Up North Wisconsin is said to be a “state of mind and geography, less about geography and more about what you do when you get there.” Up North is considered to be any north-central Wisconsin community above Highway. 8. Once a remote primeval forest settled by iron and copper miners and then lumberjacks, Up North is now an extremely popular vacation destination, drawing vacationers form Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan, and parts beyond, year 'round, who enjoy its 3,200 lakes, streams and a half-million acres of public forest. More than just a cookbook, Up North Wisconsin celebrates the history, the people, and cultures that so influenced the area for centuries with a compilation of recipes presenting a fresh take on traditional foods alongside interesting sidebars on the quintessential uniqueness that makes Up North Wisconsin.