The Greater Northwoods

Town in Bayfield County

Town of Namakagon

Population
316
County
Bayfield County
Location
46.178, -91.057

Namakagon is an incorporated town in Bayfield County, in far northern Wisconsin, wrapped around its namesake Lake Namakagon and set inside the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest near Cable. Its 2020 Census population was 316 (Wisconsin DOA's January 1, 2025 estimate is 320), up from 246 in 2010, with an effective population that swells seasonally around lake resorts and second homes. It is governed by an elected town board (chair Robert L. Rasmussen, clerk Laura Bjork) with a town hall on County Highway M in Cable, and its children attend the Drummond Area School District. The town's economy and identity are built on four-season Northwoods recreation: trophy-musky fishing on Lake Namakagon, CAMBA mountain-bike trails, and the American Birkebeiner ski trail country, anchored by long-running resorts such as Lakewoods and Garmisch USA.

The record

1 record names Town of Namakagon

What the records show

44 of 48 independently verified

Authoritative data

  • Population: 316 (2020 census), 320 (latest official estimate) via doa.wi.gov
  • Area: 65.11 sq mi land, 7.04 sq mi water, at 46.177796, -91.057222 via www2.census.gov
  • Bayfield County holds 337 named lakes and flowages via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com
  • Named lakes nearest this town: McCloud Lake, Namekagon Lake, Ghost Lake, Garden Lake, Patsy Lake, Tank Lake, Little Bass Lake, Dells Lake, Lake Five, Chippewa Lake, Spring Lake, Rock Lake, Hidden Lake, Muskie Springs Lake and 11 more via prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com

Overview

Population and demographics

Government and civic

Schools

Economy and employers

  • Industry: recreation and tourism; lake resorts secondary source via lakewoodsresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Employer lakewoods: Lakewoods Resort & Golf (Lake Namakagon) secondary source via lakewoodsresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Employer garmisch: Garmisch USA Resort (Lake Namakagon, since 1904) secondary source via garmischresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Tourism: tourism-dominant (Lake Namakagon / Cable trail country) secondary source via cable4fun.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Institutions and anchors

  • Library: Forest Lodge Library (Cable) secondary source via cable4fun.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Post office: Cable post office, ZIP 54821 via namakagon-wi.org
  • Museum: Cable Natural History Museum; Cable/Namakagon Historical Museum secondary source via cable4fun.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Hospital: Hayward / Ashland area hospitals (~20 to 40 mi) unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Business and commerce

  • Chamber: Cable Area Chamber of Commerce (cable4fun.com) secondary source via cable4fun.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Downtown: dispersed lakeshore/resort commerce; hub at Cable secondary source via cable4fun.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Media

  • Sawyer county record: Sawyer County Record (Hayward) via apg-wi.com
  • Ashland daily press: Ashland Daily Press (Ashland; Ashland/Bayfield counties) secondary source via apg-wi.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Recreation and natural assets

  • Lake: 2897 via apps.dnr.wi.gov
  • Lake depth: 51 via apps.dnr.wi.gov
  • Forest: Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest secondary source via garmischresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Trails: CAMBA, American Birkebeiner, Rock Lake / Namakagon ski trails secondary source via garmischresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Known for: four-season lake and trail recreation secondary source via lakewoodsresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Events and seasonal rhythm

  • Birkebeiner: American Birkebeiner (February; ~52 km) secondary source via cheqmtb.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Fat tire: Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival (September) secondary source via cheqmtb.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Seasonal: four-season recreation rhythm secondary source via lakewoodsresort.com Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.

Infrastructure and access

  • Highways: County Highway M, County Highway D (US 63 at Cable) secondary source via namakagon-wi.org Relayed by a secondary source. The primary record is cited but was not independently re-read.
  • Airport: Sawyer County (HYR) general aviation; Rhinelander (RHI) nearest commercial unverified via en.wikipedia.org We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.
  • Hub: Cable (adjacent); Hayward and Ashland (~20 to 40 mi) unverified via cable4fun.com We could not confirm this against a primary public record, so we are telling you rather than hiding it.

Local government

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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