America’s Dairyland. The Badger State and unfortunately similar to Michigan or Minnesota. A state of the Upper Midwest/Great Lakes region bordering Lake Michigan, Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa and the putrid Toll Roads of Illinois to the south. Milwaukee is the largest city with some 580,000 in the city in a greater metro area of 1.6 million, just 90-miles north of Chicago. Madison is the 2nd largest city with some 220,000 people and is a nice college town as the main campus to UW. Other cities include Green Bay, Kenosha, Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Eau Clair and La Crosse. The rest of Wisconsin is very low key and conservative. It was the birthplace of American liberalism, thanks to the the La Follete family and the Progressive movement. Wisconsin often supports the Democrat party in national elections.

There are a few basic things almost everyone associates with Wisconsin: the Packers, Beer, Bratwursts and cheese. Wisconsinites cheer for the Green Bay Packers as though it is a religion or something and are called “Cheeseheads. Ironically, Green Bay is the smallest NFL market by far. However, Wisconsin has tons of bars and probably the most per-capita of any state. Wisconsin consumes more alcohol and has a higher people-to-bar ratio then any other state. It is not surprising that Milwaukee is a major beer producer. Many of its 5.7 million residents (ranking 19th in population) are descendants of Nordic Europeans where the people talk with a funny accent similar to Minnesota or Michigan. Natives pronounce the 2nd syllable in their state’s name as if it is coming from their nose. Words that end in “ike” are pronounced “oik” and words that have a short-A, like “bag” are pronounced “beg.” Wisconsin is one of those cold, northern Great Lakes states where fishing, hunting, snomobiling or skiing is popular in the winter. Many “downstate” residents have a cabin in Northern Wisconsin near one of the states THOUSANDS of lakes—more than most states. In fact, many people from the Chicago area to the south, frequently visit Lake Geneva to get away from the city. It may be a cold state but the women are HOT! Many of them can be seen around the UW campus in Madison. Try being there in the summer. Wisconsin Dells is the state’s largest tourist attraction and perhaps only amusement park while House on the Rock, in the town of Spring Green is also popular. Baraboo has a large circus museum.

It is known as “America’s Dairy Land” because it produces more cheese and dairy products per-capita than any state (but California leads the nation in overall production). As a result, Wisconsin is an important state in food processing. Oscar Meyer, Kraft and Johnsonville Brats have large plants in the state while Milwaukee is a major beer producer. The state’s largest industrial center is Milwaukee and is a major producer of tools, machinery, and Harley Davidsons. Wisconsin is a progressive state—much more so than its northern and eastern neighbor of Michigan and almost as much so as Minnesota. It has good schools and its teachers are among the highest paid in the country.

If the cold is the worst thing about this state, then it must be pretty good to live.