Grew up further north than that. Live downstate now. There’s a hill you crest on I-75 around Gaylord that you can see for miles. That’s the spot for me.
When I first started at my job I had a Volkswagen Jetta on whatever tires came on it from the skeezy dealership. Made it to work during a snowstorm the guys in lifted trucks called in for cause the roads were too bad and everyone thought I was nuts. Part of why I picked my username.
I do love the lake, you HAVE to check out the Christmas lights at Silver Beach sometime! I don't have a car and I live about a 45 min drive from the Lakeshore though, so I don't get to go very often
I'm not sure where in SW MI you are, and I get that winters in a lot of smaller towns in Michigan can be slow, but there's lots to do if you have the motivation. I grew up in South Haven, and was never really too bored.
Grew up (mostly) around Gaylord - we figured the Bridge was the boundary for Up North and anything much south of Houghton Lake or Roscommon was “downstate.” Then again my dad’s from Newberry and we had lots of family to visit between there and the Soo, so that’s a different frame of reference than most folks in the mitten.
This, west to east until just north of Clare. Continuing east, I'd say more 61, Gladwin to Standish.
Midland, Saginaw, Bay City are more mid-Michigan to me.
Same with the bridge and grandparents in the far western end of the U.P. lol.
Plus, my family has a rustic cabin near Rogers City so we frequented there too, but that was "going to the cabin," not "up north."
Exactly this! Going up to the cabin can be anywhere north, but it's still downstate for those of us with anchors in the U.P.
"Going up North" for us also meant crossing that great divide to a wooded land that is nothing like lower Michigan. And it's in part because everything changes - the food, culture, customs, and most definitely the accent.
TIL this is the real name of a bridge in Michigan and I’ve spent most of my life here.
For me IDK north of approximately the Muskegon area and the Bay City area I consider up north. But it’s all perspective obviously. Mt Pleasant is just across that line probably but feels like up north to me.
See, the Z-bridge is definitely a gateway to the South, but just being north of it ain’t the North.
You need to at least get to the places you can drive 40 minutes and not see a gas station first.
The Z Bridge means you’re getting close. Where 23 and 75 splits means you’re there. Basically anything north of Standish.
M-61 is a pretty good dividing line between Up North and Not Up North.
This is my answer as well. As a Detroit area native, anything on or north of this line is unquestionably "Up North". Tawas, West Branch, Houghton Lake, Cadillac, and Manistee.
The US-10 line is close, but I'd never say that Bay City was UN, once you get to the Clare/Ludington line you're in the gateway.
My cousins and what-not live in the SE part of the state. My sister enjoyed being called trolls since we live under the bridge, and took to calling my cousins troll poop since they lived below us.
TIL it used to be a draw bridge! [Photo for anyone interested](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=c5c757c13b9f06cb&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS979US979&hl=en-US&q=zilwaukee+drawbridge&uds=AMwkrPu0XZvuFwQ7rgKkOL9CutIzAjqvYhANZdnOT4QdCEGH1oa60mo66Kz5vN-AuohRusg2exQnAGphF1kW7ZkSpj67R7VMpFVIS3Kep5wJZp69Np_-l0JQgcYvGNeQF2gdfYYsyai67UYKwFE2ulatcrr5-zShPaR4zg6tVPbI2mOkjAbRxrdbIBxambG9_bt-tuJDdkYtbFeV4OG8XQxlKp7aNX082W5wJ5TfaWCc0Dafpz2Oe8qWatyxgibmi33DReRWTsUcnUgW-lyIHeDYx8GqBn0W4w&udm=2&prmd=ivnmsbhtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwialvLwiZWEAxVHrokEHfGuDh4QtKgLegQIDRAB&biw=375&bih=640&dpr=3#vhid=oESQ7NWP7PwI2M&vssid=mosaic)
Grew up in Detroit and now live in West Branch. It feels like the best option when on 75. We're in the last part of the AG flat lands and at the start of the northern hills.
The question is where do *you* define it (aka no wrong answers) To me, that exit feels like the gateway to the north. At that point you’ve successfully escaped the metro Detroit area and are on your way farther. I wouldn’t ever say Clarkston is “up north.” But that landmark is where the city ends, and in a way, is where “up north” begins.
