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I guess this poll is fine assuming you remove Michigan as an entry and entitle it, "What State, with obvious exception of Michigan, has the best lakes?"
It's fun to have polls and vote and think and click radio buttons, but there is no comparison to Michigan. Michigan is made of two peninsulas quite literally surrounded by nearly one-fifth of the world's fresh water, i.e., lakes. Sand dunes dating eons, enormous expanses, fishing, recreation, transportation gateway, vistas. Plus, Michigan, as I recall, also has more than 10,000 lakes. Oh, and 4 of the ones bordering it are among the largest lakes (sic, "inland seas") in the world. BigLakes are incredibly cool.
Minnesota still has THE most lakes. Many states try to claim that, but the fact is that Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota classifies a lake as a body of water greater than 10 acres. In Wisconsin that is for any body of water over 5 acres. So, Wisconsin has more 'lakes' and so does Michigan, but they use smaller standards. If Minnesota went by those standards, we would have nearly 20,000 lakes. We are the land of '10,000' lakes, however Minnesota has more like 15,000. Heck, there are over 300 lakes named Mud Lake alone.
Not to mention Minneapolis has over 10 lakes within the City Limits. And the entire metro is scattered with lakes, and not to mention the Brainerd Lakes Area, Alexandria Lakes Area, Detroit Lakes Area, Lake Vermillion, Lake Minnetonka, Lake Mille Lacs, Red Lake, Lake of The Woods and having a shore to Lake Superior.
Plus Minnesota has more boats per capita than anyother state.
Minnesota still has THE most lakes. Many states try to claim that, but the fact is that Department of Natural Resources in Minnesota classifies a lake as a body of water greater than 10 acres. In Wisconsin that is for any body of water over 5 acres. So, Wisconsin has more 'lakes' and so does Michigan, but they use smaller standards. If Minnesota went by those standards, we would have nearly 20,000 lakes. We are the land of '10,000' lakes, however Minnesota has more like 15,000. Heck, there are over 300 lakes named Mud Lake alone.
Not to mention Minneapolis has over 10 lakes within the City Limits. And the entire metro is scattered with lakes, and not to mention the Brainerd Lakes Area, Alexandria Lakes Area, Detroit Lakes Area, Lake Vermillion, Lake Minnetonka, Lake Mille Lacs, Red Lake, Lake of The Woods and having a shore to Lake Superior.
Plus Minnesota has more boats per capita than anyother state.
I am not sure how Michigan classifies there lakes, but there is said to be more inland lakes in Michigan than Minnesota.
I'm a Minnesotan, originally from Michigan, so this is a tough choice for me.
Michigan has far more Great Lakes shoreline, but Minnesota has the beautiful North Shore of Lake Superior and far more large inland lakes. Michigan has inland lakes too, but most of them are smaller than those in Minnesota, with a few notable exceptions (Houghton Lake, Torch Lake, Gun Lake, Gull Lake, etc.).
However, large bodies of water are much more accessible in Minnesota than Michigan, and large lakes are much more common in Minnesota. If you live in central Michigan, you're about a 1 1/2 hour drive from the Great Lakes shoreline, and could be as far to a large inland lake, while you can be anywhere in Minnesota and be surrounded by large lakes the size of MI's largest (inland) lakes or bigger.
Minnesota also has tons of marshland, muskeg, and other wetlands, which is beautiful and adds to the lake experience.
So, I voted Minnesota, but it was really, really close.
Also, Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada?!?! Seriously? These states are nearly if not totally lakeless, and manmade fake lakes and reservoirs don't count.
However, large bodies of water are much more accessible in Minnesota than Michigan, and large lakes are much more common in Minnesota. If you live in central Michigan, you're about a 1 1/2 hour drive from the Great Lakes shoreline, and could be as far to a large inland lake, while you can be anywhere in Minnesota and be surrounded by large lakes the size of MI's largest (inland) lakes or bigger.
According to that MI tourism video posted on page 5, you're never farther than 6 miles from a lake or steam.
Even though Minnesota has 8 lakes larger than Michigan's largest!!! And MI's top ten aren't even big as MN's largest- and for some reason Lake of the Woods isn't considered a MN lake...
You can't even see across Red Lake, Mill Lacs, or Leech Lake.
Minnesota (in acres)
1. Red Lake - 289,000
2. Mille Lacs Lake - 133,000
3. Leech Lake - 112,000
4. Lake Winnibigoshish - 59,000
5. Lake Vermilion - 41,000
6. Lake Kabetogama - 26,000
7. Mud Lake - 24,000
8. Cass Lake - 18,000
9. Lake Minnetonka - 14,000
10. Otter Tail Lake - 14,000
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