Why So Few People Live In The Northern Part Of Michigan 

The 'c' in Mackinac is silent [mak•kah•nah]. Also, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has so little population that it's one area code, 906, which has led to September 6th being a local holiday. Sorry for sounding nitpicky, but michigander rhymes with gander.

I'm from Rhode Island, but back in May of 2007 I took a driving trip out to Michigan. I crossed Canada, and spent the first night in Frankenmuth. Next I drove north along lake Huron, which was nice, all the way up to Mackinaw City. I then spent a day out on Mackinac Island, and the late afternoon driving along Lake Michigan and the Tunnel of Trees. I thought both Mackinac Island and Tunnel were amazingly beautiful. Next day, I started driving south along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and I was just stunned at how beautiful it was. The blue water, the sand dunes and hills to get long vista's over the lake. And then Silver Lake had the clearest water I've ever seen. Harbor Springs, Charlevoix, Petoskey and Traverse City were all amazing places, and around every corner on the drive was something new to see, some new wonder to be in awe of and new things to explore. Traverse City in particular was just a gem. I had no idea there such big hills in the northern part of the Southern Peninsula. I finally made it down to Saugatuck, which was a cute little town. Next day was spent in Grand Rapids, and walking along the riverwalk, then heading to Ann Arbor. Last day spent touring Ann Arbor, another great town, and then I left the State. It was one of the best trips I've ever taken and I really want to go back. I don't think most of the rest of the country ever hears how ridiculously beautiful Michigan can be.

Born and raised in Michigan, I doubt I'll ever leave. Love my mitten

I'm a Yooper. It gets cold here and we average well over 200" of snow, but I love it here.

Northern Michigan is absolutely beautiful. Definitely an underrated gem for campers and people that love the great outdoors. Crystal clear lakes and vast forestry.

Mackinac is pronounced ma-kuh-naa. As a Michigander, it was like a stab to the soul when you said it.

My husband was stationed in the upper peninsula of Michigan in Escanaba for marine recruiter. It’s a completely different world so to speak up there. Everyone has a Norwegian/Canadian accent. They hunt, fish go ice fishing snow mobile. 1st time you hear about people falling through the ice while ice fishing. Happened every year. Also people falling into the ice on the lakes from snowmobiles. Deer hunting up there is almost like a national holiday and kids get a whole week off of school for it. There used to be military bases open up there until Clinton shut them down. The upper peninsula of Michigan was Probably one of my favorite places to live

Life long Michigander. Yes, we all mostly live south but we like it that way. We go "up north" to vacation. It's beautiful.

As someone from Michigan, I can tell you why. The area above only has 2 seasons: winter and bug season. The forests and lakes are pretty but they make everyday life miserable. Also, it’s pronounced (Mack-ih-naw)

As someone who grew up around Northern Michigan, we are quite happy with the sparse population north of GR, Lansing, Saginaw, Detroit, etc.

I’ve lived in Michigan all my life, I love how it has all of the indigenous names all over the state, and the deep indigenous history ❤

Michigan is definitely one of the best kept secrets. I moved here almost 8 years ago when I could have moved anywhere I chose Michigan. The history of the state is amazing, as is the amount of talent in every field from actors to musicians to inventions, yet the people are so down to earth. No matter where you are in the state you are within 5 miles of public access water, either a river or a lake. In Florida I was told I live in paradise, in Michigan I know I do. I've been in many states but never knew what freedom was until I moved to Michigan.

As a native Michigander, I can confirm this was a good video. Many names were mispronounced, but still good

Born, Raised and will die in the U.P, Yoopers are a tough breed. Not just anyone can live here and we are happy to have it that way. It is truly somewhere special 💚

5:20 - to 5:32 is one of the overlooks for the Lake in the Clouds in the Porcupine Mountains. Video and pictures do not do it justice. Simply one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in person.

I live by Cadillac and love the lack of congestion and people. We rough camp most of the summer on the Muskegon River, only a few miles from home. Wouldn't change this for anything!

I've heard it said that Michigan actually has three peninsulas: The Upper, the Lower, and the Florida.

Michigan is not ranked 9th in coastline length. It’s only behind Alaska. It is considerably larger than Florida’s and California’s, the second and third runners up. It also holds the distinction of being the largest freshwater coastline in the world.