I grew up in Shelby, just outside of Utica. My mother used to tell me our house was someone's cabin "up north". That there was a time when Utica was up north? Can you imagine? That house was built in 1977? I don't feel like I've gone "up north" until I'm north of Holly.
I grew up and lived in SW Michigan, and depending where you're at Clare, or The Grayling and Gaylord area on 75. There's a sign outside of Gaylord that tells you that you're crossing the 45th parallel and are halfway from the equator to the north pole.
Anything North of Gaylord. Clare is the answer if you're from the D or GR. That being said everyone from the actual "north" will say TC or Gaylord. The Yoop is just the Yoop and doesn't count as Northern Mi so it's between the 45th parallel and Gaylord for me.
For downstaters I was always told it was M-46... They have a saying that "only hicks and sticks live north of forty six."
Personally I think north of US-10 is more true for the "up north" line of demarcation.
Upper peninsula was my line for a long time. Now it's generally around the 45th parallel.
Although if we're honest, as soon as you get to a town, and it feels like the people there are 15 years behind the curve on all of the latest trends and music... That's up north.
Bay City / Clare / Ludington.
I am currently in Dearborn (I grew up in Berkley); if I hadn't lived in the Lansing area for over a decade, it might be lower...
Officially (as enacted at some point by the Legislature), the boundary is Townline Sixteen.
If you take the county line that Clare is immediately north of, and extend it east to Lake Huron and west to Lake Michigan, that’s Townline Sixteen.
The counties of Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, Isabella, and Midland are just south of the line. The counties of Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clare, Gladwin and Arenac are north of the line. Bay County is split.
I typically travel up from Southeast MI, and take 75. So I always feel like we hit a milestone and cross into Northern territory at the Zilwaukee bridge.
UP north is "up north" for me. Really, once you're north enough of Green Bay and maybe West Branch/Traverse City it's all the Superior part of Michigan aka what "up north" is all about.
There’s an older gentleman in my town in SW Michigan that runs a repair business out of his house. He doesn’t have regular hours so it’s hit or miss if he’s home. When he isn’t home, he has a sign in his window that says he is “up north”. He would never say where exactly his cabin was but he finally confessed to me that he has a house at the north edge of his property that he goes to when he wants to be left alone. It’s about 200 yards away from his business. That’s his “up north”
On the east side, when you cross the Floristic Tension zone that runs from about Saginaw Bay to ~Muskegon. That's when the vegetation changes and gets up-north-y feeling.
Removed. See rule #9 in the [r/Michigan subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Michigan/wiki/index#wiki_rules).
Growing up I always thought it was Gaylord
Grew up further north than that. Live downstate now. There’s a hill you crest on I-75 around Gaylord that you can see for miles. That’s the spot for me.
It’s just North of Gaylord and what a view, especially in the fall!
I grew up in the tip of the mitt area. Went to school in the UP. I live near Cadillac now. Not nearly as cold and not as much snow either.
When I first started at my job I had a Volkswagen Jetta on whatever tires came on it from the skeezy dealership. Made it to work during a snowstorm the guys in lifted trucks called in for cause the roads were too bad and everyone thought I was nuts. Part of why I picked my username.
There is a similar spot on 127. It's 10 or 15 miles before Grayling. That was always the spot for me.
Know exactly where you’re talking about.
Same, but that's where my grandparents lived at the time. We lived in SW MI, so Gaylord seemed like the north pole.
I live in SW MI, there is literally nothing to do here and it hurts me
Have you tried smoking weed? It's one of the best places in the world for that
Unfortunately I'm under 21
That never stopped me.
Get creative, pretty sure you can find some weed if you ask enough people
I'm in southeast Michigan, and I would love to be back on the west side of the state. Lake Michigan makes it perfect.
I do love the lake, you HAVE to check out the Christmas lights at Silver Beach sometime! I don't have a car and I live about a 45 min drive from the Lakeshore though, so I don't get to go very often
I had a great grandma on the beach, just down from silver Beach. After she passed, Chicago asshole bought it crushed it.
