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Compare towns

Bell vs La Pointe

20 miles apart. The biggest differences: jobs per worker (4.5× in La Pointe) and trails (2.4× in Bell).

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Bell, WIAn outdoors townBayfield County · 345 people
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La Pointe, WIAn outdoors townAshland County · 321 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BellAn outdoors town
Outdoors67.8% conserved land81 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves All about Bell →
La PointeAn outdoors town
Outdoors75.4% conserved land34 miles of trails across 11 parks and preserves HistorySettled in 16936 places on the National Register SchoolsBetter than 0%of WI districts All about La Pointe →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Jobs per worker4.5×
La Pointe is more of a job hub
La Pointe 0.85Bell 0.19
Trails2.4×
Bell has more miles of trail
Bell 81.4 miLa Pointe 33.9 mi
Property tax bill+41%
Tax bills are bigger in La Pointe
La Pointe $3,591Bell $2,548
Average commute9 min
La Pointe has the shorter commute
Bell 22 minLa Pointe 13 min
Street grid+50%
Bell has the more walkable street grid
Bell 1.2La Pointe 0.8
Seasonal homes+9.6 pts
La Pointe has more second homes
La Pointe 72.5%Bell 62.9%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,050 more a month in La Pointe

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bell$1,710/mo
Typical home $286K (Census) · tax rate 0.89% · Housing →
La Pointe$2,760/mo
Typical home $438K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.29% · or rent about $555/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,050 a month, about $12,600 a year, between La Pointe and Bell.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Wisconsin ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
–BellNot graded D−La PointeBetter than 0% of districts in the state
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BellLa Pointe
Snow a year74″74″
January low7°F7°F
July high77°F77°F
Growing season (days)140d140d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)9th0th
Outdoors & history
BellLa Pointe
Trails81 mi34 mi
Conserved land67.8%75.4%
Settled—1693
National Register places—6
Archive photos—12
Community
BellLa Pointe
Library hours a week—42 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

20 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

BellLa PointeBellLa Pointe
Bell ↔ La Pointe20 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BellLa Pointe
People
Population 345Highest 321Lowest
Median age 63.6±3.2Highest 58% above WI 62.9±4.4Lowest 56% above WI
Bell and La Pointe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 7.2%±5.4Lowest WI: 21.4% 10.6%±6.4Highest WI: 21.4%
La Pointe and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 46.4%±4.5Highest WI: 18.5% 45.5%±4.6Lowest WI: 18.5%
Bell and La Pointe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 56%Highest WI: 33.4% 51.9%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.3%±3Lowest WI: 5.8% 1.6%±3.8Highest WI: 5.8%
La Pointe and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $88,625±$14kHighest 14% above WI $71,250±$21kLowest 8% below WI
Bell and La Pointe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $286,100±$51kHighest 7% above WI $278,600±$76kLowest 5% above WI
Bell and La Pointe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $555±$318 49% below WI
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,548Lowest 33% below WI $3,591Highest 5% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest WI: 43.7% 33.3%±98.2Highest WI: 43.7%
La Pointe and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.3%Lowest WI: 10.6% 8.2%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 98.4%Highest WI: 67.8% 89.9%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1977Lowest 2 yrs newer than WI 1986Highest 11 yrs newer than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 22 minHighest about the WI average 13 minLowest 41% below WI
Work from home 19.9%±10Lowest WI: 13.1% 21.1%±10.2Highest WI: 13.1%
La Pointe and Bell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1.5%Highest 1.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 20.8 miHighest 16.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.19Lowest 0.85Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Bayfield (20%)Ashland (46%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in La PointeFew work in Bell
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 67.8%Lowest 75.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 81.4 miHighest 33.9 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Lowest 11Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.2Highest 0.8Lowest
Schools
School district —Bayfield School District
High school in town —None in town
Wisconsin average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bell neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bell’s Town Square.

La Pointe neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to La Pointe’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Bell and La Pointe

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Bell

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Cornucopia108 people · $279K homes
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Clover183 people · $206K homes
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Bayfield709 people · $326K homes
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Bayview615 people · $256K homes

Towns like Bell

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Presque Isle611 people · $394K homes
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Blanchard330 people · $344K homes
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Webb Lake488 people · $316K homes
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Edgewater442 people · $282K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Wisconsin towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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