VILAS COUNTY, WISCONSIN

'Vilas County' is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 21,033. Its county seat is Eagle River⁶.

Contents

Geography

Adjacent counties

Demographics

History

Cities and towns

External links

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,636 km² (1,018 mi²). 2,263 km² (874 mi²) of it is land and 373 km² (144 mi²) of it (14.16%) is water. There are 1,318 lakes in the county.

Adjacent counties

★ Gogebic County, Michigan - north

★ Iron County, Michigan - northeast

★ Forest County - southeast

★ Oneida County - south

★ Price County - southwest

★ Iron County - west

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 21,033 people, 9,066 households, and 6,300 families residing in the county. The population density was 9/km² (24/mi²). There were 22,397 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (26/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.69% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 9.08% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 37.8% were of German, 7.9% Polish, 6.6% Irish and 5.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.9% spoke English, 1.3% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.
There were 9,066 households out of which 23.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.73.
In the county, the population was spread out with 20.70% under the age of 18, 5.00% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 28.50% from 45 to 64, and 22.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.80 males.

History

Governor Tommy Thompson was ordered by a federal court to mobilize hundreds of policemen to keep the peace in Vilas County in 1989 during the Wisconsin Walleye War. Vilas County residents massed in angry throngs to interfere with long-time residents who had gained recognition for their natural resource management jurisdiction off of a federal ethnic reservation, throwing rocks and trying to capsize boats from which families gathered their annual quota of fish.

Cities and towns

★ Arbor Vitae

★ Boulder Junction

★ Cloverland

★ Conover

★ Eagle River

★ Lac du Flambeau (CDP)

★ Lac du Flambeau (town)

★ Land O' Lakes

★ Lincoln

★ Manitowish Waters

★ Phelps

★ Plum Lake

★ Presque Isle

★ St. Germain

★ Washington

★ Winchester

External links

★ Vilas County official website

★ Vilas County Chamber of Commerce