Conover is a town in Vilas 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 1,235 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of

Conover Conover may refer to: People * Conover (surname) Places in the United States * Conover, Iowa, a ghost town * Conover, North Carolina, a city * Conover, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Conover, Wisconsin, a town * Conover (community), Wis ...

is located in the town.

History

The town is named after Seth H. Conover, a descendant of Wolfert Gerritse van Couwenhoven, who would travel to the area for hunting and fishing. He would often take a

train A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

to the area, even though there was no station there. Eventually, the railroad men started calling the area "Conover's Place." A station was soon built there, and several logging camps were established. The town continued to grow when other businesses were established. In 1935, the town hall was built.

Geography

The Town of Conover is located in central

Vilas County, Wisconsin Vilas County ( ) is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,047. Its county seat is Eagle River. The county partly overlaps the reservation of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior ...

. The upper part of the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...

runs through the town, and there are several lakes that dot the area. Much of the western part of the town is made up of Vilas County Forest lands. 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 87.2 square miles (225.8 km²), of which, 80.0 square miles (207.1 km²) of it is land and 7.2 square miles (18.7 km²) of it (8.27%) 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 1,137 people, 483 households, and 337 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 14.2 people per square mile (5.5/km²). There were 1,440 housing units at an average density of 18.0 per square mile (7.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.77%

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 ...

, 0.35%

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 ...

, 0.26% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.35% 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 of any race were 0.70% of the population. There were 483 households, out of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,683, and the median income for a family was $37,125. Males had a median income of $31,563 versus $23,750 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 $18,692. About 7.1% of families and 8.5% 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 8.5% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Conover is served by USH 45 and STH 32, which run concurrently north–south through the middle of the town. To the north the highways run to

Land o' Lakes Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an American member-owned agricultural cooperative based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, focusing on the dairy industry. The cooperative has 1,959 direct producer-members, 751 me ...

and on into the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula of ...

. To the south they connect to Eagle River and points south. STH 17 also serves a small portion of the southeast corner of the town as it makes its way between Eagle River and Phelps. There are two Vilas County Highways that serve the Town of Conover. CTH K runs east–west through the center of town, meeting USH45\ STH32 in the unincorporated community of

. CTH K runs east along the north shore of North Twin Lakes and connects to CTH E and the community of Phelps. It proceeds east through the Vilas County Forest towards Star Lake and eventually Boulder Junction. CTH S runs from a junction with CTH K near Stormy Lake northwards into the Town of Land o' Lakes and serves the area around the Tamarack Flowage. The Vilas County forest lands and roads are also home to many

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

trails in the winter, with trails leading to all the surrounding communities.

Recreation

Vilas County forest lands cover much of the Town of Conover, allowing for opportunities to camp, fish, and hike. The

runs north–south through the center of the town and is popular with canoeists and kayakers. Every summer the Callie Rohr Memorial Canoe and Kayak charity race is held on the river. Camp Ramah in Wisconsin is located in Conover on the shore of Upper Buckatabon Lake, approximately north of Eagle River and southwest of the unincorporated community of

Climate

The climate is described as

Humid Continental Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present. Humidity depe ...

by the Köppen Climate System, abbreviated as ''Dfb''.Climate Summary for Conover, Wisconsin
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References

External links

Conover Chamber of Commerce

Town of Conover
{{Authority control Towns in Vilas County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin