the many resorts in northern Wisconsin and the family attractions
in the Wisconsin
Dells
area, which attract nearly 3 million visitors
per year. Tourist destinations such as the House on the
Rock
near Spring Green
and Circus World Museum
in Baraboo
also draw thousands of visitors annually, and
festivals such as Summerfest, Northern Wisconsin Metalfest,
and the EAA Oshkosh Airshow draw
international attention, along with hundreds of thousands of
visitors.
The distinctive
Door Peninsula, which
extends off the eastern coast of the state, contains one of the
state's most beautiful tourist destinations,
Door County. Door County is a popular
destination for boaters because of the large number of natural
harbors, bays and ports on the Green Bay and Lake Michigan side of
the peninsula that forms the county. The area draws hundreds of
thousands of visitors yearly to its quaint villages, seasonal
cherry picking, and ever-popular
fish
boils.
Film industry
On January 1, 2008, a new
tax
incentive for the film industry came into effect. The first
major production to take advantage of the tax incentive was
Michael Mann's
Public Enemies. After
the film was wrapped up, Wisconsin realized that this new incentive
wasn't working all to plan. While the producers spent $18 million
dollars on the film, it was reported that most of that went to
out-of-state workers and for out-of-state services; Wisconsin
taxpayers had provided $4.6 million in subsidies, and derived only
$5 million in revenues from the film's making.
Important municipalities
Wisconsin counties
Wisconsin's self-promotion as "America's Dairyland" sometimes leads
to a mistaken impression that it is an exclusively rural state.
However, Wisconsin contains cities and towns of all sizes. Over 68%
of Wisconsin residents live in urban areas, with the
Greater Milwaukee area home to roughly
one-third of the state's population.
Milwaukee is at the northern edge of an urban area bordering
Lake Michigan that stretches southward into greater Chicago and
northwestern Indiana, with a population of over 11 million.
With over 602,000 residents Milwaukee proper is the 22nd-largest
city in the country. The string of cities along the western edge of
Lake Michigan is generally considered to be an example of a
megalopolis. Madison's dual identity as
state capital and college town gives it a cultural richness unusual
in a city its size. With a population of around 220,000, Madison is
also a very fast-growing city.
Madison's suburb, Middleton
, was also ranked the "Best Place to Live in
America" in 2007 by Money Magazine. Medium-size
cities dot the state and anchor a network of working farms
surrounding them. As of 2007, there were 12 cities in Wisconsin
with a population of 50,000 or more.
Cities and
villages are
incorporated urban areas in Wisconsin.
Towns are
unincorporated
minor civil
divisions of
counties.
File:Appletonskyline.jpg|AppletonFile:Eau Claire - Barstow street looking
north 2005.jpg|Eau ClaireFile:IMG 6384.JPG|Green
BayFile:Downtown Janesville.jpg|Janesville
File:Kenosha Harborpark 2.jpg|KenoshaFile:La Crosse WI from Grandad Bluff.jpg|
La
CrosseFile:Madison Wisconsin 0210.jpg|MadisonFile:Milwaukee from the harbor.jpg|MilwaukeeFile:AlgomaBlvdHistoricDistrictOshkoshWisconsin1.jpg|OshkoshFile:Racine 070611.jpg|Racine
Education
Wisconsin, along with Minnesota and Michigan, was among the
Midwestern leaders in the emergent
American state university movement following the
Civil War in the United States. By the
turn of the century, education in the state advocated the "
Wisconsin Idea," which emphasized for service
to the people of the state. The "Wisconsin Idea" exemplified the
Progressive movement within colleges and universities at the time.
Today, public education in Wisconsin includes both the 26-campus
University of Wisconsin
System, headquartered in Madison, and the 16-campus
Wisconsin Technical College
System which coordinates with the University of Wisconsin.
Notable
private colleges and universities include Marquette
University
, Milwaukee School of
Engineering, Medical
College of Wisconsin, Concordia University
Wisconsin, Edgewood College,
Beloit College, St. Norbert College, Lakeland College,
and Lawrence University, among
others.Elementary, middle and high school education are
mandatory by law.
Culture
Art
180pc
The
Milwaukee
Art Museum
in Milwaukee, designed by Santiago
Calatrava, is known for its interesting architecture.
