Laona is a town in Forest 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 1,212 at the 2010 census. The census-designated place of Laona is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Blackwell Junction is also located partially in the town.

History

Laona was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1899 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was named in honor of the daughter of a local businessman. A post office has been in operation in Laona since 1900.

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 , of which is land and , or 3.86%, is water. The latitude of Laona is 45.564N. The longitude is −88.673W. It is in the Central Standard time zone. Elevation is .

Climate

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 1,367 people, 564 households, and 395 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 13.2 people per square mile (5.1/km²). There were 850 housing units at an average density of 8.2 per square mile (3.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.90%

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 ...

, 0.44%

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 ...

, 2.41% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 1.10% 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 0.37% of the population. There were 564 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $31,852, and the median income for a family was $41,042. Males had a median income of $29,674 versus $21,154 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 $15,652. About 8.7% of families and 11.2% 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 14.7% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

The community is the site of the Lumberjack Steam Train, an operating turn-of-the-century passenger train and award-winning museum. In the winter, Laona is home to the 100 Mile Snow Safari or "100 miler", one of Wisconsin's oldest and most distinctive

snowmobiling 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. It offers nearly of undeveloped trail riding in a pristine and well-managed trail system. With dozens of undeveloped lakes and miles of undeveloped timberland to ride through, it is one of Wisconsin's most popular snowmobiling trails.

References

External links

Laona School DistrictLaona's town history website
{{authority control Towns in Forest County, Wisconsin Company towns in Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin