Ontario, Wisconsin

Ontario is a village in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 476 at the 2000 census.

Ontario was voted the 5th most scenic small town in the state of Wisconsin by the Capitol Times.

Ontario is best known for the Kickapoo River, the most crooked river in the world. It is an excellent site for canoeing. Thousands of tourists come every year to enjoy the river. Canoes and kayaks can be rented from one of many local businesses including: Titanic, Mr. Duck's, Drifty's, and Circle K canoe rental.

Ontario is also home to Wildcat Mountain State Park, one of Wisconsin's most beautiful state parks. Some of the top attractions at the park include Ice Cave, Lookout Point, Mt. Pisgah, and the horse trails. Camping sites are available in the summer and there are new shower facilities.

In addition to the Kickapoo River and Wildcat Mountain State Park, there are many other events to attract visitors. The biggest event of the year is the Fourth of July, featuring a good old fashioned parade, tractor pull, car and tractor show, and fireworks. Ontario also offers rodeos at the O.K. coral throughout the summer. Live country music shows hosted by Tor Eness featuring Eric Nofsinger, Maggie Mae and many other local talents delight the town and many visitors from around the state. On special occasions, Orion Samuelson, national radio and television agriculture broadcaster, returns to his hometown of Ontario as a guest MC of these country music events.

Geography

Ontario is located at (43.723396, -90.591999).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.0 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 476 people, 225 households, and 134 families residing in the village. The population density was 470.1 people per square mile (182.0/km²). There were 254 housing units at an average density of 250.9/sq mi (97.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.96% White, 0.84% Native American, 3.78% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.83% of the population.

There were 225 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the village the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $23,194, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $23,333 versus $17,083 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,893. About 14.2% of families and 22.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.1% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.

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