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State of Wisconsin
Flag of Wisconsin Flag of Wisconsin Seal of Wisconsin Nickname(s): Badger State, America's Dairyland Motto(s): Forward Map of the United States with Wisconsin highlighted
Official language(s)	None
Capital	Madison
Largest city	Milwaukee
Area	Ranked 23rd
- Total	65,498 sq mi (169,790 km)
- Width	260 miles (420 km)
- Length	310 miles (500 km)
- % water	17
- Latitude	42° 30′ N to 47° 05′ N
- Longitude	86° 46′ W to 92° 53′ W
Population	Ranked 20th
- Total (2000)	5,556,506
- Density	98.8/sq mi  38.13/km (24th)
- Median income	$47,220 (15th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Timms Hill[1] 1,951 ft  (595 m)
- Mean	1,050 ft  (320 m)
- Lowest point	Lake Michigan[1] 579 ft  (77 m)
Admission to Union	May 29, 1848 (30th)
Governor	James Doyle, Jr. (D)
'''U.S. Senators	Herb Kohl (D) Russ Feingold (D)
'''Congressional Delegation	List
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Abbreviations	WI Wis. US-WI
Web site	www.wisconsin.gov

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Wisconsin (IPA: /wɪsˈkɒnsɨn/) (French: Ouisconsin) is a state located near the center of the North American continent. It touches two of the five Great Lakes and is one of the fifty states that constitutes the United States of America. Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. Jim Doyle is the current Governor of Wisconsin, having held that office since January 6, 2003.

Since its founding, Wisconsin has been ethnically heterogeneous, with Yankees being among the first to arrive from New York and New England. They dominated the state's heavy industry, finance, politics and education. Large numbers of European immigrants followed them, including Germans, mostly between 1850 and 1900, Scandinavians (the largest group being Norwegian) and smaller groups of Belgians, Dutch, Swiss, Finns, Irish and others; in the 20th century, large numbers of Poles and African Americans came, settling mainly in Milwaukee.

Today, 42.6% of the population is of German ancestry, making Wisconsin one of the most German-American states in the United States. Numerous ethnic festivals are held throughout Wisconsin to celebrate its heritage. Such festivals are world renowned, and include Oktoberfest, Festa Italiana, Bastille Days, Syttende Mai (Norwegian Constitution Day), Summerfest, Brat(wurst) Days (Sheboygan, WI), Cheese Days (Monroe, WI, Mequon, WI), African World Festival, Indian Summer, Irish Fest and many others.

History

Main article: History of Wisconsin

Name

It may come from an ancient Ojibwe word, Miskwasiniing, meaning "Red-stone place," which was probably the name given to the Wisconsin River, and was recorded as Ouisconsin by the French. The spelling was revised to its current form in 1845 by Wisconsin's territorial lesgislature.

The modern Ojibwe name, however, is Wiishkoonsing or Wazhashkoonsing, meaning "muskrat-lodge place" or "little muskrat place." Other theories are that the name comes from words meaning "Gathering of the Waters" or "Great Rock." Originally, Ouisconsin was applied to the Wisconsin River, and later to the area as a whole when Wisconsin became a territory.

Borders

Wisconsin, bordered by the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois, as well as Lakes Michigan and Superior, has been part of United States territory since the end of the American Revolution; the Wisconsin Territory (which included parts of other current states) was formed on July 3, 1836. Wisconsin ratified its constitution on March 13, 1848, and was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848, as the 30th state.

Economy

Wisconsin's economy was originally based on farming (especially dairy), mining, and lumbering. In the 20th century, tourism became important, and many people living on former farms commuted to jobs elsewhere. Large-scale industrialization began in the late 19th century in the southeast of the state, with the city of Milwaukee as its major center. In recent decades, service industries, especially medicine and education, have become dominant. Wisconsin's landscape, largely shaped by the Wisconsin glaciation of the last Ice Age, makes the state popular for both tourism and many forms of outdoor recreation.

