Michigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America, located in the east north central portion of the country. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name was a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigami, meaning "large water" or "large lake".
Bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair, Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the World, and the second longest total shoreline in the United States next to Alaska (excluding island shorelines), and in 2005 had more registered recreational boats than any state except California and Florida.
Colleges and Universities: Adrian College Albion College Alma College Andrews University Aquinas College Ave Maria College Ave Maria School of Law Baker College Calvin College Calvin Theological Seminary Center for Humanistic Studies Central Bible College Central Michigan University Cleary University College for Creative Studies Concordia University Cornerstone University Cranbrook Academy of Art Davenport University Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary Eastern Michigan University Ecumenical Theological Seminary Ferris State University Finlandia University Grace Bible College Grand Rapids Theological Seminary Grand Valley State University Great Lakes Christian College Hillsdale College Hope College Kalamazoo College Kendall College of Art and Design Kettering University Kuyper College Lake Superior State University Lawrence Technological University Lewis College of Business Madonna University Marygrove College Michigan Jewish Institute Michigan State University Michigan Technological University Michigan Theological Seminary Northern Michigan University Northwestern Michigan College Northwood University Oakland University Olivet College Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Rochester College Sacred Heart Major Seminary SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary Saginaw Valley State University Siena Heights University Spring Arbor University Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches Thomas M. Cooley Law School University of Detroit Mercy University of Michigan System University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Dearborn University of Michigan-Flint Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Wayne State University Western Michigan University Western Theological Seminary William Tyndale College Yeshiva Gedolah Ateres Mordechai of Greater Detroit
Community Colleges and Technical Schools: American College of Computer and Information Sciences Alpena Community College Bay de Noc Community College Bay Mills Community College Delta College Ellis College of NYIT Glen Oaks Community College Gogebic Community College Grand Rapids Community College Henry Ford Community College ITT Technical Institute - Canton, Grand Rapids, and Troy Jackson Community College Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kellogg Community College Kirtland Community College Lake Michigan College Lansing Community College Macomb Community College Mid-Michigan Community College Michigan Career and Technical Institute Michigan Institution of Aviation and Technology Monroe County Community College Montcalm Community College Mott Community College Muskegon Community College National Institute of Technology - Southfield and Wyoming North Central Michigan College Northwestern Michigan College Oakland Community College Olympia Career Training Institute - Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo Ross Medical Education Center - Saginaw, Flint, Grand Rapids, Brighton, Muskegon, Redford, Warren, Port Huron, Lansing, Ann Arbor Saint Clair County Community College Schoolcraft College Southwestern Michigan College University of Phoenix - Detroit and Grand Rapids Washtenaw Community College Wayne County Community College West Shore Community College
Professional Sports Teams: Most major league sports teams in Michigan are located in Metro Detroit, with the Detroit Tigers baseball team (MLB), Detroit Lions football team (NFL), and Detroit Red Wings ice hockey team (NHL) located within the city of Detroit. The Detroit Pistons men's basketball team of NBA and the Detroit Shock women's basketball team of the WNBA play at the Palace of Auburn Hills. (The Pistons played at Detroit's Cobo Arena until 1978, and at Pontiac's Silverdome until 1988) The Detroit Lions played at Tiger Stadium in Detroit until 1974, then moved out to the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac before moving back to Detroit's Ford Field in 2002. The Arena Football League's Grand Rapids Rampage is the state's other "major league" sports team. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams was born in Saginaw. Professional hockey got its start in Houghton, Michigan in the U.P., when the Portage Lakers were formed.
Other notable sports teams include: Alpena IceDiggers - North American Hockey League Flint Generals - International Hockey League Grand Rapids Griffins - American Hockey League Kalamazoo Wings - International Hockey League Marquette Rangers - North American Hockey League Muskegon Fury - International Hockey League Plymouth Whalers - Ontario Hockey League Port Huron Flags - International Hockey League Saginaw Spirit - Ontario Hockey League Traverse City North Stars - North American Hockey League Lansing Lugnuts - Minor League Baseball, Midwest League Great Lakes Loons - Minor League Baseball, Midwest League Kalamazoo Kings - Minor League Baseball Traverse City Beach Bums - Minor League Baseball West Michigan Whitecaps - Minor League Baseball, Midwest League Michigan Mayhem - Continental Basketball Association Grand Rapids Rampage - Arena Football League Battle Creek Crunch - Great Lakes Indoor Football League Motor City Reapers - Great Lakes Indoor Football League Muskegon Thunder - Great Lakes Indoor Football League Port Huron Pirates - Great Lakes Indoor Football League Detroit Demolition - Independent Women's Football League Detroit Ignition - Major Indoor Soccer League Kalamazoo Kingdom - USL Premier Development League Michigan Bucks - USL Premier Development League Michigan Hawks - W-League Michigan Phoenix - Women's Premier Soccer League West Michigan Edge - USL Premier Development League West Michigan Firewomen - Soccer W-League
Michigan has a thriving tourist industry. Visitors spend $17.5 billion a year in the state supporting 193,000 tourism jobs and Michigan's tourism website ranks among the busiest in the nation. Destinations such as Traverse City, Mackinac Island, Ludington, Muskegon, Saugatuck, the Upper Peninsula, Frankenmuth, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, and Detroit draw vacationers, hunters, and nature enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada. Michigan is fifty percent forest land, much of it quite remote. Both the forests and thousands of miles of beaches are top attractions. Tourists also flock to many of the museums, particularly those in Metro Detroit, including The Henry Ford, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Arab American National Museum. The Metro Detroit area offers four major casinos, MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown, Motor City, and Casino Windsor; moreover, Detroit is the largest city to offer casino gambling.
Hunting is a major component of Michigan's economy. Michigan ranks first in the nation in licensed hunters (over one million) who contribute $2 billion annually to its economy. Over three-quarters of a million hunters participate in white-tailed deer season alone. Many K-12 school districts in rural areas of Michigan go so far as to cancel school on the opening day of rifle season, because of both safety and attendance concerns.
The state is home to one national park: Isle Royale National Park, located in Lake Superior, about 30 miles southeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Other national protected areas in the state include: Keweenaw National Historical Park, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Huron National Forest, Manistee National Forest, Hiawatha National Forest, Ottawa National Forest and Father Marquette National Memorial. The North Country National Scenic Trail also passes through Michigan.
Michigan also has the largest state park and State Forest system of any state. These parks and forests include Ludington State Park, Tawas Point State Park, Au Sable State Forest, and Mackinaw State Forest. More can be found at michigan state parks.
Pure Michigan - Michigan's Official Travel and Tourism Site
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