Southern Michigan is a loosely defined geographic area of the
U.S. state of
Michigan
Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Southern Michigan may be referred to as a sub-region or component area to other regions of the
Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is an area of rolling farmland, including the
Irish Hills. It is usually defined as anywhere less than approximately 45-50 miles North of the Ohio/Indiana border, it can also be defined as the bottom two rows of counties of Michigan, meaning any county which borders Ohio or Indiana and the county just north of that. The region shares a state border with
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
and
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. However the actual line is somewhat disputed.
Definitions
Depending on the viewer's perspective, the area known as ''Southern Michigan'' can fall into three well defined and larger regions of the state:
*
Central Michigan the
Greater Lansing and the
Flint and Tri-Cities area.
*
West Michigan the area surrounding
Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...
and
Battle Creek, which share similarities with other cities in
Michiana and on the
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
shore.
*
Southeast Michigan includes
Metro Detroit
Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...
and outlying cities such as
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...
,
Adrian
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the ma ...
, and
Jackson, though Jackson is normally included in "South-Central Lower Michigan" or "Mid-Michigan".
See also
*
List of counties in Michigan
There are 83 counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The boundaries of these counties have not changed substantially since 1897. However, throughout the 19th century, the state legislature frequently adjusted county boundaries. County creation ...
*Mid or
Central Michigan
*
West Michigan
*
Southeastern Michigan
*
Lower Peninsula of Michigan
*
Lansing metropolitan area
Notes
External links
Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Michigan (arranged by counties and regions)*
ttp://www.michigan.gov/dnr Michigan Department of Natural Resources website, harbors, hunting, resources and more.Info Michigan, detailed information on 630 citiesList of Museums, other attractions compiled by state government.Michigan's Official Economic Development and Travel Site.*
Map of Michigan Lighthousein PDF Format.
Regions of Michigan
{{Michigan-geo-stub