Door County, Wisconsin

Door County is a located in the  of. As of 2000, the population was 27,961. Its is. Door County is a popular vacation and tourist destination, especially for residents of south-eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

The county is named after the between the  and. The dangerous passage, now littered with s, was known to early French explorers and local. Because of the natural hazards of the strait, they gave it the French appellation , which in English means the "Door to the Way to Death," or simply, "."

Geography
The county has a total area of 6,138 (2,370 ). 1,250 km² (483 sq mi) of it is land and 4,888 km² (1,887 sq mi) 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. With the completion of the in 1881, the northern half of the peninsula, in actuality, became an island.

Limestone pings, part of the, are visible on both shores of the peninsula, but are larger and more prominent on the side. Progressions of s have created much of the rest of the shoreline, especially on the easterly side. along the shore provides clear evidence of plant. The middle of the peninsula is mostly flat or rolling cultivated land. Soils overlaying the bedrock are very thin in the northern half of the county; 39% of the County is mapped as having less than three feet to bedrock. 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. Most of these islands form the.

History
The Door County peninsula has been inhabited for about 11,000 years. Artifacts from an ancient village site at have been dated to about 400 BC. This site was occupied by various cultures until about 1300 AD.

The 1700-1800s saw the immigration and settlement of pioneers, mariners, fishermen and farmers. Economic sustenance came from lumbering and tourism.

During the 1800s, various groups of occupied the area that would become Door County and its islands. Beginning in mid-century, these Indians, mostly, were removed from the peninsula by the federal government under the of 1830.

A camp was established at Peninsula State Park during the. In the summer of 1945, Fish Creek was the site of a German POW camp. The prisoners did construction projects, cut wood, and picked cherries in Peninsula State Park and the surrounding area. was constructed in in 1868 on orders from President  at a cost of $12,000, and was restored by the  in 1964, and opened to the public.

Demographics


As of the of 2000, there were 27,961 people, 11,828 households, and 7,995 families residing in the county. The was 22/km² (58/sq mi). There were 19,587 housing units at an average density of 16/km² (41/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 97.84%, 0.19% or , 0.65% , 0.29% , 0.01% , 0.33% from , and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were or  of any race. 39.4% were of and 10.3%  ancestry according to. A small pocket of speakers is the only Walloon-language region outside of  and its immediate neighborhood.

There were 11,828 households out of which 26.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.10% were 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


Although Door County has a year round population of about 28,000, it experiences a tourist explosion each summer between and, as the  cold gives way to a brief but comfortable summer. Outside the city of Sturgeon Bay (a more densely populated year-round community), many businesses are specifically targeted to the visitors, and close during the "off season" (roughly 8-9 months per year, although many tourists are opting to visit in the late spring and early fall, effectively extending the tourist season). Throughout the summer months, the population of Door County can reach levels as high as 250,000 residents, with tourists, and summer residents included, especially around and during the long weekends of Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), and Labor Day. The majority of tourists and summer residents come from the metropolitan areas of, , , and the.

Door County is home to five of Wisconsin's state parks:, northeast of ; , along over six miles of the shoreline; , along ; , off the tip of the Door Peninsula; and , along Lake Michigan. These five parks are known as "5 jewels in the crown". 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 :, , , , , , , and.

s, offered at many Door County restaurants, are a popular meal for tourists. Potatoes, onions and from the local waters are cooked in a large kettle over a wood fire. At the end of the cooking time, the cook throws fuel oil or kerosene on the fire. This "flame up" causes the water to boil over. The fish and vegetables are served with melted butter. This meal is traditionally followed by a cherry dessert.

Door County is also very popular for its boating, hiking, fishing, ice cream, candy, golfing, miniature golf, go-karts and unique shopping. Door County has an outside movie theater called the Skyway Drive-in, located in Fish Creek. Bed and breakfasts, vacation houses, and resorts are often used for lodging.

Door County prides itself on its orchards, of which there are over 2,000 acres. orchards and are also to be found within the peninsula. It also know for it's coffee and tea company in door county that exports throughout Wisconsin state.

Airports

 * (KSUE), located 3 miles west of
 * (3D2), located 1 mile southwest of

City, villages, and towns

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 * Little Sturgeon (unincorporated)
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 * Little Sturgeon (unincorporated)
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 * Little Sturgeon (unincorporated)
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 * Little Sturgeon (unincorporated)
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