Door County, Wisconsin

Door County's name came from Porte des Morts ("Death's Door"), the passage between the tip of Door Peninsula and Washington Island.[16] The name "Death's Door" came from Native American tales, heard by early French explorers and published in greatly embellished form by Hjalmar Holand, described a failed raid by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) tribe to capture Washington Island from the rival Pottawatomi tribe in the early 1600s. It has become associated with the number of shipwrecks within the passage.[17]

Before and during the 19th century, various Native Americans occupied the area that became Door County and its islands. 17th-century French explorers made contact with various tribes in the Door Peninsula. In 1634, the Jean Nicolet expedition landed at Rock Island. This is considered the first visit by men of European descent to what is now Wisconsin.[18] In 1665, Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers spent the winter in the county with the Potawatomi. In 1669, Claude-Jean Allouez also wintered with the Potawatomi. He mentioned an area called "la Portage des Eturgeons." In 1673, Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet stayed in the county about three months as part of their exploration.[19] In 1679, the party led by La Salle purchased food from a village of Potawatomi in what is now Robert La Salle County Park.[20] During the 1670s Louis André ministered to about 500 Native Americans at Rowleys Bay, where he erected a cross. The cross stood until about 1870.[21] Around 1690, Nicolas Perrot visited the Potawatomi on Washington Island. In 1720, Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix visited the area with eight experienced voyageurs.[19]

Six Jesuit rings marked with letters or symbols[22] and turquoise colored glass trade beads were found on Rock Island in remains left by Potowatomi, Odawa, and Huron-Peton-Odawa Native Americans during the 17th and 18th centuries.[23] The remains of four Native American buildings were documented at the Rock Island II Site during 1969–1973 excavations.[24]

By the end of French rule over the area in 1763, the Potawatomi had begun a move to the Detroit area, leaving the large communities in Wisconsin. Later, some Potawatomi moved back from Michigan to northern Wisconsin. Some but not all Potawatomi later left northern Wisconsin for northern Indiana and central Illinois.[25]

In 1815, Captain Talbot Chambers was falsely reported[26] to have died fighting Blackhawk Indians on Chambers Island; the island was named for him in 1816.[27] In the spring 1833, Odawa on Detroit Island were baptized during an eight day visit by Frederic Baraga.[28] During an attack in 1835, one of two fishermen squatting on Detroit Island was shot and killed along with one or more Native Americans.[29] The other fisherman was rescued by a passing boat.[30] From the 1840s to the 1880s, the Clark brothers operated a fishing camp at Whitefish Bay that employed 30 to 40 fishermen. Additionally, 200–300 Potawatomi extracted fish oil from the fish waste at the camp.[31]

Potawatomi Chief Simon Onanguisse Kahquados, 1919

The Menominee ceded their claim to the Door Peninsula to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars after years of negotiations with the Ho-Chunk and the U.S. government over how to accommodate the incoming populations of Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and Brothertown peoples who had been removed from New York.[32] As a result of this treaty, settlers could purchase land, but many fishermen still chose to live as squatters. At the same time, the more decentralized Potawatomi were divested of their land without compensation. Some Potawatomi as late as 1845 made sure to visit and gamble with the Menominee shortly after the periodic annuity payments were issued.[33] Many emigrated to Canada because of multiple factors. One factor was invitations from Native Americans already in Canada for the Potawatomi to join them. Another was British policies to invite and encourage as much Indian emigration from the United States as possible. Even prior to their final emigration, many Potowatomis had periodically migrated into Canada to receive compensation related to their service on the British side during the War of 1812 and to pledge their continued loyalty. Another factor was a desire to avoid the harsh terms of the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which compensated the Wisconsin Potowatomi with less than what was paid to Potowatomi from the Chicago area. Although not all Potawatomi participated in the Treaty of Chicago, it was federal policy that any who did not relocate westward as the treaty stipulated would not be compensated for their land. Additionally, some preferred the climate of the Great Lakes area over that of the Plains, and American governmental policy for the area beginning in 1837 tended towards forced rather than voluntary Indian removal.[lower-alpha 4] Moving to Canada became a way to stay in the Great Lakes area without risking removal.[34][33]

Potawatomi Chief Simon Kahquados traveled to Washington, D.C. multiple times in an attempt to get the land back. In 1906, Congress passed a law to establish a census of all Potawatomi formerly living in Wisconsin and Michigan as a first step toward compensation. The 1907 "Wooster" roll, named after the clerk who compiled it, documented 457 Potawatomi living in Wisconsin and Michigan and 1423 in Ontario. Instead of returning the land, a meager monthly payment was issued.[34] Although Kahquados was unsuccessful, he increased public awareness of Potawatomi history. In 1931, 15,000 people attended his burial in Peninsula State Park.[35]

Graves of Increase Claflin and family.

The 19th and 20th centuries saw the immigration and settlement of pioneers, mariners, fishermen, loggers, and farmers. The first white settler was Increase Claflin.[36] In 1851, Door County was separated from what had been Brown County.[19] In 1854 on Washington Island, the first post office opened in the county.[37] In 1855, four Irishmen were accidentally left behind by their steamboat, leading to the settlement of what is now Forestville.[38] In 1853, Moravians founded Ephraim as a religious community after Nils Otto Tank resisted attempts at land ownership reform at the old religious colony near Green Bay.[39] In the 19th century, a fairly large-scale immigration of Belgian Walloons populated a small region in southern portion of the county,[14] including the area designated as the Namur Historic District. They built small roadside votive chapels, some still in use today,[40] and brought other traditions over from Europe such as the Kermiss harvest festival.[41]

With the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862, people could purchase 80 acres of land for $18, provided they resided on the land, improved it, and farmed for five years. This made settlement in Door County more affordable.

When the 1871 Peshtigo fire burned the town of Williamsonville, sixty people were killed. The area of this disaster is now Tornado Memorial County Park, named for the whirlwinds of fire.[42][43][44] Altogether, 128 people in the county perished in the Peshtigo fire.[19] Following the fire, some residents decided to use brick instead of wood.[45]

In 1885 or 1886, what is now the Coast Guard Station was established at Sturgeon Bay.[46][47] The small seasonally open station on Washington Island was established in 1902.[48]

As the period of settlement continued, Native Americans lived in Door County as a minority. The 1890 census reported 22 Indians living in Door County. They were self-supporting, subject to taxation, and did not receive rations.[49] By the 1910 census their numbers had declined to nine.[50]

In 1894 the Ahnapee and Western Railway was extended to Sturgeon Bay. In 1969, a train ran north of Algoma into the county for the last time,[51] although further south trains continued to operate until 1986.[52]

This 1924 postcard produced by Curt Teich & Company reads, "Cedar Glen, one of the many free tourists' camp sites in Peninsula State Park, Door County Wisconsin."

1914 Sturgeon Bay real estate advertisement

From a 1914 promotional booklet, caption reads "Children enjoy picking cherries in Door County orchards"

From 1865 through 1870, three resort hotels were constructed in and near Sturgeon Bay along with another one in Fish Creek. One resort established in 1870 charged $7.50 per week (a little over $150 in 2020 dollars). Although the price included three daily meals, extra was charged for renting horses, which were also available with buggies and buggy-drivers.[53] Besides staying in hotels, tourists also boarded in private homes. Tourists could visit the northern part of the county by Great Lakes passenger steamer, sometimes as part of a lake cruise featuring music and entertainment.[54] Reaching the peninsula from Chicago took three days. The air surrounding the agricultural communities was relatively free of ragweed pollen because grain crops matured slowly in the cool climate and were harvested late in the year. This prevented late-season ragweed infestations in the stubble. This made it especially attractive to those suffering from hay fever in the city.[55]

Improved highways of crushed stone facilitated motor tourism in the early 1900s.[19] By 1909 at least 1,000 tourists visited per year.[56] In 1938 Jens Jensen cautioned about negative cultural impacts of tourism. He wrote, "Door County is slowly being ruined by the stupid money crazed fools. This tourist business is destroying the little bit of culture that was."[57]

In 1865, the first commercial fruit operation was established when grapes were cultivated on one of the Strawberry Islands. By 1895, a large fruit tree nursery was established and fruit horticulture was aggressively promoted. Not only farmers but even "city-bred" men were urged to consider fruit husbandry as a career. The first of multiple fruit marketing cooperatives began in 1897. In addition to corporate-run orchards, in 1910 the first corporation was established to plant and sell pre-established orchards. Although apple orchards predated cherry orchards, by 1913 it was reported that cherries had outpaced apples.[58]

Women and children were typically employed to pick fruit crops, but the available work outstripped the labor supply. By 1918, it was difficult to find enough help to pick fruit crops, so workers were brought in by the YMCA and Boy Scouts of America. Cherry picking was marketed as a good summer camp activity for teenage boys in return for room, board, and recreation activities. One orchard hired players from the Green Bay Packers as camp counselors. Additionally, members of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and other native tribes were employed to pick fruit crops.[59][60] In addition to their pay, Native American families were given fruit that was too ripe for marketing, which they preserved and stored for long term use.[61] A Civilian Conservation Corps camp was established at Peninsula State Park during the Great Depression. In the summer of 1945, Fish Creek was the site of a POW camp under an affiliation with a base camp at Fort Sheridan, Illinois.[62][63][64] The German prisoners engaged in construction projects, cut wood, and picked cherries in Peninsula State Park and the surrounding area.[65] During a brief strike, the POWs refused to work. In response the guards established a "no work, no eat" policy and they returned to work, picking 11 pails per day and eventually totaling 508,020 pails.[66]

The Wisconsin State Employment Service established an office in Door County in 1949 to recruit Tejanos to pick cherries. Work was unpredictable, as cherry harvests were poor during certain years and workers were paid by the amount they picked. In 1951, the Wisconsin Department of Public Welfare conducted a study documenting conflict between migrant workers and tourists, who resented the presence of migrant families in public vacation areas.[67] A list of recommendations was prepared to improve race relations.[68] The employment of migrants continues to the present day. In 2013, there were three migrant labor camps in the county, housing a total of 57 orchard laborers and food processors along with five non-workers.[69]

In 1905, the Lilly Amiot was in Ellison Bay with a load of freight, dynamite, and gasoline when it caught fire. After being cut loose, it drifted until exploding; the explosion was heard up to 15 miles away.[70]

In 1912, the barnstormer Lincoln Beachey demonstrated his biplane during the county fair; this is believed to be the first takeoff and landing in the county.[71]

In 1913, The Old Rugged Cross was first sung at the Friends Church in Sturgeon Bay as a duet by two traveling preachers.[72]

In 1919, the first Army-Navy hydrogen balloon race was won by an Army team whose balloon splashed down in the Death's Door passage. Two soldiers endured 10-foot waves for an hour before their rescue by a fisherman.[73]

In 1925, a cow in Horseshoe Bay named Aurora Homestead Badger produced 30,000 pounds of milk, at the time a world record for dairy cattle.[74]

In June 1938, aerial photos were taken of the entire county; in 2011 the photos were made available online.[75]

In 1941, the Sturgeon Bay Vocation School opened. It is now the Sturgeon Bay campus of Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.

