Locating The Loneliest McDonald’s In Michigan

As McDonald's points out on all of its signs, it has served billions of people. How has it accomplished this? With locations literally everywhere, the Golden Arches have over 44,000 locations in over 100 countries, 13,600 of these in the U.S.

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Michigan is one of McDonald's top markets in the US, with an estimated 522 establishments; Detroit and Grand Rapids have the most. But as you get further away from the populated areas, the locations become quite spaced out, especially as you head up North.

However, there is a McDonald's dead zone in one area of the state where you have to really go out of your way to get that late-night McChicken.

The McDonald's Void of Michigan

Looking at a map from Mapstack that has plotted every single McDonald's franchise in the state, we can get an idea of where the most (and least) McDonald's franchises are located, and it's immediately evident that the Upper Peninsula has far fewer than the Lower Peninsula.

Not very surprising considering the population distribution, but that makes it easy to narrow down where the buildings are dispersed. Immediately, one began to see a very obvious location on the far northwest border of the Upper Peninsula, in Ironwood.

This map was last updated in 2024, so using it as a guide, we'll head to Google Maps to search for the most isolated areas to ensure they're still open. It is. 

READ MORE: New Study Reveals Michigan's Favorite Fast Food French Fries

The Ironwood McDonald's is the most remote McDonald's in Michigan for multiple reasons. One: Ironwood has a population of just 5,000, is 80 miles from both Houghton and Iron River, and is also 40 miles from the nearest McDonald's in Wisconsin. 

Honestly, it's a dang shame this location isn't visited often, because it is very unique, with a building design unlike any here in West Michigan, with the double arches built into the building.