OCONTO COUNTY RECREATION REPORT 
 
 
General Facts About Oconto County: 
 
 
   Location: 
 
         Oconto County is located in the northeast corner of the State of

   Wisconsin. It is bordered on the north by Marinette and Forest Counties,

   on the south by Brown County, and on the west by Shawano, Menominee and

   Langlade Counties. The waters of Green Bay form the eastern boundary of
the 
   county. 
 
 
   Area: 
 
         The county lies on a northwest-southeast axis and contains 679,169

   acres of lands, waters, and forests within its boundaries. Of the land
area, 
   325,224 acres are in farm land which house 2,209 farms, according to the
1959 
   economic profile figures. 45.9 per cent of the land area is in farms.

   Recreation lands and water areas are abundant with 338,052 acres of forests

   and 15,893 acres of lakes, 387.4 miles of fishing streams, and about 26

   miles of shore line on Green Bay. 
 
 
   Topography: 
 
         As in most of the northern counties of Wisconsin, Oconto was greatly

   affected by the ancient glaciers. The northern part of the county is rolling

   to hilly with sandy soils and rocky outcroppings.   The southern portions

   are moderately rolling with fine sandy loams of the outwash plains. The

   southern part of the county offers better farm lands so the major part
of the 
   agricultural economy base is found in this area. 
 
 
   Climate: 
 
          Oconto County has a moderate climate. The waters of Green Bay have
a 
    moderating effect on the areas near the coast which cause the summers
to be 
    cool without undo temperature extremes. Summer temperatures average between

    77-80°. Winter temperatures may range as low as 30 degrees below
zero. The 
    normal growing season is about 120 to 160 days. Annual rainfall is about
36 
    inches with 55 per cent of the precipitation occurring between the months
of 
    May and September. There is a 20-35 per cent chance of having one inch
of rain 
    between June 28 and August 9. The per cent of sunshine averages 60 per
cent 
    or more, from May through September. Relative humidity averages from
85 
    per cent in the daytime to 60 per cent at night, during the summer months.

 
 
    Population and Economics: 
 
          The population of Oconto County totals 25,110, or .36 per cent
of the 
    total state population. This indicates a population density of 22.7 persons

    per square mile which is considerably less than the state average of
72.2 
    persons per square mile. Census figures indicate a net loss of population