Politics

During the period of the Civil War, Wisconsin was a Republican and pro-Union stronghold. Ethno-religious issues in the late 19th century caused a brief split in the Republican coalition. Through the first half of the 20th century, Wisconsin's politics were dominated by Robert La Follette and his sons, originally of the Republican Party, but later of their own Progressive Party. Since 1945, the state has maintained a close balance between Republicans and Democrats. Republican Senator Joe McCarthy was a controversial national figure in the early 1950s. Recent leading Republicans include former Governor Tommy Thompson and Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr.; prominent Democrats include Governor Jim Doyle, Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold, and Congressman David Obey.^[2]

Geography

The state is bordered by the Montreal River; Lake Superior and Michigan to the north; by Lake Michigan to the east; by Illinois to the south; and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west. The state's boundaries include the Mississippi River and St. Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast. With its location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features. The state is divided into five distinct regions. In the north, the Lake Superior Lowland occupies a belt of land along Lake Superior. Just to the south, the Northern Highland has massive mixed hardwood and coniferous forests including the 1.5 million acre (6,000 km²) Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, as well as thousands of glacial lakes, and the state's highest point, Timms Hill. In the middle of the state, the Central Plain possesses some unique sandstone formations like the Dells of the Wisconsin River in addition to rich farmland. The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands region in the southeast is home to many of Wisconsin's largest cities. In the southwest, the Western Upland is a rugged landscape with a mix of forest and farmland, including many bluffs on the Mississippi River. This region is part of the Driftless Area, which also includes portions of Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota. This area was not covered by glaciers during the most recent ice age, the Wisconsin Glaciation. Overall, 46% of Wisconsin's land area is covered by forest.

The varied landscape of Wisconsin makes the state a vacation destination popular for outdoor recreation. Winter events include skiing, ice fishing and snowmobile derbies. Wisconsin has many lakes of varied size; in fact Wisconsin contains 11,188 square miles (28,977 km²) of water, more than all but three other states (Alaska, Michigan & Florida). The distinctive Door Peninsula, which extends off the eastern coast of the state, contains one of the state's most beautiful tourist destinations, Door County. The area draws thousands of visitors yearly to its quaint villages, seasonal cherry picking, and ever-popular fish boils.

Areas under the management of the National Park Service include the following:

• Apostle Islands National Lakeshore along Lake Superior
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
• Nicolet National Forest.

Climate

Wisconsin's climate is suitable for growing crops with a wet season falling in spring and summer, bringing with it almost two-thirds of yearly precipitation. It brings extremely cold snowy winters, for which Wisconsin is well-known. The highest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in the Wisconsin Dells, on July 13, 1936, and was 114 °F (46 °C). The lowest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin was in Couderay, on both February 2 and 4, 1996, and was –55 °F (-48 °C).^[3]

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Wisconsin Cities
City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Green Bay	24/7	29/12	40/23	55/34	68/45	77/54	81/59	78/56	70/48	58/37	42/26	29/13
La Crosse	26/6	32/13	45/24	60/37	72/49	81/58	85/63	82/61	74/52	61/40	44/27	30/14
Madison	25/9	31/14	43/25	57/35	69/46	78/56	82/61	79/59	71/50	60/39	43/28	30/16
Milwaukee	28/13	32/18	43/27	54/36	66/46	76/56	81/63	79/62	72/54	60/43	46/31	33/19
[1]

Demographics

The state has always been ethnically heterogeneous. Large numbers of Germans arrived between 1850 and 1900, centering in Milwaukee, but also settling in many small cities and farm areas in the southeast. Norwegians settled in lumbering and farming areas in the northwest. Small colonies of Belgians, Swiss, Finns and other groups came to the state. Irish Catholics mostly came to the cities. After 1900, Polish immigrants came to Milwaukee, followed by African Americans from 1940 on. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2000, Wisconsin has a population of 5,363,675.

Demographics of Wisconsin (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN	Asian	NHPI
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native   -   NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2000 (total population)	91.52%	6.15%	1.30%	1.92%	0.08%
2000 (Hispanic only)	3.35%	0.17%	0.11%	0.03%	0.01%
2005 (total population)	91.00%	6.48%	1.30%	2.21%	0.09%
2005 (Hispanic only)	4.17%	0.20%	0.12%	0.04%	0.01%
Growth 2000-2005 (total population)	2.64%	8.89%	3.13%	18.59%	6.85%
Growth 2000-2005 (non-Hispanic only)	1.65%	8.53%	2.43%	18.63%	6.18%
Growth 2000-2005 (Hispanic only)	28.67%	21.23%	10.54%	16.75%	10.87%

The five largest ancestry groups in Wisconsin are: German (42.6%), Irish (10.9%), Polish (9.3%), Norwegian (8.5%), English (6.5%)

Wisconsin, with many cultural remnants of its heavy German settlement, is known as perhaps the most "German-American" state in the Union. People of Scandinavian descent, especially Norwegians, are heavily concentrated in some western parts of the state. Wisconsin has the highest percentage of residents of Polish ancestry of any state. Menominee County is the only county in the eastern United States with an American Indian majority.

