Major Cities: Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine
Borders: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $261,548 million (2012 U.S. Department of Commerce)
Key Industries: Agriculture including cheese, milk, butter, corn, oats, potatoes, and cranberries
Transportation equipment, paper, packaging, tourism, furniture, and processed foods
How Wisconsin got its name: The name Wisconsin comes from a Native American word. It likely came from a Miami Indian word for the Wisconsin River meaning gathering of waters.
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Wisconsin State Symbols
State Nickname: Badger State
State Slogan: Stay Just a Little Bit Longer
State Motto: Forward
State flower: Wood Violet
State bird: Robin
State fish: Muskellunge
State tree: Sugar Maple
State mammal: Badger, Dairy cow
State foods: Milk
Becoming a State
Date admitted: Monday, May 29, 1848
Number admitted: 30
Prior Name: Wisconsin Territory
Postal Abbreviation: WI
The Geography of Wisconsin
Total Size: 54,310 sq. miles (source: 2003 Census)
Geographical Low Point: Lake Michigan at 579 feet (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Geographical High Point: Timms Hill at 1,951 feet, located in the county/subdivision of Price (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Central Point: Located in Wood County approx. 9 miles southeast of Marshfield (source: U.S. Geological Survey)
Counties: 72 (source: National Association of Counties)
Bodies of Water: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Winnebago, Petenwell Lake, Wisconsin River, Mississippi River, Chippewa River
Famous People
Colin Kaepernick - Professional football player
Liberace - Piano player and entertainer
William S. Harley - Co-founder of Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Heather Graham - Actress
Eric Heiden - Gold medal speed skater
Georgia O'Keeffe - Painter
Danica Patrick - Race car driver
Les Paul - Electric guitar inventor and manufacturer
William Rehnquist - Supreme Court Justice
Tony Shalhoub - Actor from the TV show Monk
Spencer Tracy - Actor
Orson Welles - Actor and director
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Author
Frank Lloyd Wright - Architect
Fun Facts
The first house in the US to be wired for electricity was in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The largest city in Wisconsin is Milwaukee.
Summerfest, held in Milwaukee, is one of the worlds largest outdoor music festivals.
Sheboygan, Wisconsin is dubbed the 'Bratwurst Capital of the World'.
Wisconsin gets its name from its river. It means 'red stone river'.
The Badger State gets its name from lead miners, who were nicknamed 'badgers' because of the way they dug holes.
The state is known for its cow farms, milk, and cheese. Fans of the Green Bay Packers football team are sometimes called cheese heads!
Bloomers is considered the rope jumping capital of the world.
Wisconsin has over 15,000 miles of snowmobile trails.
