Information on Michigan
Michigan is a northern state, which is made up of two peninsulas that stretch across to the Great Lakes and are touching four out of the five impressive lakes. Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas are divided by Lake Michigan and linked by one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, stretching across the Straits of Mackinac. The long freshwater shoreline, extending for 3,000 miles (4,828km), is also made up of Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Lake Erie. In Michigan you're never more than six miles (10km) from a river or stream, and never more than 85 miles (137km) from one of the Great Lakes. Most of the state is well forested, with the Upper Peninsula home to a variety of wildlife, and boasting trout fishing lodges and winter ski resorts. The southern part of the Lower Peninsula is mainly characterised by rural farmlands and industrialisation, but the west coast offers several popular beach resorts.
The masses of fresh water, lush forests and fishing opportunities are an attraction for those interested in sporting holiday activities, however holidays in Michigan also offer the large industrial city of Detroit, which was the birthplace of the motor car: the city that put the world on wheels. The legendary names of the original automobile manufacturers like Ford and Chevrolet still resound loudly in Detroit, which offers numerous institutions and attractions paying homage to the car.
Detroit is not the capital of Michigan, despite being the original trading post where Michigan began in 1701. The attractive Victorian State Capitol stands in Lansing, chosen in 1879 for its location in the centre of the Lower Peninsula, which made it less vulnerable to invasion by British forces from Canada. Back then Lansing was but a sawmill settlement, but today it is home to about 128,000 residents and vies with Detroit as a major motor manufacturing centre.
