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

[nodakfan17]

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

 

Map makers had to choose and chose wrong.

Why do you say they chose wrong? Just curious. I know it’s somewhat arbitrary and probably reflects a Euro-centric world view. But wrong?

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

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

 

Middle of Lake Superior maybe? There is a Bears bar in Bayfield. can't get more "north" than that.

[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.

Why do you say they chose wrong? Just curious. I know it’s somewhat arbitrary and probably reflects a Euro-centric world view. But wrong?

 

When something has no right or wrong way why not connect it to something logical? Heat rises and it's warmer in the South. Thus up South?

 

On a side note I've told this-for lack of a better word- joke many times though the years and have always had more pushback on it than the other thousand stupid comments I've made during that time. Not sure why this particular bit of stupid reasoning gets so much more flack than the others.

[young guns]

 

When something has no right or wrong way why not connect it to something logical? Heat rises and it's warmer in the South. Thus up South?

 

On a side note I've told this-for lack of a better word- joke many times though the years and have always had more pushback on it than the other thousand stupid comments I've made during that time. Not sure why this particular bit of stupid reasoning gets so much more flack than the others.

How very northern hemispherist of you lol.

[Samurai Bucky]

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

 

Map makers had to choose and chose wrong.

Why do you say they chose wrong? Just curious. I know it’s somewhat arbitrary and probably reflects a Euro-centric world view. But wrong?

[sarcasm]I always knew Anaximander was a bad apple...[/sarcasm]

[nate82]

If the polarity of the poles shift and North becomes South is up still North?

[hawing]

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.

In Janesville, everything in Wisconsin is "north," except what's south of Hwy 11.

 

I'm also from Janesville, and except for a couple of years in Green Bay in the 1990s, the farthest north I've lived has been Madison.

I'd draw my up-north line between roughly Eau Claire and Green Bay. Not quite 29, not quite 10, but north of the population centers.

 

Some of my Janesville relatives used to have a cabin on the Mecan River near Wautoma. They called that "up north" but I didn't.

Another Janesville uncle had a cabin in Manitowish Waters, and eventually retired there. That's DEFINITELY up north.

[Thurston Fluff]

 

When something has no right or wrong way why not connect it to something logical? Heat rises and it's warmer in the South. Thus up South?

 

On a side note I've told this-for lack of a better word- joke many times though the years and have always had more pushback on it than the other thousand stupid comments I've made during that time. Not sure why this particular bit of stupid reasoning gets so much more flack than the others.

How very northern hemispherist of you lol.

 

In my defense I did mention in this hemisphere. You do bring up an interesting question though. Do all places use up and down when describing places North or South of them? Do people in Aswan Egypt say I'm going up to Cairo for example?

[DHonks]

To me “up north” was anything north of Saukville on 43, or Fon du Lac. Pewaukee was the start of “out west”

[stoutdude04]

Everywhere. 'I'm going up to .......'

 

I say this all the time no matter where I am. No idea how or why it started.

[OldHeidelberg]

If there are bears in the woods around you are up north.

[nate82]

If there are bears in the woods around you are up north.

 

So Arizona would be up north?

[OldHeidelberg]

If there are bears in the woods around you are up north.

 

So Arizona would be up north?

 

I thought we were talking about Wisconsin. Florida has black bears too. Basically I would say for Wisconsin it's where agriculture gives way to woods which can vary especially in central WI but it pretty much lines up with the bear range.

[MrTPlush]

To me “up north” was anything north of Saukville on 43, or Fon du Lac. Pewaukee was the start of “out west”

 

I don’t think they referred to it as “out west”, but when I lived in Kenosha going to a city west of I-94 was like going to a different country to those people even if it was only 20 minutes away.

 

I always thought that was kinda funny.

[DuWayne Steurer]

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.

 

this makes me laugh. when I was a kid, my grandparents lived in Quincy, outside of Adams/friendship. When we passed the HUGE pines on county Z north of the Dells, that's when I knew we were "up north".

[nodakfan17]

If there are bears in the woods around you are up north.

Ha. I think that’s a fair assessment as far as Wisconsin goes.

[Zad Fnark]

When I lived in Superior we once had a moose walk into town one day.

 

It became a huge event and the cops were all over guiding traffic away.

 

Despite the police protection, some car came along and still managed to kill the moose.

[OldHeidelberg]

When I lived in Superior we once had a moose walk into town one day.

 

It became a huge event and the cops were all over guiding traffic away.

 

Despite the police protection, some car came along and still managed to kill the moose.

 

Back in the 80's some guy shot one all the way down near La Crescent during deer hunting season. He claimed it was charging him. Well he did get charged but it was by the DNR a couple of days later, I am sure that had a pretty hefty penalty.

 

It surprises me that there is no stable population in northern Wisconsin while there is in both Minnesota and the UP.

[MrTPlush]

When I lived in Superior we once had a moose walk into town one day.

 

It became a huge event and the cops were all over guiding traffic away.

 

Despite the police protection, some car came along and still managed to kill the moose.

 

Back in the 80's some guy shot one all the way down near La Crescent during deer hunting season. He claimed it was charging him. Well he did get charged but it was by the DNR a couple of days later, I am sure that had a pretty hefty penalty.

 

It surprises me that there is no stable population in northern Wisconsin while there is in both Minnesota and the UP.

 

Deer population is too dense. WI deer often carry a brain worm that pretty much takes them all out. Every single male moose that finds itself heading south looking for a mate typically dies near Highway 29 when the deer population really ramps up. The only reason Michigan has a small population is because they intentionally reintroduced them. WI considered doing the same, but instead decided to reintroduce elk in the state because they aren’t as prone to catching the brain worm.

[nodakfan17]

I just heard a senior manager refer to Door County as ‘Up North’ and thought to myself ‘Buddy, you’re not Up North unless you can order Hamm’s in a can for $2 or less.’

[homer]

I just heard a senior manager refer to Door County as ‘Up North’ and thought to myself ‘Buddy, you’re not Up North unless you can order Hamm’s in a can for $2 or less.’

 

I bet you can do that on the east coast of Door County

[CheezWizHed]

I'm pretty sure everything in Door county is more than $2.

[Joseph Zarr]

I fondly recall my Door County summers back in the 1980's. My parents had a Timeshare at a place called 'The Rushes of Door County'. Times more simpler then. Or, perhaps, I was just younger and more naive. Regardless, I loved that version of Door County. Tho, I will point out: There is a 'Goats on the Roof' attraction very akin to the Door County one on Vancouver Island. They even sell you keychains of a goat pooping off a roof (if, for some reason, you're into that type of thing). I digress. I really only consider 'Up North' Wisconsin Superior. I guess, that's because I lived in Minnesota for 12 years and only consider 'Up North' there The Boundary Waters.