Lower Peninsula of Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lower Peninsula of Michigan | |
| Region | |
| Nickname: The Mitten | |
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Michigan |
| Length | 446 km (277 mi), north to south |
| Width | 314 km (195 mi), east to west |
 Regions and major cities of the Lower Peninsula
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The Lower Peninsula of Michigan is surrounded by water on all sides except its southern border, which it shares with Ohio and Indiana. Geographically, the Lower Peninsula has a recognizable shape that many people associate with a mitten, with the mid-eastern region identified as The Thumb. This has led to several folkloric creation myths for the area, one being that it is a hand print of Paul Bunyan, a giant lumberjack and favorite folk character in Michigan. This has also led to the distinctive phenomenon of Lower Peninsula residents holding out their hand and pointing to a spot on it when asked where they are from.
The Lower Peninsula has been nicknamed "The Mitten", "Below the Bridge", and occasionally "The L.P." (in parallel with "the U.P." for the Upper Peninsula). It is referred to - with more than a little sarcasm - as "Detroit" by residents of the Upper Peninsula, primarily through either Detroit being the Lower Peninsula's major city, or as an insult owing to Detroit's unpopularity. Residents of the Lower Peninsula are also jokingly referred to as "Trolls", because they live "under the bridge".[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Major Airports
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (Romulus)
- Gerald R. Ford International Airport (Grand Rapids)
- Capital Region International Airport (Lansing)
- Bishop International Airport (Flint)
- MBS International Airport (Saginaw)
- Cherry Capital Airport (Traverse City)
- Alpena County Regional Airport
[edit] Interstate Highways
[edit] Interstate Auxiliary Routes
Interstate 194
Interstate 196
Interstate 296 (signed as 
)
Interstate 275
Interstate 375
Interstate 475
Interstate 496
Interstate 675
Interstate 696
[edit] US Highways
[edit] Geography
At its widest points, the Lower Peninsula is 277 miles (446 km) long from north to south and 195 miles (314 km) from east to west. It contains nearly two-thirds of Michigan's total land area. The surface of the peninsula is generally level, broken by conical hills and glacial moraines usually not more than a few hundred feet tall. It is divided by a low water divide running north and south. The larger portion of the state is on the west of this and gradually slopes toward Lake Michigan. The highest point in the Lower Peninsula is not definitely established but is either Briar Hill at 1,705 feet (520 m), or one of several points nearby in the vicinity of Cadillac. The lowest point is the surface of Lake Erie at 571 feet (174 m).
The Lower Peninsula is bounded on the south by the states of Ohio and Indiana, sharing both land and water boundaries with both. As a peninsula, the rest of the Lower Peninsula is bound by water. Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Erie are the principal bodies of water that form the coastline of the Lower Peninsula. It also shares a water boundary with the Province of Ontario, Canada.
[edit] Geology
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This section requires expansion. |
The Lower Peninsula is dominated by a geological basin known as the Michigan Basin.
[edit] Flora and Fauna
The American Bird Conservancy and the National Audubon Society have designated several locations as internationally Important Bird Areas.[3]
[edit] Regions
Michigan's Lower Peninsula can be divided into six main regions based on geological, soil, and vegetation differences; amount of urban areas or rural areas; minority populations; and agriculture:
- Central Michigan (which may include portions of West and Mid-Michigan)
- Flint/Tri-Cities
- The Thumb, a subregion of the Flint/Tri-Cities area
- Greater Tri Cities
- Northern Michigan
- Southeast Michigan / Metro Detroit
- West Michigan including Michiana
[edit] Great Lakes Circle Tour
The Great Lakes Circle Tour is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Meyer, Mark (August 21, 2008). "Circle Theatre hunts for another hit with 'Escanaba In Love'". Chicago Theatre Examiner (Examiner.com). http://www.examiner.com/x-408-Chicago-Theatre-Examiner~y2008m8d21-Circle-Theatre-hunts-for-another-hit-with-Escanaba-In-Love. Retrieved on 2008-08-26. "These few hardy souls are known in Midwestern parlance as "Yoopers" (from "U.P.ers"), and like to refer to downstate Michiganians such as myself as "trolls" because we live "under" the Mackinac Bridge."
- ^ Parrish, P. J.. "Somebody's Daughter". A Thousand Bones. Simon and Schuster. pp. 22. ISBN 1416525874. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vkFbQ6BrQtcC&oi=fnd&pg=PA9&dq=michigan+trolls+mackinac+bridge&ots=R1CVy5tnRG&sig=it-tkFx2IBYCqPz7CJLe02k0Nk8#PPA22,M1. Retrieved on 2008-08-26. "A troll was what people from Michigan's Upper Peninsula called anyone who lived "below the bridge," the five-mile-long span that connected the Upper and Lower peninsulas."
- ^ Michigan Michigan Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program See also, American Bird Conservancy -- Important Bird Areas in Michigan.
- ^ Great Lakes Circle Tour.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Michigan (arranged by counties and regions)
- Michigan Geology -- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University.
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources website, harbors, hunting, resources and more.
- Info Michigan, detailed information on 630 cities
- List of Museums, other attractions compiled by state government.
- Michigan's Official Economic Development and Travel Site.
- USCG's complete list of Michigan lighthouses.
- Map of Michigan Lighthouse in PDF Format.
- Northern Michigan Live Streaming Webcam
- Terry Pepper on lighthouses of the Western Great Lakes.
