Talk:Hell, Michigan

Article Source
Original stub article adapted from a writeup for Everything2.com http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1331188

Additional info adapted from a writeup from http://www.moonrise.org/other/hell.shtml

Half-singed
What the heck is a "half-singed diploma"? Ivan 04:14, Mar 15, 2004 (UTC)

It's a diploma that looks like it's been through a fire. Tlogmer 12:05, Mar 22, 2004 (EST)

Nevermind. Irish Hermit 13:45, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Highway?
I did a quick look at a few maps of the area and it would appear that there are a few interstates in the area. However, I was wondering if there has been any move by any indivual or party to dub some form of highway as "The Highway To Hell". I mean I know that there was a freeway in AZ, CO, NM formerly labeled as route 666 and thus "The Devil's Highway".


 * The only road to and from Hell is Patterson Lake Rd., which does not directly connect with US 23, and is a municipally-owned road. One must reach it from the Territorial Rd. exit or continue up to M-36 to access Pinckney, and then travel one of the north-south roads to connect with Patterson Lake Rd. US 23 is an interstate-grade highway with a speed limit of 70 mph. U.S. 666 was once an actual highway (now part of U.S. Route 491), and my home state of Pennsylvania still has a Route 666.  A photo of the PA 666 sign was used on Hell's official website for several years. Bill S. (talk) 11:03, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

"So schoene hell" -- roughly translated as, "So bright and beautiful."
Well, being a native German speaker, I doubt the correctness of the translation "So schoene hell" as "So bright and beautiful." – Apart from a minor grammatical incorrectness, most probably it would have been "So schön hell" (or, schoen when using the correct umlaut-transliteration), hell is a German adjective meaning bright or light, but not beautiful. Schön is indeed meaning beautiful but in this context it's just used as an adjective-modifier to put emphasis on the adjective bright/light. Therefore, a better translation of "So schön hell" would be "So nicely bright" or "So lovely light" ... :-) MikeZ 10:36, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
 * Just thought I'd note this here. The phrase "So schoene hell" sounds like the English words "So shines (or shone) Hell." And the translation refers to beauty and brightness. An odd little concidince I thought I'd mention. -- Auric 19:37, 7 June 2006 (UTC)
 * I think it was supposed to be “gell” (roughly translates as “right?” or “Don’t you think?” It was misheard as “hell.” — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.255.193.106 (talk) 16:53, 18 June 2019 (UTC)

One Helluva Ride
There is also an annual bike ride to Hell called "One Helluva Ride" sponsored by the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society (http://www.aabts.org/) -- Jsauter 16:44, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

.

Hahahaha
74.70.57.209 22:49, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Here's a weird thing you may want to look into. When I was using Google Earth, and I typed in Hell, I got the same place as in the article, and in the sidebar, it mentioned George Bush living or being born there, I really can't remember. Anyways you may want to look into this or even include it as "Trivia" 70.51.87.146 00:42, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Don't know why that'd be in google earth, but he was born in New Haven, Connecticut. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.66.47.150 (talk) 22:32, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

[lamejoke] Does this place ever freeze over? [/lamejoke] 67.162.10.70 (talk) 02:53, 6 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, it has, once in recorded history. On January 24, 2004, the water flow over the dam between Screams Ice Cream and the Dam Site Inn stopped flowing due to the flow being frozen.  The "Hellions" (residents) consider that as the benchmark when "Hell Freezes Over".Bill S. (talk) 11:06, 1 May 2011 (UTC)

I better behave, I'd awfully hate to end up in the US when I die. Ha ha ha ha... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sioraf (talk • contribs) 21:53, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

population
Don't know how to word it, but the "unofficial population" is a joke. It's presented as if it were factual, though other similar claims are acknowledged as jokes. kwami (talk) 08:25, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

More popular culture
I've never edited Wikipedia, and am not really sure how to do it. But, Hell, Michigan was referenced in episode 820:Space Mutiny of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The host of the show says "Crow! Servo! What the Hell, Michigan is going on?"

