In May of 1848, the 30th state was admitted to the Union. Located in the northern part of the country, Wisconsin touches two of the five great lakes and is 23rd in size with 65,498 square miles. Of that area, 11,188 square miles (about 17%) is water, which makes Wisconsin the 4th state with that much water within its boundaries. Its capital is Madison, and Milwaukee is its largest city.
Wisconsin boasts a population of 5.6 million, of which 42.6% is of German ancestry. Because of its strong ethnic background, Wisconsin hosts numerous festivals each year including Summerfest, Oktoberfest, Festa Italiana, Bastille Days, Brat Days, Cheese Days, among others.
Wisconsin is known as “America’s Dairyland” because of its dairy and cheese production. Most of Wisconsin is proud of their “cheeseheads” moniker and wear it proudly when supporting their national sports teams – Green Bay Packers football, Milwaukee Brewers baseball, and Milwaukee Bucks basketball. The University of Wisconsin also has a popular NCAA sports team with the Badgers.
Tourism is important to Wisconsin economy, but agriculture, health care and manufacturing round out its economic development. Kohler, Rockwell Automation, and Harley-Davidson are just a few of the major manufacturing plants located in Wisconsin.
With typical winter low temperatures of 5-10 degrees, popular activities in cold months include skiing, ice fishing and snowmobiling. In the summer, temperatures average 80-85 degrees and attractions include House on the Rock, Wisconsin Dells, Circus World Museum, Summerfest and EEA Oshkosh Airshow.