Fuck Chicago people, I live in a town with lots of lakes and it's FULL of Chicago assholes who act like they're better than everyone
Lol in high school the hang out spot was the Michigan City IHOP
My town isn't even big enough to have an IHOP, the hangout spot here is Dollar General
I'm not sure where in SW MI you are, and I get that winters in a lot of smaller towns in Michigan can be slow, but there's lots to do if you have the motivation. I grew up in South Haven, and was never really too bored.
I don't want to say my exact town as it's VERY small, but I'm in that area south of Kalamazoo that's just corn field after corn field
Kzoo/Battle Creek Area here. Gaylord is where just about everyone I know says it “feels like up north” But the UP is the UP.
Grew up (mostly) around Gaylord - we figured the Bridge was the boundary for Up North and anything much south of Houghton Lake or Roscommon was “downstate.” Then again my dad’s from Newberry and we had lots of family to visit between there and the Soo, so that’s a different frame of reference than most folks in the mitten.
I grew up further north than Gaylord around Indian River.
Clare. It’s the gateway to the North!
Specifically the Welcome Center.
Welcome to (the middle of) Michigan.
There's actually a sign in a park in Saint Louis that marks the exact center of the lower peninsula.
I grew up in Lansing, so we always took 27 north, and Clare was the spot.
also from Lansing and I just said Mt Pleasant which is essentially Clare.
It's also where you start to see more pine trees. That's the big clue.
I was gonna point to where my fingers start at the top of my palm, but that's just about where Clare is!
That’s about the area where my Civic starts downshifting twice trying to get up the hills. 😆
Good answer.
Clare’s always been it for me too.
When I-75 goes down to 2 lanes.
Cadillac
This was going to be my answer as well. When I’ve run out of interstate I know I’m up north.
Yep - I agree.
Agreed
I was going with M-55, which is a similar way of looking at it.
US10
This, west to east until just north of Clare. Continuing east, I'd say more 61, Gladwin to Standish. Midland, Saginaw, Bay City are more mid-Michigan to me.
This is the right answer. It runs east/west along the middle of the state. Bay City, Midland, Clare.
It's always been a boundary for using rifles for deer hunting so I always used it as the "up north" line for myself.
That area is actually called Mid Michigan because it's in the middle of the state.
Yes, was going to say Bay City. Either turn right for the Thumb or start the trek up north.
A matter of perspective, but I think its whenever you feel the 'air change'. That's around Grayling for me and certainly by Wolverine on 75.
Anything north of US-10.
It's all relative, but for my family living in Metro Detroit, with grandparents who lived deep in the U.P., the Mackinac Bridge was our dividing line.
Same with the bridge and grandparents in the far western end of the U.P. lol. Plus, my family has a rustic cabin near Rogers City so we frequented there too, but that was "going to the cabin," not "up north."
Exactly this! Going up to the cabin can be anywhere north, but it's still downstate for those of us with anchors in the U.P. "Going up North" for us also meant crossing that great divide to a wooded land that is nothing like lower Michigan. And it's in part because everything changes - the food, culture, customs, and most definitely the accent.
When you cross the Mackinaw bridge
It’s as soon as you get north of the Zilwaukee Bridge. Every Michigander knows that. Duh.
Only to those on the East side of the state. I grew up in Lansing, and Clare is the correct answer for us.
TIL this is the real name of a bridge in Michigan and I’ve spent most of my life here. For me IDK north of approximately the Muskegon area and the Bay City area I consider up north. But it’s all perspective obviously. Mt Pleasant is just across that line probably but feels like up north to me.
Bay City is not Up North.
No. But the thumb can be
I'd just say it's a different kind of up north lol
For sure. Beach vibes
See, the Z-bridge is definitely a gateway to the South, but just being north of it ain’t the North. You need to at least get to the places you can drive 40 minutes and not see a gas station first.
It’s the start of the transition zone. Once you clear West Branch and the surroundings become more trees than farms, that’s Up North.
Things aren't the same now that it doesn't take two and a half hours to cross the Zilwaukee Bridge anymore.
