Douglas County, Wisconsin

County in Wisconsin, United States

U.S. county in Wisconsin

Douglas County

U.S. county

Douglas County Courthouse in Superior in 2022.

Douglas County Courthouse in Superior in 2022.

Map of Wisconsin highlighting Douglas County

Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin

Wisconsin's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Wisconsin
Founded| February 8, 1854
Named for| Stephen A. Douglas
Seat| Superior
Largest city| Superior
Area

• Total| 1,480 sq mi (3,800 km2)
• Land| 1,304 sq mi (3,380 km2)
• Water| 176 sq mi (460 km2)  12%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 44,295
• Density| 30/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 7th
Website| www.douglascountywi.org

Douglas County is a county located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,295 [1] Its county seat is Superior.[2] Douglas County is included in the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Adjacent counties
* 2.2 Major highways
* 2.3 Railroads
* 2.4 Buses
* 2.5 Airports
* 2.6 National protected area
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2020 census
* 3.2 2010 census
* 3.3 2000 census
* 4 Communities
* 4.1 City
* 4.2 Villages
* 4.3 Towns
* 4.4 Census-designated places
* 4.5 Unincorporated communities
* 4.6 Ghost towns
* 5 Politics
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## History

[edit | edit source]

Douglas County, named after Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas,[3][4] was established on February 8, 1854, from the larger La Pointe County, Wisconsin, and the City of Superior was immediately selected as the county seat.[5]

In Wisconsin's 1952 U.S. Senate primary, Douglas County was one of two counties (out of 71 in the state at the time) that Sen. Joe McCarthy did not carry.[6]

## Geography

[edit | edit source]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,480 square miles (3,800 km2), of which 1,304 square miles (3,380 km2) is land and 176 square miles (460 km2) (12%) is water.[7]

A portion of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation is located within Douglas County.

### Adjacent counties

[edit | edit source]

* Bayfield County – east
* Sawyer County – southeast
* Washburn County – south
* Burnett County – southwest
* Pine County, Minnesota – southwest
* Carlton County, Minnesota – west
* Saint Louis County, Minnesota – northwest
* Lake County, Minnesota \- northeast

### Major highways

[edit | edit source]

* File:I-535.svg Interstate Highway 535
* U.S. Highway 2
* U.S. Highway 53
* Wisconsin Highway 13

* Wisconsin Highway 27
* File:WIS 35.svg Wisconsin Highway 35
* File:WIS 105.svg Wisconsin Highway 105
* Minnesota Highway 23

|

### Railroads

[edit | edit source]

* BNSF
* Canadian National
* Canadian Pacific
* Union Pacific

### Buses

[edit | edit source]

* Duluth Transit Authority
* List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

### Airports

[edit | edit source]

* Solon Springs Municipal Airport (KOLG) serves the county and surrounding communities.
* Richard I. Bong Airport (KSUW)

### National protected area

[edit | edit source]

* Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)

## Demographics

[edit | edit source]

Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1860| 812| | —
1870| 1,122| | 38.2%
1880| 655| | −41.6%
1890| 13,468| | 1,956.2%
1900| 36,335| | 169.8%
1910| 47,422| | 30.5%
1920| 49,771| | 5.0%
1930| 46,583| | −6.4%
1940| 47,119| | 1.2%
1950| 46,715| | −0.9%
1960| 45,008| | −3.7%
1970| 44,657| | −0.8%
1980| 44,421| | −0.5%
1990| 41,758| | −6.0%
2000| 43,287| | 3.7%
2010| 44,159| | 2.0%
2020| 44,295| | 0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10]
1990–2000[11] 2010–2020[12] 2020 census[13]

### 2020 census

[edit | edit source]

As of the census of 2020,[14] the population was 44,295. The population density was 34.0 inhabitants per square mile (13.1/km2). There were 22,906 housing units at an average density of 17.6 per square mile (6.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% White, 1.8% Native American, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.7% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

### 2010 census

[edit | edit source]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 44,159 people living in the county. 93.2% were White, 2.0% Native American, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 2.7% of two or more races. 1.1% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 20.7% were of German, 11.2% Norwegian, 9.7% Swedish, 7.8% Irish, 6.4% Finnish and 6.1% Polish ancestry.[15]

### 2000 census

[edit | edit source]

File:USA Douglas County, Wisconsin age pyramid.svg2000 Census Age Pyramid for Douglas County

As of the census[16] of 2000, there were 43,287 people, 17,808 households, and 11,272 families living in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km2). There were 20,356 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.35% White, 0.57% Black or African American, 1.82% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. 0.73% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.8% had German, 13.5% Norwegian, 11.5% Swedish, 8.5% Irish, 8.2% Finnish, 6.8% Polish and 5.1% United States or American ancestry. 96.7% spoke English and 1.2% Spanish as their first language.

