This Guy Just Wanted to Help People Understand Michigan. But the Internet Got Mad
If you've lived in Michigan for more than five minutes, you've no doubt held up your hand to show someone where [insert the name of any town here] is located. Having a map right there at the end of each of your arms is a true gift and just one of the advantages of living here in the Great Lakes State.
And Michigan is the only state in the country that boasts such a feature. Shut up, Wisconsin, your state does not look anything like a hand, and we're tired of explaining it to you.
Breaking Michigan Into Three Pieces
We're assuming that Facebook user Brian Vansloten was probably trying to do three things when he posted a map of Michigan on his page: (1) He was trying to be helpful, (2) he was trying to be funny, and (3) he was trying to stir the pot.
Vansloten offered up a 'helpful' map of Michigan, dividing our great state into three sections: The UP, Northern Michigan, and Detroit. Stir the pot he did, as many have chimed in with criticisms of his offering.
Some Positive Feedback
Not everyone was critical of the map.
Bridge F. was quick to comment: Perfect!
Yooper Pasty (One of my favorite foods and Facebook pages) shared the map over the weekend.
Crissy Z noted that Vansloten's creation was "close to the truth."
Some Suggestions to Improve the Map:
Randy P offered a suggestion that kinda stings for those of us in the Flint area: Needs a vertical line starting at Mt. Pleasant going straight south. East and West of that line are like 2 different worlds. We no longer live in Michigan, but when I tell people where we are from, I always specify that we are from the "Good" side of the state.
Ouch.
Robin W also voted in favor of a distinction between East and West Michigan: Hey us in West Michigan are offended that we are not on the map... yes there really is a West Michigan.
Poring through the comments, we only found one vote for distinguishing Flint from Detroit. Thank you, Andrea S: Nope! Needs a 'West Side' and a 'Flint.'
Check out the map below and weigh in with your thoughts.