In December 1959, the Bridgebuilder X disappeared after leaving a shipyard in Sturgeon Bay where it had been repaired. Its intended destinations were Northport and South Fox Island. Possible factors included lack of ballast and a sudden development of 11-foot waves. The body of one of the two crew members was found the following summer.[76]

In 2004, the county began a sister cities relationship with Jingdezhen in southeastern China.[77]

Dolomite outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment are visible on both shores of the peninsula, but the karst formations of the cuesta ridge are especially prominent on the Green Bay side as seen at the Bayshore Blufflands. South of Sturgeon Bay the escarpment separates into multiple lower ridges without as many larger exposed rock faces.[84] Beyond the peninsula's northern tip, the partially submerged ridge forms the Potawatomi Islands, which stretch to the Garden Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The largest of these is Washington Island. Most of them form the Town of Washington.[85]

The escarpment is an attractive location for quarrying, homes, and communications towers.[86] A wind turbine project was completed in 1999. At the time the 30.5-acre (12.3-ha) Rosiere Wind Farm was the largest in the eastern United States.[87] High-tension power lines built partly along the escarpment carry electricity into the peninsula. Since the retirement of the Kewaunee Power Station in Carlton and the J. P. Pulliam Generating Station in Green Bay, power to Door County is primarily from the gas-powered plant in De Pere (Brown County) owned by SkyGen and the Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Kewaunee County.[88] An exception to this is Chambers Island, which has no electrical grid system.[89]

A former stone quarry on the escarpment five miles northeast of Sturgeon Bay is now a county park.[90]

Progressions of dunes have created much of the rest of the shoreline, especially on the easterly side. During years with receding lake levels, flora along the shore demonstrates plant succession. The middle of the peninsula is mostly flat or rolling cultivated land. Eskers are only found in the far southwest corner of the county, but drumlins and small moraines also occur further up the peninsula.[91]

Sea caves of Door County

A pit cave containing the skeletal remains of both present-day and pre-Columbian animals opens at the southern base of Brussels Hill. It is the deepest known[18] pit cave and the fourth-longest known cave of any sort in Wisconsin. It was discovered by excavating three sinkholes in an extensive project.[92][93] Hundreds of sinkholes in the county have been found and marked on an electronic map.[94] Most sinkholes in the county are formed by gradual subsidence of material into the hole rather than a sudden collapse. Some are regularly filled by tilling or natural erosion, only to subside more due to meltwater or heavy rain.[95]

Many caves are found in the escarpment.[96][97] One of them, Horseshoe Bay Cave, is Wisconsin's second-longest and includes a 45-foot-high underground waterfall.[98][99][100] Horseshoe Bay Cave is home to rare invertebrates.[lower-alpha 5] Several tiny caves at Peninsula State Park are open and accessible to the public. Eagle Cave is larger but opens midway up the escarpment.[101]

Only one cave not formed by karst or lakeshore erosion has been discovered in the county. It opens in the basement of a nursing home in Sturgeon Bay.[102]

Door County is located on the edge of the Michigan Basin, a producing formation of oil and gas.

On three occasions in the early 1900s oil was found within a layer of shale in the middle and southern part of the county.[103] Additionally, solid bitumen has been observed in dolomite exposed along the Lake Michigan shore.[104]

Door County has three types of aquifers. The newest is in a relatively shallow layer of sand and gravel, but tends to not to provide enough water except in the southeastern part of the county. Further down are layers of dolomite bedrock that are recharged by water percolating from the layer of sand and gravel. Past the dolomite is a layer of shale that does not contain water, although potentially it is a source of oil. Past the shale is a layer of sandstone that is also host to a bedrock aquifer. Only a few wells tap this deepest and oldest aquifer.[105] Due to the tilt of the layers and erosion, there are areas of the county missing certain layers. A study of three city wells serving Sturgeon Bay found that water from the surface fell anywhere from 13 to 115 feet per day from the surface down to the dolomite aquifer. When the snow melted in the spring, the water coming up from one well changed 9 days later to reflect the character of the new meltwater.[106]

Groundwater burbles up from the shallow aquifer through the fractured bedrock, forming fracture springs. It also may seep more slowly through the ground, forming seepage springs. Detailed measurements were taken of one fracture and three seepage springs during a 2014–2017 survey.[107] Although the fracture spring had large variations in output, it still had a greater flow rate than the other 409 springs surveyed. It had one of the highest specific conductance measurements (995 µS/cm) among the springs studied, due to the minerals dissolved in the water.[108] An earlier study comparing spring water and well water from five springs and 47 wells in Sevastopol found that spring water was more turbid than well water and more likely to be contaminated by coliform bacteria. Nitrates, chloride, and specific conductance were not significantly different between the springs and wells.[109]

View from the top of Old Baldy in August

Old Baldy (44.920344°N 87.20192°W / 44.920344; -87.20192 (Old Baldy)) is the state's tallest sand dune[110] at 93 feet above the lake level,[111]

The 102 ft high Brussels Hill[112] (44.75166°N 87.59093°W / 44.75166; -87.59093 (Brussels Hill), elevation 851 feet) is the highest point in the county.[113] It has been explained as the result of a meteorite impact.[114][115][116] The hill is missing blocks of rock ripped off during glaciation. The broken rocks leave behind nearly horizontal and vertical rock surfaces along the pre-existing weaknesses (beds and joints) in the rock.[117] This is considered a feature of glaciokarst geology.[118] The nearby Red Hill Woods is the largest remaining maple–beech forest in the area.[119]

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse was constructed in 1868 on orders from President Andrew Johnson, at a cost of $12,000. It was restored in 1964 and opened to the public; it is located in Peninsula State Park.[79]

• A tower on Brussels Hill is owned by the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation.[120]

• Boyer Bluff Lighthouse is an 80 foot (24 meters) tall skeleton tower[121] on Washington Island's Boyer Bluff 45.41998°N 86.93595°W / 45.41998; -86.93595 (Boyer Bluff), elevation 722 ft (220 meters)

• "The Mountain" at Mountain Park in Washington Island is the highest point on the island and has a lookout tower.[122]

• Eagle Bluff Lighthouse on Eagle Bluff 45.17415°N 87.22205°W / 45.17415; -87.22205 (Eagle Bluff), elevation 597 ft (182 meters)

• Pottawatomie Light on Pottawatomie Point on Rock Island.[123]

• Deathdoor Bluff 45.29637°N 87.06539°W / 45.29637; -87.06539 (Deathdoor Bluff), elevation 728 ft (222 meters)
• Ellison Bluff 45.25888°N 87.10234°W / 45.25888; -87.10234 (Ellison Bluff), elevation 587 ft (179 meters)
• Mount Lowe 44.86805°N 87.37538°W / 44.86805; -87.37538 (Mount Lowe), elevation 728 ft (222 meters)
• Sister Bluffs 45.1861°N 87.154°W / 45.1861; -87.154 (Sister Bluffs), elevation 581 ft (177 meters)
• Svens Bluff 45.13416°N 87.23233°W / 45.13416; -87.23233 (Svens Bluff), elevation 633 ft (193 meters)
• Table Bluff 45.29915°N 87.01651°W / 45.29915; -87.01651 (Table Bluff), elevation 623 ft (190 meters)
• Certain other high points are currently unnamed[124]

Mr. John Backey (right), Manual Training teacher at Sturgeon Bay High School, demonstrates the use of the chisel during the 1915–1916 school year.

The most common USDA soil association in the northern two-thirds of the county is the Summerville[lower-alpha 6]-Longrie[lower-alpha 7]-Omena.[lower-alpha 8][125] These associated soils typically are less than three feet deep. Altogether, thirty-nine percent of the county is mapped as having less than three feet (about a meter) to the dolomite bedrock. This is a factor in lower agricultural productivity, basement flooding, and public health concerns.

Both sale prices and rental values of agricultural land are lower than most Wisconsin counties.[126] The most important field crops by acres harvested in 2017 were hay and haylage at 25,197 acres, soybeans at 16,790 acres, corn (grain) at 15,371 acres, corn (silage) at 9,314 acres, wheat at 8,790 acres, oats at 2,610 acres, and barley at 513 acres.[127] Despite lower productivity for other forms of agriculture, in the early 1900s the combination of thin soils and fractured bedrock was described by area promoters as beneficial to fruit horticulture, as the land would quickly drain during wet conditions and provide ideal soil conditions for orchard trees.[58] For apples, the influence of the calcium-rich dolomite on the soil was expected to promote good color.[128]

The prevalence of shallow soils hinders and even exposed bedrock hinders agriculture but is beneficial for mining. As of 2016, there are 16 active gravel pits and quarries in the county. They produce sand, gravel, and crushed rock for roadwork and construction use.[129] Six of them are county-owned and produce 75,000 cubic yards annually.[130]

Because there is relatively little soil over much of the peninsula and the bedrock is fractured, snowmelt quickly enters the aquifer. This causes seasonal basement flooding in some areas.[131]

Soils in the county are classified as "frigid" because they usually have an average annual temperature of less than 8 °C (46.4 °F). The implication of this classification is that county soils are expected to be wetter and have less microbial activity than soils in warmer areas classified as "mesic." County soils are colder than inland areas of Wisconsin due to the climate-moderating effects of nearby bodies of water.[132]

Minerals found in Door County include fluorite,[133] gypsum,[134] calcite,[135] dolomite,[136] quartz,[137] marcasite,[138] and pyrite.[139] Crystals may be found in vugs.[140]

The combination of shallow soils and fractured bedrock makes well water contamination more likely. At any given time, at least one-third of private wells may contain bacteria, and in situations with quickly flowing underground water, wells may test clean one day but contaminated the next. Some household wells turn brown every spring from nearby manure applications.[142] In September 2014, 16 people feel ill from drinking wellwater after rainwater washed manure went down a sinkhole in Jacksonport.[143]

