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Gardner vs Brussels

Next-door neighbors in Door County. The biggest differences: trails (33× in Brussels) and median age (21.1 yrs in Gardner).

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Gardner, WIA small town of 1,318Door County · 1,318 people
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Brussels, WIA history townDoor County · 1,112 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.

GardnerA small town of 1,318
Quiet strengthsGardner doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Gardner →
BrusselsA history town
History6 archive photos & papers5 places on the National Register All about Brussels →
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.

Trails33×
Brussels has more miles of trail
Brussels 3.3 miGardner 0.1 mi
Median age21.1 yrs
Gardner skews older
Gardner 56Brussels 34.9
Seasonal homes+36.7 pts
Gardner has more second homes
Gardner 42.5%Brussels 5.8%
Kids under 18+15.6 pts
Brussels has more kids
Brussels 29.7%Gardner 14.1%
Household income+45%
Households in Brussels earn more
Brussels $100,700Gardner $69,474
Street grid2.5×
Brussels has the more walkable street grid
Brussels 2.7Gardner 1.1
★ What stands out · Where they are

Gardner and Brussels share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

GardnerBrusselsGardnerBrussels
Gardner ↔ Brussels9.4 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
Who commutes between them
18 Gardner residents work in Brussels (3.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Gardner →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

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.

Gardner$2,420/mo
Typical home $406K (Census) · tax rate 0.85% · or rent about $1,196/mo · Housing →
Brussels$2,330/mo
Typical home $387K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.92% · Housing →

The difference: $90 a month, about $1,100 a year, between Gardner and Brussels.

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
BGardnerBetter than 57% of districts in the state –BrusselsNot graded
Health
B−GardnerHealthier than 54% of U.S. towns BBrusselsHealthier than 59% of U.S. towns
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
GardnerBrussels
Snow a year57″53″
January low10°F11°F
July high78°F77°F
Growing season (days)157d163d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)4th7th
Outdoors & history
GardnerBrussels
Trails0 mi3 mi
Conserved land1.6%0.1%
National Register places15
Archive photos126
Famous people born here—2
Community
GardnerBrussels
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.

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.

GardnerBrussels
People
Population 1,318Highest 1,112Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2%Highest WI: +3.6% -1%Lowest WI: +3.6%
Median age 56±4.9Highest 39% above WI 34.9±4.2Lowest 13% below WI
Kids under 18 14.1%±5.7Lowest WI: 21.4% 29.7%±4.9Highest WI: 21.4%
Age 65+ 31.9%±9.1Highest WI: 18.5% 14.7%±2.6Lowest WI: 18.5%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 30.2%Highest WI: 33.4% 28.1%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 1.4%±1.7Lowest WI: 5.8% 8.6%±5.3Highest WI: 5.8%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $69,474±$19kLowest 10% below WI $100,700±$9kHighest 30% above WI
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $406,100±$116kHighest 52% above WI $278,200±$37kLowest 4% above WI
Gardner and Brussels are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,196±$183 10% above WI —
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,472Highest 8% below WI $2,555Lowest 33% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest WI: 43.7% 6.8%±40.5Highest WI: 43.7%
Brussels and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 4.8%Lowest WI: 10.6% 6%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 94.7%Highest WI: 67.8% 85.3%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 4 yrs newer than WI 1972Lowest 3 yrs older than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 9% above WI 26 minHighest 15% above WI
Work from home 9.7%±4.3Lowest WI: 13.1% 10.4%±3.9Highest WI: 13.1%
Brussels and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 1%Lowest 3.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.3 miHighest 14.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.11Lowest 0.28Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Sturgeon Bay (23%)Sturgeon Bay (38%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 3% work in BrusselsFew work in Gardner
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 1.6%Highest 0.1%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.1 miLowest 3.3 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.0 miLowest 0.1 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 0Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.1Lowest 2.7Highest
Schools
School district Southern Door County School District—
High school in town Southern Door High—
Students per teacherat that high school 12.0 —
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.

Gardner neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gardner’s Town Square.

Brussels neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brussels’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Gardner and Brussels

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

Bordering Gardner

N
+ Compare
Nasewaupee1,676 people · $294K homes
+ Compare
Peshtigo4,027 people · $214K homes
+ Compare
Egg Harbor1,548 people · $412K homes
+ Compare
Union1,054 people · $359K homes

Towns like Gardner

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+ Compare
Medina1,256 people · $407K homes
M
+ Compare
Martell1,064 people · $357K homes
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+ Compare
Nokomis1,511 people · $278K homes
P
+ Compare
Plover1,299 people · $317K homes

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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