Wisconsinites: What’s ‘Up North’ to You?

[nodakfan17]

I’ve spent most of my life in the Green Bay Area. My family’s Labor Day travels took us near Cedarburg and a new acquaintance asked how long I’ve lived ‘Up North.’ I chuckled to myself because I generally don’t think of Green Bay as being ‘Up North.’ To me, the Northern region of the state begins near Highway 64.

 

I know this is a pretty geographically diverse group. I’m curious as to where everyone perceives Northern Wisconsin to begin. What do ya think?

[adambr2]

I'll go with anything north of Rhinelander.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

North of Madison

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I live in the Three Lakes/Eagle River area, so very much "up nort". I'd agree that anything north of Hwy. 64 qualifies. Of course, to most in the Milwaukee/Chicago area, that line delineates south toward Hwy. 29.

[Zad Fnark]

Superior

 

[MrTPlush]

I live in the Three Lakes/Eagle River area, so very much "up nort". I'd agree that anything north of Hwy. 64 qualifies. Of course, to most in the Milwaukee/Chicago area, that line delineates south toward Hwy. 29.

 

This is the official answer. It is when the lakes start to exponentially explode and the farm fields dramatically decrease. Highway 29 is a popular option just because it is a more notable highway and easier to know/explain. Also partially because that is when you lose the last large cities in the state.

 

For Chicago/Milwaukee area people it is what snapper said, Madison. When I lived by Milwaukee going to the Dells was up north to many of them and I found out people in that area like to have their up nort cabins in Adams-Friendship.

 

Not sure what it is for Madison people. All the people I have known from the Madison area are transplants from farther north.

[homer]

Anything north of West Bend

[madbad2000]

I'm in the Hwy 29 camp as being a good general indicator. I agree it's a bit more subjective based on your geographic area. I grew up in the Janesville/Beloit area in the Southern part of the State and can see how many would consider the Dells "Up North" in their definition. I have a hard time putting larger cities in the definition, which makes Hwy 29 a good measuring stick since it traverses a line between the last few larger cities before getting into more sparse locations.

[PlayerHader]

I could get on board with highway 29, but I agree that 64 is probably the best marker. As has bene mentioned, that is basically when endless fields turn into endless woods. It's quite noticeable if you pay attention as you drive up highway 51.

[SeaBass]

The furthest north I've been was camping for a weekend around the Crivitz area and it felt like I was in a whole different state.

[jerichoholicninja]

In high school we played a baseball game at Southern Door. That was the first time I'd been further north than Green Bay in my life. Now we go camping every year with my wife's family near Eagle River/Minacqua. While I wouldn't say Green Bay is the "border", everything north and west of that is definitely a different world.

[homer]

I could get on board with highway 29, but I agree that 64 is probably the best marker. As has bene mentioned, that is basically when endless fields turn into endless woods. It's quite noticeable if you pay attention as you drive up highway 51.

 

I was told by someone once upon a time that there is actually a "weather" line in WI that if you cross it going north the trees change pretty quickly from mostly deciduous (leaves fall off) to more evergreen (pine). And I think it's roughly Hwy 29.

[nodakfan17]

Hwy 141 goes from 4-lanes to 2 just south of Crivitz. It’s also only a few miles north of Hwy 64. For those of us in Northeastern Wisconsin, I’ve always thought of Crivitz as the ‘gateway to Up North.’

 

Door County is its own region, IMHO. The top of the peninsula is further north than portions of the UP, but it has a very different look and feel (more like the ‘Cape Cod’ of the Midwest).

[owbc]

I could get on board with highway 29, but I agree that 64 is probably the best marker. As has bene mentioned, that is basically when endless fields turn into endless woods. It's quite noticeable if you pay attention as you drive up highway 51.

 

I was told by someone once upon a time that there is actually a "weather" line in WI that if you cross it going north the trees change pretty quickly from mostly deciduous (leaves fall off) to more evergreen (pine). And I think it's roughly Hwy 29.

 

I could be wrong, but I think almost all of pre-European Wisconsin was covered in conifers and the line just represents how far the loggers got before they moved on to the more lucrative forests out west.

 

From a climate perspective I don't think there is anything special about that area, it just gradually gets colder and snowier as you go north until you get into the area influenced by the Lake Superior snowbelt which is certainly unique.

 

At least from a Milwaukee perspective, "up north" could be anywhere that involved a weekend getaway...I think we used it for a family member's lake house in Oconomowoc.

[Samurai Bucky]

Like many on this thread, "Up North" is anything north of Crivitz.

[nate82]

[sarcasm]Anything north of Chicago.[/sarcasm]

[BillScottCanRake]

I always used HWY 10 because it divided the state into northern and southern zones for people who fish for muskies.

 

Wisconsin DNR Musky Fishing

[bjkrautk]

I always used HWY 10 because it divided the state into northern and southern zones for people who fish for muskies.

 

Wisconsin DNR Musky Fishing

 

If your dividing line is Oshkosh to Stevens Point (Hwy 10) rather than Green Bay to Wausau (Hwy. 29), we may be hitting the "painting with too fine a brush" portion of the discussion.

 

As someone who has spent more than half of his life in communities between Hwy. 10 and Hwy. 29, I tend to go with Hwy. 29 as the dividing point. If I had ever lived significantly further north than that, I may have a different boundary line.

[SoCalBrewfan]

[SoCalBrewfan]

Though it should be noted that I grew up north of highway 29, and in fact had to look up highway 29 (probably should have known since some schools in our HS conference are literally on that road...). Also my dad knows Dan Woll but I promise I get no commission on any sales of that book.

[Samurai Bucky]

When I was a teenager, we took our motorcycles and rode through mud trails very similar to that. All "North of Highway 8"...

[igor67]

In my intro ecology class at UW the Southern part of the state was considered Oak Savannah, and there was a line where it switched over to conifers. I haven't seen that type of terminology used since so I don't know if it fell out of fashion, but my recollection of the map was that it was more of a diagonal line, and wouldn't quite fit Hwy 29. Since I've gotten a cabin out that direction though it certainly seems like there are some noticeable precipitation differences north and south of 29.

[BillScottCanRake]

I always used HWY 10 because it divided the state into northern and southern zones for people who fish for muskies.

 

Wisconsin DNR Musky Fishing

 

If your dividing line is Oshkosh to Stevens Point (Hwy 10) rather than Green Bay to Wausau (Hwy. 29), we may be hitting the "painting with too fine a brush" portion of the discussion.

 

As someone who has spent more than half of his life in communities between Hwy. 10 and Hwy. 29, I tend to go with Hwy. 29 as the dividing point. If I had ever lived significantly further north than that, I may have a different boundary line.

 

I am not arguing against HWY 29, or really for or against any other landmark. I just answered the question that was asked. I use HWY 10 because my dad and I fished muskie, and the DNR used it to divide the state into north south zones which was important to those fishermen.

[gypcasino]

I’m in the north of 8 camp

[DuWayne Steurer]

I grew up and live in Janesville. My aunt, uncle and grandparents all lived in Adams/Friendship when I was a wee lad, so to us, "up north" was to go visit family in Adams. The Dells wasn't "up north", but a trip to the Dells could certainly be part of going up north.