Iron County offers your business and your family a unique relocation or expansion opportunity -- a quality of life among the best in the country.

Iron County is “just north enough” to escape the crowds. Yet we are close enough to offer exceptional four-season recreation fun plus exciting business and living opportunities.

Here you’ll find a variety of natural surroundings that other areas can only envy. Fifteen pristine waterfalls cascade through our forests. The rugged Penokee Range rises teton like over historic iron mining communities.

Bluegems of 214 peaceful lakes, the wild shores of the Turtle-Flambeau and Gile Flowages, are home to majestic loons and bald eagles. Lake Superior, the world’s mightiest freshwater lake, laps our northern shores.

A Cost of Living you can LIVE with.

The cost of living is substantially lower here than the national average and much lower than most large metropolitan areas.

• State Sales Tax 5%
• County Sales Tax 0.5%
• Personal Income Tax 4.90% to 6.93%
• County-Purpose Property Tax Rate $5.12 per $1,000 Equal Value

A high value is placed on education.

K-12

• The two school districts of Iron County, Hurley and Mercer, offer modern schools that are responsive to the student’s needs.
• A small teacher/student ration provides ample opportunity for individualized” attention and quality learning.
• A new $7 million K-12 school was built in 1991 in Hurley.
• Drop-out rates are among the lowest in Wisconsin.

Post Secondary

• Gogebic Community College, enrollment 1500, in neighboring Ironwood, Michigan offers two-year associate degrees in pre-professional transfer programs as well as technical career programs. The college offers one of only two Ski Area Management programs in the nation and has a full-service ski hill right on campus!

Vocational, Technical & Adult Education

• Nicolet Technical College, Rhinelander.
• Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, Ashland

Universities

• Northland College, Ashland: a 4-year baccalaureate degree college; internationally known for its outstanding environmental degree programs.
  The University of Wisconsin-Superior: less than 2 hours away; offers bachelor's and master's degree programs in a variety of majors.

Health Care

Modern health care facilities and medical professionals are readily available in the Greater Iron County area.

Hospitals:

• Grand View Hospital: A 72 bed, full-service acute care hospital in Ironwood, linked with regional medical centers by medical helicopter service.

Clinics:

• Iron County Clinic, Hurley
• Mercer Clinic, an affiliate of the Marshfield Clinic, Mercer
• Family Practice Clinic, Ironwood

Nursing Homes:

• Two nursing home centers with 100 bed capacity offer full service and in-home care.

Medical Professionals:

• The area offers a full complement of medical services including 7 dental practices, 2 optometrists, and 4 chiropractic clinics.

Crime Rate... Among the lowest in Wisconsin.

Serious crimes (1992) per 1000 population:

• Iron County - 26.4
• Wisconsin - 43.8

No Culture “Up North”?

Theater

• Historic Ironwood Theater: a “Lively Arts” series of symphony, drama and ballet performances. Gogebic Range Players: an 80 member community theater group; 2 major musicals, other plays performed at the Ironwood Theater yearly. Theater North: a 100 member community theater group; a major musical and children’s theater yearly on the Theater North Stage.

Cinema

• Cloverland Cinemas, Ironwood

Historical Societies

• Iron County Historical Society - Old Iron County Courthouse, Hurley
• Mercer Area Historic Society – Old Depot, Mercer
• Ironwood Historical Society – Old Depot, Ironwood

Libraries

• Hurley City Library, Hurley
• Mercer Town Library, Mercer
• Carnegie Library, Ironwood
• Gogebic Community College Library, Ironwood

Contact us with your comments and questions.

Thank you for your interest in Iron County, Wisconsin!