86% of Wisconsin's African American population lives in one of five cities: Milwaukee, Racine, Madison, Kenosha and Beloit while Milwaukee itself is home to nearly three-fourths of the state's African Americans. Milwaukee ranks in the top 10 major U.S. cities with the highest number of African Americans per capita. In the Great Lakes region, only Detroit and Cleveland have a higher percentage of African Americans.

33% of Wisconsin's Asian population is Hmong, with significant communities in Milwaukee, Wausau, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Appleton, La Crosse, Stevens Point, Madison, and Eau Claire.

6.4% of Wisconsin's population was reported as under 5, 25.5% under 18, and 13.1% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.6% of the population.

Religion

The largest denominations are Roman Catholic, Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod and ELCA Lutherans. The religious affiliations of the people of Wisconsin are shown in the list below:^[4]

• Christian – 85%
• Protestant – 55% (Lutheran–23%, Methodist–7%, Baptist–6%, Presbyterian–2%, United Church of Christ–2%, Other Protestant or general Protestant–15%)
• Roman Catholic – 29%
• Other Christian – 1%
• Other Religions – 1%
• Non-Religious – 14%

Economy

According to the 2004 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis report, Wisconsin’s gross state product was $211.7 billion. The per capita personal income was $32,157 in 2004.

The economy of Wisconsin is driven by manufacturing, agriculture, and health care. Although manufacturing accounts for a far greater part of the state's income than farming, Wisconsin is often perceived as a farming state. It produces more dairy products than any other state in the United States except California, and leads the nation in cheese production. Wisconsin ranks second behind California in overall production of milk and butter, and it ranks third in per-capita milk production, behind Idaho and Vermont.^[5] Based on poll results, Governor Jim Doyle chose for Wisconsin's 50 State Quarters design a Holstein cow, an ear of corn, and a wheel of cheese.^[6] Wisconsin ranks first in the production of corn for silage, cranberries, ginseng, and snap beans for processing. Wisconsin is also a leading producer of oats, potatoes, carrots, tart cherries, maple syrup, and sweet corn for processing.

Given Wisconsin's strong agricultural tradition, it is not surprising that a large part of the state's manufacturing sector deals with food processing. Some well known food brands produced in Wisconsin include Oscar Mayer, Tombstone frozen pizza, Johnsonville brats, and Usinger's sausage. Kraft Foods alone employs over 5,000 people in the state. Milwaukee is a major producer of beer and the home of Miller Brewing Company's world headquarters, the nation's second-largest brewer. Schlitz, Blatz, and Pabst used to be cornerstone breweries within the city of Milwaukee. Today, Milwaukee's economy is more diverse with an emphasis on health care. In 2004, four of the city's ten largest employers (including the top two) were part of the health care industry.^[7]

Badger State
State Animal:	Badger
State Domesticated Animal:	Dairy Cow
State Wild Animal:	White-tailed Deer
State Beverage:	Milk
State Fruit:	Cranberry
State Bird:	Robin
State Capital:	Madison
State Dog:	American Water Spaniel
State Fish:	Muskellunge
State Flower:	Wood Violet
State Fossil:	Trilobite
State Grain:	Corn
State Insect:	European honey bee
State Motto:	Forward
State Song:	"On, Wisconsin!"
State Tree:	Sugar Maple
State Mineral:	Galena (Lead sulfide)
State Rock:	Red Granite
State Soil:	Antigo Silt Loam
State Dance:	Polka
State Symbol of Peace:	Mourning Dove

Wisconsin is also home to several transportation equipment and machinery manufacturers. Major Wisconsin companies in these categories include the Kohler Company, Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls, Briggs & Stratton, Miller Electric, Milwaukee Electric Tool Company, Bucyrus International,Super Steel Products Corp., Oshkosh Truck, and Harley-Davidson. Wisconsin also ranks first nationwide in the production of paper products; the lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to the Bay of Green Bay has 24 paper mills along its 39 mile (63 km) stretch. The largest paper companies with operations in Wisconsin are Kimberly-Clark and Georgia-Pacific, both of which rank among the state's top ten employers.