The porous and fractured dolomite bedrock was implicated as a factor in a June 2007 epidemic when 229 patrons and employees of the newly opened Log Den restaurant were sickened by a norovirus. Six were hospitalized. The virus was found to have traveled from a septic field 188 m (617 ft) away to the restaurant's well, contaminating their water.[144] From September to December 2007 a study was conducted in which dyes were placed into the septic system. The dyes traveled through the groundwater at about 2 miles per year, and researchers concluded that viral contaminants could travel "many miles in their life times."[145] For transient non-community public wells such as the one supplying the restaurant, state only regulated for contaminants within a 200 foot radius unless flow studies had previously been done. Modeling research supporting this decision predicted that pathogens would be unlikely to travel more than 155 feet per year.[146]

After the Milwaukee Journal published an Insight article about septic system problems in the county in 1971, 28% of tourists surveyed in person and 57% of tourists surveyed by telephone reported having read the article. 13% of tourists surveyed by phone said that if water pollution increased, they would stop visiting the county. But the Chamber of Commerce spokesman and one other resort owner said they thought the publicity was good advertising. 14 out of 15 resort owners surveyed said their business had not declined from the previous year, although six thought the article hurt tourism and two thought their businesses had been negatively affected. A study found that those who thought bad water was the county's main problem were less likely to return, and that the water quality problem was hurting tourism.[147]

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reports 137 leaking underground storage tank sites, 385 spill locations, and 104 other areas involving contamination, such as of soils and groundwater, including 24 cases which polluted one or more neighboring properties and 82 open cases such as cherry orchards left with arsenic and lead-contaminated soils from pesticide use during the 1960s and earlier.[148] Additionally, two landowners voluntarily cooperated with the DNR, limiting their future liability.[149] Mines, prior landfills, and former orchard sites are considered impaired lands and specially marked on an electronic county map.[94] A different electronic map shows the locations of private wells polluted with lead, arsenic, and other contaminants down to the section level.[150]

PCBs from Green Bay have been deposited into the county as windborn dust[151] and off of contaminated waters.[152] The state lists 6.85 miles of the Ahnapee River in Door County as an impaired waterway due to PCB pollution, a designation extending past the county line.[153] In 1975, PCBs were found in the eggs of red-breasted and common merganser ducks in the county and were implicated along with DDE and mercury as possible explanations for eggshell thinning.[154]

In 1964 on Little Sister Island only 41% of herring gull eggs hatched. High levels of DDT were found to be the main cause of death among the unhatched chicks.[155]

Between 1996 and 2006, impervious surfaces in the county increased by 0.6 square miles (about 400 acres). In 2006 a total of 1% of all land in the county was paved. Over the same period, 0.8 square miles (about 500 acres) were deforested and 0.6 square miles were lost to agriculture. As development increases water quality is expected to worsen and the risk of flooding is expected to increase.[156] During the 2018 to 2019 winter season, 9,470 tons of salt were applied to state, county, and town roads.[2] Road salt has been credited with fostering the growth of salt tolerant Phragmites australis (giant cane) and Typha angustifolia (narrowleaved cattail) in roadside ditches.[157] Across the Great Lakes region, roadside salt spread within 500 meters of lake has been credited with increasing the salinity of the lakewater.[158]

A 2009 study of Union, Gardener, and Nasewaupee property owners along with property owners in townships from other counties along southern Green Bay found that people owning bayfront properties valued a reduction in nonpoint source pollution more strongly than those owning properties further inland.[159] Another factor motivating opposition to nonpoint source pollution in the county has been a desire to have a suburban rather than agricultural neighborhood environment.[160] In 2017, farmers spent $2,825,000 on agricultural chemicals,[161] in addition to $5,295,000 on fertilizer, lime, and soil conditioners;[162] as a result agricultural practices are potential source of nonpoint-source pollution.

2016 HYSPLIT map

Most air pollution in Door County comes from outside the county. This map shows how air travels to the pollution monitor in Newport State Park.[163] Because the monitor is near the shore, only the red lines (which show the lower air currents) meaningfully depict the path of ozone to the monitor. As shown on the map, these lower currents carry polluted air from major urban areas. But further inland, the air from higher up mixes more, so all color lines are significant when tracing the path of air pollution further inland. These higher currents (shown in green and blue) blow in from cleaner, mostly rural areas.[164]

The stability of air over the Lake Michigan shore along with the lake breezes[lower-alpha 9] may increase the concentration of ozone along the shoreline.[165]

The moderating effects of nearby bodies of water reduce the likelihood of damaging late spring freezes. Late spring freezes are less likely to occur than in nearby areas, and when they do occur, they tend not to be as severe.[166]

The county has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) with warm summers and cold snowy winters. Data is from the city of Sturgeon Bay, which has an average temperature ranging from 68.7 °F (20.4 °C) in the summer down to 18.0 °F (−7.8 °C) in the winter.

On January 7, 1967 Washington Island received 17 inches of snow, setting the county record for the greatest one-day snowfall.[170]

Ice accumulation during the winter of 2014 was the highest ever recorded on Lake Michigan.[171]

Four tornadoes touched down between 1844 and 1880, and six from 1950 to 1989, but there were no fatalities in any of them. Two crossed the Door-Kewaunee county line.[172] From 1989 to 2019, there were 2 additional tornadoes, including the F3 "Door County tornado" which hit Egg Harbor in 1998.[173] Additionally there were 10 waterspouts between 1950 and 2018.[174]

Weather in the county is reported by WXN69 (FM 162.425), the NOAA weather radio station in Sister Bay.[176] Green Bay and Lake Michigan ice thickness reports and forecasts are produced by NOAA.[177]

Weather monitors in the county report terrestrial and marine weather conditions:

Door County is home to six state parks. Four are on the peninsula: Newport State Park, northeast of Ellison Bay; Peninsula State Park, east of Fish Creek; Potawatomi State Park, along Sturgeon Bay; and Whitefish Dunes State Park along Lake Michigan. Two are located on islands: Rock Island State Park and Grand Traverse Island State Park.[lower-alpha 11] In addition to the nature centers located inside the state parks, there are three others outside the parks. There are four State Wildlife and Fishery Areas[lower-alpha 12] and also State Natural Areas that allow free public access.[192][lower-alpha 13]

Besides county,[193] town, and community parks,[194][195] there is a boy scout camp, a Christian camp,[196] and a public site operated by The Archaeological Conservancy.[197][8] A local land trust operates 14 privately owned parks open to the public,[198] and 3,277.3 acres (1326.3 ha) of privately owned lands are open to the public for hunting, fishing, hiking, sight-seeing and cross-country skiing under the Managed Forest Program.[199]

Including both the Lake Michigan and Green Bay shores, there are 54 public beaches or boat launches[200] and 39 kayak launch sites,[201] leading to the area's promotion as "the Cape Cod of the Midwest."[202] Although Door County has fewer sunny days than most counties in Wisconsin and Illinois, it also has less rainfall and lower summer temperatures,[203] making for an optimal beach-going climate.

On hot summer days, cool lake breezes start in around noon and grow more intense by mid-afternoon. This effect can be noticed at the shoreline and around a mile or so inland.[204] Although lake breezes are capable of penetrating considerably further inland, they are able to heat up quickly after passing onto land. After as little as a mile of travel inland, they may be nearly as warm as the air they push away.[205] When a lake breeze encounters an inward curving shoreline, such as at Sister Bay, the breeze becomes more intense. The curve of the shore guides the breezes from opposing sides of the bay and makes them converge upon each other at the middle.[206]

Waterfowl footprints and dead alewives at Whitefish Dunes State Park in 2006. A 2004, study of 10 county beaches counted by far the most birds and bird droppings at Whitefish Dunes, yet it still had the third smallest mean E. coli concentration.[207]

35 beaches are routinely monitored for water quality advisories.[208] Before the state beach monitoring program, an outbreak at Nicolet Beach in Peninsula State Park sickened 68 people in July 2002.[209] A two-year study of selected Door County beaches concluded that neither the abundance of bird droppings nor bird populations reliably predicted E. coli contamination,[lower-alpha 14][210] although rainfall was associated with elevated E. coli levels in six out of eight beaches studied.[211] From 2011–2015, a beach improvement program worked to reduce runoff.[212]

Mats of Cladophora algae provide homes for Salmonella bacteria.[213]

Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon are considered biodiversity hotspots because they support a large number of different fish species.[214]

North of the peninsula, warm water from Green Bay flows into Lake Michigan on the surface, while at the same time, cold lakewater enters Green Bay deep underneath.[215] This is a major reason why oxygen levels in the bay are often too low.[216]

In 2018, Door County ranked second in the state in the Chinook salmon harvest, with 14,268 fish caught, below Kewaunee County, which had 26,557.[217] Chinook salmon are sought after by tourists enjoying chartered fishing trips.[218] Several state record salmon have been caught out of county waters on the Lake Michigan side. In 1994 the state record Chinook was taken; it weighed 44 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 47.5 inches long. In 2016 the state record for pinook (a hybrid of the pink and Chinook salmons) was set at a weight of 9 pounds, 1.6 ounces, and 27.87 inches.[219] Beginning in 1964, first coho and then Chinook salmon were stocked in Lake Michigan.[220] New Chinook fingerling stocking in the spring and egg and milt collection from late September to early November primarily takes place at the Strawberry Creek Chinook Facility in southern Door County. The facility is a public attraction during stocking and collection times.[221]

In recent years there has been concern that the alewife population will not support the salmon population,[222] especially as the Chinook population has already collapsed in Lake Huron.[223] A 2016 survey of Wisconsin anglers found they would on average pay $140 for a trip to catch Chinook salmon, $90 for lake trout, and $180 for walleye.[224] Should the Chinook salmon fishery be replaced with a native lake trout fishery, the economic value would decrease by 80%.[225]

Commercial and recreational fishing

There are numerous reefs of exposed bedrock in the Porte des Mortes passage and off both the Green Bay and Lake Michigan shores.[226] A 1995 study found the greatest abundance of spawning lake trout in Lake Michigan was on the Clay Banks Reef off of Door and Kewaunee counties.[227] County waters are also used for spawning by alewife, herring, lake whitefish, round whitefish, brown trout, brook trout, chubs, longnose suckers, white suckers, smallmouth bass, and burbot. It is assumed that longnose dace also spawn in county waters.[228]

