Last updated on May 11th, 2024
Wisconsinis the 20thmost populousand the23rdmost extensiveof the50 statesof the United States. It is located in the north-central United States, in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. The state attainedstatehood onMay 29, 1848, becoming the30thstateto join the union. Its fourbordering statesareIllinois,Iowa,Michigan, andMinnesota.See the complete list of the 50 states and their borders here.Wisconsin (nicknamed:America’s Dairyland,Badger State, Cheese State) has72counties.The state’scapital isMadison. The postal abbreviation forWisconsinisWI. With these 86 facts about Wisconsin, let us learn about its history, geography, economy, people, culture, wildlife and more.
Facts about Wisconsin
1. The state’s name comes from…
The Wisconsin River is said to bethe name behind the state’s name.The river used to be referred to as Meskousing by the aboriginal Algonquian-speaking tribes. Jacques Marquette, a French explorer, first recorded the name in 1673. With time, the word turned into Ouisconsin, Wiskonsan before it finally took the current spelling and pronunciation forms. Linguists suspect the original name could have been taken from a Miami word “meskonsing” which loosely translates to “this river meanders through something red” or “it lies red. This likely refers to the sandstone formations found in the river.
2. Wisconsin was acquired from France by the US
The French came to Wisconsin and conquered the fur trade. They used to take beaver furs to Europe where they were in high demand. They controlled Wisconsin until 1783 during the Treaty of Paris.VirginiaandMassachusettsoriginally claimed Wisconsin before becoming an independent state.
3. The first capital of the state
Madison wasn’t always the state’s capital city.Belmont served as the first capital in 1836 when the region was still a territory.The original Council House remains a large tourist attraction, which is located near Belmont Mound State Park.
4. The first governor
The first governor of Wisconsin was Nelson Dewey, who served from 1848-1852.
Wisconsin on the map
5. The badger state
The state symbol of Wisconsin,the badger,does not refer to the animal as most people think. Rather, itrefers to the lead miners of the 1820s who travelled for workand even dug tunnels to find somewhere to sleep and stay warm—in the same way as a badger. The UW-Madison Wisconsin Badgers is marked to celebrate the game day. It’s the mascot of the state’s biggest university as well.
6. Its highest natural point
There are no tall physical features in Wisconsin. The fact thatthe highest natural point in the state is a hill and not a mountain says a lot about it. Timm’s Hill has a height of 1,951 feet. Because Wisconsin has mostly glaciated terrain, it doesn’t boast many craggy peaks. To make up for levelling the landscape, glaciations have left behind some of the most breath-taking valleys, prairies, fertile farm fields, and rolling hills. Timm’s Hill can be found on Highway 13 close to Ogema. Entry is free for all.
7. Miles of shoreline
With more than 250 miles of shoreline, Door County has more shoreline than any other state in the US. It is one of the reasons why tourists flock every year to Wisconsin to be part of the fun.
Door County got its name from a treacherous sea passage where Green Bay joins Lake Michigan. It was known by early French seafarers as Porte des Morts, or Death’s Door.
8. Lakes and lakes and lakes
Wisconsin hasmore than 15,000 lakes and 13,500 miles(21,700 kilometers) ofnavigable streams and rivers.Almost 3 percent of Wisconsin’s area—nearly a million acres (405,000 hectares)—is lakes.
9. If all the rivers and streams of Wisconsin are laid end-to-end, it will completely encircle the Earth and then some. Together, they are about 2000 miles more than the circumference of the Earth.
10. Gift of Glacial Lake Wisconsin
Almost all of Wisconsin’s abundant lakes in and around the largest 10 cities were produced naturally by glaciers, and many of themformed from leftovers of Glacial Lake Wisconsin,which was 160 feet deep and spread over a surface area eight times as large as the current Lake Winnebago.
11. Ginseng producer
Wisconsin produces around 90% of the entire ginseng grown in the United States,which accounts for roughly 10% of the world’s supply. Marathon County contributes around 90-95% of the whole ginseng production of Wisconsin. The State even holds an international festival every September where people get a chance to look at the process more closely and sample drinks and foods that contain the product. The feast is known as The International Wisconsin Ginseng Festival and is held in Marathon County.
12. Cranberries and sweet corn
Famed for her dairy production, Wisconsin is the no.1 exporter of cranberries, sweet corn, ginseng, and second-largestexporterof whey in the United States.
