The state of Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world, and is bounded by four of the five Great Lakes.  A person is never more than six miles from a natural water source, or more than 88 miles from Great Lakes coastline.

Michigan is the only state to consist entirely of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is sometimes dubbed "the mitten," owing to its shape. The Upper Peninsula (often referred to as The U.P.) is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a five-mile wide channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan.  The Upper and Lower Peninsulas are connected by the five-mile long Mackinac Bridge, which is the third longest suspension bridge between anchorages in the world.

The birth of the automotive industry, with Henry Ford's first plant in Highland Park, marked the beginning of a new era for the state which continues today in Detroit and Grand Rapids.  Detroit, of course, is also where Motown was born 50 years ago and is still inspiring the city today.