Central Michigan

Central Michigan is a region of the state that had a population of 1,879,076 (2010 Census). Most area residents live in and around the hub cities of Flint, Lansing, Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City. == Regions == South Central Michigan — includes the counties of Clare, Clinton, Gratiot, Eaton, Ingham, and Isabella Flint Area — the counties of Genesee, Lapeer, and Shiawassee Tri-Counties/Cities — Bay, Saginaw, and Midland counties The Thumb — Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, and St. Clair counties == Cities == === South Central Michigan === 1 Lansing -- State capital 2 Alma 3MISSING WIKILINK Clare 4 East Lansing 5 Eaton Rapids 6MISSING WIKILINK Harrison 7 Ithaca 8 Mount Pleasant 9 St. Louis 10 Mason - County seat of Ingham County 11 Leslie - place that the Cream of Wheat guy died 12 Williamston - nearby to Rose Lake State Park and Dansville State Game area === Flint area === 13 Fenton 14 Swartz Creek === Tri-Cities Area === 15 Saginaw 16 Midland 17 Bay City 18 Frankenmuth - Home to the largest Christmas store in America; located in Saginaw County === The Thumb === 19 Caseville - Home of the Cheeseburger in Paradise festival 20 Bad Axe - Largest city in Huron County 21 Harbor Beach - Home to the self-proclaimed "Greatest Man-Made Harbor in the World" 22 Port Hope - Home to the Leroy Burger, the biggest burger on the Thumb 23 Port Austin - Small town home to some local charter fishers 24 Sandusky - County seat and largest city in Sanilac County 25 Caro - Largest city in the Thumb (Huron-Tuscola-Sanilac) excluding Port Huron (included in Metro Detroit) 26 Port Huron == Other destinations == 27 Lake Isabella , a village incorporated in 1998, is approximately 13 miles (21 km) west of Mt. Pleasant in western Isabella County. == Understand == Central Michigan is not a cosmopolitan area. The largest city is Lansing, only containing 400,000 people (if you count the suburbs and rural area around it). Most of the land is pleasant, flat farmland, with modest groves of trees and the occasional small town. == Get in == The main roads leading into Central Michigan are I-69, I-75, I-94, and I-96. === By plane === Capital Region International Airport LAN IATA in Lansing has flights from Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Washington-National, and Chicago O'Hare airports. Bishop International Airport FNT IATA has flights from Orlando, Tampa, Chicago-O'Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Baltimore, and McCarran (Las Vegas) airports. MBS International Airport MBS IATA receives flights from Detroit, Chicago-O'Hare, and Minneapolis/St. Paul airports. == Get around == === By car === The Thumb Most of the main roads in the Thumb are State Roads: Huron County: M-19, M-142 (Sand Beach Road) Tuscola County: M-15, M-24, M-138 Sanilac County: M-90 Huron-Tuscola: M-53 Tuscola-Sanilac: M-46, M-81 Huron-Tuscola-Sanilac: M-25 == See == Harbor Beach has what is considered to be the "Greatest Man-Made Harbor in the World". Lansing is the capital city of the state, and the largest city in the area, full of amazing architecture; and east of the city is Michigan State University. Port Huron is one of the busiest border crossings from Michigan to Canada (behind Detroit and Windsor); the bridge connecting Port Huron to Point Edward/Sarnia is the Blue Water Bridge. Flint is one of the largest cities in Michigan; though it is a crumbling city of 99,000 residents, there is still a vibrant downtown and is still a small hub for transportation, as with many other cities in the area. == Do == The inner Thumb is mostly fertile farmland, but the Lake Huron coastline provides many beach opportunities. Go swimming, jet-skiing or catch a tan on the shores of Lake Huron. == Eat == == Drink == == Stay safe == == Go next ==