Yooper /ˈyo͞opər / noun

Definition: Yooper is an informal noun we use in the English language to describe people who are born in or live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States. We use this slang term as an affectionate nickname for people who live above the Mackinac Bridge in the State of Michigan. 

In contrast, residents and transplants who live in Michigan’s lower peninsula go by the nickname trolls.

Etymology: We find the first recorded use of the word Yooper in the United States during the 1970s. They coined the term as an affectionate nickname given to Michigan residents and transplants who live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

Yooper originally started out as the word U.P., which is a shortened version of the words Upper Peninsula. It wasn’t until the 1970s that people from Michigan started using the longer version of the word to identify residents of the northernmost part of the state.

In a Sentence

Locals gave the newcomer a hard time when they found out he was a Yooper. 

You’ll never find a Yooper living in the lower peninsula of Michigan!

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is considered Yooper territory.

Synonyms 

Michigander, Michiganian

Antonyms 

Troll, New Yorker, Idahoan