There were 17,808 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.10% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.70% were non-families. 29.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.60% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.

In 2017, there were 413 births, giving a general fertility rate of 50.8 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the seventh lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[17] Additionally, there were no reported induced abortions performed on women of Douglas County residence in 2017.[18]

## Communities

[edit | edit source]

### City

[edit | edit source]

* Superior (county seat)

### Villages

[edit | edit source]

* Lake Nebagamon
* Oliver
* Poplar
* Solon Springs
* Superior

### Towns

[edit | edit source]

* Amnicon
* Bennett
* Brule
* Cloverland
* Dairyland
* Gordon
* Hawthorne
* Highland
* Lakeside
* Maple
* Oakland
* Parkland
* Solon Springs
* Summit
* Superior
* Wascott

### Census-designated places

[edit | edit source]

* Brule
* Gordon

### Unincorporated communities

[edit | edit source]

* Ambridge
* Amnicon Falls
* Anton
* Beebe
* Bellwood
* Bennett
* Black River
* Blueberry
* Borea
* Boylston
* Boylston Junction
* Carnegie
* Chaffey
* Cloverland
* Cozy Corner
* Cutter
* Dairyland
* Dedham
* Dewey
* Dobie
* Four Corners
* Foxboro
* Hawthorne
* Hillcrest
* Hines
* Maple
* Middle River
* Moose Junction
* Parkland
* Patzau
* Peyton
* Pokegama
* Riverview
* Rockmont
* Saunders
* Sauntry
* South Itasca
* South Range
* Sunnyside
* Waino
* Wascott
* Wentworth
* Winneboujou

### Ghost towns

[edit | edit source]

* Merriam
* Millcrest
* Morrison (Allouez) (annexed by the City of Superior)
* New Bristol (Martinson)
* Nutt
* Pokegama Junction
* Steele
* Troy
* Walbridge
* Way
* Wiehe

## Politics

[edit | edit source]

Douglas county has one of the longest Democratic voting streaks in the nation. The last Republican presidential candidate to win Douglas County was Herbert Hoover in 1928, however in 2020 Donald Trump received the highest percent for a Republican since 1952, signaling a new competitiveness in the county. In every Presidential election between 1984 and 2000, the county was always the second most Democratic in the state (behind only Native American-dominated Menominee County), before being surpassed by Dane County in 2004 and several others from 2008 onwards.