My nephew moved to Michigan last year. He has driven around the country trying to figure out where is wanted to land and he landed in Alpena. He liked it there but finally had to go back to work. He had not worked for about four years and was using his retirement money from his job in the Bay Area. He is a painter. He had several job offers and finally accepted on from a company is Sault Ste. Marie and after commuting for a few months sold his house is Alpena and moved to Sault Ste. Marie. He came out for Christmas to spend with family and he is really happy there.

Marquette has 20,000 people, a number that has not varied much over 40 years. It does not have a metro area. When you leave the city limits in most directions, you are in the woods. The 67,000 is likely in the county, that I think is the largest county, in area, east of the Mississippi.

One huge factor not mentioned is soil quality. North of Midland/Bay City/Saginaw, the soil is much sandier and cannot support large scale agriculture. The Traverse City area is known for cherries and nearby are several viticultural areas, but that's almost it. There are small pockets of agriculture here and there but nothing widespread. The Upper Peninsula is also part of the Canadian Shield and have a lot of small lakes and bogs. The bedrock of the Canadian Shield does not allow for good drainage.

Many people complain about winter. There's an old Finnish proverb that says "There is no bad weather, just inadequate clothing". Myself, I love cold winters with lots of snow. My Michigan motto is "Winter driving is my favorite contact sport!"

I am a yupper from Upper Michigan and we love our part of Michigan. I am from a long line of loggers and minners. Proud to be a yupper too!!

Born and raised in the UP of Michigan. Proud Yooper here!

5:00 - The total length of the Mackinac Bridge is 26,372 feet. That’s 28 feet short of 5 miles, not “just over 4”. Thanks for educating people about our great state!

When you are in Michigan you are never more than 6 miles away from any lake or 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes. That’s why Michigan has many charter fishing boats and places to fish. Also if you live above the Mackinac bridge in the upper peninsula you are called a yooper, if you live below the bridge you are called a troll. Great place to live.

Geoff, your videos are amazing! As someone born and raised in Michigan and a lover of history, thank you for teaching me something about the history of my state.

It’s very obvious you have never been to northern Michigan. I encourage you to visit, it’s amazing.

The UP is a rather unspoiled place. It means boredom and isolation for many but peace and adventure for others.

Grew up in Michigan and now live in Vermont. Just took a trip through the UP, starting in Wisconsin. Went to Houghten, what a great town. Made sure to get smoked Whitefish and ate Walleye. Crossed the bridge and went to Sleeping Bear Dunes south of Traverse City. Yoopers rule! They are a kind and hard working people.

My family is from the UP, I grew up in Mid MI, went to college in the UP and now I live in Northern MI. Northern MI is the best bc the woods, lakes and having less ppl. Its so much better than lower MI. Also you gotta learn how to pronounce our names, we can get mighty peaved over not knowing how to say certain words.

The upper peninsula is one of my favorite places in America. Such interesting geology, people and wildlife

With Michigan having so much land that isn't connected to it, that makes it an Empire!

Bravo brother. What a wonderfully informational video.

Love learning about this, thank you

The Northern "Hand" of Michigan is in a snow belt. In the winter it gets completely buried in snow, and driving there becomes unreliable. I'm from the Northern coast of Lake Superior, in Canada, just north of even that part of Michigan, and the snow is not as bad where I am!

I’ve lived in Michigan my whole life and like to say it is one of the best kept secrets in the country. It is stunning all year long, and you can not find lovelier coast lines anywhere. While it would be wonderful to have more tourism, many Michiganders prefer to keep our state more insular since more tourism would lead to more development and take away from its untouched glorious forests and pristine lakes. One small correction: Mackinac pronounced Macinaw. Thank you for such a great video!❤

Probably more than i needed, or wanted, to know, but totally enjoyed this video-thx GBG.

As a lifelong Michigander growing up and look living literally on the shore of Lake Michigan, it's so slept on... gorgeous piece of paradise

“Cause it’s too cold, for you here…”

I live in Michigan and love it. I have traveled and lived around the world but Michigan is my home. My brother has 80 acres in the Upper Peninsula.

Thank you! Very educational.😊😊😊

We go snowmobiling in the UP because we no longer get enough snow in Illinois. The UP is beautiful. I can’t wait to buy a house there when I retire. I can easily spend 12 months a year there.

Wisconsin did not lose Michigan’s upper peninsula. It never had it. Wisconsin didn’t become a state until after Michigan, and that boundary, just based mostly on rivers instead of a big lake, was already in place.

As a resident of northern Michigan I for one am glad we're sparsely populated. I lived in metro Detroit for a long time now is entirely way too many people for me... Give me my little cabin in the woods over that any day.

Great video, I live in Benton Harbor, Mi., SW Michigan and actually the southern tip of the Lake Michigan Triangle. this was an awesome video in which I learned a lot. Blessings to you sir.

Michigan is beautiful. We have great forests. We are also trying to keep our land and Woodlands. If we keep developing land, all that beauty will be destroyed.

The U.S. actually has four coastlines.the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Gulf and the Great Lakes.

Saginaw, along with Bay City and Midland should really be included in what you are calling Southern Michigan as they are urban cities with lots of manufacturing, large populations, flat land and mild weather. They have little in common with the north.

I lived in metro Detroit. And I grew up with all kinds of outdoor activities. Hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, winter skiing, and camping, year round. The upper Peninsula is an outdoor recreation area that few people live in and maintain for the rest of us. Also Ford had a lumber company located in the U P. He used it to build wooden car bodies, and also sent his factory workers to his land for recreation and relaxation

northern michigan resident here. living ih the woods, hunting and fishing and on a permanent camping trip. LOVE IT!!!!!

Yay thanks for doing a video on this! Some more fun facts is that Southeast Michigan is actually North of Canada and the Ambassador bridge that connects Detroit to Windsor, Ontario is one of the busiest if not the busiest border crossings in terms of goods between the US and Canada.

Love the content! It's always funny hearing non locals try and pronounce indiginous names and words. Don't blame ya it's hard, and I am still learning.

You are one of the best channels on RU-vid, i love Geographie since i went too schcool, well so around 20years ago im getting old. This greeting comes from Germany.

Born and raised near enough to Grand Rapids. Recently started attending Michigan Tech(Houghton, lower portion of the Keweenaw peninsula) and holy moly, the difference is night and day. I’ve never spent more time outside in the woods than I have being up at mTech

I was born in the UP of Michigan. Marquette County. lol I remember growing up and being a teenager and HATING IT. it really does feel so secluded... had to always drive 3 hours to Green Bay, WI area just to get to decent shopping that other American friends of mine took for granted their entire life haha. had to drive days round trip just to see a good concert in Milwaukee, Chicago, or Detroit. I wasn't very "outdoorsy" so it was just awful. ended up living my life online and dreaming of going somewhere entirely different. it could have very well sparked my intense interest in travel and international affairs. I ended up living in Berlin, Germany and Busan, South Korea for many years. but... now I am in my 30s and back in the UP haha! I ended up getting homesick many times, looking at pictures of the beautiful, almost spiritual Lake Superior and crying HAHA! I even am excited for winter here (which actually have improved with climate change lol. they aren't as bad as when I was younger even... just last year they had to cancel our dog sled races because we didn't have enough snow in January. something I never would have thought haha!) our past summer was absolutely perfect, while the rest of the country seemed miserable with heat waves haha. sure, economic opportunities are limited and rents in Marquette have gotten a bit insane (old retired boomers taking over? who the hell can afford these with the wages here? LOL). but money isn't everything, and you can make it here by other means. now, I've become very proud of where I was born and raised! if the winters keep people away... that's fine with me! haha. cities started sort of driving me crazy after a while, and traffic in big US cities? no thank youuuuu... I'll take a few snow storms haha.

As someone from Wisconsin I may have been mispronouncing it all my life but we say pot-a-wa-ta-me for the Potawatomi. There is a casino in Milwaukee that my grandparents went to fairly frequently so that’s why I know

Also, thank you for the history lesson on Michigan. I have great love and respect for the people of that wonderful state. Especially getting to know a lot of them now that I live in Southwest Florida.

Love the facts! As a long-term Ford Motor employee, currently living in Louisville, KY, I always enjoy traveling to Michigan for work and union conferences.

