Economy:

Michigan became the birthplace of the automobile industry in 1899 when Ransom Olds started the Olds Motor Works in Detroit. By 1903, Henry Ford had established the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn. Soon Detroit became known as the automobile capital of the world. The manufacture of automobiles is still Michigan’s chief industry. Other manufactured products include metal products, chemicals, food products and non-electric machinery.

Michigan leads the nation in the production of cherries, which are grown in the state’s “fruit belt” along the shores of Lake Michigan. Fields of corn and grain cover much of the southern counties of the Lower Peninsula. Dairy farming is the most lucrative agricultural business in the state.

The tourism industry is very important to the economy of Michigan. Abundant fish in lakes and streams, as well as bear, deer, and other game animals make the Upper Peninsula a rich hunting and fishing region. Scenic woodlands attract many campers while thousands of lakes, rivers, and streams draw swimmers, water skiers, and boaters to the state.