The Thumb | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| Largest city | Port Huron |
| Area | |
• Total | 6,141 sq mi (15,910 km2) |
| • Land | 3,966 sq mi (10,270 km2) |
| • Water | 2,175 sq mi (5,630 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 370,617 |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 989,810 |
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of theU.S. state ofMichigan, so named because theLower Peninsula is shaped like amitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in theCentral Michigan region, east of theFlint area and theTri-Cities and north ofMetro Detroit. The region is also branded as theBlue Water Area, and more recentlyMichigan's Thumb Coast, for tourism purposes.[1]
The counties that constitute the Thumb form the peninsula that stretches northward intoLake Huron andSaginaw Bay. There is no formal list of which counties are part of the Thumb, but virtually all definitions includeHuron,Tuscola, andSanilac counties, and most includeLapeer andSt. Clair counties. The population of the Thumb region as of the2020 census was 370,617.
The Thumb region is very flat with fertilesoil, the reason for its historical role as a chiefly agricultural area. Major agricultural products includesugar beets,navy beans,[2]corn, fruits, and fish fromSaginaw Bay andLake Huron. Manufacturing—particularly concerning theautomotive industry—is also prevalent in Michigan's Thumb due to the region's proximity to the automotive centers ofDetroit andFlint.
The Thumb has many notable businesses, many linked to agriculture.
TheI-69 International Trade Corridor is a strategic commercial gateway between theMidwestern United States andOntario, Canada, with multi-modal transportation infrastructure that offers a wide range of distribution options. The I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Development Corporation (NMDC) offers economic incentives to growing businesses, both existing and new, that utilize two or more forms of transportation to move their products and are located within the territory of the NMDC. The I-69 International Trade Corridor Next Michigan Development Corporation is the largest in the state of Michigan with 35 municipal partners.[20]
Constituent counties of the trade corridor are:Shiawassee,Genesee,Lapeer, andSt. Clair counties.[21]
Some towns, such asBay Port,Caseville,Harbor Beach, Lakeport,Lexington,Port Austin,Port Hope,Port Huron,Port Sanilac,Sebewaing, andSt. Clair enjoy seasonal tourism, due to their locations onLake Huron,Saginaw Bay, or theSt. Clair River. Tourism and farming drive the local economy.
TheTip of The Thumb Heritage Water Trail is a nonprofit citizens organization working with the Huron County Parks to establish and maintain a water trail along Michigan's Lake Huron's shoreline.[22]
Discover the Blue is a promotion by the Blue Water Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau.[23] It is designed to attract visitors to the shoreline of eastern Michigan. Communities participating in Discover the Blue include shorline areas from Algonac in St. Clair County to Port Austin at the tip of the Thumb.
In 2025, the Blue Water Convention and Visitor's bureau rebranded their advertising campaign fromDiscover the Blue toDiscover Michigan's Thumb Coast.[24] The change putsThe Thumb first and foremost in the region's branding strategy, due to an already established geographical awareness for the region as compared toBlue Water Area.[25]
Many of the residents commute for work toMetro Detroit,Flint or theTri-Cities. Incorporated cities with 2,000+ population in the Thumb area arePort Huron,Marysville,Lapeer,St. Clair,Marine City,Algonac,Caro,Imlay City,Bad Axe,Vassar,Sandusky andCroswell. The majority of these cities are in the southern portion of the Thumb.
Unique features in the area include the following:
A favorite of tourists who visit this area is traveling theLake Huron andSaginaw Bay shoreline viaM-25 (formerlyUS Highway 25 until 1973). M-25 starts at the end ofI-69/I-94 inPort Huron at the foot of theBlue Water Bridge and ends inBay City. The whole highway is about 150 miles (240 km), and passes through quaint cities and villages. Located along Lake Huron through which M-25 passes are five lighthouses:Fort Gratiot Lighthouse,Port Sanilac lighthouse,Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse,Harbor Beach Light, and thePort Austin Lighthouse.
TheLake Huron Circle Tour is a designated scenic road system connecting all of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.[33] Many visitors choose to begin the circle tour in Port Huron, from which they can circle Lake Huron. M-25 winds around the Thumb and along Saginaw Bay to Saginaw and Bay City.Lexington andPort Austin feature beaches and boardwalks that are favorites with visitors.
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In order from east to west:
Huron County is located at the tip of the Thumb. The county is surrounded on three sides by water –Saginaw Bay andLake Huron, and has over 90 miles (140 km) of shoreline, fromWhite Rock onLake Huron toSebewaing on Saginaw Bay, and more shoreline parks than any other county in the state.
The county's economy relies on agriculture and ranks as one of the top agricultural counties in Michigan. Rich farmland inland produces beans, sugar beets and grain, including most of the world's supply of navy beans.[42] Tourism is also important to Huron County with bay front and lakefront towns such asSebewaing,Caseville,Port Austin,Port Hope, andHarbor Beach, attracting tourists from all over. Huron County bordersSaginaw Bay andLake Huron. There are two state parks –Sleeper State Park andPort Crescent State Park. Three roadside parks – Jenks Park, Brown Park, and White Rock Park. Also, Huron County maintains nine county parks along the shoreline, which are Caseville Park, Lighthouse Park, Stafford Park, McGraw Park, Philp Park, Port Austin Bird Creek Park, Wagener Park, Oak Beach Park, and Sebewaing Park.
The county seat isBad Axe, located in the center of the county.
The origin of the name of the county is often disputed, but it may have derived from the French wordsla pierre, meaning "the stone". This name could be a reference to the rounded stones, orflint pebbles, found in the rivers and streams throughout the area. Another theory is that it may be an English variation ofLe Pays Plat, meaning "the flat land", which is one of the original names given to the area by the French, and can be found on many early fur trader maps of the area. The idea is that "Le Pays" may have evolved into the current pronunciation, "Lapeer".
Lapeer County is in many ways different from the other counties of the Thumb. First, it is heavily influenced by its proximity toFlint andDetroit, so as a result, its economy depends more heavily on manufacturing than the other counties of the region. Second, although agriculture is still a key economic factor in Lapeer County, it is not as important to the economy as in the other counties. Although there are still a few large-scale farms located in the county, the numbers are not found to the same extent, and these days, most farming in Lapeer now takes place on smaller, independent farms, which usually supply the local markets only. Lastly, in addition to its economic and agricultural differences, Lapeer County's geography is very different from the other counties of the Thumb. Its topography is generally gently rolling to quite hilly, and unlike its neighbors, which are flatter, and border onLake Huron orLake St. Clair, Lapeer County is landlocked. The county still has hundreds of acres of inland lakes such asBarnes Lake,Miller Lake, Lake Neppessing, the Holloway Reservoir, Big Fish Lake, and Lake Metamora, and several state recreation areas, including theOrtonville Recreation Area and theMetamora-Hadley Recreation Area, which still bring in many campers and tourists.
Sanilac County has the largest area of land in both the Thumb and the entire Lower Peninsula. Like other counties, Sanilac has fertile and flat land, great for growing crops. Towns likeLexington andPort Sanilac bring in many tourists from theDetroit Area.Sandusky is the county seat and largest city.
St. Clair County has the largest population in the Thumb, and is considered part of the Metro Detroit MSA. Many residents farther north in the Thumb, especiallySanilac County, travel toPort Huron for shopping and work. It is the farthest county to the east in Michigan, and most of the eastern border is theSt. Clair River, which separatesMichigan fromOntario. For the most part, St. Clair County is flat with an agricultural economy dominating in the north and west; in the 19th century, agriculture and lumbering were important east to the St. Clair River.Sugar beets were cultivated and annual festivals were held at harvest time. In addition, many farms had mixed agriculture. There are steep hills and small canyons near the Black River. Since the mid-20th century, manufacturing had dominated in and around Port Huron.
Like Huron County,Tuscola is mostly dependent on agriculture. Industries such as sugar refining and ethanol processing, as well as growing various grains and beans, make up most of the economy.Caro, one of the largest cities in the Thumb (the largest if you exclude St. Clair and Lapeer counties), is named afterCairo, Egypt and is the county seat. Tuscola County only has 18 miles (29 km) of shoreline alongSaginaw Bay, so it is not as dependent on tourism as the other counties in the area. Tuscola County is economically tied to the surrounding region as well as to theSaginaw,Bay City, andFlint areas.
The boundaries of what is included in the Thumb are often debated, but nearly all definitions include Huron, Sanilac, and Tuscola counties, known as the tri-county region. Disputed areas include:
TheBlue Water Area is another term describing the Thumb of Michigan. The term usually applies toSt. Clair County and surrounding areas due to theBlue Water Bridge which connectsPort Huron toSarnia, Ontario.Blue Water Country is sometime used to describe a similar region on the Canadian side of Lake Huron,[43] and is even the name of the Huron County town ofBluewater, Ontario.
