So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Wisconsin?

The state of Wisconsin can be found in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Wisconsin is often referred to as "America's Dairyland" because of its famous cheese production. Thanks in part to this fact, as well as the triangular block-of-cheese hats made popular by fans of the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin residents have earned the nickname of "Cheeseheads" among many people around the country. Wisconsin is bordered by Lake Superior and Michigan to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, Illinois to the south, and Iowa and Minnesota to the west.

Since it lies between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, many different geographical features can be found within the state of Wisconsin. These features include massive forests, thousands of glacial lakes (giving Wisconsin a total of 11,188 square miles of water, which is more than all but three other states), unique sandstone formations, rugged landscapes, and rich farmlands. All of this combines to make the state of Wisconsin a popular vacation destination for outdoor activities.

Even with its cold, snowy winters (for which the state is well-known), Wisconsin's climate is perfect for farming. The wet season falls in spring and summer and provides the state with almost two-thirds of its yearly precipitation. While it is rare, extreme temperatures have been known to occur in the state. The highest temperature ever recorded in Wisconsin, on July 13, 1936, was 114°F and the lowest temperature, recorded on both February 2 and 4, 1996, was -55°F.

In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau calculated that Wisconsin had an estimated population of 5,556,506. This includes a total of approximately 229,800 foreign-born citizens, or 4.2% of the population, with around 41,000 of them, or 18%, being illegal aliens.

The population of Wisconsin is largely descended from Germans. About 42.6% of the state's residents claim German ancestry, making Wisconsin possibly the most "German-American" state in the nation. The state of Wisconsin is also known to have the highest percentage of Polish ancestry residents in the country.

In general, Wisconsin voters tend to support the Democratic Party in politics, but only by a slight margin. While the Democratic candidate has won the state in the last five presidential elections, in the 2000 election, Al Gore only won by a total of 5,700 votes and, in 2004, John Kerry took the state with only 14,000 votes. This has led to Wisconsin receiving a large dose of national advertising during elections, since it is now considered a "swing" state.

In terms of religious affiliation, Wisconsin residents are mostly Christian. 85% follow one of the various Christian belief systems, including 29% who are roman Catholic and 55% who identify with one of the Protestant denominations. While, out of the remaining 15% of the population, 1% practices other religious beliefs, 14% say they are non-religious.

The personal income tax of Wisconsin is calculated based on four income brackets, which vary from 4.6% up to 6.75%. The state sales tax is currently set at 5%. In addition to the state sales tax, however, fifty-eight counties in Wisconsin impose an additional sales tax of 0.5%. Thus, throughout most of the state, the actual sales tax is 5.5%.

Several colleges and universities call the state of Wisconsin home. These educational institutions include:

• The University of Wisconsin

• The Milwaukee School of Engineering

• Carthage College

• Lawrence University

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wisconsin".

Free College Planning Resources