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

[nodakfan17]

Early in my career, I had a colleague who grew up in the Milwaukee Area and referred to his parents’ vacation home near Waupaca as ‘Up North.’ To me, this was bizarre because: 1) My perception of ‘Up North’ was always north of Hwy 64 and 2) Waupaca was literally south and west of where we worked in Green Bay. I’d ask him what his plans were for the weekend, he’d tell me he and his girlfriend were going ‘Up North,’ then he’d proceed to drive southwest for an hour and a half.

[GAME05]

I generally think anything north of the Dells and not the Dells itself, although I could be convinced of it being anything north of Stevens Point. I tend to think of 'up north' as an area of long stretches of empty country road only ever leading to one tiny town after another. There's something about it that just feels different.

[stalton]

To throw a monkey wrench into things, it's also part of Wisconsin/Midwest vernacular to go 'up' to somewhere no matter the direction. I'm going up to Chicago, for example.

[DuWayne Steurer]

To throw a monkey wrench into things, it's also part of Wisconsin/Midwest vernacular to go 'up' to somewhere no matter the direction. I'm going up to Chicago, for example.

 

 

chicago is up from Springfield, but is not "up north".

[logan82]

To throw a monkey wrench into things, it's also part of Wisconsin/Midwest vernacular to go 'up' to somewhere no matter the direction. I'm going up to Chicago, for example.

Lived in Wisconsin my whole life and that bugs me. If you are not going north, you are not going up.

[SeaBass]

To throw a monkey wrench into things, it's also part of Wisconsin/Midwest vernacular to go 'up' to somewhere no matter the direction. I'm going up to Chicago, for example.

Lived in Wisconsin my whole life and that bugs me. If you are not going north, you are not going up.

What if you live in the southern hemisphere?

 

Maybe it doesn't matter but up is kind of arbitrary when you live on an oblate spheroid.

[JimH5]

To me, "Up North" means north of Wisconsin Dells and west of Appleton. It also means areas where hunting, fishing and roadside jerky & smoked fish are common.

[PlayerHader]

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.

 

You a Marawood Conference alum? Or are you East or West side of state? I lived 1 mile north of 29. Went to school in Athens.

[PlayerHader]

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.

 

Sounds like you’re a Marawood Conference alum. I lived 1 mile north of 29. Went to school in Athens.

[CheezWizHed]

Growing up in Douglas County, no one ever spoke about this. It is only an argument for the Milwaukee and Madison crowds.

 

Attending MSOE, someone told me that they lived up north and when I asked "where", they said Tomah. I laughed and laughed...

 

HWY 8/10/29... all about the same. If you stay north of HWY 29, you'll find one city over 20k population and most of them are a few thousand tops.

[SomewhereInTime]

You're not truly up north until you're north of Bayfield.

[SoCalBrewfan]

I'm other end of the state I think, near Twin Cities, bitterly divided sports loyalties in those border areas. I even grew up outside of town, where 'town' was a booming metropolis of under 1000 at the time, just north of I-94. But even then it was changing from farm country to outlying bedroom communities for St Paul though, and I hardly recognize parts of the area now.

[Fear The Chorizo]

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.

 

Your comment on the conifer/deciduous tree line is somewhat accurate, but doesn't take into account the clearcut practices of 1800s logging when there were also intentions of converting the land to agriculture across the southern 2/3 of the state - Where the farmland stops and heavily wooded areas start, that basically points to where the absolute clearcutting ceased after Chicago and Milwaukee were initially built - particularly across the oak savannahs that had more areas resembling a prairie that weren't solid trees like the northern section of the state. Thank god most urban construction materials had started to shift away from wood by late 1800's, otherwise the aftermath of the Chicago fire would have probably stretched the treeline into the U.P.

 

If you spend alot of time in northern WI, you can tell it's a mixed forest of mature conifers (hemlocks primarily), hardwoods (mostly maple and elm), and plenty of popple/tamarack in swampy areas. Pre-European WI was mostly wooded, but it had a wide variety of deciduous and conifer trees.

[NeedMoreFans]

I'm going up to Chicago, for example.

 

I have lived in the Milwaukee or Madison area for most of my life, and I don't know if I've ever heard someone say they're going up to Chicago. I always hear people saying they're going down to Chicago, going down to Iowa, Illinois, etc. I go up to Duluth, up to Eau Claire, over to Milwaukee, up to the Twin Cities...you get the idea.

[RobDeer 45]

When I start seeing the big pine trees, that’s when I start to think I’m “up north.” I love that feeling too! For me, on the East Side it’s when I get to Merrill. On the west side I’d say just past Rice Lake.

[GAME05]

How far north do you have to go to not see weekend FIBers? Wherever that is, is "Up North."

[nodakfan17]

How far north do you have to go to not see weekend FIBers? Wherever that is, is "Up North."

By that definition, maybe the UP?

[nate82]

How far north do you have to go to not see weekend FIBers? Wherever that is, is "Up North."

By that definition, maybe the UP?

 

I think you would have to go up to Marquette for that definition to be true.

[logan82]

Canada. No FIBs in Canada.

[homer]

How far north do you have to go to not see weekend FIBers? Wherever that is, is "Up North."

 

Good luck. I found a Bears bar in Land O Lakes

[Thurston Fluff]

Up and down are odd terms to use considering we live on a spherical planet in an infinite universe. But if we insist on using those terms I think we should say up South and down North in our hemisphere. After all heat rises and it's warmer the further South you go.

[logan82]

North is at the top of the map for every map I have ever looked at.

[nate82]

North is at the top of the map for every map I have ever looked at.

 

Well that is because you are reading the map upside down.

[Thurston Fluff]

North is at the top of the map for every map I have ever looked at.

 

Map makers had to choose and chose wrong.

[jerichoholicninja]

North is at the top of the map for every map I have ever looked at.

 

[sarcasm]You've never looked at the Arctic Projection? How very continentist of you.[/sarcasm]