The
Milwaukee County Zoological
Gardens
cover over 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–Madison. It is also known for Monona
Terrace
, a convention center that was designed by Taliesin
Architect Anthony Puttnam, based loosely on a 1930s design by
Frank Lloyd Wright, a
world-renowned architect and Wisconsin native who was born in
Richland
Center
. Wright's home and studio in the 20th century
was at Taliesin
, south of Spring Green. Decades after
Wright's death, Taliesin remains an architectural office and school
for his followers.
Music
Wisconsin has more country music festivals than any other state,
including Miller Lite Presents
Country
Fest, Bud Light Presents Country Jam USA, the Coors Hodag
Country Festival, Porterfield Country Music Festival, Country
Thunder USA in Twin Lakes, and Ford Presents Country USA.
The
state's largest city, Milwaukee, also hosts Summerfest,
dubbed "The World's Largest Music Festival," every year.
This
festival is held at the lakefront Henry Maier
Festival Park
just south of downtown.
Wisconsin
has both the Milwaukee Metalfest
and the Northern Wisconsin
Metalfest, which is held in Lake Nebagamon
.
The
Wisconsin Area Music
Industry provides an annual WAMI event where it presents an
awards show for top Wisconsin artists.
Recreation
The varied landscape of Wisconsin makes the state a popular
vacation destination for outdoor recreation. Winter events include
skiing, ice fishing and
snowmobile derbies.
Wisconsin
has many lakes of varied size; the state contains of water, more
than all but three other states (Alaska, Michigan and Florida
).
Outdoor activities are popular in Wisconsin, especially hunting and
fishing. One of the most prevalent game animals is the
whitetail deer. Each year in Wisconsin, well
over 600,000 deer hunting licenses are sold. In 2008, the
Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources projected the pre-hunt deer population to
be about 1.5 to 1.7 million.
Sports
Wisconsin is represented by major league teams in three sports:
football, baseball, and basketball.
Lambeau Field
, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin is home to the National Football League's Green Bay Packers. The Packers have
been part of the NFL since the league's second season in 1921 and
hold the record for the most NFL titles, earning the city of Green
Bay the nickname "Titletown USA". The Green Bay Packers are one of
the most successful small-market professional sports franchises in
the world and have won 12 NFL championships, including the first
two AFL-NFL Championship games (Super Bowls I and II) and
Super Bowl XXXI. The city's support of the
team is evidenced by the 60,000-person waiting list for season
tickets to Lambeau Field.
The
Milwaukee Brewers, the state's
only major league baseball team, play in Miller
Park in Milwaukee, the successor to Milwaukee
County Stadium
since 2001. In 1982, the Brewers won the
American League Championship,
marking their most successful season (they later switched to the
National League).
The
Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball
Association play home games at the Bradley Center
. The Bucks won the NBA Championship in
1971.
The state
also has minor league teams in hockey (Milwaukee Admirals and Madison Ice Muskies) and baseball (the
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers,
based in Appleton and the Beloit
Snappers of the Class A minor leagues). Wisconsin is
also home to the
Madison Mallards,
the
La Crosse Loggers, the
Eau Claire Express, the
Green Bay Bullfrogs, and the
Wisconsin Woodchucks of the
Northwoods League, a collegiate all-star
summer league. In arena football Wisconsin is represented by four
teams: the
Wisconsin Wolfpack in
Madison and the
Milwaukee
Bonecrushers, both in the
CIFL; and the
Green Bay Blizzard and
Milwaukee Iron, both in the
AF2.
Wisconsin also has many college sports programs.
The Wisconsin Badgers, of the University of
Wisconsin–Madison, hold a historic dual-championship in 2006 when
both the women's and men's hockey teams won national titles.
The
Wisconsin football team
also saw success under head coach Barry
Alvarez, who led the Badgers to three Rose
Bowl
victories, including back to back victories in 1999
and 2000. The Wisconsin Badger men's basketball team made a
trip to college basketball's
Final Four in
2000.
The
Marquette Golden
Eagles of the Big East
Conference, the state's other major collegiate program, is
known for its men's basketball
team, which, under the direction of Al
McGuire, won the NCAA National Championship in 1977.
