It’s nearly summer, and everyone is itching to go “up north” in Michigan, which I’ve always found a bit odd considering we spend eight months pining for the cold weather to end then when it does we can’t wait to get up north where … it’s still cold.
My preferences aside, though, it’s always fascinated me where Michiganders believe ‘up north’ is. Some say you’re not up north until you cross The Bridge. Others haven’t ever seen the bridge (whatta ya mean “What bridge?”) and believe up north starts the second you hit Bay City. Or Pontiac. Or …
So what about you? Where does up north begin for you? Tell me by taking this week’s poll:
Image credit: CedarBendDrive
Eileen says
June 7, 2016 at 12:16 pmSome think camping near Holly is up north. If you grew up in Detroit anyplace on a lake north of Detroit is up north!
Dan O'Riley says
June 9, 2016 at 2:48 pmAs a kid growing up in Detroit Up North to me was Pinckney and Howell! Now that I live Up North its US10!
Dave Jewell says
June 7, 2016 at 12:16 pmFunny! I just heard a co-worker (from Hastings) say she went up north this past weekend…Ithaca!
Karen Dunnam says
June 7, 2016 at 12:17 pmCharley Manos, the late Detroit News columnist, once ran this query.
Replies ranged from “the first Call of the Wild Museum billboard” to “first glimpse of the Mackinac Bridge” to my favorite: “the drawbridge between Houghton and Hancock.”
Linda Earl says
June 7, 2016 at 12:19 pmI think M10 is the starting point.
John says
June 7, 2016 at 7:42 pmI agree. Basically a line from Bay City to Clare to Ludington.
To us growing up just south of Flint, pinconning was up north. Saginaw wasn’t. We used US10 (at the time) as the dividing line.
Gregory Gibbs says
June 7, 2016 at 12:22 pmWhen the hills appear just south of West Branch
Dave Kagan says
June 7, 2016 at 12:28 pmMostly it’s a state of mind. You’ve arrived “Up North” occurs when the radio turns to static and there are no bars on your phone. In fact, the only bars are called taverns. And they all have antlers mounted above the Pabst or Bud taps.
Stev Lewis says
June 7, 2016 at 1:05 pmI’m east of Newberry and have 3 bars on my phone. ?
But you’re right. U. P. north is different than upper lower peninsula.
Rachel says
June 8, 2016 at 9:52 amI’m with you Stev! I’m from a town about an hour south of the bridge, and we don’t call the U.P. “Up north”, we call it… “The U.P.”!
Mary B says
June 8, 2016 at 8:58 pmTraverse City was always “Up North” to me.
Marie Moody says
June 9, 2016 at 9:57 amI a;ways thought as Houghton Lake as Up North! We live in Caro and a lot of friends think that’s Up North… Lol! The grass is always greener, no matter where you live.
PatG. says
June 7, 2016 at 12:49 pmWhen I lived in Detroit, up North was anywhere N of Pontiac. Living in W.Bloomfield, anywhere N.. of Flint. Now in Lapeer County, UpNorth is where I75 becomes a 2-lane, believe it’s still just S of Standish.
James says
June 7, 2016 at 12:50 pmClare, the farming ends and the birch trees begin.
Cal says
June 8, 2016 at 11:25 pmPrecisely right. You can see the exact line on the Michigan soil type map just north of Clare. The more northern (boreal) biome begins on the hillside north of Clare. McKays large cattle ranch in the valley, and pines starting to appear among the hardwoods on the hillside where the northbound highway starts to climb the side of the moraine.
OTOH birch trees appear in a few isolated pockets as far south as Michigan City. But for the northern half of the lower peninsula, the birch borer does not exist because it cannot overwinter there. So .you have most birches where you do not have borers.
kate says
June 7, 2016 at 1:03 pmI think it’s relative to where you live in the state, the further south you are, the further south “up north ” is to you. To me, living in Ottawa County, up north is a couple counties north of here.
Howard Ylinen says
June 7, 2016 at 1:29 pmLake Superior is “up north” to me since I grew up in Marquette on Lake Superior. I attached a picture of a man trying to get home on Grand Island.
Gregoire Bolduc says
June 7, 2016 at 1:31 pmUp North is an hour north of wherever you live! 🙂
For me, since I live in Flint, anything past Midland is Up North!
