About Door County

Covering four hundred ninety-two (492) square miles, Door County includes the City of Sturgeon Bay, fourteen (14) towns, and four (4) villages. With over three hundred (300) miles of shoreline, five (5) state parks, twenty-one (21) county parks, and year-round recreational and cultural activities, it’s easy to see why Door County is such a special place to live and work.

From art galleries and live music to boating, fishing, hiking, skiing, and orchards, there’s something for everyone in every season.

Some fun facts about Door County include:

• The county has thirty-four (34) islands, including Washington Island, which is thirty-five (35) square miles with around seven hundred (700) residents.
• It was named after Death’s Door, a dangerous stretch of water early explorers feared.
• There are hundreds of old shipwrecks along the coastline.
• You’ll find eleven (11) historic lighthouses here—one of the highest concentrations in the U.S.
• The area has fifty-three (53) public beaches and about six and a half (6.5) miles of sandy shoreline.
• Door County grows eight to fifteen (8–15) million pounds of cherries each year and has more than two thousand (2,000) acres of cherry orchards.
• The county has nine (9) local wineries and over fifty (50) acres of grapes planted
• About thirty thousand (30,000) people live in Door County year-round.
• More than two and half (2.5) million visitors come each year.
• There are nine (9) golf courses with a total of one hundred forty-four (144) holes across the county.
• Door County is known for its art and culture, with over one hundred (100) galleries, museums, and performing arts venues.

• A one and a quarter (1¼) mile shipping canal built in the 1880s turned the northern part of the county into an island.