Washington, Door County, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Washington is a town in northern Door County
, Wisconsin
, United States
, with a population of 660 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Detroit Harbor
and Washington
are located in the town.
The town of Washington is made up of a group of small islands that includes Plum Island
, Detroit Island, Hog Island
, Rock Island
, Pilot Island, and the largest, Washington Island
. The majority of the population of the town lives on Washington Island and many of the other smaller islands are partly or entirely State Parks or National Wildlife Refuge
s, with small population, if any. As a result the area is rarely if ever referred to as the town of Washington or just Washington; more commonly the names of the individual islands are used as a reference.
Most of the people who settled in Washington were Scandinavia
n immigrants, especially Icelanders. Today, Washington Island is one of the oldest Icelandic communities in the United States and among the largest outside of Iceland
itself.
, the town has a total area of 125.5 square miles (325.0 km²), of which, 25.5 square miles (66.0 km²) of it is land and 100.0 square miles (259.0 km²) of it (79.69%) is water.
The land area is composed of Plum Island
, Detroit Island, Washington Island
, Hog Island
, Pilot Island, and Rock Island
. Washington Island is the largest in a chain of islands extending across Lake Michigan
between the Door Peninsula
in Wisconsin
and the Garden Peninsula
in Delta County
, Michigan
. These islands are outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment
.
of 2000, there were 660 people, 293 households and 198 families residing in the town. The population density
was 25.9 people per square mile (10.0/km²). There were 903 housing units at an average density of 35.4 per square mile (13.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.79% White
, 0.30% Asian
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.15% of the population. 24.9% were of German, 15.3% Norwegian
, 12.3% English
, 9.1% Danish, 8.8% Irish
and 6.1% Icelandic
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 293 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples
living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.
The age distribution was 24.1% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 17.4% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,146, and the median income for a family was $45,481. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,065. About 4.7% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
Door County, Wisconsin
Door County is a county 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 and tourist destination, especially for residents of Wisconsin and Illinois....
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with a population of 660 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Detroit Harbor
Detroit Harbor, Wisconsin
Detroit Harbor is an unincorporated community located in the town of Washington on Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin. The Washington Island Ferry runs scheduled passenger service to Northport from Detroit Harbor. Detroit Harbor is also home to a United States Post Office and Coast Guard...
and Washington
Washington (community), Wisconsin
Washington is an unincorporated community located in the town of Washington, Door County, Wisconsin, United States. Washington is located on the north side of Washington Island along County Highway W; it is the northernmost community in Door County....
are located in the town.
The town of Washington is made up of a group of small islands that includes Plum Island
Plum Island (Wisconsin)
Plum Island is an island at the western shore of Lake Michigan in the southern part of the town of Washington in Door County, Wisconsin, USA. The uninhabited island has a land area of 1.179 km² or 117.87 ha . The island is a bird sanctuary under control of the U.S. Coast Guard and will eventually...
, Detroit Island, Hog Island
Hog Island (Wisconsin)
Hog Island is a bird sanctuary located off the eastern shore of Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin. There are no residents on the island, which has a land area of . It is located in the Town of Washington. Since 1913, this sanctuary has served as a habitat for many different types of...
, Rock Island
Rock Island (Wisconsin)
Rock Island is a wooded island off the tip of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula at the mouth of Green Bay. The uninhabited island is almost entirely owned by the Wisconsin DNR, which maintains Rock Island State Park. It is the northernmost part of the Town of Washington.-History:Rock Island was...
, Pilot Island, and the largest, Washington Island
Washington Island (Wisconsin)
Washington Island is located about 7 miles northeast of the tip of Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin. The island has a year-round population of 660 people . It has a land area of 60.89 km² and comprises over 92 percent of the land area of the town of Washington, as well as all of its...
. The majority of the population of the town lives on Washington Island and many of the other smaller islands are partly or entirely State Parks or National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the world's premiere system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife and plants...
s, with small population, if any. As a result the area is rarely if ever referred to as the town of Washington or just Washington; more commonly the names of the individual islands are used as a reference.
Most of the people who settled in Washington were Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n immigrants, especially Icelanders. Today, Washington Island is one of the oldest Icelandic communities in the United States and among the largest outside of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
itself.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 125.5 square miles (325.0 km²), of which, 25.5 square miles (66.0 km²) of it is land and 100.0 square miles (259.0 km²) of it (79.69%) is water.
The land area is composed of Plum Island
Plum Island (Wisconsin)
Plum Island is an island at the western shore of Lake Michigan in the southern part of the town of Washington in Door County, Wisconsin, USA. The uninhabited island has a land area of 1.179 km² or 117.87 ha . The island is a bird sanctuary under control of the U.S. Coast Guard and will eventually...
, Detroit Island, Washington Island
Washington Island (Wisconsin)
Washington Island is located about 7 miles northeast of the tip of Door Peninsula in Door County, Wisconsin. The island has a year-round population of 660 people . It has a land area of 60.89 km² and comprises over 92 percent of the land area of the town of Washington, as well as all of its...
, Hog Island
Hog Island (Wisconsin)
Hog Island is a bird sanctuary located off the eastern shore of Washington Island in Door County, Wisconsin. There are no residents on the island, which has a land area of . It is located in the Town of Washington. Since 1913, this sanctuary has served as a habitat for many different types of...
, Pilot Island, and Rock Island
Rock Island (Wisconsin)
Rock Island is a wooded island off the tip of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula at the mouth of Green Bay. The uninhabited island is almost entirely owned by the Wisconsin DNR, which maintains Rock Island State Park. It is the northernmost part of the Town of Washington.-History:Rock Island was...
. Washington Island is the largest in a chain of islands extending across Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
between the Door Peninsula
Door Peninsula
The Door Peninsula is a peninsula in eastern Wisconsin, separating the southern part of the Green Bay from Lake Michigan. The peninsula begins in northern Brown and Kewaunee counties and proceeds northeast to include all of Door County. It is the western portion of the Niagara Escarpment. Well...
in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and the Garden Peninsula
Garden Peninsula
The Garden Peninsula is a peninsula of in length that extends southwestward into Lake Michigan from the mainland of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The peninsula is bordered by Lake Michigan on the east, and by Big Bay de Noc on the west. The base of the peninsula is served by U.S. Highway 2, and...
in Delta County
Delta County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,520 people, 15,836 households, and 10,689 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile . There were 19,223 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. These islands are outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 660 people, 293 households and 198 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 25.9 people per square mile (10.0/km²). There were 903 housing units at an average density of 35.4 per square mile (13.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.79% White
White American
White Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
, 0.30% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.15% of the population. 24.9% were of German, 15.3% Norwegian
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
, 12.3% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
, 9.1% Danish, 8.8% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and 6.1% Icelandic
Icelanders
Icelanders are a Scandinavian ethnic group and a nation, native to Iceland.On 17 June 1944, when an Icelandic republic was founded the Icelanders became independent from the Danish monarchy. The language spoken is Icelandic, a North Germanic language, and Lutheranism is the predominant religion...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 293 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.79.
The age distribution was 24.1% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 17.4% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $31,146, and the median income for a family was $45,481. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $17,065. About 4.7% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- Town of Washington, Door County, Wisconsin
- Door County Chamber of Commerce - General Information
- Washington Island Chamber of Commerce
- WashingtonIsland.com
- Google Maps - Maps & Aerial Photos