Michigan Fun Facts (Updated)

With careful research, I presented each cabin (where I work at Camp Blodgett) with a crayon-drawn colorfully decorated series of fun facts. Each cabin got 3 fun facts- 1 random, 1 top 10 list and 1 fun-fact about Michigan. Here are the fun facts I chose to present about Michigan.

- Lake Michigan is the third largest lake in America and sixth largest freshwater lake in the world!

- More people own boats in Michigan than any other state!

- Michigan has more clear water shoreline than any state in America!

- The University of Michigan was the first university established by any of the states. It was originally located in Detroit, but after 24 years there, it moved to Ann Arbor in 1841!

- A pond is the same as a lake, only smaller. In fact, a pond is any body of water under 10 acres. Michigan thus has over 64,000 ponds.

- Michigan has well over 11,000 lakes, third most in the USA. Alaska, seven times bigger than Michigan, has over 3 million lakes. Although there are officially 11,842 lakes in Minnesota, there state motto reads "10,000" lakes, a feat Michigan could also claim.

- There are over 19 million acres of forest in Michigan.

- Over 2.2 million people swim in Lake Michigan ever year.

- Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state.

- Michigan was the birthplace of the Republican Party, so beginning a more serious advocacy to free the slaves.

And the Ugly:

- Michigan is the most segregated state in the nation.

- Michigan has the nation's highest adolescent suicide rate.

- Michigan has the highest unemployment in America.

- Michigan is the only state with a shrinking population.