A national forest and lake create Townsend's quiet atmosphere
In the middle of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Townsend is sheltered from the hustle and bustle of bigger cities. Life in the town centers around nature, from the hiking and ATV trails throughout the national forest to boating and fishing on Townsend Flowage and other nearby lakes. Even though the town is a smaller community, it still has amenities like the local restaurants and a grocery store. “It’s remote, but it’s not super isolated, which can be a problem up north,” says Realtor Don Bartels with Coldwell Banker Bartels Real Estate. “You don’t feel too removed from society.”
Pontooning on the flowage and hiking Cathedral Pines
The town is along Townsend Flowage, a lake-like body of water that locals can access from private docks or the public launch off Bennett Lane. “The lakes are one of the major attractions for the area,” Bartels says. “People tend to pontoon on those lakes more than anything.” There's also a baseball diamond in town at Townsend Ball Park.
Townsend is part of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, which stretches 1.5 million acres across northern Wisconsin. It includes different parks, like Cathedral Pines, a 40-acre grove of pines and hemlock with plenty of hiking and snowmobiling trails through the old growth. During the winter, Paul Bunyan Hill is open for skiing, snowboarding, tubing and ice skating.
Custom lakeside properties and ranch-style homes in town
Townsend’s housing splits between lakeside homes with private docks jutting out into the water and houses with small yards in the town. Most properties have at least one acre. Styles include ranch-style homes, but custom builds and vacant plots are also common. Homes are slow to come onto the market here, but recent town properties sold for around $290,000 and a lakeside home sold for around $540,000.
Longstanding local restaurants and Townsend's grocery store
Karla’s Kitchen has been in Townsend for 50 years, now on its third generation of family ownership. It’s only open until the early afternoon, specializing in breakfast items like pancakes, French toast and omelets. Old Town Hall Sports Bar and Restaurant’s warm atmosphere feels homey with all the knick-knacks on the walls. It serves American fare but does daily specials like Monday stir fries and Friday fish fries. “We both have a grocery store and we both have a hardware store,” Bartels says about Townsend and Lakewood. In Townsend, Mike’s Supermarket is right next to Pintsch’s True Value Hardware. Lakewood SuperValu is about 5 miles away.
Getting to other towns via WI-32 or the paved ATV trail
Wisconsin Route 32 runs through Townsend, connecting it to nearby towns like Lakewood, about 4 miles east. A paved ATV trail also goes along the thoroughfare, providing another way for people to get around the town and region. Aspirus Langlade Hospital is about 39 miles away, and Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport is about 75 miles away.
C-rated Wabeno schools are 10 miles away from Townsend
Townsend students head to Wabeno, about 10 miles away, to attend the town’s public schools. Wabeno Elementary School receives a C from Niche. Wabeno High School includes grades sixth through twelfth and receives a C-plus rating. It has plenty of middle school and junior varsity sports alongside high school athletics for teams like football, wrestling, golf and track and field.
Townsend's annual Fourth of July celebration
“In Townsend, they have a big Fourth of July parade with fireworks and everything. As a kid, I went almost every year,” Bartels says, as a nearby Lakewood resident. “It’s a really big deal for Townsend to have the big fireworks, and it brings in a lot of people every year.” The celebration kicks off early in the day with a craft fair and a cookout with the local firefighters. The parade proceeds down Grove Street, and fireworks go off at dusk. In the warmer months, the Townsend Farmers Market brings local vendors to the town hall's parking lot.
Written By
Caroline Ernst
