In Michigan, we have our own way of measuring distance that may not translate to lost out-of-staters. Not sure what I mean? That isn't surprising. If you've lived in the Mitten State your entire life, you have been given and gave directions like this since you first understood what a mile was.

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Let's take a look at how to translate our Michigan directional phrasing into something people not from our fine state can better understand.

Michigan Units of Measure By Mile

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That's not far, it's 'NEXT DOOR'

NEXT DOOR, to a Michigander, is 1 to 2 miles. This is not to be confused with...

Oh yeah! That's 'RIGHT UP THE ROAD'

To be clear, RIGHT UP THE ROAD, could be as little as 5 miles or just under 10, and, it doesn't necessarily mean you won't be making turns on other roads.

Yup, just head 'UP NORTH' a bit

'UP NORTH' is tricky, this unit of measure can vary between 15 to 100 miles depending on:

  1. Where in the state the directions are given
  2. Where the Michigander giving directions considers Up North begins.
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Just head 'A COUPLE MILES' and it will be on your right.

Being from Michigan, we know when someone tells us a destination is A COUPLE MILES, we know it's between 10 to 20 miles. Out of staters view 'a couple' as only 1 or 2 miles. Weird, I know.

Okay, that's 'NOT TOO FAR' at all!

Considering that we are willing to drive over an hour to a restaurant in Michigan, sometimes we stray from using miles as a unit of measurement and start using time. NOT TOO FAR could be anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes.

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So, that's 'A LITTLE WAYS' from here

From here on out we are in using time as the unit of measure and A LITTLE WAYS is how we Michiganders let you know you've got a drive ahead of you that is over an hour.

You're in for 'A PRETTY GOOD DRIVE'

A PRETTY GOOD DRIVE is Michigander for a 2-hour or more drive.

So, there you have it. How to translate Michigan driving directions into actual units of measure.

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