Washington Island, Door County, Wisconsin

Washington Island, Wisconsin
Washington Island School
Washington Island School
Flag of Washington Island, Wisconsin
Location of Washington Island, Wisconsin
Location of Washington Island, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 45°21′58″N 86°53′58″W / 45.36611°N 86.89944°W / 45.36611; -86.89944
Country United States
State Wisconsin
County Door
Area
 • Total125.5 sq mi (325.0 km2)
 • Land25.5 sq mi (66.0 km2)
 • Water100.0 sq mi (259.0 km2)
Elevation646 ft (197 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total708
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Zip code
54246
Area code920
FIPS code55-83600[2]
GNIS feature ID1584352[1]
Websitehttps://www.washingtonisland-wi.gov

Washington Island is a town in northern Door County, Wisconsin, United States, with a population of 708 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Detroit Harbor and Washington are located in the town.

The town of Washington Island is made up of a group of small islands that includes Plum Island, Detroit Island, Hog Island, Rock Island, Pilot Island, Fish Island, and the largest, Washington Island. The majority of the population of the town lives on Washington Island and many of the other smaller islands are partly or entirely protected areas with no year-round population, if any at all. As a result, the area is rarely if ever referred to as the town of Washington or just Washington; more commonly the names of the individual islands are used as a reference.

Most of the people who settled on Washington Island were Scandinavian immigrants, especially Icelanders. Today, Washington Island is one of the oldest Icelandic communities in the United States and among the largest outside of Iceland itself.[3]

  1. ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ Washington Island History