In Michigan we make reference to "up north". We all know what that means. That means a weekend destination in the northern Lower Peninsula in the woods or on some lake. Then there's the UP, which is entirely different. The UP has completely different geological features. It's rocky and densely forested. The daunting thing about going to the UP is not that it is mostly wilderness. It's that it takes forever to drive there. Getting to the bridge is only halfway. Copper Harbor Michigan is a longer drive for me than Nashville Tennessee.
Unfortunately rich people have trashed the small towns in the upper Lower. They're all the same now. Over-priced condos, too many golf courses, nautically themed restaurants and gift shops... It's enough to make you puke. Northern Michigan has become popular with rich people from Chicago which are far worse than rich people from Michigan, but not nearly as bad as people from New York or California. They turn every town with a coastline into something that closely resembles the town they are trying to escape. There should be zoning laws that keep our coastline clear of trash.