What to Know Before Donating to A Charity in Michigan?

Michigan (/ˈmɪʃɪɡən/) is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwest of the United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of ​​nearly 97,000 square miles (250,000 km2), Michigan is the tenth-largest state by population, eleventh-largest by area, and largest by area east of the river. . The capital is Lansing and the largest city is Detroit. Metro Detroit is one of the largest and most populous metropolitan areas in the country. Its name comes from an English variant of the original Ojibwe word ᒥᓯᑲᒥ (mishigami), meaning "big water" or "big lake". Michigan consists of two peninsulas. Shaped like a glove, the Lower Peninsula comprises most of the state's land area. The Upper Peninsula (often referred to as the "UP") is separated from the Lower Peninsula by Mackinac Strait, an 5-mile (8 km) channel connecting Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. The Mackinac Bridge connects the peninsulas. Bordered by four of the five Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair, Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline of any political subdivision in the United States. Additionally, there are 64,980 inland lakes and ponds. Michigan has the second most water of any state, after Alaska. The area was first settled by various Native American tribes over thousands of years. In the 17th century, French explorers claimed it as part of the colony of New France when it was largely inhabited by indigenous peoples. French and Canadians, Métis, and other traders and settlers immigrated to the area, settling mostly along the waterways. After France's defeat in the French and Indian War in 1762, the region came under British rule. After Britain's defeat in the American Revolutionary War, Britain ceded the territory to the newly independent United States. The area was part of the larger Northwest Territory until the 1800s when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. The Michigan Territory was established in 1805, but part of the northern border with Canada was not established until after the War of 1812. Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837 as the 26th state, a free state. It quickly became a major industrial and commercial center in the Great Lakes region, attracting immigrants from many European countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Especially numerous were the immigrants from Finland, Macedonia and the Netherlands. The great migration of Appalachians and blacks from the South increased in the 1930s with many settling in the Detroit metro area. Although Michigan developed a diverse economy, it became widely known in the early 20th century as the center of the American auto industry, which grew into a major national economic powerhouse. It is home to the three largest automakers in the country (all headquartered in the Detroit metro area). The sparsely populated Upper Peninsula was once used for logging and mining and is now important for tourism due to its abundance of natural resources. The lower peninsula is a center of manufacturing, forestry, agricultural, service and high-tech industries.

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