13. Dairy products are produced in plenty
Wisconsin isAmerica’s undisputed Dairy land.It is the no.1 producer of cheese in the US, and ranks second in terms of the best milk producers. 90% of milk originating from Wisconsin is used for making cheese. Wisconsin boasts the largest dairy cattle per square kilometer than any other state. Wisconsin is the only state in the US to offer a career as a cheese master. They have a three-year cheesemaker program where you can learn everything about cheese and how to make it. The state has more than 1290 cheese maker factories.
14. World’s Swiss Cheese Capital
Monroe (a city in Wisconsin) is best known for cheese. Every September of an even-numbered year, cheese lovers celebrate the Green County Cheese Days.
15. A popular dish
If you’re a fan of strange food, you’ll love this next fact. One of Wisconsin’s most popular dishes is called “fried cheese curds.” Cheese curds are fresh, unaged cheddar cheese which has a slightly salty flavor. These cheese curds are deep fried and often served with a dipping sauce. Yum!
16. The First-Ever Kindergarten in the US
Margarethe Schurz, the wife to Carl Schurz, a celebrated German-American statesman, started the first Kindergarten in America. Mrs. Schurz, a German native, learnt about the kindergarten principles from Friedrich Froebel, a fellow German, who created it. In 1856 when the couple moved to Watertown, Wisconsin, she started akindergartenclass in their abode. It later became an integral part of the American public school system. Among many other Wisconsin facts, this surely will win the hearts of the teachers and kids alike.
17. The first rural free delivery of mail
The first rural freedeliveryof mail in Wisconsin began in Watertown, Wisconsin in 1896. However, the first free rural delivery in the United States began inCharles Town, Halltown, and Uvilla in West Virginia, on October 1, 1896. West Virginia was the home state of the then postmaster generalWilliam Lyne Wilson.In this day and age of electronic communication, where communicating a message to someone takes a few seconds, this is a fascinating fact about Wisconsin for the traditional mail lovers.
18. The first jukebox
The first jukebox was invented and built in Whitewater, Wisconsin in 1889 by Louis Glass and William S. Arnold.
19. The first workman’s compensation
While Wisconsin created the first workman’s compensation and unemployment insurance programs, they’ve been more recently associated with the welfare reform movement.
20. The first cheese factory in the U.S.
The first cheesefactoryin the United States was established in Wisconsin in 1841.
21. McArthur Towel and Sports
Baraboo, in Sauk County, Wisconsin, is where the terrible towel associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers is made. McArthur Towel and Sports in Baraboo manufactures these towels for Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
22. The Wizard of Waukesha
The electric guitar you see today is popular, thanks to Les Paul, a Wisconsinite. Paul’s exploits and contributions in guitar playing were to earn him a nickname of Wizard of Waukesha. His legacy continues to live on especially with contemporary interpretations of Gibson Les Paul. More companies have followed the fray with Les Paul’s replicas paying homage to the signature design of this guitar maestro.
23. The most popular news organization,the Union, was started by two students from Madison, Wisconsin, in 1988. Christopher Johnson and Tim Keck moved their company to a digital format in 2013.
24. Hodag (a creature in American folklore)
A newspaper reported the discovery of a Hodag in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, in 1893. It is described as having a long tail with a spear at the tip and the head of a frog with horns.
25. Rare white Buffalo
On August 20, 1994, a white buffalo calf called Miracle was born on a farm in Janesville, Wisconsin. She is believed to be the first white buffalo calf born since 1933.
26. Gave Birth to the Republican Party
It was in Ripon, Wisconsin that the Republican Party was founded. The idea of the party was conceived during a meeting held at the Little White Schoolhouse on March 20, 1854. The main reason for forming the party was to fight slavery. If you are a Republican Party supporter, this is a fact about Wisconsin you can boast of.
27. The first successful mass produced snowmobile
The first successful snowmobile wasinvented by Carl Eliason in Sayner, Wisconsin in 1924.
28. First Successful Typewriter
Just like what happens with most other inventions, it took the effort of many people to create the typewriter. It is estimated that there were 52 designs before the modern typewriter was arrived at. The first commercially viable typewriter was created in 1868, and at the heart of it was a Wisconsinite named Christopher Latham Sholes. A newspaper printer and editor, Christopher Latham invented the QWERTY keyboard that’s used to date incomputersand phones. Therefore, a standard on how we type today was created by a Wisconsinite.
