Baileys Harbor is a town in Door County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, United States. The population was 1,003 at the 2000 census. The

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

of Peninsula Center is located in the town. The census-designated place of Baileys Harbor is also located with the town.

History

The

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

was named for a Great Lakes ship captain named Bailey who was caught in an unexpected severe storm in 1848 and found shelter in the harbor. The area was formerly known as Gibraltar. A Native American name for the harbor is "Ah-quah-o-me-ning", meaning "Fish go to shore".

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of 68.8 square miles (178.1 km), of which, 29.5 square miles (76.5 km) is land and 39.2 square miles (101.6 km) (57.07%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,003 people, 483 households, and 301 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 34 people per square mile (13.1/km). There were 1,029 housing units at an average density of 34.9 per square mile (13.5/km). The racial makeup of the town was 98.21%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 1.60% of the population. There were 483 households, out of which 19.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.6. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 99 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,350, and the median income for a family was $49,250. Males had a median income of $31,705 versus $26,458 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $23,835. About 1.7% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including none of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Gibraltar Area Schools serves the community. Gibraltar Elementary School and Gibraltar Secondary School are the two schools.

Climate

Media

* ''Door County Pulse''

Notable people

* Phoebe Erickson (1907–2006), children's book author and illustrator * Moses Kilgore (1817–1890), Wisconsin state legislator, shipbuilder, and businessman"Death of Hon. Moses Kilgore," ''Sturgeon Bay Republican'', October 14, 1890, pg. 1 *

Paul Sills Paul Sills (born Paul Silverberg; November 18, 1927 – June 2, 2008) was an American director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City. Life and career Sills was born Paul Silverberg in Chicago, Illinois ...

, theater director * Emma Toft, conservationist * Lloyd Wasserbach, professional football player

Gallery

References

External links

Baileys Harbor Community Association

Google Maps
– aerial view
Door County Chamber of Commerce
– general information
The Baileys Harbor Town Hall
by the Baileys Harbor Historical Society, ''Sevastopol TV'', May 26, 2012, 1:20:33 long {{Coord, 45, 03, 54, N, 87, 07, 27, W, type:city_region:US-WI, display=title Towns in Door County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin ht:Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin