Quality of Life

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.

Blue gems 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%

A high value is placed on education.

K-12

• The two school districts of Iron County, Hurley K-12 and Mercer School District, 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.
• Hurley School technologically advanced including smart boards
• 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 bachelor 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

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

Clinics

• Aspirus Hurley Clinic-Hurley, WI
• Mercer Clinic, an affiliate of the Marshfield Clinic, Mercer
• Aspirus Ironwood Clinic-Ironwood, MI

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 several dental practices, 2 optometrists, and 4 chiropractic clinics.