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Plenty of wrong opinions are shared on the internet every single day.

Over time, I鈥檝e learned to let most of them go and let people believe the wrong things they believe. But one opinion that鈥檚 circulated on Twitter for the better part of a week has gone too far.

A user by the name of took to the social media streets to claim Brainerd should not be considered 鈥渦p north.鈥� His discussion about the geographical logistics of Minnesota garnered over 675,000 impressions, which later sparked a debate about the 鈥渦p north鈥� vibe.

What transpired was a myriad of people claiming that not only Brainerd but also places like Detroit Lakes, Moorhead and Alexandria, should be exempt.

Luckily for the ill-informed people agreeing with this notion, there are few more qualified to speak on this than me 鈥� someone who was raised in Brainerd before moving to Alexandria, Detroit Lakes and Bemidji.

Even though this column is very much written in jest, I鈥檓 here to burst your bubble. While Brainerd is smack dab in the middle of the state, it鈥檚 very much 鈥渦p north.鈥�

For starters, we need to quantify what 鈥渦p north鈥� actually is. The discussion begins in the Metro area, the most populated hub in Minnesota. The phrase 鈥渦p north鈥� is in relation to weekend travelers getting out of the Twin Cities, primarily to indulge in lake, cabin and resort life in greater Minnesota.

The original tweet claimed places like Ely, Grand Rapids, Tofte and Hibbing all qualify, and that鈥檚 correct, and it鈥檚 more correct than saying Brainerd is 鈥渦p north.鈥� But if I tell you I鈥檓 driving two-plus hours straight up the state to a lake destination, you would call that 鈥渦p north鈥� every single time regardless of the destination.

From the cultural perspective, the small-town feel you can find near the Canadian border and on the iron range can also be found in the neighboring areas around Brainerd 鈥� Crosby, Aitkin, Pequot Lakes and Pillager. If we were limiting the discussion of 鈥渦p north鈥� to that specific small-town feel, we must disqualify not only Brainerd but also Detroit Lakes, Moorhead, Alexandria, Duluth and Bemidji.

But that鈥檚 also ridiculous because saying Bemidji and Duluth aren鈥檛 鈥渦p north鈥� is like saying I鈥檓 going to grow a full head of hair by 2025. It鈥檚 just not happening.

So where do we draw the line of what qualifies as 鈥渦p north?鈥� Again, it鈥檚 based on feel.

There are qualities that make each of these larger areas in greater Minnesota unique. But, for the most part, Minnesota鈥檚 summer vacation cities offer comparable ways of living.

Brainerd is a lake town filled with good golf courses, better restaurants and a plethora of avenues for city-living tourists to soak up during the summer. The population doubles, the traffic is headache-inducing and local businesses boom.

Does that sound familiar?

If so, it鈥檚 probably because you get that same vibe in Bemidji or the other aforementioned towns. And in a technical sense, it鈥檚 utterly ridiculous to disregard a gigantic portion of the 218 area code from its 鈥渦p north鈥� counterparts.

Here鈥檚 the most logical way to structure the regions of Minnesota: Anything below Lakeville is southern. From Lakeville up to St. Cloud should be considered central, while everything above St. Cloud should be deemed 鈥渦p north.鈥� Moorhead is basically Fargo, N.D., and Superior, W.I., is essentially Duluth.

I can鈥檛 find the tweet (thanks, Elon), but the best descriptor I heard for Brainerd is it鈥檚 the gateway to 鈥渦p north.鈥�

Trying to gatekeep Brainerd from 鈥渦p north鈥� living is a head-scratcher to me, especially when the bare minimum amount of logical reasoning points in my favor.

If living in a log cabin, getting your heat from a stove and your water from the river is the only way to spend a weekend 鈥渦p north,鈥� then we鈥檝e lost the plot. But Brainerd 鈥� along with Bemidji, Detroit Lakes, Alexandria and Duluth 鈥� are summer tourist towns.

It鈥檚 what they are and always will be. You can鈥檛 separate them.