What is “up north” or vacation country for your state?

[Sctvhound]

In South Carolina, I'd say anywhere north of US 123 or US 29 is the "mountains"  to us in the Charleston area. A very small percentage of the population of the state is in that region. Some people use I-85, but you'd have basically the entire Greenville-Spartanburg metro as a part of that.

Clemson is in that area, right along 123. The tens of thousands of folks who drive up there every football home weekend from the Lowcountry think it is the mountains. You can see the Blue Ridge from there.

For the coast, most non-locals probably say anywhere east of US 17 is the coast before you get to Georgetown. Once you get above Georgetown, it is probably US 701. Coming from Charleston, at Georgetown if you go straight you use 701 to get to Conway and Loris, 17 to get to Myrtle Beach.

77 and 26 are big dividing lines for beach traffic. There are a lot of northeast TN tags down at the Charleston beaches in the summer because of the direct route on 26, and tons of Ohio and West Virginia thanks to 77. Kentucky and Ohio folks also come here frequently because of the easy connection from 75 to 40 to 26.

[J3ebrules]

For Jerseyans who do NOT go to the shore, I'd say it's the Poconos, the Catskills, and even the Adirondacks.

Some friends of ours ran into some Jerseyans on Keuka Lake one time.. which is a good 3-1/2 to 4 hours even from the nearest parts of Jersey, and more west than north.

I LOVE the Finger Lakes - Keuka in particular because at least the last time I was there, it was the only one with waveunner rentals. I don't recall seeing a ton of New Jerseyans - more Pennsylvanians and other New Yorkers than anything else.

[ce929wax]

I would say US 10 for Michigan.

[Rothman]

Massachusetts has a pretty clear line: the Cape Cod Canal. However, there is a lot of coastline in the state, so vacation homes can be elsewhere, too.

Don't forget the Berkshires as well, as they get bombarded by New Yorker and other tourists every fall.

[D-Dey65]

For Jerseyans who do NOT go to the shore, I'd say it's the Poconos, the Catskills, and even the Adirondacks.

You can pretty much apply that to Long Islanders and New Yorkers... or you can just use the usual rule of thumb about the definition of "Upstate," i.e.; everything north of The Bronx.

Although I'm pretty sure "vacation country" doesn't apply to Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Bronxville.

[Rothman]

Having watched the traffic on the Northway from my office for over a decade, it's actually a fun bias of mine to discount the Catskills as a destination (all the closed resorts notwithstanding).  I'd put the line at Lake George Village.  It's vacationland from there north.

[GaryV]

For Michigan it's a bit rugged. From the East it's  M-61 to M-66 then down to M-46.

Saginaw and the thumb certainly aren't up north.

I'd switch to M-20 on the west end.  And then include any counties in their entirety that those roads pass through.  Else, for example, you exclude half of Clare County including Clare itself - which definitely could be considered the door to "up north".  And using M-46, you put Muskegon up north - in my opinion it's not.

A lot of the lakeshore communities of the Thumb are considered to be up north by people, because of the cottages and campgrounds there.  But I agree with you, while it's a vacation spot, it's not really "up north".

[Roadgeekteen]

For Jerseyans who do NOT go to the shore, I'd say it's the Poconos, the Catskills, and even the Adirondacks.

You can pretty much apply that to Long Islanders and New Yorkers... or you can just use the usual rule of thumb about the definition of "Upstate," i.e.; everything north of The Bronx.

Although I'm pretty sure "vacation country" doesn't apply to Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Bronxville.

I wouldn't call Buffalo and Rochester "vacation county"

[frankenroad]

Within Ohio, it's the north coast - anything east of 75 and north of 2, excluding metro Cleveland (yes, that's a pretty narrow strip of lakefront).  It's where I have a permanent camper.

Most Ohio people when they say "up north", they mean Michigan.   Lake Cumberland (KY), Myrtle Beach, and Destin are also popular among Buckeyes.

[Flint1979]

For Michigan it's a bit rugged. From the East it's  M-61 to M-66 then down to M-46.

Saginaw and the thumb certainly aren't up north.

I'd switch to M-20 on the west end.  And then include any counties in their entirety that those roads pass through.  Else, for example, you exclude half of Clare County including Clare itself - which definitely could be considered the door to "up north".  And using M-46, you put Muskegon up north - in my opinion it's not.

A lot of the lakeshore communities of the Thumb are considered to be up north by people, because of the cottages and campgrounds there.  But I agree with you, while it's a vacation spot, it's not really "up north".

Yeah M-20 might be a better line for that than M-46. I keep forgetting that M-46 dips south using US-131 to do so. Maybe if you keep it M-46 then M-82 could be the line west of US-131 but M-20 is a good line too. Or you could almost use M-20 keeping the line straight in the Canadian Lakes area and then back to US-10 to Bay City but that then puts Midland and Bay City back into the mix. I know that the Turkey Roost Restaurant is a major stopping off point along I-75 heading up north.

[hbelkins]

Most Ohio people when they say "up north", they mean Michigan.   Lake Cumberland (KY), Myrtle Beach, and Destin are also popular among Buckeyes.

Ah, yes. The Ohio Navy.



If by "Up North" you're talking geography, then obviously it's the three Cincinnati suburb counties of Boone, Kenton, and Campbell. For vacation areas, then truthfully, Kentucky's "Up North" is Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tenn. But the lakes (Cumberland in the south-central part of the state, Barkley/Kentucky in the western part of the state, and some of the other smaller Corps of Engineers lakes scattered throughout the state) would also deserve consideration.

My area, with Natural Bridge State Resort Park, the Red River Gorge, and various rock climbing and ATV park facilities, is gaining in popularity, especially with out-of-staters.

[doorknob60]

Both of those are the Cascade/McCall area for people in Boise.

EDIT: And if you're wondering where the line between "Northern Idaho" and "Southern Idaho", I'd say it's Riggins. That's where the time zone split is, Riggins and south is Mountain, north of Riggins is Pacific (roughly, it follows the Salmon River). And US-95 is the only real highway between the two sides (not counting going through OR/WA or MT) so everyone goes through there (the "bottleneck" is between New Meadows and Grangeville).

[mgk920]

Wisconsin, I would go with WIS 70. US 8 seems a little too far south.

"Up North" is Highway 29.



That is a bias for those of us who frequent the I-39/US 51 corridor.  Once you leave Wausau and get the cool view around Brokaw, it feels like 'Up North'.  I'm sure it doesn't feel much like 'Up North' for folks in Green Bay or Hudson.  But it does include Door County; a very 'Up North' kind of place in this state.

I've always heard the phrase "north of 64," with is basically the next highway north from WI-29.  Parts of Green Bay, Wausau and Eau Claire shouldn't be considered "up north."

Wisconsin, I would go with WIS 70. US 8 seems a little too far south.

I think US-8 is too far south.  There is plenty of "up north" south of that highway...Crivitz, Wabeno, Tomahawk....are are "up north."

Not that long ago, I caught a discussion on a Milwaukee radio station about what is considered to be 'Up North™'.



The responses varied greatly depending on where the various respondents were from, ranging from north of WI 33 all the way to north of US 8.

From my vantage point here in Appleton, I would say 'Up North™' is anything north of WI 29 west of Shawano and WI 22 east of Shawano.  To me, there is a very definite change in the scenery and character of the area as one crosses that line.



Mike

[ftballfan]

There are several definitions in Michigan:

1. North of a line running from about Montague/Whitehall to about Pinconning
2. North of US-10
3. North of M-55
4. North of M-72
5. North of the Mackinac Bridge

IMHO, #1 fits the best as there are several decent-sized vacation areas between that imaginary line and US-10, such as Silver Lake Sand Dunes, Croton and Hardy dams, Big Star Lake, and the Canadian Lakes.

[triplemultiplex]

The responses varied greatly depending on where the various respondents were from, ranging from north of WI 33 all the way to north of US 8.

Indeed.  Living where I do compared to where I grew up, I find it amusing if I hear someone refer to a place like Jackson County as "up north".

From my vantage point here in Appleton, I would say 'Up North™' is anything north of WI 29 west of Shawano and WI 22 east of Shawano.  To me, there is a very definite change in the scenery and character of the area as one crosses that line.

This bring up a thought I've had about what is 'up north'.  While not as famous as the one between the Appalachian Mountains and the coastal plain, we have a Fall Line bowing through Wisconsin.  It marks the transition in our bedrock geology between tougher Precambrian metamorphic and volcanic rocks that dominate the northern half of the state and the younger, relatively more erosive Paleozoic strata that cover everything south of there.  As all of our mostly south-flowing rivers cross this point, the transition is inevitably a place with a series of waterfalls or large rapids.  These were perfect places to set up a mill and new town back in the day because the rivers were all easy to dam.

So just like out east, one can trace the Fall Line by connecting the dots with cities.  Draw a line starting at St. Croix Falls and going through Chippewa Falls, Black River Falls, Wisconsin Rapids, Shawano, and Oconto Falls to mark this feature.  It creates a demarcation that lines up pretty well with the parts of the state that feel "up north", especially to folks from the big cities to the south.
It's not a precise line, especially in central Wisconsin with all its farmland and mid-sized cities, but it's pretty close.  It has the bonus of dipping south to include some pretty wild places in eastern Jackson County, but also gets further north as one gets toward the edges of the state and the proximity those edges have to bigger cities (St. Paul and Green Bay).

[hbelkins]

I remember having a discussion on what constitutes "up north" in Michigan several years ago, from a geographical standpoint, but don't remember where that discussion was.

[jemacedo9]

PA...it's the battle between Western PA and Eastern PA...and it always seemed to me that the line, from south to north, starts with the Blue Mountain ridge up to the Susquehanna River, and then following the Susquehanna River north, but then it gets kinda nebulous. 

Does York and Carlisle and Chambersburg consider themselves Western PA or Eastern?  What about Williamsport? or Lock Haven? Or Lewisburg?   State College I believe falls under Western. 

Or is there a third line that everything above I-80 is considered Northern PA?