• Dunlap Reef 44.8375°N 87.38815°W / 44.8375; -87.38815 (Dunlap Reef)
• Fisherman Shoal 45.36443°N 86.77984°W / 45.36443; -86.77984 (Fisherman Shoal)
• Four Foot Shoal 45.16082°N 87.00206°W / 45.16082; -87.00206 (Four Foot Shoal)
• Hanover Shoal 45.14804°N 87.31705°W / 45.14804; -87.31705 (Hanover Shoal)
• Horseshoe Reefs 45.2211°N 87.20761°W / 45.2211; -87.20761 (Horseshoe Reefs)
• Larsons Reef 44.88833°N 87.47621°W / 44.88833; -87.47621 (Horseshoe Reefs)
• Middle Shoal 45.31665°N 86.93623°W / 45.31665; -86.93623 (Middle Shoal)
• Monument Shoal 44.99166°N 87.37371°W / 44.99166; -87.37371 (Monument Shoal)
• Nine Foot Shoal 45.27638°N 86.95595°W / 45.27638; -86.95595 (Nine Foot Shoal)
• Outer Shoal 45.23388°N 86.96289°W / 45.23388; -86.96289 (Outer Shoal)
• Sherwood Point Shoal 44.91249°N 87.46205°W / 44.91249; -87.46205 (Sherwood Point Shoal)
• Sister Shoals 45.20027°N 87.16956°W / 45.20027; -87.16956 (Sister Shoals)
• Waverly Shoal 45.28193°N 86.95178°W / 45.28193; -86.95178 (Waverly Shoal)

Walleye found in the Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon area had 87% more PCBs[lower-alpha 15] than walleye from the western side of Green Bay at the mouth of the Oconto River. This fits what is known about the distribution of PCBs which spread from industries in the Fox River Valley.[229]

Round gobies eat mussels off the rocky shoreline.[230] In 2014 the state speargun record for the invasive round goby was taken by out of Door County waters on the Lake Michigan side. It weighed 5.0 ounces and was 8.25 inches long.[219]

Lake whitefish and yellow perch are caught commercially.[231] Lake whitefish are also caught commercially by ice fishing.[232] Tagging studies have shown whitefish migrating from Big Bay de Noc which has less food to the plentiful waters off the peninsula.[233]

Remains of sturgeon, catfish, sucker, smallmouth bass, white bass, walleye, and drum left behind by Native Americans were found near North Bay in the 1960s.[234]

The boat on the left overturned during the 2013 wooden boat competition. The participants are reduced to swimming around the buoy.

In 2012, 8,341 registered boats were kept in the county. Most of the county boating accidents reported in 2012 occurred in Green Bay.[235] A 1989–90 study of recreational boating in Wisconsin found that the county's Green Bay and Lake Michigan waters had a higher frequency of Great Lakes boating than any other county bordering Lake Michigan or Lake Superior. The typical motor used in the county's Green Bay and Lake Michigan waters had a horsepower over 90, while the typical motor used for inland county waters had a horsepower under 50. Overall, boaters perceived county waters as uncrowded and boater satisfaction was average.[236]

An annual race is held for which participants build small plywood boats.[237]

The county's longest river canoe route is on the Ahnapee River from County H south to the county line.[18]

Some itineraries connecting the Great Loop around the eastern U.S. and through the Mississippi include stops in Door County.[238]

A charity holds sailing classes each summer.[239] 1972–1973 surveys of high school juniors and seniors in northeast Wisconsin found that students from Door County were more likely to use sailboats than students from other counties.[240]

Besides Lake Michigan and Green Bay, there are 25 lakes, ponds, or marshes and 37 rivers, creeks, streams, and springs in the county.[241]

Select bodies of water and wetlands

4,631 ha (11,400 acres) of Door Peninsula Coastal Wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance.[256] The listing includes three areas previously recognized as "Wetland Gems."[257]

There are 29 state-defined natural areas in the county.[192]

Select State Natural Areas

Along with nearby Marinette and Delta (see Garden Peninsula) counties, Door County is home to endemic plants and disjunct populations,[287] such as those protected at Plum Island, Coffee Swamp, Cave Point County Park, the adjacent Whitefish Dunes State Park, and The Ridges Sanctuary. The Grand Traverse islands have some of Wisconsin's richest rare plant reserves.[18]

The county is home to a variety of plant communities, including some unique to the area. Boreal rich fen is called "rich" because the dolomite makes the soil more fertile.[288] Calcicole plants growing in these fens depend on minerals which the dolomite contributes to the soil.[289] The southernmost boreal forests in the state are on the eastern side of the peninsula.[290] In white cedar variant forests, white cedar coexists with hardwoods and balsam fir in upland stands that ordinarily would not support cedar. This forest cover is likely due to the alkaline soil and mostly grows on the Niagara Escarpment along the Green Bay side of the peninsula or near the Lake Michigan shoreline. A combination of high humidity, high levels of calcium and magnesium carbonates from the dolomite, and weathered, nutrient poor soils are thought to limit microbial activity. As a result, a layer of humus builds up from organic matter falling to the ground.[291] The escarpment also features the dry cliff natural community[292] and is home to two rare species of whitlow grass.[293][294] Other uncommon communities are alvar and the similar Great Lakes alkaline rockshore,[295][296] also home to rare plants.[287]

Some trees have attracted attention:

• One white cedar found on the escarpment was over 600 years old and near other old-growth cedars.[297]
• The largest tree in the county is a 170-year-old eastern cottonwood on the west side of Highway 57 passing through Institute. It is 110 feet tall and 35 feet in circumference.[298]
• In 1997, striped maple was discovered in a shoreline forest near Newport, the first time this species was documented in the state.[299]
• In 1969, Franklin Gilbert introduced the Viking apple, an early Macintosh moderately resistant to apple scab and fireblight.[300][301] The original Viking tree is exhibited to the public at the Peninsular Research Station.

Select plants, fungi, and algae found in the county

As of 2019, 1201 species and hybrids of vascular plants have been identified in the county,[302] including the yellow lady's-slipper Cypripedium parviflorum, the official county flower.[303] 255 unique taxa of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts[304] have been identified in Door County.

In 2001, species lists were compiled for the county's islands. Snake Island had 156 species, Cana Island had 111, Hat Island 22, Chambers Island 398, Adventure Island 58, Little Strawberry Island 44, Jack Island 28, Horseshoe Island 49, Sister Island 6, Spider Island 42, Plum Island 259, Detroit Island 25, Pilot Island 40, Washington Island 626, Hog Island 34, Rock Island 333, and Gravel and Fish islands were devoid of plant life.[305] In particular, Washington Island is one of only two places in Wisconsin where the fern Asplenium viride (green spleenwort) is found.[306]

In 2006, 60 species of aquatic plants or macrophytic algae were found in Clark Lake and nearby upstream, including spotted pondweed, Potamogeton pulcher, which is endangered in Wisconsin.[307][308] In 2017, 9 species of aquatic plants were found in the Forestville Millpond, also called the Forestville Dam or Forestville Flowage.[309]

Plants in Newport State Park recolonizing the drawdown zone in August 2013 during a period of low lake levels. Plants present in the background include Anthriscus sylvestris (Queen Anne's lace), goldenrod, Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle), and Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass). The foreground includes the woody plants Thuja occidentalis (white cedar), and Cornus sericea (red-osier dogwood).

In 2019, 25 miles of roadsides were surveyed for invasive species.[2] A county-wide electronic map of Japanese knotweed, Phragmites, teasel, and wild parsnip infested locations is updated annually.[94] Locations of other problem species have also been documented.[310]

Yearly fluctuations in lake levels alternately kill off vegetation during periods of high water and promote succession during times of low water. Even during times of high water when low-lying plants are inundated, the populations may persist uphill by clonal expansion and spreading their seeds. Lake Michigan has more diverse shoreline vegetation than Lake Ontario, which has a more stable water level due to human intervention. Without the changing lake levels the shoreline would be dominated by woody plants or highly competitive and even invasive water-loving species such as cattails, reed canary grass, or purple loosestrife. Wet meadows like this one thrive when flooding does not occur often enough to allow emergent vegetation to prevail but is still too frequent to allow the establishment of trees and shrubs.[311]

Orchids

Although The Ridges Sanctuary is home to wild orchids, it also operates an orchid restoration project to cultivate and introduce rare orchids into otherwise natural plant communities.[312] 25 native orchid species are currently kept at the Ridges.[313] A 1998 survey of wild, native orchids was carried out in response to continued theft of the sanctuary orchids. 28 species were identified.[314]

Potatoes

The U.S. Potato Genebank at the Peninsular Research Station just north of Sturgeon Bay[315] is the world's second largest living collection of wild potatoes with 65 wild species in 2010. Altogether in 2010 it held 5,277 total collections, the fifth highest number of total collections worldwide and accounting for a little over 5% of the total worldwide.[316] During fiscal year 2019, 10,042 samples from the collection were distributed to academics and businesses with 6,659 distributed domestically and 3,383 exported to other nations.[317]

Garden plants

A master gardeners association operates a one-acre botanical garden on the Peninsular Research Station grounds with about 350 varieties of plants.[318]

As of 2019, 243 species of mushrooms and other macrofungi have been identified north of the canal,[319] with 326 species for the county as a whole, including those found in lichens.[320] Several of the more uncommon lichens found in the county are Cetraria arenaria, which grows on the ground,[321] and Anaptychia crinalis, which grows on tree bark.[322]

In 2009, a unique hybrid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast was found on fallen cherries near Fish Creek. This strain of S. cerevisiae descended from both oak-tree and vineyard lineages.[323]

FWS staff banding a cormorant at night in July on Spider Island in the Wisconsin Islands Wilderness. The island is home to a nesting colony.[324] Banding was done at night so the chicks would be sleeping and less aware.