The team, led by
Dwyane Wade, returned
to the Final Four in
2003.
Wisconsin is also home to the world's oldest operational racetrack.
The Milwaukee Mile, located in State Fair Park in West Allis, holds
that distinction, with races there dating to before the famed Indy
500.
Miscellaneous
The
USS Wisconsin was named
in honor of this state.
Known as "America's Dairyland," Wisconsin is well known for
cheese. Citizens of Wisconsin are referred to
as Wisconsinites, although a common nickname (sometimes used
pejoratively) among non-residents is "
Cheeseheads." This is due to the prevalence and
quality of cheesemaking in the state, and for the novelty hats made
of yellow foam in the shape of a triangular block of cheese.
Cheese curds are an extremely popular
treat, exported as gifts throughout the country. The state is also
known for its alcohol production and consumption, and it is
historically home to a large number of breweries and bars per
capita.
Wisconsin is known as a "drinking" state with a high percentage of
per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages and a high rate of
"binge" drinking, even when compared to neighboring states and
demographics. This is often exacerbated by the reputation of the
University of Wisconsin as a party college and the City of
Milwaukee as the "beer capital of the world." Public intoxication
is often not only accepted but expected at venues such as Summer
Fest, Brewers games, Packers games, State Fair, October Fest, and
other public festivals. The Wisconsin Tavern League is a strong
political force and the state government has been reluctant to
lower DUI offense from BAC 0.10 to 0.08 (only through Federal
Government influence) and raise the alcoholic beverage tax. The
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel series "Wasted in Wisconsin" examined
this trend. Popular belief is that the state's large German
heritage population, climate (long cold winters, short warm
summers), and abundant leisure opportunities contribute to high
drinking rates, though data collected by the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel does not conclusively support this.
Wisconsin
has sister-state relationships with the Germany's Hesse
, Japan's
Chiba
Prefecture
, Mexico's Jalisco
, China's Heilongjiang
, and Nicaragua
.
See also
Footnotes
- McCafferty, Michael. 2003. On Wisconsin: The Derivation and Referent of an Old
Puzzle in American Placenames. Onoma 38: 39-56
- "Ancestry: 2000," U.S. Census Bureau
- Wisconsin Blue Book 2003–2004
- Miller, Frank Hayden, "The Polanders in
Wisconsin." Parkman Club Publications No. 10. Milwaukee,
Wis.: Parkman Club, 1896); Online facsimile at: The Wisconsin Historical Society, visited
January 29, 2008
- Wisconsin Department of Revenue
- http://www.bea.gov/regional/gsp/
- Wisconsin's Large Employer Search
- United States Department of Agriculture.Dairy Products:
2007 Summary.[1]
- "Commerce study slams film incentives law" The
Business Journal of Milwaukee March 31, 2009
- U.S. Census Bureau, "Wisconsin -- Place and County Subdivision.
GCT-T1-R. Population Estimates"[2]
- Pure Contemporary interview with Anthony
Puttnam
Bibliography
- Barone, Michael and Richard E. Cohen. The Almanac of
American Politics, 2006 (2005)
- Current, Richard. Wisconsin: A History (2001)
- Gara, Larry. A Short History of Wisconsin (1962)
- Holmes, Fred L. Wisconsin (5 vols., Chicago, 1946),
detailed popular history and many biographies
- Nesbit, Robert C. Wisconsin: A History (rev. ed.
1989)
- Pearce, Neil. The Great Lakes States of America
(1980)
- Quaife, Milo M. Wisconsin, Its History and Its People,
1634–1924 (4 vols., 1924), detailed popular history &
biographies
- Raney, William Francis. Wisconsin: A Story of Progress
(1940)
- Robinson, Arthur H. and J. B. Culver, eds., The Atlas of
Wisconsin (1974)
- Sisson, Richard, ed. The American Midwest: An Interpretive
Encyclopedia (2006)
- Vogeler, I. Wisconsin: A Geography (1986)
- Wisconsin Cartographers' Guild. Wisconsin's Past and
Present: A Historical Atlas (2002)
- Works Progress Administration. Wisconsin: A Guide to the
Badger State (1941) detailed guide to every town and city, and
cultural history
See additional books at History
of Wisconsin
External links
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