Wisconsin

Abbreviation	WI Source: United States Postal Service - Abbreviations
Capital	Madison
Population	5,686,986 Source: Resident Population Data - 2010 Census
Governor	Scott Walker (Republican, to January 2015)
Entered the Union	May 29, 1848 as the 30th state
Motto	Forward
Nickname	The Badger State
Flower	Wood violet
Bird	Robin
Song	On Wisconsin
Professional Sports Teams	Milwaukee Brewers (Baseball); Milwaukee Bucks (Basketball); Green Bay Packers (Football) (sports listing policy)
Origin of Name	From a Native American word for the principal river of the region, which French explorers spelled Miscous, Miskonsing, Mesconsin, and then finally Ouisconsin. It means "gathering of the waters."
Historical Sites	The Circus World Museum at Baraboo
Points of Interest	The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore; Ice Age National Scientific Reserve; the Wolf, St. Croix, and Lower St. Croix national scenic riverways; and the Wisconsin Dells
Bordering States	Wisconsin borders Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan.
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Follow these links to read articles about Wisconsin from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

• Britannica Online Encyclopedia
• Columbia Encyclopedia
• Information Please Almanac

Official State Links

• Wisconsin.gov: The State Of Wisconsin
  http://www.wisconsin.gov/
  This is the official website for the State of Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
  http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dltcl/index.html
  Here is the homepage for the Wisconsin State Library Agency.
• Wisconsin Historical Society
  http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/
  Here is the homepage for the Wisconsin State Historical Society.
• The Wisconsin Historical Museum
  http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum/
  Here is the homepage for the Wisconsin Historical Society Museum.
• The Library-Archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society
  http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/libraryarchives/
  Here is the homepage for the Wisconsin State Archives.
• Wisconsin State Park System: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/
  Here is the homepage for Wisconsin State Parks.
• Travel Wisconsin.com
  http://www.travelwisconsin.com/
  Here is the official state tourism website for Wisconsin.
• State of Wisconsin Kids Page
  http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/kids_page.html
  Here is the Wisconsin state website for kids.

Other State Links

• 50states.com: Wisconsin
  http://www.50states.com/wisconsi.htm
  The site provides a wealth of information about Wisconsin. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
• Things To Do in Wisconsin
  http://www.thingstodo.com/states/WI/index.htm
  ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about Wisconsin's entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state's interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
• Roadside America: Wisconsin Attractions
  http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/wi.html
  Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of "weird sites along the highway" in Wisconsin.
• Circus World Museum: America's Circus Museum
  http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org/
  This is the website for the historical circus museum, a National Historic landmark located in Baraboo, Wisconsin and built at the site of the original Ringling Bros. Circus winter quarters.
• FedStats: MapStat: United States: Wisconsin
  http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/55000.html
  Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on "economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more" in Wisconsin.

• Along with the better known state symbols, Wisconsin also has official wild and domestic animals: White-tailed deer and Dairy cow; official beverage: milk; and an official dog: the American water spaniel.
• Wisconsin ranks number one in # of milk cows (1,500,000) and produces over 15% of the entire country's milk.
• Wisconsin has over 14,000 lakes, with Lake Winnebago the largest. It also has 7,446 streams and rivers, which if you stuck them end to end they'd stretch nearly 27,000 miles--enough to circle the whole planet.
• Milwaukee's Summerfest is the nation's largest music festival, with over 2,500 performers.
• Wisconsin is known as the Badger State after the living habits of early miners in the region who either lived in mine shafts or dug their homes out of the sides of hills--just like Badgers do.

Some Famous People from this State

• Harry Houdini, famous magician and escape artist.
• Douglas MacArthur, well-known WWII and Korean war general.
• Frank Lloyd Wright, America's most famous architect.
• Wiliam H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
• U.S. Don Ameche, actor who won an Academy Award for his performance in Cocoon.