Ande says
June 7, 2016 at 1:34 pmtraverse city 🙂
Jack says
June 7, 2016 at 1:38 pmOscoda is up north ?
Darryl Douglas says
June 7, 2016 at 1:39 pmOnce you pass US 10, you are Up North.
Gene Mossner says
June 7, 2016 at 1:41 pmI’d say around the Standish area.
Marsha Galbraith says
June 7, 2016 at 1:42 pmThe Bridge! But then we travel from Flint to our cottage on Keweenaw Bay once a month, May through October, 9-1/2 hr. trip!
Ruth Ann Jurek says
June 7, 2016 at 1:55 pmWe live in Saginaw. Any place north of the city limits on I-75 is a good start to being up north. We are in Munising today; will be close to Escanaba tomorrow. Then we will finish our vacation on Lake Michigan on Simmons beach in Thompson. We LOVE the U.P. My family is from the Copper Country… Houghton/Hancock and Dollar Bay!
John S. Downing says
June 7, 2016 at 2:03 pmAs a native born Michigander, I quibble about “up north”. As a mathematician by temperament, I have a simple solution. “Up north” starts when you are closer to the North Pole than the Equator … WHICH IS GAYLORD (45.0275° N). Cadillac is only 44.2520° N. Grayling is closer but still falls short: 44.6614° N. Mackinaw City is 45.7775° N. I will cut my Tennessee relatives some slack and call anywhere in Michigan “up north” … but really … it has to be north of the 45th parallel 🙂 LoL 🙂
Susan O. says
June 9, 2016 at 5:43 pmMakes a lot of sense!
Tony M. says
June 7, 2016 at 2:03 pmFenton Michigan, that’s where it up north begins, it’s because we have so many lakes around us.
Steven H says
June 7, 2016 at 2:06 pmRoughly about Mt Pleasant.
Vera Hogan says
June 7, 2016 at 2:12 pmDepends on where you are in Michigan to begin with. Up north to someone in Dundee, MI will be different from someone in Flint, MI. But, being from Chicago, I think you’re all kind of crazy. Only Michiganders and New Yorkers (Up north in the Catskills) stay in their own state for vacations, consistently. Need to broaden your horizons – get out there and see the rest of the United States and the world. But, oops, that wasn’t the question.
Lynn says
June 7, 2016 at 3:23 pmUmmm… just came back from a 3 week road trip to Utah, Nevada, Colorado, California, etc. 6000 miles from Marquette. We DO travel, but summers are the best in Michigan, especially the Upper Peninsula. Maybe you should come “north” sometime.
Jeri says
June 7, 2016 at 6:57 pmWith a state as beautiful as Michigan we don’t need to go anywhere else.
Karen Swan says
June 7, 2016 at 8:41 pmAmen to that! As someone who was born and raised in New Jersey, anywhere in Michigan is “up north”. I have traveled parts of this beautiful country, and I have lived in Michigan for the last 40 years–I think it is the best place to be. I love it here though it did take quite a while to get used to the long winters.
Mary says
June 7, 2016 at 10:40 pmWe from Michigan do travel but there’s so much right here in our home state that we don’t feel the need to roam so much.
Adrienne says
June 8, 2016 at 9:23 amI’ve traveled (and lived) all over the world, including three years in both France and Chicago. And now I’m back “up north” where my roots started in Northern Michigan. It really is a remarkable place.
Riley McLincha says
June 7, 2016 at 2:17 pmIt’s a well known Riley fact that Up North begins 96 miles north of the baseline (8 Mile). Isabella-Clare County line. Hence Clare is Up North, Bay City isn’t.
thomas sleva says
June 7, 2016 at 2:39 pmwhere the trees in the middle median begin…
Andrew Heller says
June 7, 2016 at 8:25 pmI like that
Angie says
June 7, 2016 at 2:49 pmAs kids we always believed it started at the Zilwaukee bridge. Now I feel like I’m finally getting “up north” when I hit the Standish 75/23 split.
Anne says
June 7, 2016 at 3:04 pmHiggins Lake……….The best place in Michigan
Cindy says
June 7, 2016 at 3:16 pmAs a kid I always thought it was Standish. Now I think it’s Pinconning.
Andrew Heller says
June 7, 2016 at 8:24 pmha!
Sue says
June 7, 2016 at 3:19 pmNorth of M 61.
