How far south is northern Wisconsin? (Milwaukee, Green Bay: living, agricultural, estate)

[stancubed]

My roommate is from the Janesville area, and he recently talked about going "up north" to Menomonie (where some of his friends who go to UW-Stout live), which is somewhere I never really considered to be "up north". He said that he considers anything north of the Dells to be part of northern Wisconsin.

Being from Manitowoc, I never considered myself to be a part of northern Wisconsin. I have always thought that generally anything north of Eau Claire and Wausau to be "up north". Living 40 miles from Green Bay, my area gets Green Bay television and radio and they refer to the area as "Northeast Wisconsin"—however, I never really considered that area to be that far north, because it also includes more southern areas of Wisconsin, like Manitowoc, the Fox Cities (including Oshkosh), and sometimes also Sheboygan and Fond du Lac. I felt like I had more in common with those cities than anything north of Green Bay.

Where would you consider to be dividing line between northern Wisconsin and the rest of Wisconsin, and how does being from your part of the state affect that boundary?

[gymdawg]

I currently live in Milwaukee and grew up in rural Manitowoc County (near Valders). I believe that "up north" starts north of State Highway 64, beginning in Marinette and proceeding westward to U.S. 53 near Bloomer. In these areas, the landscape south of 64 is largely agricultural; north of the highway it becomes increasingly forested. West of 53, the division becomes more amorphous as one enters the dairy areas of Dunn and St. Croix Counties. Once 64 takes you into New Richmond, you're already into the exurban Twin Cities, definitely not "up north".

[BOBNCHI]

Generally weve always considered anywhere north of Wausau as "up north"

[GraniteStater]

The areas of mixed-forest trending more boreal, Canadian Shield geological soils, lakes, and balsam fir trees being very common. 45N latitude northward is the region defined as northern Wisconsin- north of Wausau.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

The areas of mixed-forest trending more boreal, Canadian Shield geological soils, lakes, and balsam fir trees being very common. 45N latitude northward is the region defined as northern Wisconsin- north of Wausau.

This. It's an ecological distinction.

[EllieKay56]

I live close to Wausau and consider it north central Wisconsin.

[ranger17]

its all relative. I often thought growing up that "up north" meant the north woods, at least Merrill and beyond.
But i know family and friends from south of the border, that to them "up north" means traveling to perhaps Marquette/Green Lake Counties.

Maybe it is a mileage thing, anything over a 4 hour drive when the car's compass says N and you've arrived "up north".

[TRlaura]

If you want to get technical, Pittsville is considered the geographical center of Wisconsin, so any place north of there would be in northern Wisconsin.
When I moved here up north was always explained as anywhere north of Hwy 64.
As for my town, I am in SE Wisconsin (or east central).

[hankejp]

I consider North of Hwy 10 to 64 in Merrill to be North Central Wisconsin and the anything north of 64 to be the northern wisconsin.

[SteveC1024]

I'd say anything north of the line connecting Eau Claire/Wausau/Green Bay to be "northern".