The Greater Northwoods

Town in Oneida County

Pelican

Population
2,809
County
Oneida County
Location
45.593, -89.338

The Town of Pelican is a civil town (unincorporated minor civil division) in the southern part of Oneida County in Wisconsin's Northwoods, wrapping the east and south sides of the city of Rhinelander along the shared US 8 / State Highway 47 corridor. Established in 1882, it had a 2020 Census population of 2,809, and Wisconsin's official January 1, 2025 estimate is 2,831. It is a lake-rich, forest-and-residential town governed by an elected town board (Chairman Nick Scholtes plus two supervisors), lies wholly within the School District of Rhinelander (home to Pelican Elementary School), and is defined by more than a dozen lakes and the US 8 traffic artery. Identity, population, officials, highways, and school facts here bind to primary state (DOA), Census Gazetteer, WisDOT, the town's own site, and the district's own site; ACS income and age figures and lake acreages remain flagged where only secondary sources were reachable.

The record

172 records name Pelican

  • 158 news
  • 10 obituaries
  • 4 government

Showing the 40 most recent of 172. Every one is held, cited, and searchable in the archive.

What the records show

40 of 51 independently verified

Authoritative data

Population and demographics

Government and civic

Schools

Economy and employers

  • Corridor: US 8 / WIS 47 corridor via wisconsindot.gov
  • Tourism: recreation / residential / Rhinelander-adjacent unverified via townofpelican.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Home values: rising (secondary) unverified via thejwpgroup.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Institutions and anchors

  • Hospital: Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital via locations.aspirus.org
  • Post office: Rhinelander post office (54501) via townofpelican.com
  • College: Nicolet College (Rhinelander) secondary source via thejwpgroup.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Library: Rhinelander District Library unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Business and commerce

  • Chamber: Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce secondary source via rhinelanderchamber.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Identity: no separate downtown (US 8 / WIS 47 corridor) unverified via townofpelican.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Media

  • Rivernews: The River News secondary source via rivernewsonline.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Starjournal: Northwoods Star Journal secondary source via starjournalnow.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Wjfw: WJFW Newswatch 12 secondary source via wjfw.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Wxpr: WXPR secondary source via wxpr.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Recreation and natural assets

  • Namesake: named for Pelican Lake secondary source via en.wikipedia.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Lakes: 16+ lakes unverified via thejwpgroup.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Known for: lakes, forest, lakefront recreation unverified via townofpelican.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Events and seasonal rhythm

Infrastructure and access

  • Highways: US 8 / WIS 47 (co-signed); CTH P via wisconsindot.gov
  • Airport: Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (RHI) secondary source via en.wikipedia.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Hub distance: Rhinelander (adjacent) secondary source via townofpelican.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Local government

In memory, from Pelican

All obituaries

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.

All Northwoods towns