From 1971 through 1976, 11 species of small mammals were found at Toft Point,[325] the Newport State Park Mammals Checklist has 34 species,[326] and in 1972 44 mammals were listed for the entire county.[327] From 1981 through 1995, 7 species of frogs and toads were recorded in the county.[328] In 1992 six amphibians and eight reptiles were found in and around Potawatomi State Park.[329]

As of 2018, 166 species of birds have been confirmed to live in Door County, excluding birds seen which lack the habitat to nest and must only be passing through.[330] Reverse migration is occasionally observed in the county. When birds traveling north reach the tip of the peninsula and the islands beyond, the long stretches of water sometimes unnerves them. Instead of crossing over to the Garden Peninsula, they turn around and fly back down the peninsula.[331] Brood parasitism by red-breasted mergansers has been observed on Gravel and Spider islands and on another island known informally as "The Reef." They laid eggs into the nests of mallards, gadwalls, and lesser scaups.[332]

In 1999, the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory listed 24 aquatic and 21 terrestrial animals in Door County as "rare."[333]

Distribution of Tamias striatus subspecies: T. s. griseus (triangles), T. s. doorsiensis (circles), and T. s. peninsulae (squares). The black symbols mark where collected specimens were taken from, while the open symbols refer to other records.

During the 20th century, thousands of herring gulls were banded on Hat Island[334] to determine their migratory patterns.[335] Banded birds were found as far north as Hudson Bay and as far south as Central America.[189]

Tamias striatus doorsiensis, a subspecies of eastern chipmunk, was described in 1971.[336][337] It is only found in Door, Kewaunee, Northeastern Brown, and possibly Manitowoc counties.[338] Compared to other chipmunks nearby in Michigan and Wisconsin, they have brighter patches behind their ears, grayer hair along their backs, and more white on their tails.[339] It is smaller than T. s. griseus but larger than the least chipmunk (Neotamias minimus).[338]

From 1996 to 2001, researchers identified 69 species of snails in Door County, the most out of the 22 counties in the study. Most of these were found on rock outcrop habitats. Ranking second was Brown County with 62 species. 48 species were found in Kewaunee County, ranking eighth. Slugs were found in all three counties. Peninsula State Park is home to the northernmost known population of Strobilops aenea. The species Vertigo hubrichti and Vertigo morsei are endemic to the upper Midwest. These two species had the highest occurrence frequencies along the Door and Garden Peninsulas. Door County is also home to several uncommon species from the genus Oxychilus, which is non-native and introduced from Europe. One was found near a vacation home and may have been introduced by landscape plantings. Within the county, Brussels Hill, North Kangaroo Lake, Rock Island and the escarpment with its cool algific habitat supports populations of rare snails.[340][18] Out of 63 locations in the county where snails were found, the most species (28) were located on a cliff in Rock Island.[341]

The sweat bee Lasioglossum sagax was collected on Ridges Road in 2006. Aside from a single collection from Manitowoc County in 2005, it had previously been found only in Colorado.[342]

The kleptoparasitic bee Stelis labiata is considered very rare.[343] It was collected at Toft point in 2006. This was only the second time this species had been found in Wisconsin; the earlier collection's county of origin is unknown.[344]

In June 2016, an estimated several thousand mayflies hatched in Sawyer Bay, which is part of Sturgeon Bay. This was the result of an experiment to stock millions of eggs from the species Hexagenia limbata and Hexagenia bilineata in the lower Green Bay area in an attempt to reintroduce the species. The last mayfly from the genus Hexagenia had been collected in the lower Green Bay area in 1955. As mayfly populations can be unstable and not all stocking locations appeared to be successful, as of 2017 it was not yet known whether it would be possible for populations of Hexagenia mayflies to become self-sustaining.[345]

In 2014 an invertebrate survey of Horseshoe Bay Cave found an apparently groundwater-dwelling amphipod of the genus Crangonyx. Groundwater-dwelling Crangonyx species had never been documented in Wisconsin before.[346] A springtail of the genus Pygmarrhopalites (a genus name synonymous with Arrhopalites) was "found on the surface of drip pools." It appeared to be adapted to cave life and the study concluded that it "could represent an undescribed cave species."[347]

In 2004, an invertebrate species list for Toft Point was published listing five isopods, four millipedes, six daddy longlegs, and 113 spiders. Of these, two of the millipedes and 14 of the spiders had never been documented in Wisconsin before.[348]

The local climate may allow for the better survival of the northern black widow spider.[349]

Additionally, the county is home to the fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus, which can grow to about three inches, half the size of a tarantula.[350]

Kangaroo Lake State Natural Area has the largest breeding population of the endangered Hine's Emerald Dragonfly in the world.[351]

The Lake Huron locust lives on dunes in the county and is not found anywhere else in the state.[352]

Research on apple maggots infesting cherries in Door County contributed to the study of sympatric speciation in the 1970s.[353]

In the 20th century, seven fish parasites were found in Hibbards Creek and 13 in Sturgeon Bay.[354]

Although Door County has a year-round population of about 27,610, it experiences an influx of tourists each summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with over 2.1 million visitors per year.[355] Most businesses are targeted to tourism and operate seasonally. Based on room tax collections from 2017–18, July is the busiest month of the year, although sales tax revenue is higher in August. The fewest room taxes are collected for January, and the fewest sales taxes are collected for April.[356]

Room occupancy for motels, resorts, and inns in Door County, July 2018 – April 2020[357]

A motel, Sturgeon Bay, October 2009

An inn, Egg Harbor, October 2009

A resort, Ephraim, printed between circa 1930 and circa 1945

Cherry orchard in bloom, May

Maple syrup production[358] was 983 gallons in 2017 from seven operations. This was similar to figures from 2012, but down from 2007 when 15 operations produced 2,365 gallons.[359]

The sucker run, which was a popular fishing event in the 19th century,[360] occurs in March and April.[361] Suckers may be taken by frame dip nets,[362] and the sucker run is also sought out as viewing opportunity.[363] Another permitted method of fishing for suckers is by speargun. In April 2018, the state speargun record for longnose sucker was taken by out of Door County waters on the Lake Michigan side. It weighed 3 pounds, 9.9 ounces and was 21.25 inches long.[219]

Another attraction is mushroom hunting on public land.[364][365] Additionally, as of 2017 there are two commercial mushroom operations.[366]

Cherry tree, August

In 2017, there were ten operations growing 14 acres of strawberries.[367]

In 2017, there were eight operations harvesting five acres of fresh cut herbs, up from four acres in 2012.[368] Two of these operations grow lavender on Washington Island.[369][370]

In Baileys Harbor, religious tourism includes the Blessing of the Fleet.[371]

Door County has a history of strawberry,[372] apple, cherry, and plum growing that dates back to the 19th century.[373][58] Farmers were encouraged to grow fruit on the basis of the relatively mild climate on the peninsula. This is due to the moderating effects of the lake and bay on nearby land temperatures. U-pick orchards and fruit stands can be found along country roads when in season, and there are two cherry processors.[374]

However, the cherry and apple businesses have declined[375] since peaking in 1941[376] and 1964[58][377] respectively due to concerns about pesticides,[378] lack of migrant labor and a difficulty in finding local help, the closure of all processing plants save one, unpredictable harvests, the introduction of Drosophila suzukii, land-use competition with tourism and residential development, better growing conditions to the east in the fruit belt, such as the nearby Traverse City area,[379][58] and intentional destruction of a portion of the crop ordered by the processor in order to drive up prices.[380] In 2017, there were only 1,945 acres of tart cherry orchards, down from 2012 when there were 2,429 acres.[381]

Lightening bugs become common by the end of June.[382]

Apple orchard, October

Additionally, there were 400 acres of apple orchards in 2017, down from 468 acres in 2012.[383] In 2017, there were 12 acres of pear orchards, spread among 11 operations.[384] In 2017, there was only one acre of plum orchards, spread among four operations.[385] In 2007, there were two acres of apricot orchards, spread among six operations.[386] Research on the development of cold-hardy peaches has continued since the 1980s.[387] In 2012, there were two acres of peach orchards, spread among seven operations.[388]

In 2017, there were 40 acres of vineyards, down from 78 acres in 2012.[389] The county was recognized as part of a larger federally designated wine grape-growing region in 2012.

In 2018, a county total of 4,791 deer were killed as a total of all deer hunting seasons, down from the total harvest of 5,264 deer in 2017.[390] Chronic wasting disease as of 2018 has never been detected within the county.[391]

Another autumn activity is leaf peeping.[392]

Skiing and skating at Sturgeon Bay High School

Winter attractions include ice fishing, sledding,[lower-alpha 17] cross-country skiing,[397] camping,[398] broomball,[399] pond hockey,[400] snowmobiling,[401] watching lake freighters in Sturgeon Bay,[402] and Christmas tree farms.[403][404] In 2017, 860 Christmas trees were cut, down from 1,929 in 2012.[405] Nearly 60% of the time, Door County has a white Christmas.[406]

Including both lake and Green Bay shorelines, there are eleven lighthouses and sets of range lights. Most were built during the 19th century and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Baileys Harbor Range Lights, Cana Island Lighthouse,[407] Chambers Island Lighthouse, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Pilot Island Lighthouse, Plum Island Range Lights,[408] Pottawatomie Lighthouse, and Sturgeon Bay Canal Lighthouse. The other lighthouses in the county are: Boyer Bluff Lighthouse,[121] Baileys Harbor Lighthouse, Sherwood Point Lighthouse, and the Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Light.[409]

Thirteen historical sites are marked[410] in the state maritime trail for the area[411] in addition to eight roadside historical markers.[412] In Sturgeon Bay, the tugboat John Purves is operated as a museum ship. Including lighthouses, the county has 72 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are 214 known confirmed and unconfirmed shipwrecks listed for the county,[413] including the SS Australasia, Christina Nilsson, Fleetwing, SS Frank O'Connor, Grape Shot, Green Bay, Hanover, Iris, SS Joys, SS Lakeland, SS Louisiana, Meridian, Ocean Wave, and Success. Some shipwrecks are used for wreck diving.[414]

Buildings made from cordwood construction survive in the county, especially in the Bailey's Harbor area. Some, such as the Blacksmith Inn, are covered with clapboards on the outside.[415][416] It has been speculated that the use of stovewood in the county was associated with German immigrants and was also due to the lack of manpower needed to haul heavy logs.[417]

Some foods of Door County

Agritourism and culinary tourism supports local food production.[418] Cooking classes are offered to tourists.[419]

Distinctive local foods include:

Chancel and altarpiece inside the stave church on Washington Island.

