Door County Fact Sheet

Download this fact sheet as a PDF file here.

Door County, Wisconsin is approximately 70 miles long. It’s about 18 miles wide at its widest point in the southern part of the county, and less than 2 miles across at the northern tip of the peninsula.

Door County has 300 miles of shoreline and is surrounded by water on three sides. Lake Michigan lies to the north and east, and the bay of Green Bay (part of Lake Michigan) lies to the west.

It takes a little more than an hour to drive from the county line in the southern part of the peninsula to the end of Hwy 42 at Northport, the northern tip of the peninsula.

Door County has 11 historic lighthouses that dot the peninsula’s shores, the second largest concentration of lighthouses for any county in the United States. Seven are accessible to the public in some way shape or form, some for exterior and some for interior tours.

Door County has 5 state parks, 19 county parks and a number of local parks, nature preserves and state natural areas that give visitors a variety of options to explore Door County’s natural beauty. Add it all up and there is more than 23,000 acres of public and preserved land in Door County to explore, experience and enjoy.

Door County has 34 named outlying islands, the largest of which is Washington Island. Washington Island covers approximately 35 square miles and has a year round population of around 700 people. A vehicle/passenger ferry connects Washington Island (via the Death’s Door water passage) with the rest of the world 365 days a year, weather permitting.

Door County has 53 public swimming beaches on Lake Michigan that cover nearly 6.5 total miles of shoreline for visitors to enjoy and explore. Check out this map for an overview. A list of beaches can be found on DoorCounty.com.

Door County has six local wineries and an expanding grape growing industry. One of them, Simon Creek Vineyard & Winery, has the largest vineyard in Wisconsin at 30 acres. The Door County Wine Trail helps visitors navigate all of Door County's wineries.

11 different golf courses give golfers the chance to tee off at 180 different holes in Door County. Courses are located from the southern portion of the peninsula all the way to Washington Island, off the northern tip of the peninsula. Courses range from 9 to 36 holes.

Door County is among the top cherry producing regions in the country with more than 2,000 acres of cherry orchards. The cherry trees normally bloom in mid to late May with cherries ready for picking in mid July to early August. Door County typically harvests anywhere between 8-14 million pounds of cherries every year.

Door County is increasingly becoming well known for its’ culinary delights. A culinary tour map, featuring six self-guided tours, is available through the Door County Visitor Bureau.

Door County has a rich maritime heritage and there are several hundred 19^th century shipwrecks along Door County’s coastline, some of which are part of the Wisconsin Maritime Trail system. Trail kiosks are located along shorelines throughout Door County.

Door County is known for its artistic community and boasts over 100 art galleries, museums and performing arts venues. These can be found in all corners of the county.

Biking is a very popular activity in Door County. A bicycle and other silent sports map is available at the Door County Welcome Center (and on DoorCounty.com), and gives information about different scenic routes available throughout Door County.

Door County’s estimated year-round population is around 28,000. Sturgeon Bay, the county seat and its only city, has an estimated population of around 9,100. (2010 Census Data)

Door County is one of the Midwest’s premier tourism destinations, attracting nearly 2 million visitors per year.

Roughly two thirds of Door County’s tourists visit between the beginning of May and the end of October, but the shoulder seasons of winter and spring are becoming increasingly popular thanks to special events and the quiet romantic serenity offered November – April

Roughly half of Door County’s visitors come from within Wisconsin, about one third from Illinois (mostly greater Chicago, which is 4-5 hours away) and about 5% come from Minnesota (mostly the Twin Cities region, which is about 5 hours away). In all, over 90 percent of Door County’s overnight visitors come from within the six-state Midwest region of the United States, however, a growing number of visitors from all corners of the U.S. are finding out about the area and visiting Door County.

While shipbuilding, light manufacturing and agriculture continue to play important roles in Door County's economy, tourism is the primary economic engine. According to research conducted by Davidson-Peterson Associates, the tourism industry in Door County produced direct tourism expenditures of $382.2 million in 2010, which supported the equivalent of 6,767 full-time equivalent (40-hour) jobs. Tourism also put $34.02 million in state tax coffers and generated $16.86 million in local government revenue in 2010. Tourism is definitely big business in Door County.

Despite development pressure of recent decades, nearly 90 percent of Door County’s land mass remains undeveloped.

Download this fact sheet as a PDF file here.