Here's a link Searching for "Hell" in the page will lead you to it. Just thought I'd see if anyone thought it was interesting enough to add to the page. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.219.91.186 (talk) 08:20, 16 May 2011 (UTC)

January 2014 addition to "Popular culture" section
A passing one liner in a BBC news report does not really fit with "Popular culture". It isn't even approaching the record low for the area. (see Ann Arbor, Michigan). The resturant promos were over a period of time and by nature, nationwide on the media. The Travel channel show was a whole segment. The movie was set there. Someone told a lame joke about the weather. Not really the same thing. It is just trivia. See the city article guidelines for a discussion of popular culture vs. trivia. John from Idegon (talk) 09:58, 10 January 2014 (UTC)

Deletion of sourced factual information
The deleted information about the economy and culture of Hell is not advertising. I have no connection whatsoever to any of the businesses or activities mentioned, and I don't appreciate the assumption and insinuation that I do. I restored this material (and improved the citations to address the earlier (lazy) complaint) because it is informative about the community and its status as a local tourist destination. The community's notability is based largely on these kitschy attractions, and it cannot be properly understood without knowing about them. Articles about St. Louis or Seattle or Orlando identify the most significant events, attractions, and businesses in these places, and even have entire sections or associated articles dedicated to them; why would that be forbidden in this article? -Jason A. Quest (talk) 17:49, 20 October 2014 (UTC)
 * Will reply later today. No time now. John from Idegon (talk) 16:57, 21 October 2014 (UTC)


 * First off, the only one not assuming good faith is you, . Nothing in the edit summary I left implied any wrongdoing on anyone's part.  BTW, the edits I reverted were made by an IP.  It is indisputable that posting a business's name on the 6th most widely read website in the world would serve to advertise them.  Nothing was implied or stated that the editor who added that edit had the intent to do that, nor was anything implied or stated that they would profit from it.  Those are strictly your incorrect assumptions, and that is not assuming good faith.  As far as a personal attack goes, it is hard to assume that any reference to lazy is speaking to the edit.  How are words lazy?  If you were offended, I am sorry, but that was not at all the intention. So much for that.  Now can we attempt to be constructive?
 * A "lazy" edit is one that removes things because they lack citations, instead of looking for citations. (Are you the one who originally did that?) Sorry if this was unclear. -Jason A. Quest (talk) 14:01, 22 October 2014 (UTC)
 * There is a policy that explains what Wikipedia is not. One thing that mentioned there is Wikipedia is not a directory.  Listing businesses just is not what Wikipedia is for.  None of the business names you (or the IP?) entered were sourced to anything but themselves or equally non-WP:RS sources.  Are they the only businesses in town that "trade on the novelty of the town's name" (a statement that in and of itself is POV)?  How do we know?  And have there been any in the past?  Will there be any in the future? Obviously that is an unknown.  I would not have any problem with a statement along the line of "there are several businesses in the community that reference the Devil or Hell in their names", sourced to that obviously not so reliable "Go to Hell" website.  As far as the other stuff, I stand on the thing about the Kiwanis thing being useless in this article.  If it had a RS independent reference, it might be useful in the article on the Kiwanis.  What does it contribute to the understanding of this community?  If an event has a reference from a RS outside Metro Detroit, I would be fine with it being included, in a section on events.  The Guinness record thing might be useful, if it had a RS (such as Guinness).  As far as stuff being in other articles, I refer you to WP:OTHERCRAPEXISTS.


 * With the exceptions of copyright violations, libel, and outright spam, very little is actually "prohibited" on Wikipedia. Consensus rules.  There is some consensus that has been decided and codified in guidelines such as the WP:USCITIES guideline that would cover this article.  That guideline does not speak directly to this situation, but I think one thing it says about an "Economy" section can be informative here:  "If a particular company has been crucial to the economy then discuss it but avoid listing company names for no other reason than just mentioning them."  So right now as it stands, you and I appear to be the only ones interested in this particular discussion, JAQ.  Therefore, one of three things can happen.  We can compromise and form a consensus, which I have already proposed a version above; we can leave neutrally-worded notices at the talk page of the two projects involved on this page and ask for input; or we can take one of the steps involved in dispute resolution.  I hate bureaucracy, so I would really like to avoid the last. My access to the internet is somewhat limited these days, so don't be suprised if it takes me a few days to respond.  Wikipedia has no deadline. John from Idegon (talk) 05:23, 22 October 2014 (UTC)


 * So you didn't assume bad faith on my part, you assumed bad faith on the part of someone editing from an IP? Got it.
 * Seriously, John, this kind of legalistic defensive argument is not constructive. It's what tends to make editing Wikipedia into a frustrating experience that most people don't want to bother putting up with, and it's what's gradually driving off both new and long-time editors such as myself. (I've been on here for 10 years, editing with this account for 7, and the occasional condescending lectures like the one above about "what Wikipedia is" get tiresome after a while.) For example, you're citing a guideline against just listing company names instead of discussing why they're important to the economy, while complaining that I explained why they were important! This isn't argument toward a goal; it's argument for its own sake, and I have better things to do with my time than to waste it dealing with that kind of arbitrary obstructionism. You say you hate bureaucracy, but you've just successfully bureaucracied me out of improving this article, with this kind of petty knee-jerk nonsense. Might want to think about that a bit. Bye. -Jason A. Quest (talk) 14:20, 22 October 2014 (UTC)

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Semi-protected edit request on 30 August 2017 regarding leadership of Hell, Michigan
Change Government position of Mayor to one Elijah Daniel, as he was proclaimed mayor on 30th August 2017. Can be verified at this source; https://twitter.com/elijahdaniel/status/902973541058039808 JoelHutton (talk) 19:49, 30 August 2017 (UTC)
 * ❌ Wikipedia does not report on self-declared mayorships by comedians. The article is protected because of the rash of unsourced garbage about this. Meters (talk) 19:51, 30 August 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 30 August 2017
As of today (8-30-17), internet comedian Elijah Daniel has been proclaimed the official Mayor of Hell, Michigan.

❌ Asked and answered. Meters (talk) 20:13, 30 August 2017 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 30 August 2017
Add that as of August 30th, 2017, Elijah Daniel is the mayor. https://twitter.com/elijahdaniel/status/902973541058039808 ReidSandlund (talk) 20:18, 30 August 2017 (UTC)


 * ❌ Timothy Joseph Wood  20:19, 30 August 2017 (UTC)

Elijah Daniel
Folks, he's not the mayor. It's an unincorporated community so it does not have a mayor. Daniel is a comedian who has declared himself to be the mayor. The article has been protected because of the multiple attempts to add this. Stop asking to have his mayorship added. Multiple requests are not going to change anything. Meters (talk) 20:24, 30 August 2017 (UTC)


 * Well, it's not really self-declared. "It's part of Hell's "Mayor for a Day" attraction in which guests can pay $100 to watch over the city for 24 hours." If it was presented in that context, it could be a useful addition to the article.

http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/mayor_of_hell_bans_all_straigh.html

http://www.gotohellmi.com/store/p105/Mayor_of_Hell_for_the_Day.html 98.201.215.34 (talk) 09:56, 31 August 2017 (UTC)


 * The key word is promotion. Not our job. This community is pushing on 200 years old. Something that happened on one day, as a self-seeking publicity stunt, is totally irrelevant in the bigger picture of things. WP:RECENT and WP:NOTNEWS clearly apply. John from Idegon (talk) 16:56, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

Elijah Daniel claims to have purchased the town of Gay, Michigan and renamed it Gay Hell, Michigan. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.181.102.255 (talk) 01:09, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 31 August 2017
ADD TO NOTABLE PEOPLE -or- HISTORY: YouTuber Elijah Daniel was sworn in as mayor on August 30, 2017. After being sworn in, he released a heterosexual ban, using almost entirely the same wording as Donald Trump's Muslim ban. Within an hour, Daniel was impeached. NateSalsbu (talk) 22:23, 31 August 2017 (UTC)
 * ❌ See the previous four threads. Meters (talk) 22:27, 31 August 2017 (UTC)

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Hiland Lake
I'm going to remove the alternate name "Hiland Lake". This is sourced to USGS GNIS, but we don't use GNIS for deciding what name to use in our articles. No one calls it Hiland Lake, and none of the reliable secondary sources use that name. Kendall-K1 (talk) 13:55, 26 June 2018 (UTC)

Reeves origin story
I am very skeptical of this edit:. Since this is a quote, this edit can only have been made by someone with access to the source. The source is a web page at hell2u.com, which is currently a redirect to gotohellmi.com. I have been unable to find an archived copy. But gotohellmi.com has a different version of the Reeves story: "George's habit of paying local farmers with homemade whiskey made many wives to comment 'He's gone to Hell again' when questioned about their husband's wherabouts during harvest time.". Neither one of these web sites could be considered RS anyway. So I'm tempted to remove the quote. Kendall-K1 (talk) 15:42, 4 July 2018 (UTC)