United States presidential election results for Douglas County, Wisconsin[19] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 10,923  | 44.26%  | 13,218  | 53.56% | 536  | 2.17%
2016 | 9,661  | 42.87%  | 11,357  | 50.39% | 1,518  | 6.74%
2012 | 7,705  | 33.66%  | 14,863  | 64.92% | 326  | 1.42%
2008 | 7,835  | 32.56%  | 15,830  | 65.78% | 401  | 1.67%
2004 | 8,448  | 33.54%  | 16,537  | 65.66% | 202  | 0.80%
2000 | 6,930  | 31.93%  | 13,593  | 62.62% | 1,183  | 5.45%
1996 | 5,167  | 27.79%  | 10,976  | 59.04% | 2,448  | 13.17%
1992 | 5,679  | 25.52%  | 12,319  | 55.36% | 4,255  | 19.12%
1988 | 6,440  | 31.49%  | 13,907  | 68.01% | 102  | 0.50%
1984 | 7,066  | 32.92%  | 14,291  | 66.58% | 107  | 0.50%
1980 | 7,258  | 34.24%  | 11,703  | 55.21% | 2,238  | 10.56%
1976 | 6,999  | 33.40%  | 13,478  | 64.32% | 479  | 2.29%
1972 | 8,419  | 42.58%  | 11,054  | 55.91% | 298  | 1.51%
1968 | 5,656  | 29.59%  | 12,506  | 65.43% | 953  | 4.99%
1964 | 4,579  | 23.08%  | 15,237  | 76.80% | 23  | 0.12%
1960 | 8,307  | 39.06%  | 12,910  | 60.70% | 53  | 0.25%
1956 | 9,183  | 44.79%  | 11,276  | 55.00% | 43  | 0.21%
1952 | 9,677  | 45.40%  | 11,538  | 54.14% | 98  | 0.46%
1948 | 6,252  | 32.48%  | 12,278  | 63.79% | 718  | 3.73%
1944 | 7,132  | 35.20%  | 12,985  | 64.08% | 146  | 0.72%
1940 | 7,695  | 32.72%  | 15,548  | 66.12% | 272  | 1.16%
1936 | 5,079  | 22.92%  | 16,684  | 75.28% | 400  | 1.80%
1932 | 7,888  | 41.63%  | 9,715  | 51.27% | 1,346  | 7.10%
1928 | 11,280  | 61.20% | 6,762  | 36.69%  | 390  | 2.12%
1924 | 5,887  | 39.14%  | 638  | 4.24%  | 8,514  | 56.61%
1920 | 7,250  | 67.53% | 2,111  | 19.66%  | 1,375  | 12.81%
1916 | 3,007  | 43.57% | 2,940  | 42.60%  | 955  | 13.84%
1912 | 730  | 14.22%  | 1,181  | 23.00%  | 3,223  | 62.78%
1908 | 3,509  | 55.88% | 1,715  | 27.31%  | 1,056  | 16.82%
1904 | 4,564  | 72.94% | 974  | 15.57%  | 719  | 11.49%
1900 | 4,450  | 63.85% | 2,187  | 31.38%  | 333  | 4.78%
1896 | 4,274  | 61.45% | 2,527  | 36.33%  | 154  | 2.21%
1892 | 2,967  | 50.66% | 2,340  | 39.95%  | 550  | 9.39%

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Wisconsin
* Pokegama Bay

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ^ Bureau, US Census. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". The United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 108.
4. ^ "Here's How Iron Got Its Name". The Rhinelander Daily News. June 16, 1932. p. 2. Retrieved August 24, 2014 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Douglas County: County History[permanent dead link]
6. ^ "The Wisconsin Primary," Time, September 22, 1952
7. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
8. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
9. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
10. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
11. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
12. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
13. ^ https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/douglascountywisconsin,US/PST120219 [dead link]
14. ^ "2020 Decennial Census: Douglas County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
15. ^ ""American FactFinder"". Archived from the original on January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
16. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
17. ^ "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
18. ^ Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin, Office of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Section: Trend Information, 2013-2017, Table 18, pages 17-18
19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* Douglas County website
* Superior–Douglas County Convention and Visitors Bureau
* Superior–Douglas County Chamber of Commerce
* Map of Douglas County, Wisconsin Department of Transportation

Places adjacent to Douglas County, Wisconsin

| Saint Louis County, Minnesota | Lake Superior | Lake County, Minnesota

|
|

|  |
Carlton County, Minnesota |

Douglas County, Wisconsin

| Bayfield County
|  |
Pine County, Minnesota and Burnett County | Washburn County | Sawyer County

* v
* t
* e

Twin Ports, Minnesota-Wisconsin

Core cities|

* Duluth° (MN)
* Superior° (WI)

Error creating thumbnail:

Surrounding
communities|

| (over 10,000)|

* Cloquet° (MN)

|

(under 10,000)|

* Carlton° (MN)
* Duluth* (MN)
* Esko§ (MN)
* French River† (MN)
* Harney† (MN)
* Hermantown° (MN)
* Lakewood* (MN)
* Oliver‡ (WI)
* Palmers† (MN)
* Parkland* (WI)
* Parkland† (WI)
* Proctor° (MN)
* Rice Lake° (MN)
* Riverview† (WI)
* Scanlon° (MN)
* Superior‡ (WI)
* Superior* (WI)
* Thomson* (MN)
* Two Harbors° (MN)
* Wrenshall° (MN)

Counties|

* Carlton (MN)
* Douglas (WI)
* Lake (MN)
* Saint Louis (MN)

