[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Actually there is a lot of truth to the thoughts you had as a youngster. I lived in Maine for a long time and the biggest thing I missed about Michigan was all the water everywhere you went. Water was a huge part of growing up, and still is as an adult.

When I was very young(age 8), I wanted to live in Michigan. Water, and snow. I still think there are good places in Michigan to live in. I have my sights on places like Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver,etc. Still, Michigan is a wonder to me.

[Tiger Beer]

I grew up in Michigan...and when I left, I had a hard-time relating to the stereotype that Michigan is some corn-growing flat midwestern place...and IT IS...in places...YET.

That is more applicable to Indiana, Iowa, etc.

Michigan, because it has such a strong industrial history...and Detoit was kinda like Chicago as a major force for years, until it 'died' basically...just makes it much different than a Iowa or Indiana, etc.

PLUS...the GREAT LAKES...PLUS, northern Michigan is dominated by state forests everywhere, and where it isn't a state forest, you have extensive logging. Which is something I wouldn't encounter so quickly and often when driving through the 'midwest' of a Indiana or Iowa or something. IN fact, the upper lower peninsula and upper peninsula is a completely differnt world of trees and great lakes and everything else...it certainly doesn't look like flat rows of corn whatsover - although you would find that in the most southern parts of Michigan close to the IN/OH border.

SO, in short, YES, Michigan is different than the Midwest. Plus, when later I actually lived in Minnesota, and saw 'MIDWEST' references all over the place...like Midwest Lumber, etc. or whatever....I recall that in Michigan, all of the geographical references are to the LAKES...the GREAT LAKE STATE....or BLUE WATER AUTO...and on and on.

In short, it is quite a bit unusual for the Midwest.

[Bluefly]

Culturally, I've always thought of Michigan as a bit of the Northeast urban / industrial culture (the economy moved west from New York / Massachusetts) and a bit of the western frontier culture (the northern half has far more in common with the west in terms of old mining towns turned into quaint artistic / cultural enclaves, and I grew up with a strong draw to just go north to escape the chaos of the world).

Naturally, I've felt it's far more New England or Alaska-lite than Midwest. There's a very strong maritime history with all the same cultural hallmarks of any northern maritime locale - people depended on the water for their livelihoods and wives feared for their husbands' lives in the storm. Still a strong maritime culture and a healthy fear of the power of the water to boot, just more recreational with minimal commercial fishing due to the overfishing of previous generations more ignorant of their impact on the ecosystem.

Michigan gets a really bad rap, but I find it to be a fascinating place. Whenever I show friends from the east or west coasts pictures they're always astounded that something like that exists in the Midwest and they had no idea.

Perhaps these "Pure Michigan" commercials are helping - I saw the beginning of one and thought it was a shot of the ocean, so even I'm still fooled.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I grew up in Michigan...and when I left, I had a hard-time relating to the stereotype that Michigan is some corn-growing flat midwestern place...and IT IS...in places...YET.

That is more applicable to Indiana, Iowa, etc.

Michigan, because it has such a strong industrial history...and Detoit was kinda like Chicago as a major force for years, until it 'died' basically...just makes it much different than a Iowa or Indiana, etc.

PLUS...the GREAT LAKES...PLUS, northern Michigan is dominated by state forests everywhere, and where it isn't a state forest, you have extensive logging. Which is something I wouldn't encounter so quickly and often when driving through the 'midwest' of a Indiana or Iowa or something. IN fact, the upper lower peninsula and upper peninsula is a completely differnt world of trees and great lakes and everything else...it certainly doesn't look like flat rows of corn whatsover - although you would find that in the most southern parts of Michigan close to the IN/OH border.

SO, in short, YES, Michigan is different than the Midwest. Plus, when later I actually lived in Minnesota, and saw 'MIDWEST' references all over the place...like Midwest Lumber, etc. or whatever....I recall that in Michigan, all of the geographical references are to the LAKES...the GREAT LAKE STATE....or BLUE WATER AUTO...and on and on.

In short, it is quite a bit unusual for the Midwest.

In many ways, the way you described Michigan reminds me of the state of Washington where I used to live. The Puget Sound area is pretty much maritime, just as Michigan is with its lakes. There is logging in both states.

[Ben Around]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I grew up in Michigan...and when I left, I had a hard-time relating to the stereotype that Michigan is some corn-growing flat midwestern place...and IT IS...in places...YET.

That is more applicable to Indiana, Iowa, etc.

Michigan, because it has such a strong industrial history...and Detoit was kinda like Chicago as a major force for years, until it 'died' basically...just makes it much different than a Iowa or Indiana, etc.

