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County · code 55125

Vilas CountyWisconsin

Vilas County is a county in Wisconsin with its seat in Eagle River. It was formed on April 15, 1893, from Oneida County and named after William Freeman Vilas.

  • Founded1893
  • County seatEagle River
  • Named forWilliam Freeman Vilas
  • Land area858 sq mi + 160 sq mi water
  • Population23,047 2020 Census
  • Parcels mapped50,009 checked 15 October 2026
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Updated

OneidaGogebic, MIIronForestPriceIron, MI Eagle River Census outline · seat marked

Where it is

Vilas on the map of Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 72 counties and county equivalents, each with its own records office. Shapes with a page are links.

Adams CountyAshland CountyBarron CountyBayfield CountyBrown CountyBuffalo CountyBurnett CountyCalumet CountyChippewa CountyClark CountyColumbia CountyCrawford CountyDane CountyDodge CountyDoor CountyDouglas CountyDunn CountyEau Claire CountyFlorence CountyFond du Lac CountyForest CountyGrant CountyGreen CountyGreen Lake CountyIowa CountyIron CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyJuneau CountyKenosha CountyKewaunee CountyLa Crosse CountyLafayette CountyLanglade CountyLincoln CountyManitowoc CountyMarathon CountyMarinette CountyMarquette CountyMenominee CountyMilwaukee CountyMonroe CountyOconto CountyOneida CountyOutagamie CountyOzaukee CountyPepin CountyPierce CountyPolk CountyPortage CountyPrice CountyRacine CountyRichland CountyRock CountyRusk CountySt. Croix CountySauk CountySawyer CountyShawano CountySheboygan CountyTaylor CountyTrempealeau CountyVernon CountyWalworth CountyWashburn CountyWashington CountyWaukesha CountyWaupaca CountyWaushara CountyWinnebago CountyWood CountyVilas County Vilas
Counties of Wisconsin · Vilas highlighted

History

Formed in 1893 from Oneida County

An old deed may name a county that no longer exists, or a boundary that has since moved.

Vilas County was created from Oneida County on April 15, 1893. In 1897, Vilas gained territory from Forest and Oneida counties, then lost some to Oneida in 1905 before gaining from Forest again. When Michigan disputed the Wisconsin boundary in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court starting in 1923, it implicitly overlapped Vilas County; the dispute was resolved entirely in Wisconsin's favor in 1926.

Boundary changes from the Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries; the 5 that matter most are shown first.

  1. 1893
    Vilas County created Vilas created from Oneida.
    from Oneida
    · Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 150, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 175-177, 181
  2. 1897
    Gained territory Vilas gained from Forest and Oneida.
    from Forestfrom Oneida
    · Wis. Laws 1897, reg. sess., ch. 278, secs. 1-2, 13/pp. 547, 550
  3. 1905
    Lost territory Vilas lost to Oneida.
    to Oneida
    · Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 57, secs. 1, 8/pp. 115-116
  4. 1905
    Gained territory Vilas gained from Forest.
    from Forest
    · Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 202, secs. 1, 8/pp. 291-292
  5. 1923
    Vilas County created Gobegic (Michigan) and Iron (Michigan) implicitly overlapped Vilas when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay. Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area.
    from Gobegic (Mich.)from Iron (Mich.)from U.s.
    · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132
Show all 9 changes (4 more, mostly small adjustments)
  1. 1893
    Vilas County created Vilas created from Oneida.
    from Oneida
    · Wis. Laws 1893, ch. 150, secs. 1-2, 12/pp. 175-177, 181
  2. 1897
    Gained territory Vilas gained from Forest and Oneida.
    from Forestfrom Oneida
    · Wis. Laws 1897, reg. sess., ch. 278, secs. 1-2, 13/pp. 547, 550
  3. 1905
    Lost territory Vilas lost to Oneida.
    to Oneida
    · Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 57, secs. 1, 8/pp. 115-116
  4. 1905
    Gained territory Vilas gained from Forest.
    from Forest
    · Wis. Laws 1905, reg. sess., ch. 202, secs. 1, 8/pp. 291-292
  5. 1909
    Boundary clarified Michigan implicitly overlapped Vilas when Michigan's new state constitution redefined the interstate boundary with Wisconsin across the Upper Peninsula; Vilas kept control of the disputed area.
    no change
    · Swindler, 5:249
  6. 1911
    Boundary clarified Vilas boundaries were clarified (no change).
    no change
    · Wis. Laws 1911, ch. 538/pp. 652-654
  7. 1913
    Boundary clarified Vilas boundaries were clarified (no change).
    no change
    · Wis. Laws 1913, ch. 65/pp. 71-73
  8. 1923
    Vilas County created Gobegic (Michigan) and Iron (Michigan) implicitly overlapped Vilas when Michigan took its 1909 boundary dispute with Wisconsin to the U.S. Supreme Court and expanded its scope by claiming more territory on the Upper Peninsula and more of the waters and islands of Green Bay. Wisconsin claimed the old, established line and never lost control of the disputed area.
    from Gobegic (Mich.)from Iron (Mich.)from U.s.
    · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 116, 118, 132
  9. 1926
    Changed Michigan's implicit overlap of Vilas ended when the U.S. Supreme Court decided the boundary dispute between Michigan and Wisconsin entirely in favor of Wisconsin.
    U.s.
    · Martin, "Michigan-Wisconsin," 141-143

Land and parcels

What the maps cover in Vilas

Who publishes each layer, how good it is, and when we last checked.

Official
from the office that keeps the record
Good enough
a reliable statewide or national copy
Fallback
a guide only; check the official record
Missing
nothing public found yet

People and land

Vilas by the Census

Population
23,047 2020 Census count
Housing units
24,486 2020 Census count
Land area
858 square miles
Water area
160 square miles
People per sq mi
27 population ÷ land area

Source: US Census Bureau, 2020 Census; US Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files. Not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Rules and offices

Vilas County's official site

We have found the county's site but not its offices yet; start there.

County government

See your own lot on these maps

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Questions

Common questions about Vilas County

When was Vilas County founded?
Vilas County was founded in 1893, formed from Oneida County, and named after William Freeman Vilas.
What is the county seat of Vilas County?
The county seat of Vilas County is Eagle River.
Is there an online parcel map for Vilas County?
Yes. Vilas County publishes a parcel map of 50,009 parcels, rated good enough here. You can click any parcel on it in Parcel Chart's free map, no sign-in needed.
Has Vilas County's boundary or name changed?
Vilas County was created in 1893 from Oneida County. Since then the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries records 5 later changes, chiefly involving Forest County, Oneida County and U.s. County.
Is my lot in a flood zone?
We do not have flood maps for Vilas County yet. Look up the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, which shows the effective flood map for any lot.

Nearby

Counties next door