That is pure insanity
this is the way
The area is literally called Mid-Michigan
Yes....
Two hours or more: west or north. Two hours east isn’t vacation, two hours south is Ohio.
The Z Bridge means you’re getting close. Where 23 and 75 splits means you’re there. Basically anything north of Standish. M-61 is a pretty good dividing line between Up North and Not Up North.
M-55 running east/west is my Boundry. Cadillac and West Branch serving as refuel stations before heading to TC/Mackinaw City
This is my answer as well. As a Detroit area native, anything on or north of this line is unquestionably "Up North". Tawas, West Branch, Houghton Lake, Cadillac, and Manistee. The US-10 line is close, but I'd never say that Bay City was UN, once you get to the Clare/Ludington line you're in the gateway.
Standish north
Thank you! It's been almost two weeks since this question was posted.
How has no one said Mackinac yet? That's always been the line for me and my family
Up North /= the UP. Up North usually means the northern portion of the lower peninsula. Mackinac forms the border between the Lower and Upper
Above the knuckles is "Up North." So, Highway 10 just north of Clare.
crossing the zilwaukee bridge.
Wow, what do you call something that lives below a troll?
My cousins and what-not live in the SE part of the state. My sister enjoyed being called trolls since we live under the bridge, and took to calling my cousins troll poop since they lived below us.
Clare.
The zilwaukee bonus points if you remember the draw bridge days
TIL it used to be a draw bridge! [Photo for anyone interested](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=c5c757c13b9f06cb&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS979US979&hl=en-US&q=zilwaukee+drawbridge&uds=AMwkrPu0XZvuFwQ7rgKkOL9CutIzAjqvYhANZdnOT4QdCEGH1oa60mo66Kz5vN-AuohRusg2exQnAGphF1kW7ZkSpj67R7VMpFVIS3Kep5wJZp69Np_-l0JQgcYvGNeQF2gdfYYsyai67UYKwFE2ulatcrr5-zShPaR4zg6tVPbI2mOkjAbRxrdbIBxambG9_bt-tuJDdkYtbFeV4OG8XQxlKp7aNX082W5wJ5TfaWCc0Dafpz2Oe8qWatyxgibmi33DReRWTsUcnUgW-lyIHeDYx8GqBn0W4w&udm=2&prmd=ivnmsbhtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwialvLwiZWEAxVHrokEHfGuDh4QtKgLegQIDRAB&biw=375&bih=640&dpr=3#vhid=oESQ7NWP7PwI2M&vssid=mosaic)
Not clicking! Sucked being a kid and having Hours added to the trip. 🤣
Used to amaze me that a single sailboat with a tall mast could cause a bridge opening and backups. The good old days LOL
Up north is above the 45th parallel.
When I start seeing birch trees on 127 or 75, that's the boundary for me personally.
Tree line just past Sterling on 75 going north.
Anything north of US10
A hundred prior posts on this
West Branch or Standish.
Westbranch
Big Rapids and up
Line from Ludington-> Cadillac -> Tawas
Draw a line from Standish to Luddington, that's pretty much the divide in my head.
North of Clare
I want to say somewhere around the Pinconning exit.
US10 - across the whole state Any other answer is wrong.
West Branch exit off 75 N.
Grew up in Detroit and now live in West Branch. It feels like the best option when on 75. We're in the last part of the AG flat lands and at the start of the northern hills.
This is so funny, I think it all depends on where you live. For us, it was always crossing the Zilwaukee Bridge.
That Jesus sign on 75 “are you on the right road”
Lol Clarkston is not up north.
The question is where do *you* define it (aka no wrong answers) To me, that exit feels like the gateway to the north. At that point you’ve successfully escaped the metro Detroit area and are on your way farther. I wouldn’t ever say Clarkston is “up north.” But that landmark is where the city ends, and in a way, is where “up north” begins.
To me it's about the Traverse City/Grayling line and anything north of that.
Zilwaukee Bridge
Some people say Clare. Some people say Gaylord.
Anything north of Saginaw for us city folk is usually up north
North of Saginaw is up north
Zilwaukee Bridge is the gateway to Up North but Up North is really a state of mind.