"Gay Hell"
Some sources have claimed that the town is now called "Gay Hell". This seems like a frivolous move that won't last for long, since the mayor who made the change has apparently been impeached. Please discuss here if you wish to change the name of the article to "Gay Hell". — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 20:40, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * It seems like the result of previous discussions has been to keep the current name and not mention the name change or Elijah Daniel. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 20:48, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * The odd thing is that the Daniels thing with Hell happened in 2017. Can't find anything recent. I'm guessing somebody resurrected the old tweet and some people don't check dates. Schazjmd   Talk  21:26, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Here's a recent source. [] The article doesn't need to be renamed, since the name is fleeting, but this info can be added to the history. TimTempleton (talk) (cont)  22:31, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I agree that it can be added into the History section – it might be something readers are looking for. It does seem a little strange that he "bought" an unincorporated community, though. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 22:37, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Aha, so that's where the sudden interest came from! Nice catch,, I wonder why that didn't come up in my search results. Schazjmd   Talk  22:40, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I just Googled hell michigan gay hell. []. TimTempleton (talk) (cont)  22:42, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
 * https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/youtuber-buys-michigan-town-renames-it-gay-hell-protest-trump-n1018561
 * I think it might be worth renaming the page to “Gay Hell, Michigan” if the name sticks for long Mike southern (talk) 08:20, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * All the mainstream maps still call it Hell. WP:COMMONNAME applies.--Shantavira|feed me 08:51, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * According to the source you provided, Daniel has said that he will be the temporary owner. It is unlikely the name will stick. As per the discussion above, it could be mentioned in the History section, as it might be something readers are looking for. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 11:44, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * A paragraph about the claimed purchase and renaming was added (thanks, !). I changed the wording slightly – I still don't think it's been established that he actually bought it (is it even possible to buy an unincorporated community?). — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 13:26, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * It's an event that sparked media and reader interest, Elijah's little stunt is notable enough to be in the History section, at least I believe. Sarcataclysmal (talk) 23:41, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * If there is consensus to include this publicity event, at least it must be accurate. The hamlet is not for sale. One person's 5 acre property is for sale. Daniel. has not bought the town. He has temporarily purchased the 5 acre property (or some portion of it). We don't know exactly what "temporarily" means, It seems the guy who makes money with the Hell merchandise and the Mayor for a day deal has swung some sort of temporary deal with Daniel.  Meters (talk) 23:52, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Agreed that it's totally appropriate to include in the article. What I added is sourced and if there's any inaccuracy, then just make it more accurate. ―Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 00:20, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I propose to re-add "On June 17, 2019, Elijah Daniel claimed to have bought and renamed the unincorporated community to "Gay Hell, Michigan", as a political protest against Donald Trump's ban on pride flags being flown at US embassies. Elijah has stated that he hopes to keep the town and make "small changes" in the hopes of attracting tourists and visitors to the location. " to the history section. That is probably a good compromise. It's definitely worth adding to the article, since it might be something readers are looking for. Pinging  &  for opinions. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 00:36, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Adding to my own post above: There seems to be consensus to add something about this to the History section. My proposal above seems to be in line with consensus – it was originally added by, though I've reworded it slightly and added "claimed". It seems like a good compromise that takes all editors views into account. We might also add something about what exactly he bought, since an unincorporated community isn't really something you can buy. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 00:48, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
 * What's the hurry? Given the uncertaintly of the claim, I'm hesitant to think this is something for this article versus the article on Elijah Daniel.  IMO, as a human interest story, the sources are not interested in validating and verifying claims as they are with hard news; they are interested more in generating clicks. The sources appear to spoken only to Daniel and haven't offered any corroboration of the claims.  The standard here should be higher. Let's let the facts get revealed more than just regurgitating the claims.  WP:NOTAVOTE, WP:NODEADLINE, WP:RECENT, and maybe even WP:WEIGHT seem to me to be in play here. &mdash; Archer1234 (talk) 00:56, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Fair points, I agree – we should at least wait until it becomes clearer, then take it from there. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 01:18, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

