Ellie T. Says...

The U.P is a very nice place to visit. We are a somewhat small state, with a population over 300,000. The winters can be harsh and the summers aren't too hot. People here are usually known as Yoopers (along with the people in Wisconsin and parts of Lower Michigan). You could say we have our own “language”. The way we speak is different from standard English language mostly because of the background of settlers to the area. Settlers were either Finnish, French Canadian, Flemish, Scandinavian, German or Native American descents. Many people have a hard time understanding how we speak. Other than that interesting fact there are many unique things about the U.P. The U.P has the worlds largest ski jump. There are over 4,000 lakes, and 12,000 miles of streams in the Upper Peninsula. Michigan has 83 counties, and the last one to be formed was Dickinson County, which is where we live. The Largest city is Marquette. There are over 3,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. There are nearly 400 species of birds in the Upper Peninsula. More than 30 sunken ships can be found in Bay de Noc. There are 8.8 million acres of forest in the U.P, making 84% of the U.P covered by forest.