Scandinavian heritage-related attractions include The Clearing Folk School, two stave churches,[445] structures in Rock Island State Park furnished with rune-inscribed furniture,[446] and Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant, which features goats on its grassy roof. In Ephraim, the Village Hall, the Moravian and Lutheran churches, and the Peter Peterson House are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, as is the L. A. Larson & Co. Store building in Sturgeon Bay. Although fish boils have been attributed to Scandinavian tradition,[447] several ethnicities present on the peninsula have traditions of boiling fish. The method common in the county is similar to that of Native Americans.[448][lower-alpha 20]

In Sturgeon Bay, industrial tourism includes tours of the Bay Shipbuilding Company,[449] CenterPointe Yacht Services[450][451] and other manufacturers.[452] In particular, Bay Ship owns a blue gantry crane that dominates the skyline.[453] A cheese factory in Clay Banks conducts public tours.[454]

Tourism supports an arts community, including weavers,[455] painters,[456] decorative artists,[457] blacksmiths,[458] actors,[lower-alpha 21] songwriters,[459] musicians,[460] and hymn-singers.[461]

A quilt trail along roadside barns was organized in 2010.[462]

The interesting landscape makes it an attractive target for photography. Several photographs have been used for commemorative stamps. A Town of Sturgeon Bay farm was featured on a stamp commemorating the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial in 2004,[463] and a cherry orchard near Brussels was featured on 2012 Earthscapes series stamp.

Astronauts on missions using every space shuttle and living in three different space stations have photographed the county. In 2014, one picture was featured as the NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day.[171]

Select astronaut photography of Door County

Door County Fairgrounds

Sports tourism includes an underwater hockey team,[464] a motor racetrack in Sturgeon Bay,[465] and a semi-pro football team in Baileys Harbor.[466]

A county-wide men's baseball league has eight teams.[467]

High school sports teams play in the Packerland Conference, except for girls' swimming and golf, which compete in the Bay Conference.

In 2014, Door County ranked 264th out of all 3,141 U.S. counties by number of golf courses and country clubs. The county has nine courses, tying with 42 other counties. Door County had the 87th highest number of courses per resident of all U.S. counties.[468]

Lake Michigan shoreline is used for lake surfing.[469] One guidebook names the shore off Cave Point County Park as the best surfing area.[30] Another water sport is windsurfing.[470]

In 2018, 3,476 motorcycles were registered in the county, up from 1,806 in 2018.[471] A local motorcycle club hosts a regional burning man event[472] involving a large wooden cow and maintains the adjacent Wisconsin Motorcycle Memorial.[473]

In 2019, 46 aircraft were registered in the county, most owned by individuals.[474] During the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, a fish boil is held as a $100 hamburger event at the Washington Island Airport to entice AirVenture conventiongoers to land on the island.[475]

Ephraim, view along Water Street

In 2014–15, there were 257 liquor licenses in the county,[476] including one issued for a tavern on Washington Island which sells more Angostura bitters than any other tavern worldwide.[477] The county also has businesses that produce alcoholic beverages.[478] To encourage tourism, Ephraim residents passed referenda in 2016 to allow beer and/or wine sales within the village. Until then, Ephraim had been the state's last dry municipality.[479]

Between 2000 and 2017, prices for houses in Door County rose only 1.3% annually, less than the U.S. average of 2.5%.[482] In a 2008 survey of county residents, the most frequent local concern was the need to control rampant overdevelopment, including condos.[483] In 2006, nonresidents paid about 60% of the property taxes in the northern half of the county.[484]

A cottage along Lake Michigan

As of 2011, 7,889 residential buildings were located in within a quarter mile (402 meters) of the shore. Shoreline developments are vulnerable to erosion[141] and destruction from ice shoves.[485] Seiches on Green Bay cycle about every 11 hours but are highly variable and are capable of reversing the flow of water from rivers.[156]

Shoreline parcels, which tend to be the most highly valued real estate, are typically owned by non-Wisconsin residents unless they are public property.[486]

In 2017 the county had the second highest property values per capita in the state.[487] The high property values combined with low enrollment serve to punish local school districts in the state funding formula.[488] Since 1959, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has wanted more school consolidation in Door County in order to achieve their statewide goal of having every district supported by a large tax base and offering a sufficiently comprehensive high school program. However, only the Southern Door School District complied with the DPI's expectations by consolidating into a single site in 1962.[489] As a result, the county's school districts often have referenda for additional property tax funding.[488]

For forested lands, high property values drive up property tax levies, which in turn encourages landowners to enroll their land in the Managed Forest Program to reduce their taxes.[490]

A 2012 report found that Door County's preserved open spaces reduced the likelihood that nearby land would be subdivided, but if it was subdivided, areas near the open space were divided into more parcels than those further away. It did not appear to affect agriculture-related development.[491]

Playbill near the entrance of an outdoor theater in Baileys Harbor listing Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest as the shows for the 2015 acting season

In 2015, Door County arts and cultural organizations spent $9.7 million, of which 70.9% was spent locally, in addition to $15.0 million spent by attendees. An estimated 1,582 volunteers for arts and cultural organizations averaged 35.7 hours each. In 2015, 194,424 people attended arts and cultural events in the county, 78.0% of them non-residents. In 2016, the average arts event attendee from the county spent $28.96, while the average nonresident spent $90.53. In 2016, 50.6% of non-residents said the arts event was the primary reason they made the trip to the county. 66.0% of county resident attendees in 2016 were 65 or older, while 48.6% of non-resident attendees were 65 or older.[492]

County spending in Door County is supported by property taxes, sales taxes, and state aid. In 2017, the county had the highest per capita property tax burden in the state,[487] although when compared by amount levied per $1,000 of property the tax was comparatively low with the county having the fifteenth lowest per capita property tax rate per $1,000 out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[487] The county also collected $140 in per capita sales taxes in 2017, the second highest in the state,[487] and received the ninth highest level of per capita state financial assistance to the county government in 2015 figures.[487]

Operating expenses of the Door County Tourism Zone Commission, 2008–2019[493]

In 2014, Door County spent $11,287 per resident on advertising and other forms of tourism promotion, the second-most per capita of any Wisconsin county.[494] 30% of the expenses reflected in this graph are refunds to individual municipalities collecting the tax. The municipalities are not required to spend this money on tourism promotion.[495]

In 2015, Door County had the third-highest level of per capita county spending in Wisconsin.[487] It was Wisconsin's only county with high per capita government spending in 2005 that did not also have a large low-income population. High per capita county government spending in Wisconsin is typically due to poverty.[496] Door County's spending can be explained by both the need to provide services to people present only during the tourism season[497] and by development patterns. A 2004 study showed that residential and commercial land tends to require more in government services than property taxes generate. These in turn are subsidized by taxes on industrial, agricultural, and open lands, which generally require few government services.[498]

The dispersal of residential developments is a compounding factor. A 2002 study found that Wisconsin town residents are typically subsidized by city and village residents.[499] The effect of seasonal residents on persons-per-housing unit figures was once masked by larger family sizes among year-round inhabitants. Beginning in the 1980 census the number of persons per housing unit fell below typical figures for Wisconsin as the number of children in the county dropped.[55]

Door County unemployment rates during the summer and fall are considerably lower than in winter.[500][501] Annual earnings in Door County are typically less than similar jobs in other areas of Wisconsin. This has been attributed to the seasonal nature of much of the employment. For example, in 2009, it was found that people were 4.85 times more likely to be employed by hotels and motels in Door County as opposed to the rest of the nation.[502]

22.0% of the county's 13,728 employed workers[lower-alpha 22] in 2018 served in the leisure and hospitality sector, more than any other sector. However, because leisure and hospitality jobs tend not to pay very well, they only earned 12.9% of all wages earned in the county. In contrast, manufacturing employees received 24.5% of the wages paid in 2018, even though they only made up 17.0% of the workforce. This is despite the average annual wage for leisure and hospitality workers being 109.3% of the state average wage for leisure and hospitality in 2018. In contrast, workers employed in manufacturing received 86.7% of the state average wage for manufacturing. Wages in Door County trailed state averages for every sector except leisure and hospitality.[503] The effects of the low earnings are compounded by average housing prices; other areas in Wisconsin with low wages tend to have low housing prices.[504] The unaffordability of housing has been linked to the labor shortage problem, as new employees may be unable to afford housing and decide to leave.[505] A 2019 study found the county to have the eighth highest cost of living out of all Wisconsin counties.[506]

Homes, cabins, and cottages permitted for short term rentals, 2008 – May 2019[507]

The seasonal housing problem has been made more severe as properties once available to residents or seasonal laborers have been turned into Airbnb-style short-term rentals for tourists.[508] A 2019 documentary interviewed residents to examine and publicize this.[509]

As high school enrollment in the county has dwindled,[lower-alpha 23] employers have turned to J-1 visas to fill seasonal positions instead.[510]

J-1 visas issued for work in Door County, 2016–2019

Migrant worker housing (March, 2011) Because the cost of living in Door County is high compared to the limited income many tourism-industry jobs provide, temporary workers are often hired, both domestic and foreign. Workers come from as far away as Ukraine,[511] Scandinavia, Uzbekistan, Turkey, or South Africa.

