Wisconsin’s 72 counties have hundreds and hundreds of cities and small towns.
WorldAtlas has its favorites though. It ranked nine small towns that simply can’t be forgotten.
“The thread across all nine is immigrant memory kept deliberately alive,” the website said. “None of them (are) large, and each has decided that its own history is the reason to stay that way.”
Stockholm
Stockholm is one of the smallest cities in the state. It has just 78 people. It sits on Lake Pepin, the largest natural lake on the Mississippi River. WorldAtlas loved that “the storefronts now hold mostly studios, galleries, and bakeries.”
New Glarus
Wisconsinites are reacquainted with New Glarus every time they order a spotted cow. With just over 2,000 people, New Glarus is the most concentrated Swiss-American community in the country, according to WorldAtlas.
Baraboo
Devil’s Lake State Park is the most visited state park in Wisconsin, WorldAtlas said, and that park is in Baraboo. The town has over 12,000 people and was once home to the winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. North of the city is the International Crane Foundation, the only place in the world where someone can see all 15 crane species.
Lake Geneva
Wisconsin is known for its lakes, and Lake Geneva is no exception. The resort town got its start when Chicago industrialists began building mansions on the lake, WorldAtlas said. The Black Point Estate & Gardens, built in 1888, now serves as a Wisconsin Historical Society site.
Chippewa Falls
A 300-acre municipal park comes with a small zoo for this town of about 15,000. That zoo has bison, elk, cougars and a petting zoo – all for free. The town was the home of Leinenkugel’s before that brewing operation was moved to Milwaukee in 2025.
Sister Bay
Sister Bay is a Door County staple with photos of goats eating the sod roof of Al Johnson’s restaurant is one of the most-photographed sights in the county, WorldAtlas said. The town has over 1,000 people and the Door County Creamery, which makes artisan goat cheese.
Port Washington
Port Washington boasts the largest single-day outdoor fish fry, WorldAtlas said. The town of around 12,750 people brings in 100,000 for this event. It also has one of the most photographed churches in eastern Wisconsin, the website said – St. Mary’s Church on Johnson Street.
Stevens Point
The Stevens Point Brewery and University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point campus anchor this town of 26,000 people. The brewery was founded in 1857 and is one of the oldest privately owned breweries in the country. Don’t forget to visit the town’s sculpture garden or the Mathias Mitchell Public Square farmers market.
Washington Island
Another Door County town, this small city has less than 1,000 people. But that number skyrockets in the summer. Washington Island has a beach with smooth white limestone cobbles instead of stand, one of the only in the world.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These nine small towns in Wisconsin are ‘unforgettable,’ WorldAtlas raves
Reporting by Blaise Mesa, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Blaise Mesa, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