The development and manufacture of health care devices and software is a growing sector of the state's economy with key players such as GE Healthcare, Epic Systems, and TomoTherapy.

Tourism is also a major industry in Wisconsin — the state's third largest, according to the Department of Tourism. This is largely attributed to the 90 attractions in the Wisconsin Dells family vacation destination area, which attracts nearly 3 million visitors per year. Tourist destinations such as the House on the Rock near Spring Green and Circus World Museum in Baraboo also draw thousands of visitors annually, and festivals such as Summerfest and the EAA Oshkosh Airshow draw national attention along with hundreds of thousands of visitors.

Wisconsin collects personal income tax based on four income-level brackets, which range from 4.6% to 6.75%. The state sales and use tax rate is 5%. Fifty-nine counties have an additional sales/use tax of 0.5%.^[8] The counties surrounding Milwaukee County have an additional 0.1% tax imposed upon them to fund the new baseball stadium, Miller Park, which was constructed around the turn of the century. Retailers who make sales subject to applicable county taxes must collect 5.6% tax on their retail sales.

The most common property tax assessed on Wisconsin residents is the real property tax, or their residential property tax. Wisconsin does not impose a property tax on vehicles but does levy an annual registration fee. Property taxes are the most important tax revenue source for Wisconsin's local governments, as well as major methods of funding school districts, vocational technical colleges, special purpose districts and tax incremental finance districts. Equalized values are based on the full market value of all taxable property in the state, except for agricultural land. In order to provide property tax relief for farmers, the value of agricultural land is determined by its value for agricultural uses, rather than for its possible development value. Equalized values are used to distribute state aid payments to counties, municipalities, and technical colleges. Assessments prepared by local assessors are used to distribute the property tax burden within individual municipalities.

Wisconsin does not assess a tax on intangible property. Wisconsin does not collect inheritance taxes. Wisconsin's estate tax is decoupled from the federal estate tax laws; therefore the state imposes its own estate tax on certain large estates [2].

Law and government

The capital is Madison.

State Executive Officers

• Governor: James Doyle, Jr.
• Lieutenant Governor: Barbara Lawton
• Attorney General: J.B. Van Hollen
• Secretary of State: Douglas LaFollette
• Treasurer: Dawn Marie Sass
• State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster

See also:

• Wisconsin Constitution
• Governors of Wisconsin
• Wisconsin State Legislature
• Wisconsin State Senate
• Wisconsin State Assembly
• Wisconsin Supreme Court
• U.S. Congressional Delegations from Wisconsin
• List of U.S. Senators from Wisconsin

Politics

Much of the state's political history involved coalitions among different ethnic groups. The most famous controversy dealt with foreign language teaching in schools. This was fought out in the Bennett Law campaign of 1890, when the Germans switched to the Democratic Party because of the Republican Party's support of the Bennett Law, which led to a major victory for the Democrats.

The cities of Wisconsin have been active in organizing themselves to provide for greater government transparency by increasing the availability of legislative information on the internet. Currently three out of the top five most populous cities in Wisconsin provide their constituents with internet based access of all public records directly from the cities’ databases. Wisconsin cities started to make this a priority after Milwaukee began doing so, on their page, in 2001. One such city, Madison, has been named the Number 1 digital city by the Center for Digital Government in consecutive years. Nearly 18 percent of Wisconsin’s population has the ability to access their municipality’s information in this way.

