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
Map of Central Michigan
- 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
- 3 Clare
- 4 East Lansing
- 5 Eaton Rapids
- 6 Harrison
- 7 Ithaca
- 8 Mount Pleasant
- 9 St. Louis
Flint area
- 10 Fenton
- 11 Swartz Creek
Tri-Cities Area
 | Note: The Sanford Dam and the Edenville Dam on the Tittabawassee River failed in mid-May 2020. Evacuations were ordered, and travel-related services will be disrupted for some time. |
| (Information last updated May 2020) |
- 12 Saginaw
- 13 Midland
- 14 Bay City
- 15 Frankenmuth - Home to the largest Christmas store in America; located in Saginaw County
The Thumb
- 16 Caseville
- Home of the Cheeseburger in Paradise festival - 17 Bad Axe - Largest city in Huron County
- 18 Harbor Beach - Home to the self-proclaimed "Greatest Man-Made Harbor in the World"
- 19 Port Hope - Home to the Leroy Burger, the biggest burger on the Thumb
- Port Austin - Small town home to some local charter fishers
- 20 Sandusky - County seat and largest city in Sanilac County
- Caro - Largest city in the Thumb (Huron-Tuscola-Sanilac) excluding Port Huron (included in Metro Detroit)
Other destinations
- 21 Lake Isabella , a village incorporated in 1998, is approximately 13 miles 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). 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
- 1 Capital Region International Airport (LAN IATA), Lansing, MI 48906. Serves Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Washington-National, and Chicago O'Hare airports.
- 2 Bishop International Airport (FNT IATA), Flint, MI 48507. Serves Orlando, Tampa, Chicago-O'Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta), Minneapolis/St. Paul, Baltimore, and McCarran (Las Vegas) airports.
- 3 MBS International Airport (MBS IATA), Freeland, MI 48623. Serves 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.