Wisconsin

state of the United States of America

Wisconsin is a state in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The capital of Wisconsin is Madison. The biggest city in Wisconsin is Milwaukee.

Wisconsin
State of Wisconsin
Nickname(s)
Badger State, America's Dairyland
Motto
Forward
Anthem: On, Wisconsin!
Map of the United States with Wisconsin highlighted
Map of the United States with Wisconsin highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodWisconsin Territory
Admitted to the UnionMay 29, 1848 (30th)
CapitalMadison
Largest cityMilwaukee
Largest county or equivalentMarathon County
Largest metro and urban areasMilwaukee metropolitan area
Government
 • GovernorTony Evers (D)
 • Lieutenant GovernorSara Rodriguez (D)
LegislatureWisconsin Legislature
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseAssembly
U.S. senatorsRon Johnson (R)
Tammy Baldwin (D)
Area
 • Total65,498.37 sq mi (169,640 km2)
 • Land54,310 sq mi (140,663 km2)
 • Rank23rd
Dimensions
 • Length311 mi (507 km)
Elevation
1,049 ft (320 m)
Highest elevation1,951 ft (595 m)
Lowest elevation579 ft (176 m)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total5,822,434
 • Rank19th
 • Density105/sq mi (40.6/km2)
  • Rank23rd
 • Median household income
$59,305 [3]
 • Income rank
23rd
DemonymsWisconsinite
Language
 • Official languageNone
Time zoneUTC−06:00 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation
WI
ISO 3166 codeUS-WI
Traditional abbreviationWis., Wisc.
Latitude42° 30' N to 47° 09′ N
Longitude86° 46′ W to 92° 54′ W
Websitewww.wisconsin.gov
Wisconsin state symbols
Living insignia
BirdAmerican robin
Turdus migratorius
FishMuskellunge
Esox masquinongy
FlowerWood violet
Viola sororia
InsectWestern honey bee
Apis mellifera
TreeSugar maple
Acer saccharum
Inanimate insignia
BeverageMilk
DancePolka
FoodCorn
Zea mays
FossilTrilobite
Calymene celebra
MineralGalena
RockRed granite
SloganAmerica's Dairyland[4]
SoilAntigo silt loam
TartanWisconsin tartan
State route marker
Wisconsin state route marker
State quarter
Wisconsin quarter dollar coin
Released in 2004
Lists of United States state symbols

In 2018, most of Wisconsin’s immigrants came from Mexico, India, China, Laos and the Philippines.[5]

History

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Native first settled in Wisconsin before the arrival of Europeans.

Origin

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The word Wisconsin comes from the name that one of the Algonquian speaking American Indian groups living in the area gave to the Wisconsin River. They named the Wisconsin River at the time that the European contact happened.[6] Jacques Marquette, a French explorer, was the first European (or person from Europe) to get to the Wisconsin River and write down the name. He reached the Wisconsin River in 1673. He wrote the name of the river as Meskousing in his journal.[7] Over time, other explorers from France warped this name into Ouisconsin. This is now the French name for the Wisconsin River. As of 1845, the government of the Wisconsin Territory gave the name Wisconsin to the Wisconsin River.[8]

Cultures

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Many people in Wisconsin go skiing, ice fishing and to snowmobile races. The National Football League's Green Bay Packers team is popular. So is the Milwaukee Brewers Major League Baseball team. Music events include the Summerfest. There is the Milwaukee Art Museum. Circle Sanctuary is the largest Wiccan organization in the U.S.

Geography

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The Montreal River flows along the border of Wisconsin. Lake Superior and Michigan border Wisconsin to the north. Lake Michigan is to the east of Wisconsin, and Illinois is found directly south of Wisconsin. Other rivers that make up the border of Wisconsin include the Mississippi River and St. Croix Rivers to the west and the Menominee River to the northeast.

Wisconsin has a lot of different kinds of geography and is very diverse. Wisconsin is made up of five main areas of geography. The Lake Superior Lowland to the north is an area of land that is right against Lake Superior. The Northern Highland area of Wisconsin is to the south of the Lake Superior Lowland. This area contains hardwood trees and other kinds of forests. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (1,500,000 acres big),[9] is found in this area. The highest point in Wisconsin, Timms Hill, is in the Northern Highland area. The Central Plain area is found in the central part of Wisconsin. Lots of sandstone formations, such as the Dells of the Wisconsin River, are found in the Central Plain area. The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands area is found in the southeastern part of Wisconsin. Many of the biggest cities in Wisconsin are in the Eastern Ridges and Lowlands area. The Western Upland area is in the southwestern part of the state. This area includes features like bluffs along the Mississippi River and forests and farmland (land put aside for farming).

Climate change

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The highest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in the Wisconsin Dells. It was recorded on July 13, 1936. The temperature reached 120 °F (46 °C). The lowest temperature in Wisconsin ever written down was in the village of Couderay. The temperature there was only –55 °F (-48 °C). This was recorded on both February 2 and February 4, 1996.[10]

Cities and important towns

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Wisconsin has cities and towns of many different sizes.[11] Nearly 70 percent of people living in Wisconsin live in urban areas (cities like Milwaukee). 33 percent of the population of Wisconsin lives in the Greater Milwaukee area.[12] Milwaukee is found at the northern end of a string of cities and towns along Lake Michigan. With almost 600,000 people living in Milwaukee, that makes Milwaukee the 22nd-largest city in the country.[13] Madison is also another important city in Wisconsin. With a population of just over 225,000 people, it is a city that grows very fast. A suburb of Madison, Middleton, was also ranked the "Best Place to Live in America" in 2007 by CNN Money.[14] There are a bunch of medium-sized cities and towns (meaning their populations are between 25,000 and 100,000 people) in Wisconsin. 12 cities in Wisconsin with a population of 50,000 or more.[15]

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References

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Other websites

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44°30′N 89°30′W / 44.5°N 89.5°W / 44.5; -89.5

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988.
  3. "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  4. "Wisconsin State Symbols". Wisconsin Historical Society. May 23, 2012. Archived from the original on March 26, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  5. [1]
  6. "Wisconsin's Name: Where it Came from and What it Means". Wisconsin Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  7. Marquette, Jacques (1673), "The Mississippi Voyage of Jolliet and Marquette, 1673", in Kellogg, Louise P. (ed.), Early Narratives of the Northwest, 1634-1699, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 235, OCLC 31431651, archived from the original on 2021-01-25, retrieved 2009-03-14
  8. Smith, Alice E. (September 1942). "Stephen H. Long and the Naming of Wisconsin". Wisconsin Magazine of History. 26 (1). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Historical Society: 67–71. Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  9. "Welcome to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest!". USDA - United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  10. Benedetti, Michael. "Climate of Wisconsin". The University of Wisconsin-Extension. Archived from the original on 2013-01-17. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  11. "Estimated Population per Square Mile of Land Area, Wisconsin Municipalities". League of Wisconsin Municipalities. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  12. Naylor. "Number and Percent of Total Population by Urban/Rural Categories for Wisconsin Counties: April 1, 2000". State of Wisconsin, Department of Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  13. Davis, Chase; Rick Romell. "City drops out of top 20". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Communications. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
  14. "Best Places to Live: Top 100 - Middleton, Wis. (1) - Money Magazine". money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  15. "U.S. Census Bureau, "Wisconsin -- GCT-T1-R. Population Estimates"". Archived from the original on 2009-08-29. Retrieved 2009-03-14.