EllieK. says
June 7, 2016 at 4:34 pmI think it is a state of mind….just the thought of getting out on the road and heading somewhere north is enough for me…I know when I arrive I’m up north!!!
Howard Ylinen says
June 7, 2016 at 5:02 pmLake Superior is “up north”! I grew up in Marquette on Lake Superior which is the most dynamic of all our great lakes. Here is a picture of a man trying to get home on Grand Island.
Andrew Heller says
June 7, 2016 at 8:24 pmWow, cool pic!
Howard Ylinen says
June 7, 2016 at 11:55 pmHere is a Lake Superior “ICE DIAMOND”
Marie Moody says
June 9, 2016 at 10:06 amYou are really Up North there….beautiful photos!
Howard Ylinen says
June 9, 2016 at 10:02 pmThank you!
Barbara says
June 7, 2016 at 5:13 pmAny place where there are more trees than cement, and I don’t have to cook!
Doreen says
June 7, 2016 at 5:56 pmPinconning, Gladwin area that is when you start seeing all the trees!
Vicki says
June 7, 2016 at 6:20 pmGreat question. It’s all a matter of perspective. I used to think the gateway to the north was Clare. However, I answered with the Straights, as I am a transplant to the UP. But, being from Clark Lake – a favorite vacation spot for Toledo, Ohioans – to them, we were “up north.”
Pam says
June 7, 2016 at 6:31 pmI think up north begins when you can see ferns in the woods.
Jenifer says
June 7, 2016 at 7:37 pmHmmm…. how ’bout Escanaba? That far enough “up north”??? Hey… wait… is that really a town???
I’d say from the knuckles and above (north) on the mitten qualifies as “up north”. How’s that for “Michigan” speak??? (Which by the way, Drew, can be a whole column on it’s own!)
Howard Ylinen says
June 8, 2016 at 12:01 amWhy don’t you ask Andrew if Escanaba is really a town?
Jenifer says
June 9, 2016 at 12:23 pmHoward Ylinen… I did and was teasing him… I’ve known Drew since our college days at CMU. 😉
Howard Ylinen says
June 9, 2016 at 10:12 pmI thought you were but wasn’t sure. I have enjoyed Andrew ever since he started writing for the Flint Journal. I went to CMU and NMU too and was always baffled when I was asked by students from the LP where Marquette and Escanaba were!
Andrew Heller says
June 10, 2016 at 11:44 amWow. Awesome photo.
Tom says
June 7, 2016 at 9:08 pmWhite Cloud, Michigan, where the North begins and pure waters flow!
Judith Brooks says
June 7, 2016 at 9:43 pmStandish I-75/US23 split.
Oldugly says
June 7, 2016 at 9:52 pmClare! No doubt. No arguments. No waffling. Is, has been, always will be. End of discussion.
Memorize this, there will be a quiz later.
If you doubt me, walk into Cops and Doughnuts and announce you don’t believe Clare is the Gateway to the North. On second thought–don’t do anything that foolish.
Lynn says
June 7, 2016 at 11:34 pmI always figured the reason Clare has a “Welcome Center” is that it’s the gateway to “Up North”.
Dave Cobb says
June 7, 2016 at 11:47 pmIn our Family being from the Flint area [Flushing ] we always thought once you got a little past Clare and when you start driving north on 115 that is where the north would start for us . you start getting into the up north bars and mom and pop stores along the way . In the fall you will get some of the best color and in the winter seems like their is always a snow belt in that area as well .
Marie Moody says
June 9, 2016 at 10:11 amThe family cafe’s (Mom and Pops) are an awesome give-away to being Up North. Love them!
Michael Kelly says
June 8, 2016 at 1:10 amWest Branch in the center, Standish in the east.
Don Karhoff says
June 8, 2016 at 6:20 amAfter you cross the 45 parallel – now you are in the upper 1/4 of the world – you are now UP NORTH
Kathy says
June 8, 2016 at 7:55 amMostly it is a state of mind, and for me that state of mind begins around New Era.
TJ says
June 8, 2016 at 8:08 amI think Up North begins where there are more forests than fields–north of Clare.
Chris says
June 8, 2016 at 8:17 amStandish, for sure. Love living up north of there!
Shelby says
June 8, 2016 at 9:33 amAnyplace North of US 10!
Michael Hoag says
June 8, 2016 at 9:37 amyour up north when it smells like your up north !!!
