If you’ve spent any time in Michigan, you’ve likely heard an ‘Up North’ or two.
It’s a very singular destination, and especially so in the summer: The long drive up, the smell of pine trees and campfires, and the air itself that just feels—different.
Maybe you’re heading to Traverse City, Cheboygan, Petoskey or Alpena—they’re widely acknowledged as "Up North".
But do you have to go up to the very top of the mitten to be considered "Up North"? Where exactly does that mystifying land begin?
“Up North is a state of mind, right? So it can be even as far south as South Haven. It just depends on you.”
That’s according to Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Others have different ideas.
For example, the listener who asked this question grew up with family who lived in White Cloud, which is northeast of Muskegon.
“When we would go visit, there’s this big billboard at both ends of town that says, ‘White Cloud, where the North begins and the pure water flows.’ So I always assumed that was it,” said Kate Lynnes. But even Kate has doubts; for her, Up North really begins when you cross the Mackinac Bridge into the U.P.
But there’s actually a scientific answer to this "Up North" debacle.
Michigan has 80 different Natural Community types, defined by factors like soil, land use, and climate. Some of these communities, like the one shown above, neatly distinguish the northern part of the state from the southern portion.
Check out these many cool maps from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory at MSU Extension that show how these natural communities create different vibes - including what feels Up North to many of us.
As you can see on the map above, a line or "tension zone" that squiggles from Lake Michigan to Saginaw Bay delineates where you can find some natural features that are unique to the north or south parts of the state.
And you can see these distinctions too as you’re driving up.
“I think most people notice right away—White Pine. I know that’s when it clicks in my mind when I’m driving up north,” said Joshua Cohen, Lead Ecologist with the Michigan Natural Features Inventory.
In this episode of On Hand, we dig into the science of where ‘Up North’ really is, and how that science relates to our memories of classic Michigan summers. Hear the full story above.
GUESTS:
- Kate Lynnes, resident of Muskegon
- Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan
- Joshua Cohen, Lead Ecologist and Senior Conservation Scientist with the Michigan Natural Features Inventory
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