Please see the comments of administrators Ed Johnson and Cullen328 below. They should be considered part of this discussion. This is nothing but a publicity stunt by Elijah Daniel and has very very little to do with this settlement which is well over 100 years old. WP:RECENT, WP:NOTNEWS and WP:NOTPROMO apply. What little it does have to do with the community is also far more promo than informative. This is an unincorporated community. It does not have a mayor hence no mayor was ever impeached. When I lived in the area in the 1980s, there were approximately 300 separate parcels of land that made up the community. Most are residential with a few commercial properties and a handful of farms, two of which were centennial farms back then (they had been owned by the same family for over 100 years). The notion that one person who is not Warren Buffett or Bill Gates even would have the assets to purchase the community is nonsensical; not to mention the extreme difficulty in getting people to sell. This entire story doesn't pass the smell test. I'm extremely disappointed in the news media for even mentioning it. Oh, BTW, you can't temporarily "buy" land either. That's called a lease. John from Idegon (talk) 22:03, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

Reading upthread, I see some comments suggesting consensus to mention this. Evidently, User:John from Idegon thinks that it's inappropriate to even link to Gay Hell in a "see also" section. What does everyone else think? Is that too radical a change? ―Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 22:00, 13 July 2019 (UTC)
 * More recent consensus seems to be not to mention Gay Hell or Elijah Daniel in the article, since the relation to Hell, Michigan is coincidental and since Daniel's mayorship was not official (there can't be a mayor of an unincorporated community). See also the comments below if you haven't already. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 00:21, 14 July 2019 (UTC)
 * , This does not answer my question but thank you for the context. Do you have a perspective on what I wrote? ―Justin ( koavf ) ❤T☮C☺M☯ 00:35, 14 July 2019 (UTC)
 * I think adding it to See also might be a bit too strong, since it's probably not relevant for readers who want to learn more about the actual place, but it might be worth adding a paragraph to the body of the article, since it might be something readers are looking for. — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 00:50, 14 July 2019 (UTC)
 * The discussions have been about renaming the article and about including the information in the article; adding a "see also" link to where the incident is documented is a new question. WP:Seealso says "The links in the "See also" section might be only indirectly related to the topic of the article because one purpose of "See also" links is to enable readers to explore tangentially related topics" and "Whether a link belongs in the "See also" section is ultimately a matter of editorial judgment and common sense." Multiple casual editors showed up to this article because of the "Gay Hell" connection, and I think it's likely other readers (who didn't try to edit it) did the same. I don't think it harms the article to have the "see also" link to Gay Hell and I think it may be of interest to readers who are looking for that information. The complete absence of any mention seems to motivate the casual editors to try to include it. Maybe having the "see also" link which takes them to where they can find the story will satisfy their interest. That's my two cents.  Schazjmd   (talk)  01:00, 14 July 2019 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 18 June 2019
Someone just bought the City of Hell, in Michigan and renamed it Gay Hell. Just thought it should be changed 74.116.154.220 (talk) 12:32, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the template. See discussion immediately above this request. &#8209;&#8209; El Hef  ( Meep? ) 13:01, 18 June 2019 (UTC)
 * The question of changing the town's name in Wikipedia has been discussed at the help desk. So far, two users have been blocked and the page has been placed under extended confirmed protection. If the renaming was intended as a sort of a joke or a political protest, and if it has nothing to do with the actual town of Hell, then our usual policies might not favor including mention of it in the article on the town. Whether to put this protest-renaming-joke in the article on Elijah Daniel, who originated the idea, could be an easier question. EdJohnston (talk) 19:13, 18 June 2019 (UTC)

Three day publicity stunt
[https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/06/18/youtubers-claim-gay-hell-mich-last-3-days/1490683001/ Zaniewski, Ann, YouTuber's claim to 'Gay Hell,' Mich. to last 3 days — but still has big impact, Detroit Free Press, June 18, 2019]