*town/township ‡village °city §CDP †unincorporated community

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States

County seat: Superior

City|

* Superior

File:Map of Wisconsin highlighting Douglas County.svg

Villages|

* Lake Nebagamon
* Oliver
* Poplar
* Solon Springs
* Superior

Towns|

* Amnicon
* Bennett
* Brule
* Cloverland
* Dairyland
* Gordon
* Hawthorne
* Highland
* Lakeside
* Maple
* Oakland
* Parkland
* Solon Springs
* Summit
* Superior
* Wascott

CDPs|

* Brule
* Gordon

Unincorporated
communities|

* Ambridge
* Amnicon Falls
* Anton
* Beebe
* Bellwood
* Bennett
* Black River
* Blueberry
* Borea
* Boylston
* Boylston Junction
* Carnegie
* Chaffey
* Cloverland
* Cozy Corner
* Cutter
* Dairyland
* Dedham
* Dewey
* Dobie
* Four Corners
* Foxboro
* Hawthorne
* Hillcrest
* Hines
* Maple
* Middle River
* Moose Junction
* Parkland
* Patzau
* Peyton
* Pokegama
* Riverview
* Rockmont
* Saunders
* Sauntry
* South Itasca
* South Range
* Sunnyside
* Waino
* Wascott
* Wentworth
* Winneboujou

Indian
reservation|

* Fond du Lac Indian Reservation‡

Ghost towns|

Nutt

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Wisconsin

Madison (capital)

Topics|

* Outline
* Agriculture
* Dairy industry
* Geography
* Islands
* Lakes
* Governors
* Delegations
* History
* People
* Sports
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions

Society|

* Administrative divisions
* Crime
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Politics

Regions|

* Apostle Islands
* Central Plain
* Chippewa Valley
* Door Peninsula
* Driftless Area
* Eastern Ridges and Lowlands
* Fox River Valley
* Great River Road
* Lake Superior Lowland
* Northern Highland
* Western Upland

Major metropolitan areas
(pop. over 500,000)|

* Chicago metropolitan area
* Madison metropolitan area
* Milwaukee metropolitan area
* Twin Cities metropolitan area

Largest cities
(pop. over 50,000)|

* Appleton
* Eau Claire
* Green Bay
* Janesville
* Kenosha
* La Crosse
* Madison
* Milwaukee
* Oshkosh
* Racine
* Waukesha
* West Allis

Smaller cities
(pop. 15,000 to 50,000)|

* Beaver Dam
* Beloit
* Brookfield
* Cudahy
* De Pere
* Fitchburg
* Fond du Lac
* Franklin
* Greenfield
* Hartford
* Hudson
* Kaukauna
* Manitowoc
* Marshfield
* Menasha
* Menomonie
* Mequon
* Middleton
* Muskego
* Neenah
* New Berlin
* Oak Creek
* Oconomowoc
* Onalaska
* River Falls
* Sheboygan
* South Milwaukee
* Stevens Point
* Sun Prairie
* Superior
* Watertown
* Wausau
* Wauwatosa
* West Bend
* Wisconsin Rapids

Largest villages
(pop. over 15,000)|

* Ashwaubenon
* Bellevue
* Caledonia
* Fox Crossing
* Germantown
* Howard
* Menomonee Falls
* Mount Pleasant
* Pleasant Prairie

Counties|

* Adams
* Ashland
* Barron
* Bayfield
* Brown
* Buffalo
* Burnett
* Calumet
* Chippewa
* Clark
* Columbia
* Crawford
* Dane
* Dodge
* Door
* Douglas
* Dunn
* Eau Claire
* Florence
* Fond du Lac
* Forest
* Grant
* Green
* Green Lake
* Iowa
* Iron
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Juneau
* Kenosha
* Kewaunee
* La Crosse
* Lafayette
* Langlade
* Lincoln
* Manitowoc
* Marathon
* Marinette
* Marquette
* Menominee
* Milwaukee
* Monroe
* Oconto
* Oneida
* Outagamie
* Ozaukee
* Pepin
* Pierce
* Polk
* Portage
* Price
* Racine
* Richland
* Rock
* Rusk
* Sauk
* Sawyer
* Shawano
* Sheboygan
* St. Croix
* Taylor
* Trempealeau
* Vernon
* Vilas
* Walworth
* Washburn
* Washington
* Waukesha
* Waupaca
* Waushara
* Winnebago
* Wood

Coordinates: 46°27′N 91°55′W﻿ / ﻿46.45°N 91.91°W﻿ / 46.45; -91.91
*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template