Pure Michigan

We've lived in Michigan for 8 years now, almost exactly. We moved here on Jessica's 2nd birthday -- June 2, 2000. Even though Joshua and I still consider ourselves true-blue Texans at heart, the kids are rooted here in Michigan. I guess that makes them "Michiganders", "Michiganians" or "Michiganites". I don't know which one sounds best.

Things we've learned about Michigan since living here --
1. State Nicknames -- Wolverine State, Great Lakes State, Mitten State, Water-Winter Wonderland
2. Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world.
3. It is bounded by four of the five Great Lakes (and we've been to all of them).
4. A person in Michigan is never more than 85 miles from open Great Lakes water and is never more than six miles from a natural water source.
5. After Alaska, Michigan has the longest shoreline of any state—around 3,288 miles. An additional 1,056 miles can be added if islands are included. This roughly equals the length of the Atlantic Coast from Maine to Florida.
6. The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is sometimes dubbed "the mitten," owing to its shape. When asked where in Michigan one comes from, a resident often points to the corresponding part of his or her hand.
7. The Upper Peninsula is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile-wide channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan.
8. The two Peninsulas are connected by the five-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, the third longest suspension bridge in the world.
9. Upper Peninsula residents are often called "Yoopers".
10. Michgan is the birthplace of the automotive industry because of Henry Ford.
11. Michigan has water boundaries with Canada to it's north and east, and it's capped around the province of Ontario. Winsor, Ontario is just a hop, skip and jump away from Downtown Detroit.
12. Michigan has about 150 lighthouses, the most of any U.S. state.
13. Michigan is home to one national park: Isle Royale National Park. It also has 78 state parks and 6 state forests, making it the largest state park and state forest system of any state.
14. The Upper and Lower Peninsula's year-round temperatures are drastically different. The southern and central parts of the Lower Peninsula have a warmer climate with hot summers and cold winters. The northern part of Lower Peninsula and the entire Upper Peninsula has a more severe climate, with warm, but short summers and longer, extremely cold winters.
15. Americans of European descent live throughout most of Michigan and Metro Detroit. People of Nordic (especially Finnish) and Cornish ancestry have a notable presence in the Upper Peninsula. Western Michigan is known for the Dutch heritage of many residents (the highest concentration of any state), especially in the Grand Rapids-Holland area. And Dearborn, Michigan (where Joshua works) has become one of the largest Arab-American communities in the U.S.
16. Michigan is a leading grower of fruit, including blueberries, cherries, apples, grapes, and peaches.
17. Kellogg's cereal is based out of Kalamazoo, Michigan (in south-west Michigan).
18. The big major league sports teams in Michigan are located in Metro Detroit -- Detroit Tigers Baseball, Detroit Lion's football, Detroit Red Wings ice hockey, and the Detroit Pistons basketball team.
19. Famous People from Michigan -- Tim Allen, Sonny Bono, Tom Brady, Jerry Bruckheimer, Alice Cooper, Francis Ford Coppola, Jeff Daniels, President Gerald R. Ford, Aretha Franklin, Charlton Heston, Jimmy Hoffa (who also disappeared in the Detoit suburb of Bloomfield Hills), Magic Johnson, James Earl Jones, Casey Kasem, Charles Lindbergh, Madonna, Ed McMahon, Sugar Ray Robinson, Diana Ross, Bob Seger, Tom Selleck, David Spade, Danny Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Robert Wagner, Robin Williams, and Stevie Wonder ... to name a few.

Things that we love about Michigan --
1. We experience all four seasons.
2. The gorgeous month-long blossoms in the spring (late-March and most of April).
3. The beautiful fall colors. Every tree changes into a vibrant fall color. We love driving on the backroads in the fall.
4. The green and lush summers, which are never too hot. The average temperature in Detroit is in the mid-80's during June, July and August.
5. The beautiful lake shores are just a short drive away. Some are quite stunning, especially the ones on the west-coast along Lake Michigan.
6. We are nature lovers, and Michigan has enough woods, rivers and lakes for our family to enjoy and explore for years to come.
7. Cider and doughnuts at harvest time in the area's Cider Mills.
8. Having snow during the Christmas season.
9. Getting out of school for snow days.
10. Sledding and other fun winter-time activities.
11.The first warm, spring day after a long, cold winter.
12. Walking barefoot on the grass without fear of fire ants (still in our psyche from living in Texas)
13. The Automotive Industry's history and museums (Ford Museum and Greenfield Village)
14. Biking around Mackinac Island.
15. The Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan each spring.
16. Fruit and farmer's markets everywhere.
17. IKEA in Canton.
18. Greektown in downtown Detroit.
19. Meijer's (but I do miss having a Super-Walmart)
20. Canton's Liberty Fest, and other community activities throughout the year.
21. Quaint little downtowns scattered through Metro-Detroit (Plymouth, Northville).
22. Many great local and metro parks.

Scroll down to the bottom of my blog and see for yourself the beautiful seasons we experience here in Michigan.