Carla Russell says
June 8, 2016 at 9:49 amMy family’s “up north” was Port Hope in the thumb. The best part of that trip was that you never had to travel on 1-75 with the other thousands of travelers.
art says
June 8, 2016 at 9:51 amNorth of M-46
a says
June 8, 2016 at 10:04 amI grew up in the Traverse City area and was taught that Clare is the border. I live in Bay City now and while we like it here quite a bit and it’s worth visiting, it’s not really up north.
Lacie says
June 8, 2016 at 10:15 amUp north to me is white cloud and up it seems to be not much up that way not good cell service etc
Loren M says
June 8, 2016 at 10:44 amAt age seven I moved up north to Holly but I moved south from Flint. I’ve always found that amusing but understood it’s a matter of perspective. Many people from the Detroit area had vacation cottages on the many lakes in Oakland County 50 years ago, some still do but with the price of lakefront property many have been replaced by McMansions. To me “up north” has always been somewhere north of the Saginaw River, you know it when you feel it.
I like to visit Lakeport State Park just north of Port Huron, on a weekday my wife and I can spend an entire afternoon alone on a Lake Huron Beach. For me it’s an hour drive east but it’s an hour north of Detroit and it does sorta feel like up north so maybe it is up north. If I can pack my tent up in a rainstorm and be back in my own warm dry bed in an hour or so it’s not up north to me.
laurie taylor says
June 8, 2016 at 11:23 amWest Branch
Linda Wanhala says
June 8, 2016 at 4:29 pmAfter you cross the Big Mac Bridge! Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Jane Stage says
June 8, 2016 at 8:46 pmI’m originally from Saginaw. To me it would be West Branch, Harrison, Ludington. I agree that the UP is not up north, it is the UP. I am now in Texas so up north to me is Oklahoma… but for Michigan now it would be the Michigan/Indiana border 😛
Star says
June 9, 2016 at 12:09 amOur destination on vacations was ALPENA as my parents were both from there… And thus all our relatives. But we considered it up north about Cadillac, where we’d stop for lunch. When you get out of the car in shorts and t- shirt and go Brrr and have to put a sweatshirt on, you’re there! Also you start seeing more birch trees about then and old roadside motels and gas stations that look like log cabins. Maybe it’s more a feeling than anything. You just know.
Deborah says
June 9, 2016 at 3:27 amThe U.P. is exactly what the 2 letters spell — “UP!”
So, for me, “Up North” begins ONLY after I’ve crossed the mighty Mackinaw Bridge (or, if I arrived by boat on Mackinaw Island, since it’s part of the U.P., as well).
P.S. More narrowly defined, being “Up North” also means that I’m not far from Lake Superior, and that I’m in Houghton County (where “home” is), Keweenaw County, Ontonagon County, or Baraga County — in other words, I’m somewhere in the “Copper Country!”
——————————–
For more info on the “Copper Country” check out these links:
http://www.coppercountrypreservation.org/images/Map_MI.gif
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper_Country
Howard Ylinen says
June 9, 2016 at 10:22 pmI’m from Marquette, so the “Copper Country” is definitely “UP NORTH” for me and always has been!
Katie says
June 9, 2016 at 1:08 pmIt has always been West Branch for me.
Jerry says
June 9, 2016 at 3:32 pmUS 10 has been my families dividing line for years, when we cross 10 we are officially UP North! ?
Judy says
June 9, 2016 at 7:21 pmThe hill on M109 looking at Lake Michigan, at Glen Haven.
Oldugly says
June 9, 2016 at 11:03 pmScheesch! The number of folks who can’t read. The question was where does “Up North” begin. The answer is still Clare. Yes, anywhere north of there is “Up North.” Yes, there is a lot of beautiful country there. Places I love to visit and see. Repeat after me–“South of Clare is southern Michigan. North of Clare is ‘Up North.'” Still any where in Mittenland is a pretty good place.
Loren M says
June 10, 2016 at 11:18 amBay City isn’t up north but you’re getting close, Detroit Lions game are no longer blacked out once you cross the bridge. I used to visit Au Gres on the north side of the bay, the squirrels there are black. If you swim around the point the water temperature change is huge.
You’re not really up north until you get off I-75, I usually head up M33 but I could get off earlier and hit the Rifle and Au Sable Rivers much further south and still be up north.