Langlade County is a county in Wisconsin, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It had a population of 19,491 at the 2020 census and covers 888 square miles (2,300 km2) centred near 45°13′N 89°00′W.
Antigo is the county seat, and its postal code is 54409. The county has one city, one village, 17 towns and more than a dozen unincorporated communities. Langlade County is in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Langlade County
Langlade County has one incorporated city (Antigo, the seat), one incorporated village (White Lake), and roughly 20 unincorporated communities scattered across its 17 civil towns. CDP means census-designated place; Unincorp. means an unincorporated community with no municipal government of its own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigo | City · seat | — | 8,100 | 54409 |
| White Lake | Village | — | 262 | 54491 |
| Elcho | Unincorp. | Elcho | — | 54428 |
| Deerbrook | Unincorp. | Ackley | — | 54424 |
| Phlox | Unincorp. | Peck | — | 54479 |
| Pickerel | Unincorp. | Wolf River | — | 54465 |
| Summit Lake | Unincorp. | Summit | — | 54485 |
| Bryant | Unincorp. | Neva | — | 54418 |
| Pearson | Unincorp. | Vilas | — | 54471 |
| Neva | Unincorp. | Neva | — | — |
| Neva Corners | Unincorp. | Neva | — | — |
| Parrish | Unincorp. | Parrish | — | — |
| Polar | Unincorp. | Polar | — | — |
| Post Lake | Unincorp. | Wolf River | — | — |
| Langlade | Unincorp. | Langlade | — | — |
| Lily | Unincorp. | Ainsworth | — | — |
| Bavaria | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Choate | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elmhurst | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Four Corners | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Freeman | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hollister | Unincorp. | Ainsworth | — | — |
| Kempster | Unincorp. | Upham | — | — |
| Koepenick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Markton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ormsby | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sherry Junction | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two names in the old listing needed a check: Neva and Neva Corners are two distinct rural crossroads a short distance apart in the Town of Neva, not a duplicate entry, so both are kept.
Townships
Wisconsin’s “towns” are the county’s civil townships, the local government layer that covers everything outside the city of Antigo and the village of White Lake. Langlade County has 17 of them. Township-level 2020 population figures are not verifiable from the sources available for this rewrite, so only confirmed main settlements are listed below.
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Ackley | — | Deerbrook |
| Ainsworth | — | Hollister, Lily |
| Antigo | — | surrounds the city of Antigo |
| Elcho | — | Elcho |
| Evergreen | — | — |
| Langlade | — | Langlade |
| Neva | — | Neva, Neva Corners, Bryant |
| Norwood | — | — |
| Parrish | — | Parrish |
| Peck | — | Phlox |
| Polar | — | Polar |
| Price | — | — |
| Rolling | — | — |
| Summit | — | Summit Lake |
| Upham | — | Kempster |
| Vilas | — | Pearson |
| Wolf River | — | Pickerel, Post Lake |
ZIP Codes
- 54409 — Antigo (also serves the Town of Antigo)
- 54491 — White Lake
- 54428 — Elcho
- 54424 — Deerbrook
- 54479 — Phlox
- 54465 — Pickerel
- 54485 — Summit Lake
- 54418 — Bryant
- 54471 — Pearson
Smaller crossroads communities such as Neva, Parrish, Polar, Langlade, Koepenick and Ormsby generally share a ZIP code with the nearest post office town rather than carrying their own.
Geography
Langlade County sits in Wisconsin’s north-central lake country, where the Nicolet National Forest reaches into its eastern towns and the terrain rolls from farmland around Antigo to pine and hardwood forest, kettle lakes and wetlands toward the county’s edges. The Wolf River rises in the county and drains its eastern half; the Eau Claire River drains the west. The county’s highest point is at the foot of the Basswood Lookout Tower, west of Summit Lake, at an elevation of 1,857 feet.
Langlade County borders Oneida County to the northwest, Forest County to the northeast, Oconto County to the east, Menominee County to the southeast, Shawano County to the south, Marathon County to the southwest, and Lincoln County to the west.
Demographics
Langlade County had a population of 19,491 at the 2020 census. Antigo, the county seat, is by far the largest place with 8,100 residents; White Lake, the county’s only incorporated village, has 262. Median household income in the county runs well below the Wisconsin median of $74,631, typical of the rural counties in this part of the state. Population density is about 22 people per square mile, concentrated around Antigo and along the lakes in the county’s east.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture, forest products and tourism anchor the local economy. Langlade County is known nationally for potato and vegetable farming around Antigo, and for papermaking and wood-products manufacturing tied to the surrounding forest. The lakes around White Lake, Summit Lake and Post Lake draw seasonal cabin owners and anglers, and snowmobiling and ATV trails bring winter visitors. Antigo hosts the Langlade County Fair each summer, one of the region’s long-running county fairs.
History
Langlade County was created on March 3, 1879, originally under the name “New County.” It was renamed on February 20, 1880, to honor Charles Michel de Langlade, a French-Canadian military officer and fur trader widely regarded as the first permanent European settler in Wisconsin. The county was fully organized by February 19, 1881, with Antigo as its seat. Logging drove the county’s early growth, and the cutover land later turned to dairy and vegetable farming as the forests were cleared.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 45 runs north-south through the county and links Antigo to the rest of the state; Wisconsin Highways 17, 47, 52, 55 and 64 connect the smaller communities.
- Wausau — 35 miles southwest
- Green Bay — 65 miles southeast
- Rhinelander — 30 miles north
- Wisconsin Rapids — 55 miles south
Langlade County Airport (KAIG) in Antigo handles general aviation; the nearest commercial service is Central Wisconsin Airport near Wausau.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Langlade County?
It is in the north-central part of Wisconsin, United States, centred near 45°13′N 89°00′W.
What is the population of Langlade County?
19,491 at the 2020 census.
How big is Langlade County?
888 square miles (2,300 km2), of which 871 square miles is land and 17 square miles is water.
What is the county seat of Langlade County?
Antigo is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Langlade County?
One city (Antigo), one village (White Lake), 17 civil towns and roughly 20 unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Langlade County?
Antigo uses 54409; White Lake, Elcho, Deerbrook, Phlox, Pickerel, Summit Lake, Bryant and Pearson each have their own ZIP as well.
What forest covers part of Langlade County?
The Nicolet National Forest extends into the county’s eastern towns.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Wisconsin.