What is Wisconsin Known For?

Wisconsin is an American state situated in the north-central region of the country. The state is surrounded by Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan. It is the twenty-third largest state in the United States which occupies an area of about 65,498.4 sq miles. Wisconsin is the twentieth most populous state with over 5,795,483 residents. It is split into seventy-two counties. Milwaukee is the largest city while Madison is the capital city of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin has a diverse landscape influenced by glacial action in the last ice age. The Western Upland, the Northern Highland, and a part of Central Plains comprise the western region of Wisconsin. The lowlands stretch to the shores of the Lake Michigan. The state has the second longest coastline along the Great Lakes in the country. A large number of settlers from Scandinavia and Germany immigrated to the state during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The state continues to be a major center of Scandinavian American and German American cultures just like Minnesota.

Cheese

Wisconsin is referred to as the ‘’America’s Dairyland’’ because it is the leading producer of dairy products in the country. The state has a long history of cheese production, and it is associated with dairy and cheese industry. The tradition of cheese-making dates back to the nineteenth century when European immigrants settled in the region and started rearing dairy cows. The farmers started making cheese to help them preserve the surplus milk. Pickett Anne developed the first cheese factory in the state with milk from her neighbor’s cows in 1841. Currently, the state has over 1,500 factories that produce over 2 billion pounds of cheese annually. The state became the leading cheese producer in the U.S. in 1910 after they surpassed New York. Despite the claims that the fast-growing cheese industry in California would surpass Wisconsin, the state managed to hold on to its title by producing over 2.4billion pounds in 2006. The state produced 2.9 billion pounds of cheese in 2014 accounting for over 25.4% of the country’s cheese. Wisconsin produces over 600 varieties of cheese, and it is the only state which requires the production process to be supervised by a licensed cheesemaker. Wisconsin is the only state in the U.S. that offers a master cheese making program.

Serial Killers

Wisconsin has experienced some of the most notorious serial killers in the history of the United States. Serial killers are individuals who kill over three people within a very short period. Some of the most infamous serial killers from Wisconsin include Walter Ellis, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, and David Spanbauer. Some of the movies like the Texas Chainsaw massacre were inspired by one of the most heinous Wisconsin killers known as Ed Gein. Jeffrey Dahmer was another notorious serial killer who killed sixteen people from 1988 to 1992. Jeffrey used to lure gay men into his apartment where he would drug them and then strangle them to death. After killing them, he dismembered their bodies and ate some of the body parts.

Cold Winters

Wisconsin has experienced the coldest winters in history with the lowest the lowest temperature in the state being -48°C. The lowest temperature was recorded on February 2, 1996, and February 4, 1996, in Couderay village. January and February are the coldest months in the state with numerous cities like Superior (-17 °C) and Hurley (-18 °C) experiencing the low temperatures. The state also receives a large amount of snowfall of about 160 inches in the Snowbelt of Lake Superior and an average of 40 inches in the southern parts of Wisconsin. During the late stages of winter (January and February) the temperature reaches the record lows in the state, and many schools and businesses are usually closed for numerous days.

Beer

Brewing has been a part of the state’s history since the territorial period, and the records of their breweries dates back to the early 1830s. The brewing tradition was brought into the state by the German settlers who came with their unique brewing techniques. The number of breweries increased steadily during the nineteenth century with over 160 breweries operating before the civil war and over 300 by 1890. Milwaukee was known as the world’s beer capital for years since it hosted some of the largest breweries in the country including Blitz, Millers, Pabst, and Schlitz. Wisconsin has numerous breweries that produce various styles of beers. Many brewers package their beer in cans or bottles for retail while other produce kegs of beers that are sold in restaurants and taverns or the brewer’s tap rooms.

Green Bay Packers

Wisconsin is home to one of the professional American football team known as the Green Bay Packers. The team is based in Green Bay, and it is the third oldest NFL franchise whose history dates back to 1919. George Calhoun and Earl Lambeau established the team in 1919, and it traces its lineage to numerous semi-professional teams from 1896. They joined the APFA (American Professional Football Association) in 1921 and 2016, Forbes ranked them as the twenty-sixth most valuable sports franchise in the world valued at $2.35billion. The team has won the most league championship in NFL’s history (13 league championships, 4 super bowl victories, and 9 pre-Super Bowl titles). They won the first super bowls in 1967 and 68. The packers is the only NFL team to beat the AFL (American Football League) before the NFL-AFL- merger.

Great Lakes

The state is bordered to the east and north by two of the Great Lakes which are part of the second largest freshwater supply in the world by volume. Lake Superior forms the northern border of the state while Lake Michigan forms the northeastern boundary of the state. The state has over 1,000 miles of the Great Lake's coastline, and over 20% of their land is in the great lakes basin that host over half of the state’s population. These lakes supply water to about 1.6 million residents of the state. The lakes have fueled Wisconsin’s economic growth for years. They are the source of the state’s valuable tourism industry. Over $7billion worth of cargo passes through Wisconsin annually.