Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin

Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Town

Town hall and community center

Location of Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 46°6′59″N 89°51′1″W / 46.11639°N 89.85028°W
Country United States
State Wisconsin
County Vilas
Government
 • Chairman John Hanson [1]
 • Town Clerk Dana Hilbert [1]
Area
 • Total 36.4 sq mi (94.4 km2)
 • Land 30.4 sq mi (78.6 km2)
 • Water 6.1 sq mi (15.7 km2)
Elevation[2] 1,611 ft (491 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 566
 • Density 18.6/sq mi (7.2/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 715 & 534
FIPS code 55-48462[3]
GNIS feature ID 1583635[2]
Website http://mwtown.org/

Manitowish Waters is a town in Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 566 in the 2010 census.[4] The unincorporated community Manitowish Waters, is located also within the town.

Tourism

The town is best known for its chain of lakes. During the summer, the population increases dramatically as tourists come from all around the Midwest.

It is also known as an artists' enclave, with many artist studios and gift shops located in the town square and surrounding areas. Another tourist attraction is the ski team, the Skiing Skeeters, who perform free shows two nights a week throughout the summer.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.4 square miles (94.4 km²), of which, 30.4 square miles (78.6 km²) of it is land and 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²) of it (16.69%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 646 people, 301 households, and 208 families residing in the town. The population density was 21.3 people per square mile (8.2/km²). There were 1,103 housing units at an average density of 36.3 per square mile (14.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.07% White, 0.46% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population.

There were 301 households out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 2.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.56.

In the town the population was spread out with 16.1% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 29.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,500, and the median income for a family was $49,375. Males had a median income of $36,518 versus $20,114 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,042. About 5.9% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

John Dillinger

At the still active Little Bohemia Lodge on Little Star Lake in Manitowish Waters, then owned by Emil Wanatka, the Dillinger Gang and FBI were involved in a shoot-out, which resulted in the accidental shooting death of a local resident and two Civilian Conservation Corps workers at the hands of the FBI, who mistook them for an escaping John Dillinger and members of his gang. Agent W Carter Baum was also killed by Baby Face Nelson in the short gunfight. John Dillinger escaped from the battle unharmed. Scars of the shoot-out are still visible at the lodge. The site has been preserved. John Dillinger personal items (left behind after his hasty departure) are on display.

In the summer of 2008, the Little Bohemia Lodge was used in the filming of a recreation of these events in the 2009 Michael Mann film Public Enemies, a movie about Dillinger and the FBI starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and Christian Bale as Melvin Purvis.

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://mwtown.org/mw-town-government.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. ↑ http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml

External links

Coordinates: 46°08′06″N 89°53′16″W / 46.13500°N 89.88778°W