The stuff that people from other states believe to be true about Michigan is bonkers.

People who have never been to Michigan tend to share a handful of common misconceptions about the Mitten State.  Some of these myths about Michigan are hilariously wrong.  Others might be a little too close for comfort.

RIDICULOUS MYTHS ABOUT MICHIGAN THAT OTHER STATES BELIEVE

Snow up to our eyeballs in Michigan

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If you move from Florida to Michigan, your friends are going to warn you about the weather. They'll tell you that there is snow on the ground for 6 months straight. Sure, we can get a lot of snow from time to time. But Michigan's weather changes dramatically from day to day. It's rare for us to have snow on the ground for weeks at a time. 3-6 months straight? That never happens. The snow just isn't that bad here.


Kalamazoo Is Not a Real City

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I'm not sure why it's so hard for people who live outside of Michigan to believe that Kalamazoo is real. Many people around the country think that Kalamazoo is a mythical place like Oz, Gotham City, and Atlantis. This is such an easy myth to fact-check.


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The U.P. is part of Wisconsin, not Michigan

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I get it. the only land mass that the Michigan Upper Peninsula touches is Wisconsin. That's weird. However, It is Michigan's U.P. Sure, the Yoopers tend to be Packer fans and they all have a Wisconsin accent, but it is still part of Michigan.


Michigan is surrounded by water. The drinking water must be great there.

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The Flint Water Crisis began in April 2014. The drinking water contained very toxic levels of lead. Then there's all of the PFAS found in drinking water in West Michigan. Let's just say, that drinking water is a problem in "Pure Michigan."


Michiganders Have an Accent

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People who have never been to Michigan tend to think we speak like the characters in the movie Fargo. We do NOT have accents in lower Michigan. I will not be taking questions on this. Side note: Clearly, the Yoopers have accents dontcha know.

Michigan Schools Take a Lot of Snow Days

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Don't get me wrong. Michigan schools do take snow days every now and then. But it is usually to protect kids from waiting for the bus on those rare below-zero days. Michigan doesn't close schools for snow as often as other states may think. We can handle it.

Michigan People Love Craft Breweries and Marijuana Dispensaries

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OK, guilty as charged. We have an abnormally high amount of both Craft Breweries and Marijuana Dispensaries in Michigan. Especially in Southwest Michigan. We're not embarrassed about this either.

One more that didn't make the list is, "Michigan is like Ohio only colder."  Those are words that could cause a person problems.  Never say that to a Michigander.  NEVER.

Is there a misconception about Michigan that other states believe didn't make the above list?  Please, let us know in the comments.  In the meantime, check out Michigan myths that some locals still believe below.

MI Myths Even Locals Believe

Every state has its own fair share of urban legends, here's some here in Michigan that even the people who live in these areas believe to be true.

Gallery Credit: Maitlynn Mossolle

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