This was a publicity stunt and a joke. No money changed hands. Daniel did not actually buy the unincorporated community or even its business district. I see no need to mention this in the article. Cullen328  Let's discuss it  19:56, 19 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I agree. It's probably relevant on Daniel's article, but not here (as discussed above). — Lauritz Thomsen (talk) 04:06, 20 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Ah, I see. Well, he fooled the BBC, which is still linking it from the main North America news page. I think the point about it being possible to buy a day as mayor, and Daniel's 2017 gesture, should be reinstated using that source and whatever it links to. Yngvadottir (talk) 21:30, 26 June 2019 (UTC)
 * This is an unincorporated community, a tiny tourist hamlet. It has no actual mayor and no local government. The tourist businesses are owned by a guy who calls various people "mayor" for publicity reasons. It is as legitimate as the Ye Olde West-type wanted posters they sell at various tourist attractions. You put on a cowboy hat, a vest and a revolver, someone takes your photo and all of a sudden, you, too are "Wanted Dead or Alive". Cullen328  Let's discuss it  21:37, 26 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Agree with Jim. This is a clear violation of WP:NOT, which I might remind you is a pillar policy. John from Idegon (talk) 03:17, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
 * I do need to correct one thing though. Hell is not a tourist attraction. It's a sleepy little wide spot in the road. It's at least 10 miles from the nearest state highway and about the same from I-94. There are not billboards on the highway compelling one to visit Hell. There's a bar, a small store that has a postal substation in it, an ice cream shop and the kitsch business owned by the guy that is trying to monetize the town's name. Its primary purpose is to service the summer homes on the small lake near there, but those are dwindling fast. John from Idegon (talk) 03:25, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Yes, I've been there, years ago. However, when the BBC writes about how the position of mayor for a day is being sold, I hardly see it as a WP:NOT violation to put that in the article. Yngvadottir (talk) 04:11, 27 June 2019 (UTC)
 * Any mention of the credulous BBC "human interest" coverage should be secondary to the Detroit Free Press coverage, written by a reporter who actually understands the stunt. Cullen<sup style="color:#707">328  Let's discuss it  04:31, 27 June 2019 (UTC)

Here is your last edit,, with everything that is incredulous replaced with the word "nothing". Our job as editors is to vet the sources we use, and part of that is discounting absolute crap, even if the BBC is reporting it. We are not required to, nor should we, repeat utter bullshit.

"Comedian Elijah Daniel announced in June 2019 that he was about to buy the town and would change its name to Gay Hell.

People can pay to be mayor of Hell for the day. In 2017 Daniel, the announced purchaser who grew up near Hell, declared on his day as mayor that heterosexuals would be banned from the town. In response to President Trump's ban on US embassies flying the pride flag, he originally intended to ban the flying of all other flags in the town."

"Comedian Elijah Daniel announced in June 2019 nothing 1.

People can pay to be nothing 2. In 2017 Daniel, the announced nothing 3 who grew up near Hell, declared on his day as nothing 4 nothing 5."


 * 1) Communities are not single blocks of property that can be bought or sold. Bullsit.
 * 2) Unincorporated communities are not political entities and as such have no leadership. In fact, if this were to become an incorporated community, due to its size and tax base it would almost certainly be a village. In Michigan, villages do not have mayors either. They have "village presidents". Bullshit.
 * 3) Daniel can tell whatever lies he wishes. That does not make them true and certainly doesn't obligate us to repeat them. Bullshit.
 * 4) (and 5) As a non mayor who doesn't own crap in Hell, Daniel has no jurisdiction to ban anything. Bullshit.

Last I looked, this isn't Bullshitopedia. John from Idegon (talk) 00:50, 28 June 2019 (UTC)


 * you should look up "incredulous". The Detroit Free Press article confirms the mayor for a day for money thing ("In 2017, [Daniel] became mayor for a day (an honor anyone can have for 100 bucks)"). That article also confirms that Colone had previously sought a buyer for his properties and "the rights to merchandise and Hell-themed slogans"; it is not true that communities are never bought and sold, those that have a single landowner do change hands, and in this case the BBC guy misinterpreted Colone's ownership of a bunch of businesses and, as you referred to in your earlier response, his monetizing the place's name and thought the entire place was indeed for sale. Not "nothing" and not total bullshit. We should have the mayor for a day for money thing in the article, as I said above. We have two news sources for it. Yngvadottir (talk) 04:29, 28 June 2019 (UTC)
 * And if it were some united civic effort, I could possibly be persuaded. But it's not. It is one clown promoting a circus that isn't his to promote. And another clown trying to parlay that into his cause. It isn't about the community. Feel free to write an article on Colone and include it there. Jim's analogy of the old west wanted posters you can get in many tourist traps (Virginia City, Nevada; Deadwood, South Dakota and Tombstone, Arizona to name a few) is spot on. It's 100% bullshit and it is the kind of thing that will ensure people will continue not to take Wikipedia seriously (like we dont already have plenty of recent reasons for people not to). John from Idegon (talk) 05:47, 28 June 2019 (UTC)

