The following is a list of symbols of the U.S. state of Michigan . Bills to designate state symbols in Michigan are referred to the Government Operations Committee in either chamber. [1]
The following is a list of symbols of the U.S. state of Michigan . Bills to designate state symbols in Michigan are referred to the Government Operations Committee in either chamber. [1]
| Type | Symbol | Adopted | Image | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bird | American robin Turdus migratorius | 1931 |  [1] | |
| Coat of Arms | Coat of Arms of the State of Michigan | 1835 [2] |  | |
| Fish | Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis | 1988 |  | In 1965, the trout was named the official state fish; this was specified as the brook trout in 1988. [1] |
| Flag | Flag of the State of Michigan | 1911 |  | |
| Flower | Apple Blossom [note 1] Malus sp. | 1897 [3] |  | A garland of 44 flowers representing the 44 states was made for the World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893 with the Apple Blossom representing Michigan. This inspired Michigan's Legislature to make it official in 1897. [1] |
| Fossil | Mastodon Mammut americanum | 2002 [1] |  | |
| Game Mammal | White-Tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus | 1997 [1] |  | |
| Gem | Isle Royale greenstone Chlorastrolite | 1972 [1] |  | |
| Motto | Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (Latin for "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you") [4] | 1835 | ||
| Native Grain | Manoomin Zizania palustris and Zizania aquatica | 2023 [5] [6] |  | |
| Reptile | Painted turtle Chrysemys picta | 1995 [1] |  | |
| Seal | Great Seal of the State of Michigan | 1835 |  | |
| Soil | Kalkaska soil series | December 1990 [1] | ||
| Song | "My Michigan" | 1937 | [1] | The resolution passed by the Michigan House of Representatives specified "My Michigan" as "the official state song," but this was changed upon introduction in the state senate to "an official song." Because the state failed to purchase the copyright from the song's authors, the song is rarely performed today. |
| Stone | Petoskey Stone Hexagonaria pericarnata | 1965 |  [1] | |
| Tree | Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus | 1955 [7] [8] |  | |
| Wildflower | Dwarf Lake Iris Iris lacustris | 1998 |  [1] |
Ann Arbor is a college town and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the fifth-most populous city in Michigan. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County and had 372,258 residents in 2020. Ann Arbor is also included in the Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor combined statistical area and the Great Lakes megalopolis.
The flag of the state of Michigan is a coat of arms set on a dark blue field, as set forth by Michigan state law. The governor has a variant of the flag with a white field instead of blue one. The state has an official flag month from June 14 through July 14.
The University of Michigan–Flint (UM-Flint) is a public university in Flint, Michigan. Founded in 1956 as the Flint Senior College, it was initially established as a remote branch of the University of Michigan, offering upper-division undergraduate courses. The institution developed into a fully-fledged university and received accreditation in 1970. Subsequently, the name was changed to the University of Michigan–Flint while still adhering to the policies of the University of Michigan Board of Regents.
Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It primarily serves as the home of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL), the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL), the Mid-American Conference championship game, and the annual Quick Lane Bowl college football bowl game, state championship football games for the MHSAA, the MHSAA State Wrestling Championships, and the MCBA Marching Band State Finals, among other events. The regular seating capacity is approximately 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for basketball.
Gretchen Esther Whitmer is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2019 as the 49th governor of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015.
The Michigan State Capitol is the building that houses the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the portion of the state capital of Lansing which lies in Ingham County.
Elections in Michigan are held to fill various local, state and federal seats. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Michigan enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. Michigan in June 2024 was ranked "the most welcoming U.S. state for LGBT individuals". Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Michigan under the U.S. Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage was legalised in accordance with 2015's Obergefell v. Hodges decision. Discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity is unlawful since July 2022, was re-affirmed by the Michigan Supreme Court - under and by a 1976 statewide law, that explicitly bans discrimination "on the basis of sex". The Michigan Civil Rights Commission have also ensured that members of the LGBT community are not discriminated against and are protected in the eyes of the law since 2018 and also legally upheld by the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022. In March 2023, a bill passed the Michigan Legislature by a majority vote - to formally codify both "sexual orientation and gender identity" anti-discrimination protections embedded within Michigan legislation. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bill on March 16, 2023. In 2024, Michigan repealed “the last ban on commercial surrogacy within the US” - for individuals and couples and reformed the parentage laws, that acknowledges same sex couples and their families with children.
Kevin Daley is an American politician in the state of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he has been a member of the Michigan Senate since 2019, elected from the 26th district and 31st district. He was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from January 2009 to 2015. A dairy farmer, he was the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.
2015 Michigan Proposal 1, also known as the Michigan Sales Tax Increase for Transportation Amendment, was a referendum held on May 5, 2015, concerning a legislatively-referred ballot measure. The measure's approval would have caused one constitutional amendment and 10 statutes to go into effect. It is estimated that Proposal 1 would raise state revenues from sales and use taxes by $1.427 billion, fuel taxes by $463 million, truck registration fees by $50 million, and vehicle registration fees by $10.1 million in the first year. If approved, the proposal was estimated by the Associated Press to result in an average tax increase of $545 per household in 2016.
Elissa Blair Slotkin is an American politician serving as a U.S. representative for Michigan's 7th congressional district since 2019. The district, numbered as the 8th from 2019 to 2023, stretches from Lansing to the outer northern suburbs of Detroit. A member of the Democratic Party, Slotkin was previously a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analyst and Department of Defense official.
Matthew Maddock is an American politician in the Republican Party serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives. His district, the 51st, represents areas covering part of Oakland County. In his first term, Maddock was appointed to be the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, as well as Chairman of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. A Republican, Maddock was first elected in 2018. Prior to being elected to the 110-member Michigan House of Representatives, he was a businessman in Oakland County.
Michigan Proposal 18-2 was a ballot initiative approved by voters in Michigan as part of the 2018 United States elections. The proposal was created in preparation of the 2020 United States Census, to move control of redistricting from the state legislature to an independent commission. The commission consists of thirteen members selected randomly by the secretary of state: four affiliated with Democrats, four affiliated with Republicans, and five independents. Any Michigan voter can apply to be a commissioner, as long as they have not been, in the last six years, a politician or lobbyist. Proponents argued that Michigan's current districts are gerrymandered, giving an unfair advantage to the Republican Party. Opponents argued that the process would give the secretary of state too much power over redistricting, and that the people on the commission would be unlikely to understand principles of redistricting. The proposal was approved with 61.28% of the vote.
Patrick Outman is an American politician from Michigan. A member of the Republican, he is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 91st district. First elected in 2020, he the state House on January 1, 2021.
