
Michigan Is Home to A Sprawling Megalopolis You Never Knew Existed
Ask anyone about the largest metropolitan area in Michigan and they're instantly say Detroit. That's a no-brainer. Most will also be quick to identity Grand Rapids as the second largest metro in the state.
But you would agree that Michigan has a megalopois?
👇🏼BELOW: This is Every Airport Connection Route Within the State of Michigan + Every Amtrak Station in Michigan👇🏼
The term is a bit odd and one maily familiar only to geography nerds. It refers to an extremely large metropolitan area that is composed of other large metro areas all connected as if on a daily chain.
Think of the well known Northeast Megalopolis. This area stretches from Boston to Washington, DC, and includes New York, Philly and Baltimore in between. And even those in-between areas are largely urbanized - think Providence, New Haven and Wilmington. What connects this region? It's a single expressway: Interstate 95.
One could argue there's a similarly built up area of Michigan.
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The Michigan Megalopolis
Consider Michigan's I-96 corridor. The freeway stretches from downtown Detroit to the coast of Lake Michigan at Muskegon. Along the way it passes the growing exurbs of Oakland and Livingston Counties then immediately meets the Lansing area and quickly runs northwest to Grand Rapids and the lakeshore.
While certainly smaller in scale from the Northeast Megaolopolis, it's easy to see Michigan's answer with a state-spanning largely urban stretch along the Grand River corridor.
The map above is from a Reddit forum for map enthusiasts and is zoomed in on the metro regions around the Great Lakes which shows the metro regions of Michigan.
A similar case could likely be made for an I-75 Megalopolis in Michigan as well. Consider from Toledo to Bay City, the freeway hits Monroe, Detroit, Pontiac and all key Oakland County suburbs then to Flint and Saginaw before reaching rural northern Michgian north of Bay City.

This is Every Airport Connection Route Within the State of Michigan
Gallery Credit: Eric Meier
This is Every Amtrak Station in Michigan
Gallery Credit: Eric Meier