The Hell, Michigan Mayor for a day attraction has now been noted by enough reliable sources to warrant a brief mention as of 2023
The fact that the local ice cream/gift shop sells a "mayor for the day of hell" service has been covered by enough notable sources including the USA Today, Current Magazine, New York Post, CNN, People, among others, to be notable for inclusion in the article. Famous people/animals like comedian Elijah Daniel, YouTube star Tom Scott, and Tiktok star Jinx the Cat have all been written about regarding this tourist attraction. It seems this attraction is now notable enough to warrant at least a brief mention in the article. Yes, it might not have been notable as of 2019 but that seems to have changed based on current Wikipedia results. 2600:1700:56A0:4680:184D:2B81:2A1C:EAA7 (talk) 05:47, 12 June 2023 (UTC)

Geography section all backwards
Ever since the Geography section was added to the article, it has contained wrong information throughout. Hell is not the county seat of Livingston County. Howell is the Livingston County seat of government.

Hell's location northwest of Ann Arbor is correct. Southeast of Detroit, north of Grand Rapids, north of Lansing and north of Mackinaw City is all backwards. Some of these directions would put the town in Canada!

I did some research on Google Maps and Bing Maps, both of which label the name south or north of the business district, while MapQuest has it right on the business district on Patterson Lake Rd.

Here, below, is my rewrite of the Geography section, using Google Maps' measuring tool to check distances. I used the tool mostly for directional bearings.

Please advise of any Wikipedia issues, if I need to add some references to this work (there were none to start with).

Thank you!

Geography
Hell is in Putnam Township, Livingston County, and about 11 mi south of Howell, the county seat. Based on satellite views, the area is heavily forested. Hell's business district is centered along Patterson Lake Road about 15 mi northwest of Ann Arbor and 3.6 mi northeast of Halfmoon Hills. Hell is about 60 mi west-northwest of Detroit, 35 mi southeast of Lansing, 92 mi east-southeast of Grand Rapids, and 230 mi south of Mackinaw City.

Lytzf (talk) 07:02, 24 December 2023 (UTC)

Top paragraph contains factual errors
I will point out some facts that run contrary to the information in this article's top paragraph. This article is pulled by Google Maps when searching for Hell, MI to serve as an introduction. DuckDuckGo pulls articles from Wikipedia for the same purpose, just to name two.

Hell is an unincorporated settlement some 11 miles south of the Livingston County seat of Howell, Michigan. It has no set boundaries, unlike the nearby Village of Pinckney or a city.

The business district lies along Patterson Lake Road, west of its intersection with Silver Hill Road. While a MapQuest search for Hell, MI comes up empty, a search for nearby Pinckney allows me to look southwest of there to find the Hell name right on top of the business district. My understanding about the sale of Hell is this: The five acres on which sits the business district, and its commercial buildings and businesses, were sold.

Following the link for a "town," Wikipedia defines a town as larger than a village and smaller than a city. So Hell is neither a town or a city.

The website https://milivcounty.gov/ does not use the phrase, "Howell is the County Seat of Livingston County," but it shows the county's Administration Building address in Howell, MI. I would use that as a reference to the claim that Howell, not Hell, is the county seat.

I do have a question, though. There is no link to edit the top paragraph, unless it is pulled from another page on Wikipedia, and that page needs an edit? It has been awhile since I've last edited Wikipedia.

Below is the unedited top paragraph that I copied from the article:

Hell is a town, and the county seat of Livingston County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. the Population was 72 according to The Sydney Morning Herald in 2012. Located within along Patterson Lake Road about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Ann Arbor and three miles (4.8 km) southwest of Pinckney. Hell, Michigan is served by the Pinckney post office with the 48169 ZIP Code. Hell was acquired by The Phone Up Studios, Inc., in 2023, after it had been listed for sale since 2016.

Thank you! -- Lytzf (talk) 20:37, 24 December 2023 (UTC)


 * I published these changes and added the Livingston County website, which lists the Administration address at the bottom of the page as being in Howell, MI. Added the City of Howell website, which uses the term, "County Seat."  I did a minor edit just to add 4 tildes, but5 I did not see my signature.  Please check the Geography sect8on in the article if I added the cites correctly.
 * Lytzf (talk) 07:58, 29 December 2023 (UTC)