Door County, Wisconsin

Door County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. Door County is a popular vacation destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

The county is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The dangerous passage, now littered with shipwrecks, was known to early French explorers and local Native Americans. Because of this they gave it the name Porte des Mort Passage, which in English means "Death's Door Passage".

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,138 km² (2,370 mi²). 1,250 km² (483 mi²) of it is land and 4,888 km² (1,887 mi²) of it (79.63%) is water. The county also has more than 300 miles of shoreline, more than any other in the country. The county covers the majority of the Door Peninsula. With the completion of the Sturgeon Bay Shipping Canal in 1882, the northern half of the peninsula, in actuality, became an island.

Limestone outcroppings, part of the Niagara Escarpment, are visible on both shores of the peninsula, but are larger and more prominent on the Green Bay side. Progressions of dunes have created much of the rest of the shoreline, especially on the easterly side. Flora along the shore provides clear evidence of plant succession. The middle of the peninsula is mostly flat or rolling cultivated land. Soils overlaying the dolomite bedrock are very thin in the northern half of the county. Beyond the northern tip of the peninsula, the partially submerged ridge forms a number of islands that stretch to the Garden Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest of these islands is Washington Island. Most of these islands form the Town of Washington.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 27,961 people, 11,828 households, and 7,995 families residing in the county. The population density was 22/km² (58/mi²). There were 19,587 housing units at an average density of 16/km² (41/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.84% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,828 households out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were married couples living together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the county, the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.

Tourism

Door County is home to five of Wisconsin's state parks: Newport State Park, northeast of Ellison Bay; Peninsula State Park, along over six miles of the Green Bay shoreline; Potawatomi State Park, along Sturgeon Bay; Rock Island State Park, off the tip of the Door Peninsula; and Whitefish Dunes State Park, along Lake Michigan. The parks offer visitors recreation opportunities including hiking, camping, swimming, fishing, and snowmobiling.

Most of Door County's lighthouses built during the 1800s are listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Baileys Harbor Range Lights, Cana Island Lighthouse, Chambers Island Lighthouse, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Pilot Island Lighthouse, Plum Island Range Lights, Potawatomi Lighthouse, and Sturgeon Bay Canal Lighthouse.

Fish boils, offered at many Door County restaurants, are a popular meal for tourists. Whitefish from the local waters, as well as potatoes and onions, are heated in a kettle over a wood fire. Fish boil participants are entertained by shooting flames and the subsequent boiling over of the water.

Door County also prides itself on its cherry orchards, of which there are over 2,000 acres. Apple orchards and wineries are also to be found within the county.

Cities and towns

External links

Wisconsin counties | Door County, Wisconsin

Door County

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Door County, Wisconsin

Geography

Demographics

Tourism

Cities and towns

External links