©A. Jameson
Broadway Avenue, east side, from Gratiot,
Detroit MI

Michigan is the 26th state of the United States of America. It is located in the Midwestern region of the United States, in the Great Lakes region where it is bounded by four of the five Great Lakes: Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and Lake Superior, including Lake Saint Clair. Due to this, the state has more lighthouses than any other state of the U.S. Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas: the Upper Peninsula which is bounded by Lake Superior to the north, the St. Mary's River to the east, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to the southeast, and Wisconsin to the southwest; and the Lower Peninsula, which is surrounded on all sides by Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie, except to the south where it is land bordered by Ohio and Indiana.

Owing to its unique geography, Michigan’s features a rich and distinctive culture, history and tradition. Numerous lakes and marshes mark both peninsulas and the state is home to a number of areas maintained by the National Park Service. With 78 state parks, 19 state recreation areas, and 6 state forests, the state has the largest Public Park and state forest system in the United States.

Protected by the Great Lakes and being situated in the centermost region of the United States sheltered Michigan from early colonization from Old World nations. The first European colonization came from the French in 1668, with the founding of a Jewish mission in Sault Ste. Marie. By 1720 to 1744, fur trading became a prominent industry in the part of New France that would become Michigan. In 1758, Fort Frontenac was captured by the British, and by 1763, France ceded all North American lands at the Treaty of Paris, thus ending the French colonial period in Michigan. Two decades later, the territories that would become Michigan were ceded by Great Britain to the United States at the end of the American Revolutionary War. In 1837, Michigan was admitted into the union as the 26th state of the United States of America.

At the turn of the 20th century, Michigan's economy began to develop rapidly.
Several prominent individuals, including Ransom E. Olds, Henry Ford, the brothers John and Horace Dodge, Henry Leland, David Dunbar Buick, spearheaded the development that help start the birth of the automotive industry. Ford's development of the moving assembly line in Highland Park was instrumental in ushering the new era in transportation.

During World War II, Michigan's contributed greatly to the war effort by its large scale production of weapons and military vehicles. Thousands of African Americans migrated to the state to work on industrial jobs in Michigan, especially, Detroit. Population further increased as the industrial expansion continued throughout WWII and afterward.

Michigan Military Boarding Schools

Due to a thriving economy, the educational system of Michigan is well developed. It has several military schools and programs offered by private institutions all over the state. Its military history and the influence of the two major military installations: the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township and the Detroit Arsenal in Dearborn, also provide major influence for military education in the state.

Currently, there are dozens of private military schools, college prep military schools, public elementary military schools, as well as military programs offered by state colleges in Michigan. To find a military boarding school, just click on any of the links below.