Did You Know That Michigan Wasn’t Always Part of the Eastern Time Zone?

Did you know that Michigan wasn't always part of the Eastern Time Zone?

To be fair, it's been part of the Eastern Time Zone for quite a while now, but it wasn't always that way.

Michigan's Time Zone History

Time zones were first introduced to the US in 1883, but it wasn't until 1885 that Michigan was enveloped into the fold. When it was, Michigan observed Central Time. That's right, Michiganders were on the same time as all the folks in Chicago.

Michigan remained on Central Standard Time (CST) for 30 years, until 1915, when we switched (in part) to Eastern Time. But why did Michigan make the switch from Central to Eastern Time in the first place?

Why Did Michigan Change from Central to Eastern Time?

The reason for the switch, in Detroit at first and most of the rest of the state to follow, was thanks in part to a club that called themselves the More Daylight Club. Formed in Detroit in 1907, the club aimed to "give people more time to enjoy their summers".

Why would Michiganders need more daylight in the summer? This was because back in 1907, Daylight Saving Time hadn't been adopted yet, so the sun was setting before 7 pm on summer evenings while Michigan was observing Central Standard Time.

When Did Michigan Switch From Central Standard Time to Eastern Standard Time?

For Michigan, the switch from Central to Eastern Standard Time (EST) happened in steps.

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First, Detroit flipped to EST in 1915. Then we saw other major cities at the time, like Lansing, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, and Port Huron move to EST. Finally, the majority of the state moved over to Eastern Time in 1931.

Did You Know That Michigan is One of a Few States With Two Time Zones?

While most of Michigan is indeed in the Eastern Time Zone, four counties in the Upper Peninsula observe Central Time. These counties are Gogebic, Iron, Dickinson, and Menominee Counties, and they're all in the western and southernmost parts of the UP.

The other 14 states that have more than one-time zone include Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas.