TOWN OF DOTY, Wis. — The Town of Doty in northern Oconto County sees a wide variation in population throughout the year.
Town Chairman Andrew Stemp said it can range from more than 3,000 in the summer to 300 the rest of the year.
“We’re either the highest, or second-highest average age in the county,” he said. “But we are seeing a lot of younger people starting to come in as their parents, who own property, quit coming up here. Their kids are coming up and a lot of them are rebuilding, remodeling or adding on to existing properties.”
Stemp moved to Doty from Madison more than a decade ago. His family has had property in the area since the 1940s.
“There’s less crime. It’s usually more laid back and relaxing, and you know your neighbors,” Stemp said.
According to preliminary estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Wisconsin’s population grew by nearly 96,000 people from the 2020 Census to January 2024. That’s a nearly 2% increase.
In that time, Oconto County’s population grew by just under 1%, with the addition of about 300 people.
Jayme Sellen is the executive director of the Tourism and Economic Development Corporation of the Oconto Region (TEDCOR). She’s always working to attract new residents and businesses.
“We’ve invested a lot in infrastructure with broadband coming into the area,” she said. “That’s making it possible for more people to work remotely, or to take that vacation for a week or two because they can continue to work while they’re enjoying the county.”
In addition to making high-speed internet more accessible, Oconto County is working on increasing the amount of available housing options.
“There’s a lot of momentum our way, and there are a lot of people taking a look at what we have to offer as far as lifestyle, a great place to raise their family, the cost of living and good family-supporting jobs,” Sellen said.
While the numbers are up in the Census estimates, long-term, the Wisconsin Department of Administration projects the number of residents in the state could drop by nearly 200,000 over the next 25 years.
While Stemp said he likes to see people coming and staying in Doty and the surrounding areas, he’s cautious about the pace of growth. Besides being town chairman, he’s also the town’s assistant fire chief and an emergency medical technician with Mountain Ambulance Service.
“We have a hard time finding firefighters, EMTs and people who will work for the town to clear trees after a storm, or to do roadwork,” he said. “We’re working with all the other towns in the area on recruiting efforts for fire and EMS and ways we can save money.”