Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Orienta vs Oulu

Next-door neighbors in Bayfield County. The biggest differences: seasonal homes (+40.7 pts in Orienta) and jobs per worker (3× in Oulu).

×
Orienta, WIAn outdoors townBayfield County · 225 people
×
Oulu, WIA small town of 477Bayfield County · 477 people
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.

OuluA small town of 477
Quiet strengthsOulu doesn’t stand out on the data we haveNeighbors can tell you what the numbers miss.
All about Oulu →
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.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $300 more a month in Oulu

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.

Orienta$1,260/mo
Typical home $214K (Census) · tax rate 0.76% · Housing →
Oulu$1,560/mo
Typical home $257K (Census) · tax rate 0.98% · or rent about $842/mo · Housing →

The difference: $300 a month, about $3,600 a year, between Oulu and Orienta.

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.

Where they are

Orienta and Oulu share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OrientaOuluOrientaOulu
Orienta ↔ Oulu6.6 miles apart · They share a border · Same county
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
OrientaOulu
Snow a year61″74″
January low7°F3°F
July high75°F77°F
Growing season (days)145d132d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)9th9th
Outdoors & history
OrientaOulu
Trails10 mi5 mi
Conserved land16.2%0.8%
Settled—1904
National Register places—1
Archive photos—1
Famous people born here—1
Community
OrientaOulu
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.

OrientaOulu
People
Population 225Lowest 477Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census — +6.3% WI: +3.6%
Median age 42.3±0.8Lowest 5% above WI 54.4±5.4Highest 35% above WI
Kids under 18 20%±5.8Highest WI: 21.4% 12.2%±3.8Lowest WI: 21.4%
Orienta and Oulu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 22.7%±10.3Lowest WI: 18.5% 24.9%±4.5Highest WI: 18.5%
Oulu and Orienta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 49.7%Highest WI: 33.4% 21.3%Lowest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 20.9%±12.5Highest WI: 5.8% 6.3%±3.7Lowest WI: 5.8%
Orienta and Oulu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $68,750±$42kLowest 11% below WI $96,875±$9kHighest 25% above WI
Oulu and Orienta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $213,600±$91kLowest 20% below WI $257,100±$19kHighest 4% below WI
Oulu and Orienta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly — $842±$80 23% below WI
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,625Lowest 57% below WI $2,509Highest 34% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 0%±100Lowest WI: 43.7% 60.9%±62.6Highest WI: 43.7%
Oulu and Orienta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 7.6%Lowest WI: 10.6% 8.4%Highest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 95.9%Highest WI: 67.8% 79.9%Lowest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1990Highest 15 yrs newer than WI 1970Lowest 5 yrs older than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 8% above WI 34 minHighest 52% above WI
Work from home 5.5%±4.7Highest WI: 13.1% 0.9%±1.3Lowest WI: 13.1%
Orienta and Oulu are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 0%Lowest 3.1%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 31.3 miHighest 28.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.06Lowest 0.18Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Superior (14%)Duluth (12%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OuluFew work in Orienta
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 16.2%Highest 0.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 9.5 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miHighest 0.1 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 0.7Lowest 1.4Highest
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.

Orienta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Orienta’s Town Square.

Oulu neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oulu’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Orienta and Oulu

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

Bordering Orienta

Towns like Orienta

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.

Post to Orienta

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in