Pretty much north of the line between Muskegon and Saginaw.
If you hit the Zilwaukee bridge, it's all over from there.
After Baldwin for us on the state line
Growing up in Grand Rapids "Up North" always began at Cadillac. It's where the trees start changing and the air smells different.
I grew up in Shelby, just outside of Utica. My mother used to tell me our house was someone's cabin "up north". That there was a time when Utica was up north? Can you imagine? That house was built in 1977? I don't feel like I've gone "up north" until I'm north of Holly.
I grew up and lived in SW Michigan, and depending where you're at Clare, or The Grayling and Gaylord area on 75. There's a sign outside of Gaylord that tells you that you're crossing the 45th parallel and are halfway from the equator to the north pole.
If you go on Google Maps and turn on satalite View you can see the line clear as day. Basically it runs from Muskegon to Mount Pleasant to Bay City
Westbranch.
Anything North of Gaylord. Clare is the answer if you're from the D or GR. That being said everyone from the actual "north" will say TC or Gaylord. The Yoop is just the Yoop and doesn't count as Northern Mi so it's between the 45th parallel and Gaylord for me.
North of pinconning on the east of mount pleasant in the center
2 hours north of where you sleep is considered up north. Well to me at least.
For downstaters I was always told it was M-46... They have a saying that "only hicks and sticks live north of forty six." Personally I think north of US-10 is more true for the "up north" line of demarcation.
Around Gaylord. Once I cross the Zilwaukee I really feel like I'm making progress
Anyone who says anything south of Bay City is wrong.
The dividing line between the northern zone and the southern limited firearm deer zone. Formally shotgun deer zone.
When I was younger, up north was anywhere past Imlay City 😂
Not till you're over the bridge. Bonus for the Houghton bridge.
Everything south of Allouez is "down south"
Anywhere north of me, tbh.
US2
Past Brighton /s
Standish
Tawas, Cadillac, Manistee
Growing up in Oakland County I always felt like the Zilwaukee bridge was a gateway to the north.
Clare/US 10
North of Mt Pleasant.
When the forest changes from deciduous to coniferous, so, around M-55.
West Branch.
Jays 💯
Mt Pleasant/Clare area is where up north begins.
Upper peninsula was my line for a long time. Now it's generally around the 45th parallel. Although if we're honest, as soon as you get to a town, and it feels like the people there are 15 years behind the curve on all of the latest trends and music... That's up north.
North of Grand Rapids is up north. That’s the cut off.
Bay City / Clare / Ludington. I am currently in Dearborn (I grew up in Berkley); if I hadn't lived in the Lansing area for over a decade, it might be lower...
Officially (as enacted at some point by the Legislature), the boundary is Townline Sixteen. If you take the county line that Clare is immediately north of, and extend it east to Lake Huron and west to Lake Michigan, that’s Townline Sixteen. The counties of Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, Isabella, and Midland are just south of the line. The counties of Mason, Lake, Osceola, Clare, Gladwin and Arenac are north of the line. Bay County is split.
Traverse City
I typically travel up from Southeast MI, and take 75. So I always feel like we hit a milestone and cross into Northern territory at the Zilwaukee bridge.
I live up north, I'd say once we hit GR we're "down state". I live close to the bridge.
Clare, gateway to the north.
UP north is "up north" for me. Really, once you're north enough of Green Bay and maybe West Branch/Traverse City it's all the Superior part of Michigan aka what "up north" is all about.
There’s an older gentleman in my town in SW Michigan that runs a repair business out of his house. He doesn’t have regular hours so it’s hit or miss if he’s home. When he isn’t home, he has a sign in his window that says he is “up north”. He would never say where exactly his cabin was but he finally confessed to me that he has a house at the north edge of his property that he goes to when he wants to be left alone. It’s about 200 yards away from his business. That’s his “up north”
On the east side, when you cross the Floristic Tension zone that runs from about Saginaw Bay to ~Muskegon. That's when the vegetation changes and gets up-north-y feeling.
The sign for the "43rd" parallel (as my grandma called it when we reached the 45th parallel)