The Greater Northwoods

Town in Vilas County

Town of Manitowish Waters

Population
624
County
Vilas County
Location
46.120, -89.868

Manitowish Waters is a small unincorporated town (a minor civil division) in northwestern Vilas County, Wisconsin, in the heart of the Greater Northwoods. It is governed by an elected town board (a town chairman plus two supervisors) and a clerk/treasurer, from a town hall on U.S. Highway 51, and its identity is built almost entirely on tourism and its chain of connected lakes marketed as the 'Legendary 10 Lake Chain.' The 2020 Census counted roughly 629 year-round residents, a number that multiplies seasonally, and the local economy runs on lakeside resorts, a cluster of multi-generation cranberry marshes, and outdoor recreation. Primary town, county, school-district, and Wisconsin DNR sources anchor most facts here; population and income figures could not be pulled directly from census.gov (the pages blocked automated retrieval) and are flagged accordingly.

The record

562 records name Town of Manitowish Waters

  • 365 news
  • 144 government
  • 49 events
  • 4 obituaries

Showing the 40 most recent of 562. Every one is held, cited, and searchable in the archive.

What the records show

49 of 59 independently verified

Authoritative data

  • Population: 624 (2020 census), 636 (latest official estimate) via doa.wi.gov
  • Area: 28.785 sq mi land, 7.051 sq mi water, at 46.119711, -89.867713 via www2.census.gov
  • Vilas County holds 570 named lakes and flowages via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
  • Named lakes nearest this town: Little Star Lake, Stepping Stone Lake Number 1, Stepping Stone Lake Number 2, Three Stepping Stones Lakes, McCabe Lake, Stepping Stone Lake Number 3, McKinney Lake, Rest Lake, Chub Lake, Manitowish Lake, Rest, Stone, Spider, Mud Lakes, Vance Lake, Stone Lake, Dead Pike Lake and 24 more via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com

Overview

Population and demographics

  • Median age: 62 inferred via mwtown.gov Reasoned from other facts on this page, not reported directly.
  • Census 2020: 629 unverified via citypopulation.de We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Census 2010: 566 unverified via citypopulation.de We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Acs estimate: 768 unverified via censusreporter.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Median income: 71932 unverified via censusreporter.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Seasonal swing: None unverified via manitowishwaters.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Government and civic

Schools

Economy and employers

  • Tourism: Tourism secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Cranberry: 650+ secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Employers: North Lakeland School District; North Lakeland Discovery Center; resorts; Little Bohemia Lodge unverified via manitowishwaters.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Institutions and anchors

  • Post office: 5971 County Rd W, Manitowish Waters, WI 54545 secondary source via tools.usps.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Hospital: Marshfield Medical Center-Minocqua; Howard Young Medical Center (Woodruff) secondary source via marshfieldclinic.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Discovery center: North Lakeland Discovery Center via discoverycenter.net
  • Historical society: Manitowish Waters Historical Society (mwhistory.org) secondary source via mwhistory.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Library: None unverified via mwtown.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Business and commerce

  • Chamber: Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce (manitowishwaters.org) via manitowishwaters.org
  • Identity: Legendary 10 Lake Chain secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Little bohemia: Little Bohemia Lodge secondary source via en.wikipedia.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Media

  • Lakeland times: The Lakeland Times (lakelandtimes.com) secondary source via lakelandtimes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Recreation and natural assets

  • Chain: 10-lake chain, 4,200+ acres secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • River: Manitowish River (44 mi) secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Powell marsh: 4303 via dnr.wisconsin.gov
  • Koller park: Frank B. Koller Memorial Park secondary source via vilaswi.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Discovery trails: 12 secondary source via discoverycenter.net Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Fishing: walleye, bass, northern pike, panfish, musky secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Events and seasonal rhythm

  • Cranberry tours: Fridays 10am, mid-Aug to early Oct secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Summer series: Water-ski shows; Music in the Park; July 4 fireworks secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Identity: Four-season, summer-peaked secondary source via manitowishwaters.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Infrastructure and access

  • Highway: U.S. Highway 51; County Road W via mwtown.gov
  • Airport local: Manitowish Waters Airport (D25) via mwtown.gov
  • Airport commercial: Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (RHI) unverified via travelmath.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Hubs: Minocqua ~25 mi; Rhinelander ~45 mi unverified via travelmath.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Broadband: None unverified via mwtown.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Local government

Every figure here traces to a primary public record, linked at the fact. We gather and cite; we do not author. See something off? Tell us.

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