Michigan Shared a Border with 'Northern' Canada

It's basic knowledge that Michigan borders Canada. In fact, the state is practically hugged by the province of Ontario with borders to the north, east and south.

What is much lesser known is that Michigan actually borders "Northern Canada."

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It feels odd to comprehend how Canada, with vast expanses of land to the north, and having Michigan on its southern border could consider Michigan to border the northern portion of the country.

The Counterintuitive Connection: Michigan and Canada's North

But that's exactly what Statistics Canada says.

The national statistics bureau, StatCan as it's known colloquially, "ensures Canadians have the key information on Canada's economy, society and environment that they require to function effectively as citizens and decision makers."

According to a StatCan map, the northern portion of Canada begins roughly on a line with Alpena, Michigan. So that puts all of Michigan's Upper Peninsula adjacent to Northern Canada - even though this is Canada's southern border.

Statistics Canada

The distinction StatCan appears to make is more about population than geography. The nation's population centers are all in the southern tier and the section of Ontario that borders northern Michigan is decidedly not part of that higher population belt.

The map was shared on Reddit and surprisingly didn't raise much surprise among commenters:

Makes sense as they're very rural northern areas of Michigan and Minnesota.
That part of Ontario is very sparsely populated compared to Southern Ontario and even the prairies to the west, which have a lot of agriculture. It’s a big divide between western and eastern Canada.
As a Canadian, this looks so silly on a map but, from what I know, is so accurate

Photo by Michael Hamments on Unsplash

👇🏼BELOW: What it Looks Like to Enter Michigan from Canada👇🏼

So that leaves the section of Ontario's southern border with Michigan and Minnesota as the only parts of Northern Canada that touch the Lower 48 of the United States. A clearly Canadian statistical quirk.

Here's What It Looks Like to Enter Michigan from Canada

If you've never approached Michigan from either Windsor, Sarnia or Sault Ste Marie in Canada, here's what it looks like as you approach the border.

Gallery Credit: Eric Meier

These are all of Michigan's Saint Cities

From being largely explored by French missionaries and traders, it's not surprising that many locations across Michigan bear the names of saints. Perhaps, it's more surprising there are not more. Here are Michigan's 'Saint Cities.'

Gallery Credit: Google Maps Street View