Because foreign workers brought in under the Summer Work Travel Program are sometimes housed in a different community from where they are employed, some have ended up bicycling 10–15 miles a day since they lack cars and the county has limited public transportation.[511] Additionally, illegal or undocumented immigrants who work in the tourism industry often lack drivers' licenses.[512] In 2012, Door County District Attorney Ray Pelrine said the "illegal immigrant workforce is now built into the structure of a lot of businesses here."[513]

For reported labor, people in the county tend to work in the county, and jobs in the county tend to be performed by county residents. According to 2011–2015 ACS data, out of 17 counties in northeastern Wisconsin, Door County had the second lowest percentage of residents commuting out-of-county to work. Only Brown County residents were less likely to commute out of their county to work. 89.08% of reported jobs Door County are performed by workers residing in the county, the highest percentage in the 17-county area. The cause of this has been attributed to the county being on a peninsula, which limits the directions people can practically commute.[514]

The economic impact of tourism is not the same throughout the county. A 2018 survey of tourists reported that Forestville and Brussels were the county's least visited communities.[515] Due to tourism's impact on restaurant prices, some residents of the more rural southern part of the county cannot afford to eat at restaurants in the northern part.[516]

Measures of income inequality show mixed results in Door County. Using the ACS five-year estimates from 2012–2016, the household income ratio between the 80th to 20th percentiles was only 3.76, the 352nd lowest such ratio out of 3,140 U.S. counties. On the other hand, 23.1% of all household income in the county was earned by the top 5th percentile, the 452nd greatest percentage out of 3,135 U.S. counties reporting data.[517]

Most of the homeless in Door County are couch surfers, although in the summer many will camp or live out of their vehicles.[518]

The largest single-family house in the state is in Liberty Grove.[519] It was built in 1996 and is about 35,000 square feet. Although in 2005 it sold for about $20 million, in 2016 it sold for only $2.7 million,[520] and in 2019 was assessed at $2.625 million.[521] Additionally, an earth house in Sevastopol has been considered the "strangest home in Wisconsin."[522]

A 2019 report by the Wisconsin Bureau of Aging and Disability Resources based on data from 2013 to 2017 found that while only 12.7% of Door County residents aged 65 and older rented (compared to 23.5% statewide), 59.8% of those who did rent spent 30% or more of their income on rental costs (compared to 55.4% statewide).[523]

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, in 2017 Door County had 1,270 miles of roadways.[525]

• Wisconsin Highway 42 (WIS 42)
• Wisconsin Highway 57 (WIS 57)
• Door County Coastal Byway (WIS 42 and WIS 57) north of Sturgeon Bay to Northport is classified as a Coastal Byway.[526]

• There are five rustic roads in the county.[527] In addition to state-recognized rustic roads, Liberty Grove manages a heritage roads program. As of 2019 there were 12 heritage roads in the town.[528]

• There are 230.8 miles[2] of snowmobile trails,[529] which are opened as trails are groomed.[530]

• The Ahnapee State Trail connects Sturgeon Bay to Kewaunee, winter snowmobile access is dependent on weather and trail grooming.[531] Although the Ice Age Trail coincides with most of the Ahnapee State Trail, the Ice Age Trail forks away in the City of Sturgeon Bay and reaches its northern terminus at Potawatomi State Park.[532]
• WIS 42 and 57 are part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour.[533]
• Egg Harbor operates a free public bicycle-sharing system, limited to daylight hours within the village during the tourist season.[534]

• Sturgeon Bay Bridge, (also called Michigan Street Bridge) (11.5 feet clearance, overhead-truss, Scherzer-type, double-leaf, rolling-lift bascule)[535]
• Oregon Street Bridge (reinforced concrete slab, rolling lift bascule girder with mechanical driven center locks)[536]
• Bayview Bridge (monolithic concrete placed on structural deck with steel girder superstructure, open grating on deck, bascule)[537]

A daily private shuttle service operates between Green Bay–Austin Straubel International Airport and Sturgeon Bay.[538] The nearest intercity bus station with regular service is in Green Bay.[539] There are eleven airports in the county, including private or semi-public airports.

• Door County Cherryland Airport (KSUE), public use, three miles west of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
• Ephraim–Gibraltar Airport (3D2), public use, one mile southwest of Ephraim, Wisconsin
• Washington Island Airport (2P2), public use
• Crispy Cedars Airport, Brussels (7WI8), private, but open to visitors with advance notice[540]
• Door County Memorial Hospital Heliport, allows for air ambulance service to the hospital from remote areas of the county[541] and for flying patients to Green Bay.
• Chambers Island Airport, private[542]
• Five other small airports[lower-alpha 24]

Ferry Robert Noble[lower-alpha 25] serving Washington Island and Northport

• Washington Island is served by two ferry routes. The first route is to take a 30-minute ferry ride from the Door Peninsula to Detroit Harbor on the island from a freight, automobile, and passenger ferry that departs daily from the Northport Pier at the northern terminus of Highway 42. This ferry makes approximately 225,000 trips per year.[538] The second route is a passenger-only ferry that departs from the unincorporated community of Gills Rock on a 20-minute route.[548]
• Rock Island State Park is reachable by the passenger ferry Karfi from Washington Island.[549] (During winter Rock Island is potentially accessible via snowmobile and foot traffic.)
• Although Chambers Island has no regularly scheduled ferry, there are boat operators which transport people to the island on call from Fish Creek.

• There are 30 public boat access sites in the county.[550] The Lake Michigan State Water Trail follows most county shorelines.[551]

As of the 2000 census,[552] there were 27,961 people, 11,828 households, and 7,995 families residing in the county. The population density was 58 people per square mile (22/km²). There were 19,587 housing units at an average density of 41 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.84% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. 0.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 39.4% were of German and 10.3% Belgian ancestry. A small pocket of Walloon speakers forms the only Walloon-language region outside of Wallonia and its immediate neighbors.[553][554]

Out of a total of 11,828 households, 58.10% were married couples living together, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84.

For every 100 females there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males. In the county, the population was spread out with 22.10% under the age of 18 (a decrease from 25.9% being under the age of 18 in the 1990 census[560]), 6.10% from 18 to 24, 25.40% from 25 to 44, and 27.70% from 45 to 64.

In 2017, there were 217 births, giving a general fertility rate of 59 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 49th highest rate out of 72 Wisconsin counties.[561] Additionally, there were eleven reported induced abortions performed on women of Door County residence in 2017.[562]

Between April 2010 and January 2019, there were an estimated 1,869 births and 2,904 deaths in the county. Although the greater number of deaths served to decrease the population by an estimated 1,035 people, this was more than offset by a net gain of 1,900 people who moved in from outside the county. Altogether, the population increased by an estimated 865 persons during this period.[563]

From ACS data from 2014–2018, the most elderly community in the county was the village of Ephraim with a median age of 65.4, the seventh most elderly out of all 1965 cities, towns, and villages having available data. Following Ephraim was Egg Harbor with a median age of 64.0, the 14th most elderly in the state, Sister Bay with a median age of 63.4, tied with Sherman in Iron County as the 18th most elderly, Washington Island with a median age of 62.9, tied with Union in Burnett County as the 22nd most elderly, Liberty Grove with a median age of 62.4, tied with Lakewood in Oconto County as the 26th most elderly, Egg Harbor with a median age of 59.8, tied with three other towns as the 55th most elderly, Gibraltar with a median age of 59.4, tied with the town of Raddison in Sawyer county as the 64th most elderly, and Bailey's Harbor with a median age of 58.5, tied with Big Bend in Rusk County as the 83rd most elderly.

The youngest community in Door County was the village of Forestville with a median age of 39.0. It tied with 12 other communities as the 429th youngest community in the state. Following the village of Forestville was the city of Sturgeon Bay with a median age of 42.8, tied with 9 other communities as the 742nd youngest in the state, Brussels with a median age of 46.9, tied with 8 other communities as the 1163rd youngest in the state, the town of Forestville with a median age of 47.4, tied with 9 other communities as the 1222nd youngest in the state, and Gardner with a median age of 49.4, tied with 15 other communities as the 1434th youngest in the state.[564]

Children, Sturgeon Bay, 1917

Based on ACS data from 2013 to 2017, the county had a median age of 52.4 years old, tied with Florence as the fifth most elderly of all Wisconsin counties.[523] This was an increase from the 2000 census, which reported a county median age of 43 years. In the 2000 census, 18.70% of the county population was 65 years of age or older. By 2015, the percentage of elderly climbed, with 25.8% of the population being 65 or older, the third highest in the state.[487]

According to ACS estimates, the number of people under 18 in the county dropped from 5,119 in 2010 to 4,479 in 2017.[565] In 2013, a researcher predicted that by 2040, the county's population would decline 4.2%, the 10th-largest percentage decline among all Wisconsin counties.[566]

From 2013 to 2017, 36.8% of the 9,358 households in the county included children, based on the ACS 5-year estimate, compared to 44.2% for Wisconsin in 2017, based on the ACS one-year estimate.[567]

With the exception of the preschool program in Sevastopol, all county districts saw enrollment declines from 2000–2019 at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.[568] The Door County Charter School in Sturgeon Bay is not listed as it was only in operation from 2002–2005.[569]

Declining high school enrollment[568][lower-alpha 27] has been blamed for the shortage of seasonal workers, and credited with prompting the expansion of the J-1 visa program.[570][lower-alpha 28]

Total 9–12 enrollment at all five Door County high schools, 2000–2019

Justice of the Peace office in Sturgeon Bay, from the 1918–1919 Sturgeon Bay High School yearbook

Five-year ACS data from 2012 to 2016 show that an estimated 24.6% of women aged 45–54 in the county had never been married, the 69th highest percentage of never-married women in this age bracket out of 3,130 U.S. counties reporting data. The ACS estimate also found that 75.9% of women aged 35–44 were married, the 389th highest number of married women in this age bracket out of 3,136 counties reporting data, and that the county was tied with three other counties in having the 180th lowest percentage of births to unmarried women out of 3,021 counties reporting data. 13.4% of births were to unmarried women.[517]

In 2015, the county had the 20th-most marriages and 43rd-most divorces out of all Wisconsin counties. August and September tied as the months with the most weddings, with 75 each.[571] In 2016 the county was the 45th-most populous in the state.[572]

The Jacksonport site of Stella Maris Catholic Parish, a six-point parish in the northern part of the county.[573]

In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Door County was the Catholics, with 9,325 adherents worshipping at six parishes, followed by 2,982 ELCA Lutherans with seven congregations, 2,646 WELS Lutherans with seven congregations, 872 Moravians with three congregations, 834 United Methodists with four congregations, 533 non-denominational Christians with six congregations, 503 LCMS Lutherans with two congregations, 283 LCMC Lutherans with one congregation, 270 Converge Baptists with three congregations, 213 Episcopalians with one congregation, 207 UCC Christians with one congregation, and 593 other adherents. Altogether, 69.3% of the population was counted as adherents of a religious congregation.[574]

In 2014, Door County had the 719th-most religious organizations per resident out of all 3,141 U.S. counties, with 34 religious organizations in the county.[468]

According to 2014–2018 ACS data, four communities had median incomes lower than the median for the county, which was $58,287. Of these, Sister Bay had the lowest median household income at $40,944, ranking the 135th lowest in the state out of 1,951 cities, villages, and towns which had available data. Following Sister Bay was the village of Forestville at $49,500 and ranking 444th lowest in a tie with New London in Waupaca County, the city of Sturgeon Bay at $52,917 and ranking 610th lowest, and Washington Island at $55,341 and ranking 737th lowest.

