Mayville is the gateway to the Horicon Marsh
Mayville is one of two cities next to the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area. While the neighboring city of Horicon is known as the City on the Marsh, Mayville is considered the Gateway to the Marsh. “You come through both Horicon and Mayville to get to the marsh,” says Tom Stumpner, a member of the Marsh Area Chamber of Commerce, which serves both cities. “Whenever there’s an event at the marsh, both cities share hosting it.” Beyond outdoor adventure, Mayville's culture and history are distinct from Horicon's. Mayville, the slightly larger city with about 5,000 residents, used to be an iron and steel town, and the industry is still present through employers like Metalcraft. Today, local restaurants, grocery stores and festivals help set Mayville apart from its sister city on the marsh, solidifying a small-town charm that attracts visitors from bigger cities like Beaver Dam and Milwaukee.
The Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area and Mayville city parks
Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area includes over 30,000 acres of wetlands, created by glacial movements during the Ice Age. “It’s the only wetland like this in the world. We have a lot of unique birds and wildlife,” Stumpner says. “The United Nations recognized the marsh as an area of international importance.” In the spring, visitors flock to the marsh to see migrating waterfowl, spottable from 5 miles of hiking trails or from kayaks. More info about the ecosystem is available at the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center. “There are displays where people can go and touch the exhibits, and there’s history going back to the Ice Age,” Stumpner says. “Workers also sell you wildflowers that you can plant in your yard.”
In Mayville, City Park includes a baseball diamond and a playground. It sits along the Rock River, where a rentable pavilion overlooks the water. The local Rotary Club also rents kayaks from the park. Mayville Golf Course is an 18-hole course open to the public. TAG Center includes an indoor pool and a gym offering various classes and programs.
More affordable homes than Beaver Dam in Mayville
Nationals, American Foursquares, bungalows and ranch-style homes sit on Mayville's wide streets. Trees hang over driveways leading to attached garages, while small gardens in front yards add splashes of personality. Home prices typically range from $110,000 to $360,000. “It’s an affordable area,” Stumpner says. “We were looking for a single-story house in Beaver Dam and, for any house, we’d have to put $50,000 to $60,000 into it.” Instead, Stumpner says, homebuyers in Mayville can buy homes as is.
Audubon Days in Mayville and the Horicon Marsh Bird Festival
Named for the famed naturalist and artist, the Audubon Inn houses many tourists in town visiting the marsh. “It was built in 1890 and supposedly it's haunted,” Stumpner says. Audubon Days is the main festival in town. Held every September, the popular event features a parade, concerts throughout the weekend, and a burger and brat fry. In spring, the Horicon Marsh Bird Festival encourages locals and tourists to explore the marsh and see the migratory birds passing through the area. For more history, the Mayville Limestone School Museum hosts exhibitions that describe the building’s history and Mayville’s roots as an iron town. Located in the original schoolhouse built in the mid-1800s, the building is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mayville's public schools with dual credit course options
While Mayville and Horicon share many of the same amenities, each city has its own school system. Mayville Elementary School receives a B from Niche, and Mayville Junior/Senior High School receives a B-minus. Upperclassmen have dual-credit options through Moraine Park Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Local restaurants and grocery shopping in town
The Open Door Coffeehouse has tables by the big windows, private meeting rooms and a play area for kids. The menu at Don Ramon Restaurante Mexicano includes tacos and fajitas. The Piggly Wiggly in Mayville draws shoppers from neighboring communities like Horicon and Therese, which don’t have their own supermarkets. For additional groceries, Walmart is about 17 miles away in Beaver Dam.
Working in Mayville or commuting to downtown Milwaukee
Mayville is a car-dependent community. Wisconsin Route 28 connects the city with Horicon, about 6 miles away. Local employers like Metalcraft give Mayville residents an option to live and work in town, and the John Deere factory in Horicon is also a major employer. The cost of living in Mayville is cheaper than in Milwaukee, so many homebuyers live in town, then commute to jobs in downtown Milwaukee, about 50 miles away. Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is 60 miles, and Marshville Medical Center-Beaver Dam is about 17.
Written By
Caroline Ernst
