| Rotary International established the present boundaries of District
6220 in 1968 to encompass the northeastern quarter of the State of
Wisconsin and most of the Upper Peninsula of the State of Michigan.
Extending easterly from western and southwestern fertile river valley
borders, the District includes a broad range of small (2,000 foot),
but rugged mountains that become rugged hills and then, at its eastern
edge, turn into gentle slopes. Its northern and southern boundaries
are two of the largest freshwater lakes in the world (Superior and
Michigan), providing over 1,700 miles of shoreline. The District is
over 80% forested, has about 14,000 miles of rivers and streams, nearly
200 waterfalls, and over 5,000 inland lakes, and has abundant fish
and wildlife. The presence of so much water modulates the temperature
to a pleasant 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and 20-30 degrees
in the winter, although northern extremes can reach -30 degrees. Annual
precipitation averages 30-36 inches, with snowfall ranging from 40
inches in the south to over 200 inches in the north.
The area traditionally has depended upon its beauty and rich natural
resources for its principle industries of forest products (hardwood
timber, softwood pulp, and related products), agriculture (apples,
cherries, cranberries, potatoes, corn, and grains), dairy farming
(milk, cheese, and beef), mining (copper and iron), and tourism
(vacationing, boating, fishing, hunting, and winter sports). In
recent decades there has been an increase in light industry and
small businesses and in the supportive human services, such as government,
education, social services, and regional medicine. The present economy
of the Wisconsin part of District 6220 is expanding with unemployment
rates of less than 4%, while that of the Michigan part has typical
unemployment rates closer to 7%.
Most of the District is rural, with only the southern most Wisconsin
portion having a large enough population base and industry to be
described as metropolitan. The District is fairly large in physical
size and fairly small in terms of population. The Wisconsin part
includes 17,560 square miles with a population of about 829,000
(47 people per square mile); the Michigan part is 14,800 square
miles with a population of about 314,000 (21 people per square mile).
Over half of the land in the District is held in public trust as
National or State parks, forests, campgrounds, or preserves; another
large part is privately owned for commercial forests and mining.
The citizens are seen as a friendly, adventurous, and independent
people who value both the beauty of their home and its comparative
isolation. Over 57,000 students pursue higher education in the District's
9 two-year colleges and technical schools (20,000) and the 9 public
and private senior and graduate universities (37,000).
Rotary came to the area long before the current
boundaries of District 6220 were established. Of its 42 clubs, seven
were chartered before 1920 and nineteen more by 1930. The most
recent club was chartered in 2004. Present club sizes vary between
10 and 240 to give a total membership of about 2,100 men and women
working to give Service Above Self to their communities and to the
world. The District has been a leader in Rotary Youth Exchange, a
strong supporter of the Rotary Foundation programs of Group Study
Exchange, Ambassadorial Scholarships, and Matching Grants, and an
increasing supporter of Rotary Volunteers and World Community
Service Projects.
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About District 6220