In 2025, the Blue Water Convention and Visitor's bureau rebranded their advertising campaign fromDiscover the Blue toDiscoverMichigan's Thumb Coast.[44] The change putsThe Thumb first and foremost in the region's branding strategy, due to an already established geographical awareness for the region as compared toBlue Water Area, which could be used to describe many areas of Michigan and Ontario.[45]
See alsoList of Michigan state parks and geography ofMichigan.
The Thumb has many waterways.
Since the late 18th century, ethnicEuropean Americans have displaced the Native American tribes that historically occupied this territory. Since the early 20th century, they have dominated the population and culture of the Thumb. The French were the first Europeans to arrive, and thus influenced much of the early culture. They were mostly engaged in the fur trading and lumber industries, and had relatively few settlers. After the British won the French and Indian War, they took over this former French territory.
In the early years, Europeans encountered and traded with people of theMeskwaki andSauk tribes, already living in the area for centuries. There may have also been other tribes in the area such as thePotawatomi,Ojibwe, andKickapoo, but they would have been transient tribes, or found in very small numbers. All native Thumb area tribes are members of theAlgonquian peoples, a large language family. Other tribes who migrated later into the area included theWyandot (Huron), an Iroquoian language-speaking people; and theOttawa. The displacement of native peoples took place in many areas during the settling of North America.
Many of these new settlers were sent into the area by the British from Canada in an effort to establish their dominance over the Great Lakes. In 1783, control of the Thumb was officially transferred to the newly formed United States, after the American Revolution and by theTreaty of Paris. The British were a dominant influence until after the War of 1812, when the northern border was firmly defined and this area came under US control. The US organized the Northwest Territory, and American settlement of Michigan and the Thumb was well underway by the mid-19th century. Construction of the Erie Canal through Central New York created stronger connections with the port of New York and eastern markets. Settlers migrated west from New York and New England into Ohio and Michigan, seeking new territory.
As a result of this history, the land was settled primarily by people of ethnicEnglish andScots-Irish descent; many arrived fromCanada. Other settlers of the same ancestry migrated from eastern states such asNew York, andPennsylvania, as well as from New England. Immigration from the British Isles took place through the century, and later 19th and 20th century residents includedPolish andGerman immigrants who migrated from Europe through theDetroit area. Many of the customs, much of the regional lifestyle, and even the local accent, strongly reflect these origins. Some local radio stations have featured polka shows, and various ethnic festivals, such as the Polkafest, inKinde, are representative of Eastern European cultures.
More comprehensive lists are available at individual cities, villages, etc. See local towns of interest at the bottom of the page for links.
Local politicians in Washington and Lansing are listed below.
District 9 – Northern Macomb, and all of St Clair, Lapeer, Sanilac, Huron, and Tuscola counties.
District 8 –Arbela Township in Tuscola county, Eastern Midland county, most of Genesee County, and all of Bay and Saginaw counties.
32nd District – Northern Macomb and six townships in St Clair County.
81st District – Most of St Clair County, except Port Huron.
82nd District – All of Lapeer County.
83rd District – City of Port Huron, the Townships of Fort Gratiot and Burtchville, and all of Sanilac County.
84th District – All of Huron and Tuscola counties.
25th District – All of Huron, St Clair and Sanilac counties, and the Cities of Memphis, New Baltimore, and Richmond and the Townships of Armada and Richmond in Macomb County.
31st District – All of Bay, Lapeer and Tuscola counties.
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The Thumb Area Radio Region is an unranked market that is influenced byDetroit Radio Market, theTri-Cities Radio Market and theFlint Market, with stations inPort Huron andSarnia,Ontario, also serving the region.
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TheLapeer County,St. Clair County andSanilac County area lies in theDetroit Television Market. The far northern and western areas lie inside theFlint/Tri-Cities Television Market. The only broadcast TV station licensed to the Thumb region isWDCQ-TV, thePBS station licensed toBad Axe.
The border betweenPort Huron, Michigan andSarnia,Ontario, is one of the busiest connections between Canada and the US. Crossings include the twoBlue Water Bridges and the twoSt. Clair River Railway Tunnels. Ferries also connect to Canada atMarine City andAlgonac.
(organized by numbers)
I-69 begins at theBlue Water Bridge, proceeds west throughFlint, thenLansing, and then turns south toAngola, Indiana.
I-94 has its eastern terminus at the U.S. side of theBlue Water Bridge inPort Huron, at theSarnia,Ontario, Canada border, where together withI-69 it meetsOntario Highway 402.