I love my state! It is so beautiful and diverse. We get all the seasons, have less bugs (in most places), and don't have a lot of natural disaster issues. It's so nice to go 'up north' to get away from the craziness of the city.

If you look at a map of Michigan and think that the upper peninsula is isolated from the rest of the state, you are assuming that the transport links are on land. At the time when Michigan was being settled, the lakes and rivers were the transportation arteries. If you wanted to move something from Detroit to Chicago, it was probably faster to go by water around the lower peninsula than to go by land.

Partially grew up in northern michigan, i loved it so much. Been in texas for decades now, love texas but my heart yearns for michigan. Ive always wanted to go back. The nature up there is truly divine, the beautiful streams, the beautiful plentiful pines, the animals. Theres nothing like waking up early, looking outside and seeing all of the pines covered in thick fluffy snow.

Sault Sainte Marie is really growing for 10+ years in east side of upper peninsula. Great video!

Love from Houghton! The snow scares a lot of people away.

Huron county resident here. Also known as 'The Thumb' A peninsula of a peninsula. Rural neighbors are different than urban neighbors in my experience. Someone who lives five or six miles from me are still considered neighbors and help one another out.

Awesome video. I live in the Upper Peninsula, Marquette actually. And you said it right!

I’ve been waiting for something like this this

Northern Michigan is unmatched in the summer time. Kid Rock had to write a song about it.

In the UP, it’s 24/7 blizzards in the winter with 6ft snow depth at all times during the winter. The brutal winters are why most people live south. In Metro Detroit, it’s grass or a dusting of snow most of the winter. In Grand Rapids, there are times where there was 5-6ft of snow on the ground, but the winters are generally much warmer and less snowy than the UP. While it’s still very snowy at times, there are long stretches where there isn’t any snow though and often in the 40’s

I like to tell people not from Michigan that the rivalry with University of Michigan and Ohio State started with the Toledo war. Most didn't know it existed, especially people from Ohio.

Good stuff MrGeoff☺️

I was born in the Upper Peninsula of the beautiful state of Michigan.🌲 I had an absolutely wonderful and glorious time as a child growing up up there! I live in the beautiful city of Grand Rapids in the lower Peninsula now. Wouldn't trade Michigan for any other state in the union ... except maybe Hawaii.🌴 😉

My mother and father are from the western UP (Bessemer/Wakefield). Moved to NC in '67 where I and my brother were born. Made many trips back to that area growing up to visit relatives, mainly my paternal grandmother. Last time I was up there was August 2019; probably gonna go again next summer.

As a note: Michigan didn't have a border dispute with Ohio over Toledo for purely what the area offered as a location. The Northwest Ordinance defined Michigan's southern border as from the southernmost tip of Lake Michigan across to Ohio and this included the Toledo strip due to an error in surveying. This fight and keeping Michigan out of the union is thought to be part of the reason for the deep seeded rivalry between the states.

I live in the Huron Federal Forest, Michigan and absolutely love it. During this time of the year I can go weeks without seeing another person When I'm solo hiking in the middle of the winter there isn't any noises at all insanely quiet. Love it

Michigan is probably the prettiest state in the continental 48. Beaver island is such a beautiful place I bought 6 acres up there. Can’t wait to build a cabin.

I’m born and raised in West Michigan and I have visited Marquette, and it really is a nice place to visit, especially if you enjoy going onto Lake Superior

I'm glad to live in Michigan. It's a good thing you did a video on the topic of Michigan.

I lived in Alpena Michigan for 5 years, and the snow was always much heavier in the middle of the state, than by us. It was also very heavy snow, the kind that you need to remove right away or break your back in a few hours of it melting.

A pretty interesting, educational, video. Thanks. 👍

I was born and raised on that large island in northern Lake Michigan, Beaver Island. This was a great presentation. I had the great fortune of attending Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie. My wife is from Detroit, so we got the best of both worlds early on. We now live in Tennessee, but our kids live on Beaver Island. Northern Michigan has remained a wilderness paradise and I hope it stays that way. I also love Southern Michigan; it's nice to have a choice.

