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Moving to Door County

Make Your Dream a Reality & Move to Door County

You’ve spent countless weekends enjoying the natural beauty, thriving arts scene, and renowned restaurants of Door County and now you want make that visit permanent. Sometimes lost in the hustle and bustle of summer is the fact that there is a tight knit community of fellow Door County lovers, making the area perfect for retirement, raising a family, or starting your own business.

Where to Live in Door County

While you may have enjoyed staying at your favorite hotel in the same community for decades, you should explore the entire county before deciding where to settle down.

Sturgeon Bay offers the area’s largest and most lively year-round community with many of the amenities found in other cities. Communities in southern Door County offer a rural experience rich with cultural history and agriculture while still close to your favorite activities in the northern half of the county.

Communities in the northern part of the county offer the quaint villages and natural beauty Door County is known for while maintaining a local group of residents that keep the area humming all year round. Of the northern communities, Sister Bay is the largest and has the most energetic year-round business base.

Things to Know Before You Move

  • Cable TV isn’t a given: Depending on where you live, you may not have access to cable television, as it is primarily available along Highways 57 and 42.

  • Gym life: Door County is home to a number of workout options, from small box gyms to 24-hour access chain gyms, plus yoga studios and two beautiful YMCA facilities.

  • Pet care: Have pets? Familiarize yourself with your Door County options for groomers, doggy daycares, and kennels.

  • Cell coverage: Cell coverage is solid throughout the county, but there are some spots where coverage is spotty. Check with a cellular provider to learn where trouble spots are.

  • Winter life: Locals hear this question more than any other, but many people who move here quickly find themselves loving winter just as much as the rest of the year. Maybe even more.  
A man and woman with a dog getting a kayak ready.

Five Reasons to Make Door County Home

  1. Everything you love, all the time. Spend every day exploring parks, enjoying the the water, dining at your favorite restaurants, and experiencing the area’s arts scene.

  2. Everyone waves. There’s a special relationship between Door County’s locals. Once you learn the back roads of the county, practice the driving wheel wave: two fingers raised on the top of your driving wheel.

  3. Top-rated schools. All of Door County’s schools are consistently rated as some of the best in the state, offering opportunities that are rarely found in small communities.

  4. Big stars. Cozy venues. Whether it’s internationally touring musical acts, world-class lecturers, or renowned theater troupes, local organizations bring big-city culture to the area’s intimate venues.

  5. Conservation & preservation. Those who live here work hard to preserve the parts of the county that drew them there in the first place. Whether it's ecological, cultural or historical, join in the preservation of everything we love about Door County.

More on Door County Life

Helpful Services for Moving

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