Wisconsin: State Motto -- Forward

Wisconsin is located in the north-central United States, in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin is the 23rd state by total area and the 20th most populous. The state capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee, which is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The state comprises 72 counties.

Wisconsin's geography is diverse, with the Northern Highland and Western Upland along with a part of the Central Plain occupying the western part of the state and lowlands stretching to the shore of Lake Michigan. Wisconsin is second to Michigan in the length of its Great Lakes coastline.

Wisconsin is known as "America's Dairyland" because it is one of the nation's leading dairy producers, particularly famous for cheese. Manufacturing and tourism are also major contributors to the state's economy. Where I live, tourism is the thing.

Wisconsin was organized as a U.S. territory in 1836 (the same year Texas became an independent republic), and Tom's ancestors migrated here from Germany in the early 1840s. We live on part of the land they received as a land grant in 1844. Four years later, Wisconsin became a state, three years after Texas.