M-15
M-19
M-24
M-25 is a highway of an arc-like shape closely following the outline of the Thumb along the Lake Huron/Saginaw Bay shoreline between Port Huron and Bay City. It is generally a scenic drive.
M-29
M-46 is a cross peninsular road, running across the mitten and the Thumb—fromPort Sanilac on theLake Huron shore; throughSaginaw nearSaginaw Bay; and then on toMuskegon on theLake Michigan shore.[56] This east-west surface route nearly bisects the Lower Peninsula of Michigan latitudinally.
M-53 (Van Dyke Road) is a gateway route to the Thumb of Michigan, carrying vacationers to the resorts and cottages on Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron in the vicinity of Caseville and Port Austin. It goes up the middle of the Thumb, and directly connects inMacomb County to the M-53 expressway. It is an important route for agricultural and manufactured goods.
M-81
M-90
M-136
M-138
M-142
M-154 located onHarsens Island
The earliest rail lines in the region date back to the mid 1800s and were precursors to the largerGrand Trunk Western Railroad. These included the Chicago, Detroit and Canada Grand Trunk Junction Railroad; the Chicago and Lake Huron Railroad; and later the Pontiac, Oxford, and Northern Railroad, also known as the "Polly-Ann".[57][58]
Meantime, thePere Marquette Railway was also expanding in the region, and by the late 1800s, had acquired theEast Saginaw and St. Clair Railroad, thePort Huron and Northwestern Railway, and the Saginaw, Tuscola, and Huron Railroad.[59][60]
Both the Pere Marquette and the Grand Trunk, through these acquisitions, established east-west mainlines across theLower Peninsula of Michigan, with termini inPort Huron and branch lines going north into Thumb. The Pere Marqette served communities such asCroswell,Bad Axe,Sandusky, andSebewaing, while the Grand Trunk provided service toImlay City,Cass City,Caseville, andHarbor Beach.
Other railroads with a more limited presence in the Thumb included the Handy Brother's Detroit, Bay City, and Western[61] andPort Huron and Detroit Railroad; theMichigan Central Railroad (laterPenn Central andConrail); theTuscola and Saginaw Bay Railway; andinterurban railroads such as theDetroit United Railway.
The Pere Marquete would become part ofChesapeake and Ohio Railway in 1947, while the Grand Trunk was a wholly owned subsidiary of theCanadian National Railway. The twoclass I railroads connected Thumb area farmers and passengers to the greater North American railroad network.
Theeconomic challenges of the 1970s, followed byderegulation and consolidation in the 1980s, lead to the abandonment of many miles of track in the Thumb area.[62] Passenger service nationwide had been folded intoAmtrak in 1971, and the remaining thumb railroads focused mostly on moving agricultural products to market.[63]
The Chesapeake and Ohio became part of theChessie System in 1973. The Grand Trunk abandoned it's entire line from Imlay City to Caseville in 1974.[64] The Chessie System and laterCSX continued to operate many branch lines in the Thumb through the 1980s and 1990s, selling what was left of the original Pere Marquette system toHuron and Eastern Railway.[65]
Today,Amtrak'sBlue Water service provides daily round-trip passenger service between Port Huron and Chicago, with an intermediate stop inLapeer.Shortline railroad operatorGenesee & Wyoming owns the majority of the remaining track in the Thumb through their acquisition of Huron and Eastern.Canadian National continues to have a presence as well, due to theSt. Clair Tunnel in Port Huron and their Flint Subdivision, in which CSX hastrackage rights between Port Huron andFlint.
Blue Water Area Transit serves the city of Port Huron and surrounding areas.
The only international airport in the Thumb isSt. Clair County International Airport about 6 miles (9.7 km) outside Port Huron. City airports include: Caro Municipal, Dupont-Lapeer Airport, Huron County Memorial Airport, Marine City Airport, Marlette Municipal, Sandusky City, and Yale Airport. Scheduled airline service is available fromMBS International Airport[66] inFreeland and FlintBishop International Airport.[67] While neither of these airports is in the Thumb, both are relatively close by.
Area code 989 covers about half of the Thumb: Huron, Tuscola, and far northern Sanilac County (and theMarlette area). The Thumb's other half is covered byarea code 810, which takes in most of Sanilac, Lapeer, Genesee and Saint Clair counties. All of Macomb County is served byarea code 586, as is a small part of south-western Saint Clair County.
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