5 things Every Michigander Has to Explain to Out-of-Towners

I’m originally from Michigan, a city called Rochester Hills, and I lived there for 10 years. I then moved to Illinois, where things were a lot different. I had people asking me about Michigan, and also had to tell people some of the differences between the states. I’m proud to call myself a Michigander, and it will always be my home and a huge part of my life and heart.

1. The Michigan Mitten: Everyone who lives or has lived in Michigan knows that when people ask you where you’re from, you use your left hand and point to where in Michigan you’re from.
2. Trips to the lakes are so much better than trips to the ocean: Michigan is surrounded by water, so why waste your time traveling to another state, when you have 5 beautiful lakes surrounding you!
3. It’s not Mack-I-Nack!: Mackinac (Mack-I-Gnaw) Island is one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever visit. With no cars allowed, the only way you can get around is by horse and carriage, or biking and walking! Also, there are fudge shops every street! Sometimes, there’s even multiple per block, and Mackinac Island fudge is the best fudge.
4. We never throw away our cans: In Michigan, we always keep our pop cans, bottles, beer bottles, cans, you name it, we recycle it. This is because we have a thing called bottle return, where you go to your local Kroger or Meijer, go to the bottle return area, which is usually right next to the grocery carts. For every bottle, glass or aluminum, you get .10$, and if you have a lot of bottles, that can add up!
5. Once a Michigander, always a Michigander: No matter where you may move, if you were born and raised in Michigan, your heart will always be with your home state. Michigan is such a wonderful state to live in, and ask anyone from Michigan, and they’ll brag on and on about how amazing our state is.