Where Does “Up North” Really Start In Michigan?

It's an age-old debate that no one has realized is an age-old debate. When Trolls in the Lower Peninsula refer to "going up north for the weekend" or '[this city] is up north a bit", where exactly does "up north" start? There has been quite a bit of discourse about this online.

One user on Facebook said that US-10, a highway that runs horizontally across the state, acts as a natural median for the lower peninsula, while another user considered M46 as the divider.

Meanwhile, over on Reddit, this user cut the state up into three quadrants, boldly proclaiming that Northern Michigan starts before you even cross the Mackinac Bridge. They considered "Up north" starting at MI-46 and Frankenmuth, and then Northern Michigan starts at MI-72 and Traverse City. They even split the UP into two halves.

Designating the "up north" of the UP was an angle that I hadn't even considered before. Side note: The "Wisconsin Unfortunately" comment is much appreciated. One user commented "Yoopers don't separate the UP like this. It's all Yoop," which does add another important perspective - the Yooper perspective.

How do you define Michigan? This is how my family defines it
byu/ConversationNo7628 in Michigan

For me, this is what my family and I have always considered as "up north". Similar to the gentleman on Facebook, Traverse City has always seemed a natural starting up to going "up north". The Sleeping Bear Dunes are a natural beauty, and in my opinion, traveling places that are "Pure Michigan" tend to be there and beyond aka "up north".

Let's end this debate once and for all: where does "up north" really start?