The Greater Northwoods

Town in Oneida County

Three Lakes

Population
2,413
County
Oneida County
Location
45.806, -89.145

The Town of Three Lakes is a civil town (unincorporated minor civil division) in Oneida County in Wisconsin's Northwoods, built around the Three Lakes Chain, promoted as the world's largest inland chain of lakes (28 interconnected lakes, 20 within the town). Its 2020 Census population was 2,413 and Wisconsin's official January 1, 2025 estimate is 2,443. It covers about 80.3 square miles of land, is governed by an elected town board (chairperson Roger Brisk plus four supervisors), is served by the PK-12 Three Lakes School District (507 students in 2024-25), and runs on lakes- and forest-based tourism inside the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Population, geography, officials, library, and school-enrollment facts bind to primary state (DOA), Census Gazetteer, federal NCES, and the town's and district's own .gov sites; ACS income and age figures and recreation/tourism marketing claims are flagged where only secondary sources were reachable.

The record

599 records name Three Lakes

  • 325 news
  • 273 obituaries
  • 1 events

Showing the 40 most recent of 599. Every one is held, cited, and searchable in the archive.

What the records show

42 of 52 independently verified

Authoritative data

  • Population: 2413 (2020 census), 2443 (latest official estimate) via doa.wi.gov
  • Area: 80.346 sq mi land, 19.789 sq mi water, at 45.805834, -89.144896 via www2.census.gov
  • Oneida County holds 441 named lakes and flowages via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
  • Named lakes nearest this town: Spirit Lake, Maple Lake, Maple Lake 1, Laurel Lake, Medicine Lake, Townline Lake, Planting Ground Lake, Moccasin Lake, Little Moccasin Lake, Island Lake, Range Line Lake, Big Stone Lake, Little Fork Lake, Round Lake and 26 more via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com

Population and demographics

  • 2020: 2413 via doa.wi.gov
  • Est 2025: 2443 via doa.wi.gov
  • Votingage: 2066 via doa.wi.gov
  • Acs: 2316 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: 70250 unverified via censusreporter.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Per capita income: 46864 unverified via censusreporter.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Median age: 60.1 unverified via censusreporter.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Seasonal: not quantified unverified via threelakes.com 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/recreation-driven secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Winery: Three Lakes Winery secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • District employer: Three Lakes School District unverified via nces.ed.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Employers ranked: not available unverified via threelakes.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Institutions and anchors

  • Library: Edward U. Demmer Memorial Library via townofthreelakeswi.gov
  • Forest: Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest secondary source via thejwpgroup.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Museum: Three Lakes Historical Museum secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Post office: 54562 unverified via townofthreelakeswi.gov We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Business and commerce

  • Chamber: Three Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Downtown: West School Street village core secondary source via thejwpgroup.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Media

  • Vcnews: Vilas County News-Review secondary source via vcnewsreview.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Threelakes news: The Three Lakes News secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Wxpr: WXPR (91.7 FM, Rhinelander) secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Recreation and natural assets

  • Chain: 28 interconnected lakes (20 in Three Lakes); 106 miles shoreline secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Known for: Adventure starts here secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Forest acres: 650,000 secondary source via threelakes.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Events and seasonal rhythm

Infrastructure and access

  • Highways: US 45 / STH 32 secondary source via thejwpgroup.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Airport: Rhinelander/Oneida County Airport (RHI) secondary source via thejwpgroup.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Hub distance: Rhinelander ~30 min; Eagle River adjacent north unverified via thejwpgroup.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Local government

In memory, from Three Lakes

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