Where does "Up North" begin?

It's a great Michigan debate; what is the line or the place that marks the end of the southern part of the state and the beginning of that mystical land we call Up North? The answers vary from emotional to philosophical. But there's also an ecological answer that helps us better understand why we …

Your Stories: Summertime memories of Lake Michigan Drive

Many of us have a road that's more than a line on a map—it's a memory. Maybe it’s the street you grew up on or the dirt road that leads you to a cottage Up North.  For listener Tom Topolski, it’s Lake Michigan Drive. GUEST:  Thomas Topolski, Hudsonville resident Want to submit a question to On…

Why does Michigan have Mile roads?

If you’ve ever gotten directions from a metro-Detroiter, you have probably heard a ‘9 Mile’ or a ‘10 Mile Road’ mentioned. Or maybe even the most famous of them all: 8 Mile. But where did all these boring road names come from? And how did they become a kind of cultural shorthand in the region?  GU…

Your Stories: The pop can economy at CMU

We recently weighed the costs and benefits of Michigan's bottle bill. Today, a listener shares just how much the 10-cent bottle deposit meant to Central Michigan University students in the 70s. GUESTS: Andrea Haupt, listener Michael Lehnert, listener Want to submit a question to On Hand? Do it …

Is Michigan’s 10-cent bottle deposit worth it?

Is it really worth our time to haul returnables to the store for just 10 cents each? And is it worth it for Michigan's recycling industry to maintain a bottle deposit system when we already have curbside recycling? See Shelie Miller's "Comprehensive Ealuation of MIchigan's Bottle Deposit System" he…

Your Stories: Euchre for dishes

In last week's episode, we dug into the history of euchre and whether the quintessential Michigan game was actually created in the mitten. Turns out, not quite. The trick-taking game came to the Midwest — including Michigan — through farmers who visited New Orleans and Pennsylvania and came in cont…

Where does euchre come from?

For many Michiganders, euchre (pronounced yoo-kur) feels like a quintessentially Michigan game—but was it actually created here? Long story short, no. But the story of how the trick-taking game made its way to the Mitten state and became one of its most popular card game is an interesting one. GUE…

Why does Michigan have two peninsulas?

Michigan is the only state in the country with two distinct peninsulas. How did it come to be this way? We share an episode of the Points North podcast that digs into the history of our states boundary lines. They story of our peninsula "up north" actually begins with a boundary dispute down south …

Your Stories: A Two Hearted Ale tale

Rory McHarg was so intrigued by the trout label on Bell's Two Hearted Ale he tracked down the artist and made a documentary about him. The film is screening in Traverse City May 1-2, 2026. GUEST ON THIS EPISODE: Rory McHarg, filmmaker, A Two Hearted Tale Take our Michigan Beer Quiz to test your k…

What made Michigan a craft beer powerhouse?

Ask just about any beer drinker in the state and they will tell you their favorite Michigan brewery and craft beer. That's because our state has many high-quality breweries to choose from, often ranking high among all states for craft beer culture. But why? And how did it get like this? We break do…