PLUS...the GREAT LAKES...PLUS, northern Michigan is dominated by state forests everywhere, and where it isn't a state forest, you have extensive logging. Which is something I wouldn't encounter so quickly and often when driving through the 'midwest' of a Indiana or Iowa or something. IN fact, the upper lower peninsula and upper peninsula is a completely differnt world of trees and great lakes and everything else...it certainly doesn't look like flat rows of corn whatsover - although you would find that in the most southern parts of Michigan close to the IN/OH border.

SO, in short, YES, Michigan is different than the Midwest. Plus, when later I actually lived in Minnesota, and saw 'MIDWEST' references all over the place...like Midwest Lumber, etc. or whatever....I recall that in Michigan, all of the geographical references are to the LAKES...the GREAT LAKE STATE....or BLUE WATER AUTO...and on and on.

In short, it is quite a bit unusual for the Midwest.

Many people from outside the Midwest have a hard time imagining the region's diversity of landscapes, culture, peoples, economies, topographies. The picture that comes immediately to mind is red barns set aginst flat cornfields, and small towns full of white people and Protestant churches. Never mind the region's factories, skyscrapers, iron mines, coal mines, timber industry, Great Lakes' shipping and commercial fishing indistries, vast urban ghettoes, significant enclaves of eastern Europeans, American Indians, Hassidic Jews, African refugees, Southeast Asians, as well as unbridled suburban sprawl, just to name a few. It's all here--I found out myself by moving here as an adult and traveling extensively to all corners of the region.

[Bluefly]

^
Oh, I think people are well aware of the urban ghettos. Hard to even mention the words Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Cleveland, or any of the others without illiciting a look of disgust.

I think most people out east and west would be a little disheartened to realize just how similar life in the Midwest is.

[YAZ]

Some fun stuff that I like to share with my fellow Phoenicians, especially the ones that have never been to Michigan.

More coastline than ANY other state. (contiguous 48 anyway)

The city of Detroit is about 100 years older than the United States.

Michigan has more lakes than Minnesota, and they call themselves "Land of 10,000 Lakes" MI has 11,000.

MI sweet corn is addicting. Ya just can't get it out here. Reason why? It stays in MI cuz it's so good.

Michigan wines are world class.

Bob Eubanks is from Michigan. So is Lily Tomlin, Don Henley, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Madonna, Gerald Ford, George Romney (Mitt's Dad), Francis Ford Coppola, Grand Funk Railroad, et al.

Sugar beet capital of the world.

The whitetail deer are HUGE.

And plentiful.

Fishing. Coho, steelhead, lake trout, perch, walleye, muskellunge, pike, bass (both largemouth and smallmouth), sturgeon, bluegill, crappie, brook trout, etc.

Ifya plan it right, you can visit all of these towns in the same day:

Paradise, Christmas, and Hell.

Don't forget about Climax, Ishpeming, Escanaba, and Mesick!

I've been around this great country, and I gotta tell ya, MI autumns are the most colorful. Maple, oak, poplar (aspen type tree, really), hickory, etc. All mixed in with some coniferous green is quite a sight. Too bad it doesn't last that long.

Firewood is free. You cut and haul.

Ice storms and blizzard conditions are cool, believe it or not.

The pantry is stocked for a reason, and it's always a good idea to keep some propane and charcoal around for the grill.

Yeah, the power will go out during these times...grab some extra blankets and fire up the wood stove.

Leave the grill outside, pleez.

Ice fishing. One of the "coolest" social activities. I've smoked turkeys out on the ice. Hint: Keep the cerveza in the shanty; less chance of freezing.

Euchre.

More fun than Yahtzee or Scrabble.

Earnest Hemingway lived in Michigan for a while, and Rudyard Kipling spent the night in... well... Rudyard, MI. Hence the name.

Hey, it's better than Joe, Montana.

[Bluefly]

If the Southern 3rd could get its sprawl under control and the northern 2/3s would really embrace the natural beauty (instead of trying to log, mine, or build over it in the name of "progress"), I think Michigan could become a significant destination again.

But, the culture just isn't there to embrace such progressive values, which hurts an otherwise gorgeous state.

[MinneapolisMan]

Minnesota actually has over 12 thousand lakes that are ten acres in size or larger, Michigan does not have as many lakes. Minnesota has just as many northern forests and lakes and rivers as Michigan if not more, so the rest of the Midwest isnt all corn except Michigan. And Michigan does happen to have one of the crappiest and most rundown major cities in this country, not much to brag about there when your talking about Detoilet. By the way Michigan fishing doesnt not even come close to competing with Minnesota fishing, nor does any other state.

[Bluefly]

Thank you, MinneapolisMan. We now know you live in a vastly superior state in all regards.

We will take our 3,200 miles of freshwater coast and go home. Perhaps you could return the favor.