Lawmakers in Wisconsin

1984 was the last election that Wisconsin supported a Republican Presidential candidate. However, both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections were close, with Wisconsin receiving heavy doses of national advertising because it was a "swing" or pivot state. Al Gore carried the presidential vote in 2000 by only 5,700 votes, and John Kerry won Wisconsin in 2004 by 11,000 votes. Republicans had a stronghold in the Fox Valley but elected a Democrat, Steve Kagen, of Appleton, for the 8th Congressional District in 2006. Republicans have held Waukesha County). The City of Milwaukee itself heads the list of Wisconsin's Democratic strongholds which also includes Madison and the state's Native American reservations. WIsconsin's largest Congressional district, the 7th Congressional district has been a strong Democratic hold since 1969, and has re-elected Congressman David Obey with 62% of the vote. Rep. Obey chairs the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

• Wisconsin's political history encompasses, on the one hand, "Fighting Bob" La Follette and the Progressive movement; and on the other, Joe McCarthy, the controversial anti-Communist censured by the Senate during the 1950s.
• In the early 20th century, the Socialist Party of America had a base in Milwaukee (the phenomenon was referred to as sewer socialism because the socialists were more concerned with public works and reform than with revolution); it faded out in the late 1950s, largely due to the red scare and racial tensions.^[9] The first Socialist mayor of a large city in the United States was Emil Seidel, elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1910; another Socialist, Daniel Hoan, was mayor of Milwaukee from 1916 to 1940; and a third, Frank P. Zeidler, from 1948-1960. Socialist newspaper editor Victor Berger was repeatedly elected as a U.S. Representative, although he was prevented from serving for some time due to his opposition to the First World War.
• William Proxmire, a Democratic Senator (1957-89) dominated the Democratic party for years; he was best known for attacking waste and fraud in federal spending.
• Democrat Russ Feingold was the only Senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001.
• Democrat Tammy Baldwin from Madison was the first, and is currently the only, openly lesbian U.S. Representative.^[10]
• In 2004, Gwen Moore, a Democrat from Milwaukee, became Wisconsin's first African-American U.S. Representative.

The 2006, Democrats gained in a national sweep of opposition to the Bush administration, and the Iraq War. The retiring GOP 8th District Congressman, Mark Green, of Green Bay, ran against Gov. Doyle, amidst a scandal of illegal campaign contributions. Green lost by 8% statewide, including his own district and hometown. Doyle became the first Democratic Governor to be re-elected in 32 years. The Republicans lost control of the state Senate with 3 Republicans losing their seats. The Democrats gained 8 seats in the state Assembly, but the Republicans retained a 3 vote majority, in that house.

Important municipalities

Wisconsin's self-promotion as "America's Dairyland" sometimes leads to a mistaken impression that it is an exclusively rural state. However, Wisconsin contains cities and towns of all sizes, and over 68% of Wisconsin residents live in urban areas.^[11] Milwaukee proper is slightly larger than Boston and is the beginning of a largely developed string of cities that stretches down the western edge of Lake Michigan into greater Chicago and also into northwestern Indiana. Milwaukee proper is also the 22nd-largest city in the country,^[12] with around 580,000 inhabitants. This string of cities along the western edge of Lake Michigan is generally considered to be an example of a megalopolis. Madison's dual identity as state capital and college town gives it a cultural richness unusual in a city its size. Madison is also a very fast-growing city, that has around 220,000 people. Medium-size cities dot the state and anchor a network of working farms surrounding them. Cities and villages are incorporated urban areas in Wisconsin. Towns are unincorporated minor civil divisions of counties.

Cities in Wisconsin with population of 50,000 or more (as of the 2005 census estimate) include:

• Milwaukee, population 578,887, largest city
• Madison, population 221,551, state capital
• Green Bay, population 101,203
• Kenosha, population 95,240, part of the Chicago metropolitan area
• Racine, population 85,855, part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area
• Appleton, population 70,217
• Waukesha, population 67,658 part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area
• Oshkosh, population 63,485
• Eau Claire, population 62,570
• Janesville, population 61,962
• West Allis, population 58,798, part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area
• Sheboygan, population 51,017
• La Crosse, population 50,280

See also:  and

Education

Colleges and universities

Wisconsin, along with Minnesota and Michigan, was among the Midwestern leaders in the emergent American state university movement following the Civil War in the United States. By the turn of the century, education in the state advocated the "Wisconsin Idea," which emphasized purpose for service to the people and epitomized progressive movements within colleges and universities at the time. ^[13] Today, public education in Wisconsin includes both the 26-campus University of Wisconsin System, headquartered in Madison, and the 16-campus Wisconsin Technical College System which coordinates with the University of Wisconsin. Notable private colleges and universities include Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Medical College of Wisconsin, Beloit College, and Lawrence University, among others.

See also: List of colleges and universities in Wisconsin