As a member of the northern Michigan population, the reason is very simple The snow belt keeps the trash out and that’s the way we like it

My good Brother in Arms is from UP Michigan. He lives in a small community of Pelkie. He settled there after we served in Vietnam. He has a wonderful family known for their love and generous contribution to the well being of their neighbors. His homestead was all built by hand from the resources of the land he owns.

Interesting video! People in the UP are hearty! They get crazy weather. I also came here to correct your pronunciation of Mackinac but I see that was covered in other comments 😅

Northern Michigan actually begins about 2 county lines north of where you have it placed

Your dividing line between Northern and Southern Michigan is very interesting, I'd love to know how you came up with the boundary. Where exactly "Northern Michigan" begins is a hot topic amongst many Michiganders.

Northern Michigan is beautiful, and if I can ever afford property, I'm gonna move back to northern michigan

i live in the north of Michigan it is cold as hell that's why

Add Saginaw and Muskegon (barely outside of your north-south divide) and the contrast gets even starker. Oh, by the way... Battle Creek, a/k/a "Cereal City" is on the borderline between the corn belt and the wheat belt. Michigan is the northern edge of the Corn Belt (corn requires long, hot summers), followed by its band of the wheat belt (wheat requires long, but not especially hot summers -- or short, hot summers). Futher north, potatoes appear, and those are the most cold-tolerant of food crops. North of that is forest.

I feel like Michigan gets ignored a lot and i love hearing about Michigan stuff since i grew up there

I'm in NJ, born and raised. But in 1980 we took a family trip to Michigan. At first we went into Detroit, though I'm not sure if we went actually downtown or not. My Dad had a client on 10 Mile Road. I remember us driving one of the roads that headed away from the city center, and by the time we got to 30 Mile Road, that one was a dirt road. We drove through the farming areas in the south before heading north. I was amazed at how flat it was in the farming areas. We ended up spending a weekend in someone's country house on the lakeshore in the "thumb". Then we went north and into the UP, and then into Canada. Somewhere in the UP we stopped at a seashell shop and then went into Canada, and drove Highway 17 eastward, then crossed back into the US in the Thousand Islands region of NY State. What a great trip that was.

My father was a yooper. Born in L'Anse on the Keweenaw Bay. Loved visiting family up there as a child.

A couple pronunciations for future reference: Mackinac is pronounced "Mack-uh-naw" and the Maumee River is pronounced "Maw-me".

Thank you for doing a video on Michigan! To help you out for next time, it is pronounced Michi-Gander. For Mackinac bridge and Island, it is pronounced Ma-ki-naw or Google's written pronunciation Ma-kuh-naa. Tourism is a big part of the U.P. and northern Michigan. It is where many of the Southern Michiganders go for camping, weekend getaways or vacation.

My grandfather was born in Manistee MI in 1905. Doing genealogy I found his family in the 1910 Census reports. Never been there myself. Till now watching.

Good video 👍

My family is in Benzie County, SW of Traverse City. It’s truly beautiful in Northern MI. It’s just really cold with a lot of snow! Other than recreational activities like camping, hunting, skiing, fishing & snow mobiling, there wasn’t a lot of work in the North. Traverse City has medical jobs, wineries, fishing & farming. The jobs are in the South. We’re in the greater Ann Arbor area and it’s truly beautiful here!

You focus on Detroit and automotive companies for industry. But West Michigan, around Grand Rapids and Holland, have been huge in furniture. Office furniture is the biggest, with Steelcase and Hayworth being the two largest of those companies. There is a lot of other industry in West Michigan that has nothing to do with the automotive industry. Also, Michigan is huge in farming. We are first in blueberries, I think second in apples, first or second in cherries, and also have many other crops. We are also a major wine and beer producer. Grand Rapids has been dubbed Beer City USA. There is Founders Brewery, which is now sold all over the US. There are a number of other big breweries in Grand Rapids, Holland, and Kalamazoo.

My Mom was born and raised in the UP, and my brother and his wife live up there, on Lake Superior. They live off the grid.

The beautiful footage of the UP is, I think, from Lake Fanny Hooe, near Copper Harbor, which is only about 30 miles from where I grew up, waaaaay up in the Keweenaw. I live in Chicago now, but I will always be a Yooper at heart. It's amazing how many people, even other Michiganders, think that the UP is part of either Wisconsin or Canada. So thank you for this video. :)