Happy birthday, Michigan!
Published On: 01-26-2012 10:14am
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Category: Miscellanea
Today is the 175th birthday of my home state, Michigan, and I wanted to wish her a very happy birthday!
Also known as the Great Lakes State, the Wolverine State, and even sometimes affectionately as the Mitten State, Michigan is often only thought of in relation to automobiles, but has strong (if not stronger, these days) links to other manufacturing and industry, agriculture, and tourism as well as a past rich in logging, mining and trapping. Both the Erie Canal and railroads in general led to Michigan becoming prosperous and well-populized thanks to all of the trade going through the state. Of course, we Michiganders are famed for just flipping our hand open when asked where we're from. Natives of other states can't quite pull that off!
With its combined land and water, Michigan is the tenth-largest state in the union, and if you've never visited, I can't recommend it enough. There is so much to see and do in my beautiful home state, and no matter what you are interested in—history, architecture, hiking, golfing, fishing and boating, beach lounging, tasting local wines, hunting, art, wildlife spotting, camping, antiquing—anything!—you're going to find it in the Great Lakes State.
As a little girl, I wandered all over Michigan thanks to my parents' love for camping; my summers and autumns (and sometimes even winters) were spent exploring the forests, beaches, waterways, and museums. And for my money, there is no better place on earth to spend summer than Michigan; the weather is beautiful and there's so much to do. The natural beauty you'll discover in my home state, from its famous lakes to its sand dunes, waterfalls, rivers, and forests is richly varied. Speaking solely from a physical, natural standpoint, Michigan has been wonderfully blessed.
As the state motto says, "Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice" (sorry, italics aren't working today for some reason...)—"If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you"! True words indeed. Happy birthday, Michigan!
