Should Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Become Its Own State?

Michigan's Upper Peninsula has tried several times to become an independent state. Should the U.P. become America's 51st state? Let's see what Michiganders are saying.

Is The Upper Peninsula Too Small to Be a State?

If you wonder if Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) is too small to become a state think again. The U.P. is similar in size to Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

👇BELOW: FAMOUS PEOPLE BORN IN THE UPPER PENINSULA👇

For almost 130 years residents in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and some in northeastern Wisconsin have tried to create the state of Superior. This would separate the Upper Peninsula from being part of Michigan and parts of Wisconsin making it the 51st state.

Times Yoopers attempted to turn the U.P. into the state of Superior:

• 1897 - Parts of Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin.
• 1959 - Ted Albert of Ironwood, Michigan, sued for a divorce between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
• 1962 - The Upper Peninsula Independence Association was founded to advocate for statehood. The low population of the U.P. couldn't produce enough petition signatures to get the house to consider.
• 1970s - Residents of the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin attempted legislation for statehood but were unsuccessful.

My best friend lives in Iron River in the U.P. and I noticed most Yoopers identified more with Wisconsin than Michigan. Every store I go into an aisle of Green Bay Packers merchandise is found with only a small spot for Detroit Lions swag and it's still that way today even though the Lions are finally good.

Read More: What Is The Difference Between Michigan And Yooper Accents?

Should Michigan's Upper Peninsula Become a State?

Leave it to the Michigan Reddit poster "Fatloh" to bring up an Upper Peninsula Statehood in 2024. Let's find out what other Michiganders had to say about this.

Right out of the gate Reddit poster "DownvotesYrDumbJoke" said, "Poorest state in the union! And we'd have to build, staff, and fund our own state government. Schools would have to close. Probably a million other reasons why this is impractical." That is a pretty good point, especially with such a low population in the U.P.

I did enjoy this section of the Reddit thread where Reddit poster "Bobfett4" said, "What would you call someone from the state of Superior?" "spoonyfork" quickly chimed in, "Yooperiors." That is classic!

There are some other good points on the Reddit thread and you might have some thoughts you would like to share here. I do not think the U.P. will ever become a separate state known as Superior but we live in a different world now so you never know.