Gibraltar had the highest median income in the county at $80,602, the 232nd highest in the state, followed by Ephraim at $77,500 and ranking 305th highest, Egg Harbor at $75,833 and ranking 343rd highest, and Jacksonport at $70,625 at 483rd highest.[564]

In 2016, the county had the third highest per capita personal income in the state[487] and in 2015 it had the seventh lowest poverty level in the state.[487] In 2015, 39.0% of the population had an associate degree or more, making Door County the 12th most educated out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[487]

A milking parlor in Sevastopol

In 2018, there were an estimated 23,500 head of cattle in the county.[575] In 2017, Door and Kewaunee counties were reported to have equal deer-to-human ratios, although Kewaunee County had a considerably greater cow-to-human ratio.[576]

2019 drug charges by type of drug[577]

  marijuana, 56 charges

  methamphetamine, 24 charges

  prescription opioids, 13 charges

  Schedule I–IV drugs, 4 charges

  counterfeit drugs, 2 charges

  cocaine, 1 charge

In most measures of public health for 2015, the county has figures as healthy as or healthier than those of the entire state.[578] According to calculations based on 2010–2014 data, children born in Door County have a life expectancy of 80.9 years, the ninth highest of Wisconsin's 72 counties.[579] From 2000 to 2010, the county's premature death rate for people under 75 fell 35.0%, the second-greatest reduction in Wisconsin.[580]

In December 2018, Door County residents aged 18–64 were less likely to be receiving government payments for disability than the averages for Wisconsin and the United States as a whole.[581] Five-year ACS estimates for 2012–2016 found that Door County tied with 24 other counties in having the 573rd lowest percentage of disabled residents under 65 out of all 3,145 U.S. counties. 9.3% were disabled.[517]

From 2009 to 2013 the county had the highest skin cancer rate in the state.[582]

In 2017, three people died from drug abuse, up from two in 2016.[583]

In 2019, the county Behavioral Health Unit had 185 clients, up from 142 in 2018.[2] A CDC survey of people reporting frequent mental distress (14–30 mentally unhealthy days in the last 30 days, data aggregated over 2003–2009) found that people in Door County were more likely to be distressed than those in most Wisconsin counties, but less likely to be distressed than those in the heavily urbanized southeast portion of the state.[584]

For statistical graphs, see COVID-19 pandemic data / Wisconsin medical cases charts § Door County

The first person in the county testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus received confirmed test results on March 30th, 2020.[585] 44 out of Wisconsin's 72 counties already had confirmed cases March 30th,[586] and on March 31st, Door County was added to the Coronavirus disease 2019 map on the state Department of Public Services website on March 31st, along with three other Wisconsin counties[lower-alpha 29] which also reported confirmed cases of the disease for the first time.[587] Prior to this, a local politician had been infected during a vacation elsewhere and returned infected on March 13, although it was unknown at the time.[588]

Prior to the first confirmed case, hundreds of vehicles with out-of-state license plates license plates were seen across multiple communities, even though the shops were still boarded up for the winter.[589] The president of the county visitor bureau complained, "It seems like everybody thinks this is the hiding place and they all want to come here."[590] As the county under ordinary circumstances only has capacity to support twenty-five hospital patients[lower-alpha 30] (including four[lower-alpha 31] intensive care beds), the county government along with multiple community governments advised seasonal residents not to come to the county yet, or if they do anyway, to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.[589] The mayor of Sturgeon Bay advised, "There’s nothing to do, so you're probably better off staying at home because you’re not going to find any entertainment here."[593] Postal address change records indicated that prior to April 3rd, 2020 at least 420 seasonal residents relocated to the county. That was considered unusual as usually seasonal residents tend to arrive later on.[592]

The publisher of several county related periodicals[594] argued that locals should stop being so mean to those who support the local economy and advised people not shoot the golden goose. He also wanted locals to remember that resources such as the hospital were available to the community because of donations from seasonal residents.[595] Private campgrounds were permitted to allow people with sufficiently advanced campers to camp beginning on April 24th.[596]

On May 1st, the public health department announced that they had documented community spread[lower-alpha 32] within the county for the first time.[597] Previously, all confirmed cases in the county involved people who had recently been out of the county[598] and were geographically scattered rather than clustered in one location.[599] From May 8 and 13, three employees at Bay Shipbuilding were diagnosed with the virus.[600] It had never closed due to the quarantine and was permitted by authorities to remain open as an essential business.[601]

A responsible business brand promise program was announced on May 15th.[602] It is not a certification and intentionally lacks enforceability with either the visitor bureau or hospital in order to direct any liability to the individual businesses should someone get infected.[603] Also on May 15th, the county extended quarantine restrictions locally.[604] This extension was ended one day early on May 19th when the county reopened all businesses, but asked people to limit travel and follow other voluntary safety precautions on the basis of "scientific data, local information, and the benefits associated with continuation/resumption of local personal activities and business" and the expectation "that individuals and businesses will voluntarily" obey the precautions.[605] Out of 10,430 potential visitors returning surveys from May 14th–18th, 9,083 (87.1%) said they were willing to wear a mask, and 1,347 (12.9%) said they were not willing to wear a mask.[606] The Communications and Public Relations Director of the county visitor bureau was concerned about what locals were posting on social media and warned people to "mind your Ps and Qs" because it would impact traveler sentiment.[607]

In Egg Harbor, a manufacturer made components needed to make ventilators,[608] and a distillery made hand sanitizer.[609] In Sturgeon Bay, one manufacturer switched to producing reusable face masks and intubation boxes,[610] while another designed a device intended to kill viruses and other pathogens on face masks and other personal protective equipment.[611]

A study of the risk of getting Lyme disease in Door County between 1991 and 1994 found it to be relatively low, possibly due to its having less vegetation than most Wisconsin counties.[612] From 2015 through 2017 reported cases of Lyme disease increased from 4 cases in 2015 to 30 cases in 2017.[613] As of 2017, no cases of babesiosis have been reported in the county, but the range of this disease now includes Brown County after considerable expansion into Northeastern Wisconsin from 2001 to 2015.[614][583]

Vehicle collisions in Door County, 2010–2019[615]

  total collisions

  collisions involving deer

Most fatal or incapacitating vehicle accidents in the county between 2010 and 2014 involved visitors. 6% of those involved in these accidents were from Illinois, 3% from Florida, and 7% from other states.[616] In a study of car accident data from 1992 to 2001, the risk of incurring a severe traffic injury during a stretch of driving was found to be lower in Door County than in Kewaunee County, but Door County had more fatalities per 100 people severely injured than Kewaunee, Brown, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan counties. This was thought to be due to the relatively long distance it takes to get people injured in Door County to treatment, as the nearest hospital with a high level of trauma certification was St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay.[617] Currently, St. Vincent's and Aurora BayCare are certified as level II trauma centers.[618]

From January 2001 through June 7th, 2020, there were 67 collisions reported in the county involving fatalities. Out of 66 of the fatal collisions, 29 occurred south of the canal, 36 occurred on the peninsula north of the canal, and one occurred on Washington Island. One additional fatal crash was not mapped by the state Department of Transportation. Out of 66 of the fatal collisions, 29 occurred along or at the intersection of the main route of a state highway, not including business routes. Three fatal crashes involving motorcycles occurred, with one each in the towns of Jacksonport, Baileys Harbor, and Liberty Grove.[615]

From January 2010 through June 2nd, 2020 there were 308 reported collisions involving alcohol within the county, which resulted in 9 fatalities and 187 injuries.[615]

From January 2010 through June 2nd, 2020 there were 41 reported collisions involving drugs. Out of 39 collisions involving drugs, 6 occurred south of the canal (with one involving fatalities), 32 occurred on the peninsula north of the canal, (with three involving fatalities) and one crash with no fatalities occurred on Washington Island. Two additional crashes involving drugs were not mapped.[615]

From January 2010 through July 2018 there were 48 reported collisions involving bicycles. Out of 46 of the collisions involving bicycles, 5 occurred south of the canal, 37 occurred on the peninsula north of the canal, and four occurred on Washington Island. Two additional crashes involving bicycles were not mapped.[615]

From January 2010 through April 2020 there were 28 reported collisions involving work zones, resulting in 12 injuries and no fatalities.[615]

From January 2010 through through January 2020 there were 43 reported collisions involving pedestrians. Out of 33 of the crashes involving pedestrians, 6 occurred south of the canal and 27 occurred on the peninsula north of the canal. 10 additional crashes involving pedestrians were not mapped.[615]

In 2019, there were 433 complaints of child neglect, abuse, or emotional damage/abuse in the county. At 9.6 reports per 100 children, Door County had the ninth highest rate of allegations out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Among the 433 allegations, 105 passed the screening and were considered credible enough to investigate. At 2.3 screened-in complaints per 100 children, Door County ranked the 23rd highest in the state.[620]

113 reports were placed by "not documented" sources, 98 were placed by educational personnel, 47 were placed by mental health professionals, 45 were placed by legal/law enforcement, 26 were placed by others, 23 were placed by social services workers, 22 were placed by medical professionals, 17 were placed by relatives, and 16 were placed by parents of the child victims.[621]

Annual reports of child maltreatment in Door County[621]

Decisions were made about whether to investigate the complaints 87 times within 24–48 hours and 309 times within five business days. The number of complaints peaked in February, April, July, and October, with the month of October having the greatest number of allegations at 57.[621]

321 reports (93 deemed worth investigating) concerned a white child victim, while 20 reports (6 deemed worth investigating) concerned African American children. Most reports concerning African American children were generated by educational personnel. 103 reports (12 considered worth investigating) concerned children of a race besides white or African American, or whose race was unknown or was not provided. Due to multiracial children, the total number exceeds 433.[621]

198 of the reports alleged neglect, with 56 of the reports coming from "not documented" sources, 36 reports from educational personnel, and 23 reports from legal/law enforcement. 137 of the reports alleged physical abuse, with 46 reports from educational personnel, 27 reports from "not documented" sources, and 21 reports from mental health professionals. 94 of the reports alleged sexual abuse, with 28 from "not documented" sources, 17 from mental health professionals, 15 from legal/law enforcement, and 10 from educational personnel. Out of the 43 reports alleged emotional damage/abuse, 15 came from educational personnel.[621]

• Sturgeon Bay (county seat)

• Egg Harbor
• Ephraim
• Forestville
• Sister Bay

Census-designated places

• Baileys Harbor
• Ellison Bay
• Little Sturgeon

• Kewaunee County - south
• Brown County - southwest
• Oconto County - west
• Marinette County - northwest
• Menominee County, Michigan - northwest
• Delta County, Michigan - north