29. Green Bay
Green Bay is known as the toilet paper capital of the whole worldbecause the city produced the first splinter-free toilet paper. The paper industry remains one of the largest employers in the state.
30. Green Bay, also the oldest settlement in the state
Green Bay, which is mostly known for its 13 football championships in modern times, is actuallythe oldest city in the state with roots to the trader post established by Jean Nicolet in 1634.French traders and fur trappers are well-known for settling areas of America’s mid-western territories.
31. The fastest growing city in Wisconsin
Eau Claire grew faster than most cities in the state, according to the U.S. census figures, to become the 8th largest city in the state. However,Madison takes the award for fastest growing city,which grew by 10.7% compared to an average growth rate of 2.6%.
32. The two largest cities
The two largest cities in Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Madison, are located less than 79 miles apart.
33. Produced the first-ever Ice Cream Sundae
In the 1800s, Ed Bermers was the proprietor of a soda fountain shop in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. At the time, serving soda on Sunday was illegal for religious reasons. A customer by the name George Hallauer came to the shop one Sunday. He wanted a dish of ice cream. He asked to try the sauce on top used for ice cream sodas. That was the birth of the first ice cream sundae, and it cost just a nickel. Today, you can visit the Washington House of Museum located in Two Rivers for an imitation of Bremer’s ice cream.
34. The Harley Davidson story
William Harley and the Davidson brothers (Walter and Arthur) built their first motorcycle inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.
35. Electricity from water
In 1882the first hydroelectric plant in the worldwas built at Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin.China,Brazil,Canada,the United States, and Russia are the five largest producers of hydropower. If you are a renewable energy enthusiast, this is one of the Wisconsin facts that you can share with your friends and family.
36. The first American Girl doll
The first American Girldollwas created in Middleton, Wisconsin in 1986.
37. The first snowplow in the U.S.
The first snowplow in the United States was used in Wisconsin in 1847.
38. The first circus
Delevan, Wisconsin, is where the first circus in the US was held as early as 1871. It was known as the PT Barnum Circus and promised to be the greatest show on Earth.
39. The largest woolly mammoth
Thelargest woolly mammal to have ever been excavatedwas discovered in Kenosha. Today Milwaukee Public Museum has a replica of this which you can watch at any time.
40. The oldest city
Green Bay is Wisconsin’s oldest city.Most people think it is Milwaukee or Madison but clearly neither of these is. Green Bay can be traced to a French explorer by the name of Jean Nicolet who began a small trading shop way back in 1634.
41. The oldest extant residence
The white Wisconsin cottage, in Green Bay, which was built in 1673, is the oldest extant (still in existence) residence in Wisconsin.
42. A historic Mansion in West Allis
Douville house is a three-story building with a history spanning over a century. The nobleman Antoine Douville built the mansion in the 1880s for his son as a wedding gift. It is the oldest structure around and has been used as a nursing home.
43. Oldest and Highest Lighthouse on the Great Lakes
The Wind Point Lighthouse in Racine is the tallest tower still standing on Wisconsin’s Great Lakes. It was constructed in 1880. The tower rises 112 feet over the waters.
44. The world’s stinkiest cheese
The world’s stinkiest cheese, known as Limburger, is still manufactured at only one place in Wisconsin. Chalet Cheese Cooperative of Monroe is still making it, and Myron Olsen is the only person certified to make it.
45. The first and oldest brewery
Milwaukee, the largest city in Wisconsin,is known for wonderful breweries, but the first and oldest is still Pabst Brewery. The city is also famous for the oldest soccer team in continuous U.S. operation, the Milwaukee Wave.
46. One of the world’s largest MUSKIE
One of the world’s largest MUSKIE (freshwaterfish)ever caughtwas caught in Wisconsin in 1949. This fish weighed 69 pounds 11 ounces and was 5 feet and 3 and 1/2 inches long!
47. Milwaukee hosts the largest music festival in the world
The Summer fest, held in Milwaukee, attracts some 1 million visitors every year. This made the event to be recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest music festival in the world.
48. The Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw Festival
Bovine fecal matter is the main topic at the Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw Festival. It is held every year in September in Sauk City and Prairie du Sac.
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