[Eth]

From west to east, I'd say something like:

(Alabama) — GA 20 — Rome — GA 53 — Gainesville — US 23 — Cornelia/Toccoa — US 123 — (South Carolina)

I debated whether or not to include Lake Lanier as part of it, but really once you get to the south end of the lake (Cumming/Buford), you're pretty much back in the Atlanta suburban morass. Maybe an argument for GA 400/GA 20/I-985 around the lake, but no farther south.

[Flint1979]

It kind of depends on what highway you are on too. For I-75 I would say it starts at exit 188 which is the US-23 split near Standish. For US-127, it's when you pass US-10 in the Clare area. For US-131 probably around the Big Rapids area. For US-31, it's Silver Lake.

Few state highways, For M-30, the Midland-Gladwin county line. For M-18, north of Beaverton. For M-66, north of M-46. For M-37, once you get into the Manistee National Forest.

[webny99]

You can pretty much apply that to Long Islanders and New Yorkers... or you can just use the usual rule of thumb about the definition of "Upstate," i.e.; everything north of The Bronx.
Although I'm pretty sure "vacation country" doesn't apply to Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Bronxville.

I wouldn't call Buffalo and Rochester "vacation county"

Well, not in the sense being referred to in this thread, anyways.
Believe it or not, there are over 6 million people upstate, and both Rochester and Buffalo are big enough to have vacation countries of their own.

[vdeane]

You can pretty much apply that to Long Islanders and New Yorkers... or you can just use the usual rule of thumb about the definition of "Upstate," i.e.; everything north of The Bronx.
Although I'm pretty sure "vacation country" doesn't apply to Yonkers, Mount Vernon or Bronxville.

I wouldn't call Buffalo and Rochester "vacation county"

Well, not in the sense being referred to in this thread, anyways.
Believe it or not, there are over 6 million people upstate, and both Rochester and Buffalo are big enough to have vacation countries of their own.

I don't think there's anywhere that's really unified "vacation country" for the state.  For the Capital District, the south boundary of the Adirondack Park is a good marker (basically the same as what Rothman said).  For NYC, I would think I-84.  For the rest of the state, hard to come up with hard lines, since with the 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes, it's not really oriented in any one direction.

[D-Dey65]

I wouldn't call Buffalo and Rochester "vacation county"

Well, not in the sense being referred to in this thread, anyways.
Believe it or not, there are over 6 million people upstate, and both Rochester and Buffalo are big enough to have vacation countries of their own.

I don't think there's anywhere that's really unified "vacation country" for the state.  For the Capital District, the south boundary of the Adirondack Park is a good marker (basically the same as what Rothman said).  For NYC, I would think I-84.  For the rest of the state, hard to come up with hard lines, since with the 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes, it's not really oriented in any one direction.

Does anything along the Lake Ontario State Parkway and it's formerly proposed extension to the ex-Robert Moses State Parkway qualify as "vacation country" for the people of Buffalo and Rochester? And since you and Rothman mentioned the Adirondack region, I just though I'm mention that I was looking at a GSV of the Adirondack Northway in the Lake George region (including NY 912Q), and it reminded me of the fact that I want to drive the Northway before I die. 

[TravelingBethelite]

Massachusetts has a pretty clear line: the Cape Cod Canal. However, there is a lot of coastline in the state, so vacation homes can be elsewhere, too.

Don't forget the Berkshires as well, as they get bombarded by New Yorker and other tourists every fall.

Akin to Litchfield County in CT, which aside from also being largely forgotten, are in the foothills of the Berkshires. In addition, they are vacation country, not for any of Connecticut's dwindling number of working stiffs, but rich and famous New Yorkers eager (desperate?) to escape the city. Especially now, I'd bet, of all times.

[webny99]

Does anything along the Lake Ontario State Parkway and it's formerly proposed extension to the ex-Robert Moses State Parkway qualify as "vacation country" for the people of Buffalo and Rochester?

The blunt answer is no. All of the best Lake Ontario beaches are east of Rochester. Hamlin is the main one to the west that allows swimming, and it generates a decent amount of day trip traffic, but very few true "vacationers". Really the entire area north of the Thruway between Rochester and Buffalo is true hick country, the lake shore notwithstanding. My bet is that Orleans County would rank dead last on a list of NY counties to visit on vacation.

For the rest of the state, hard to come up with hard lines, since with the 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes, it's not really oriented in any one direction.

That's true, there's not much clear cut directionality.
From Rochester, the Lake Ontario shoreline (heading east) and I-390 (heading south) would be roughly the boundaries of the directions where vacationers fan out. And from Buffalo, the fanning out mostly occurs between the Lake Erie shoreline (heading southwest) and the Thruway (heading east).

For Syracuse, it's even less clear. You can literally head any direction you want: Mohawk Valley, Adirondacks, 1000 Islands, Lake Ontario, and the Finger Lakes bring it full circle.

[oscar]

"Up north" in Virginia is mostly too urban to be "vacation country".

Virginia's "vacation country" is often to the east, and not always in Virginia. For northern Virginia, it's largely beach towns in Maryland and southern Delaware, and also reaches south to the Virginia Beach area and North Carolina's Outer Banks.