The Greater Northwoods

Town in Vilas County

Town of Arbor Vitae

Population
3,403
County
Vilas County
Location
45.969, -89.686

Arbor Vitae is a civil town in Vilas County in Wisconsin's Greater Northwoods, governed by an elected town board and centered on the unincorporated community of Arbor Vitae along U.S. Highway 51. The Wisconsin Department of Administration reports a 2020 Census count of 3,403 and a January 1, 2025 estimate of 3,429, and the town describes a year-round population near 3,300 that swells toward 10,000 in summer. The economy is built on outdoor recreation and tourism (hundreds of lakes, the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, and Lakeland Airport, which sits within the town). The town shares the ZIP code 54568, schools, chamber, and Aspirus Howard Young Medical Center with neighboring Woodruff and Minocqua.

The record

288 records name Town of Arbor Vitae

  • 278 news
  • 10 obituaries

Showing the 40 most recent of 288. Every one is held, cited, and searchable in the archive.

What the records show

38 of 47 independently verified

Authoritative data

  • Population: 3403 (2020 census), 3429 (latest official estimate) via doa.wi.gov
  • Area: 61.464 sq mi land, 9.488 sq mi water, at 45.96921, -89.685717 via www2.census.gov
  • Vilas County holds 570 named lakes and flowages via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
  • Named lakes nearest this town: Vandercook Lake, Trilby Lake, Little Spider Lake, Pauto Lake, Verna Lake, Punch Lake, Hurrah Lake, Little Rock Lake, Mann Lake, Midge Lake, Bug Lake, Towanda Lake, Benedict Lake, Scaffold Lake and 41 more via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com

Overview

Population and demographics

Government and civic

Schools

Economy and employers

Institutions and anchors

Business and commerce

Media

Recreation and natural assets

Events and seasonal rhythm

  • Seasonal rhythm: summer-peaked tourism town via townofarborvitae.org
  • Signature gap: no town-specific signature event confirmed unverified via townofarborvitae.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Infrastructure and access

  • Highways: USH 51; STH 70 via ncwrpc.org
  • Airport: Lakeland Airport (KARV) secondary source via en.wikipedia.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Nearest hub: Woodruff/Minocqua adjacent; Rhinelander to south secondary source via en.wikipedia.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Broadband: connectivity gaps (historic) via ncwrpc.org

Every figure here traces to a primary public record, linked at the fact. We gather and cite; we do not author. See something off? Tell us.

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