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Oulu vs Orienta

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

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

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 →
OrientaAn outdoors town
Outdoors16.2% conserved land9.5 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves All about Orienta →
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.

Seasonal homes+40.7 pts
Orienta has more second homes
Orienta 66.7%Oulu 26%
Jobs per worker3×
Oulu is more of a job hub
Oulu 0.18Orienta 0.06
Property tax bill+54%
Tax bills are bigger in Oulu
Oulu $2,509Orienta $1,625
Bachelor’s degree++28.4 pts
More adults in Orienta have a degree
Orienta 49.7%Oulu 21.3%
Median age12.1 yrs
Oulu skews older
Oulu 54.4Orienta 42.3
Street grid2×
Oulu has the more walkable street grid
Oulu 1.4Orienta 0.7
★ 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.

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

Oulu and Orienta share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OuluOrientaOuluOrienta
Oulu ↔ Orienta6.6 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
OuluOrienta
Snow a year74″61″
January low3°F7°F
July high77°F75°F
Growing season (days)132d145d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)9th9th
Outdoors & history
OuluOrienta
Trails5 mi10 mi
Conserved land0.8%16.2%
Settled1904—
National Register places1—
Archive photos1—
Famous people born here1—
Community
OuluOrienta
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.

OuluOrienta
People
Population 477Highest 225Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +6.3% WI: +3.6% —
Median age 54.4±5.4Highest 35% above WI 42.3±0.8Lowest 5% above WI
Kids under 18 12.2%±3.8Lowest WI: 21.4% 20%±5.8Highest 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+ 24.9%±4.5Highest WI: 18.5% 22.7%±10.3Lowest 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+ 21.3%Lowest WI: 33.4% 49.7%Highest WI: 33.4%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±3.7Lowest WI: 5.8% 20.9%±12.5Highest 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 $96,875±$9kHighest 25% above WI $68,750±$42kLowest 11% below 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 $257,100±$19kHighest 4% below WI $213,600±$91kLowest 20% 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 $2,509Highest 34% below WI $1,625Lowest 57% below WI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 60.9%±62.6Highest WI: 43.7% 0%±100Lowest 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 8.4%Highest WI: 10.6% 7.6%Lowest WI: 10.6%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 79.9%Lowest WI: 67.8% 95.9%Highest WI: 67.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1970Lowest 5 yrs older than WI 1990Highest 15 yrs newer than WI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 52% above WI 24 minLowest 8% above WI
Work from home 0.9%±1.3Lowest WI: 13.1% 5.5%±4.7Highest 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 3.1%Highest 0%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 28.3 miLowest 31.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.18Highest 0.06Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Duluth (12%)Superior (14%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in OrientaFew work in Oulu
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.8%Lowest 16.2%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.8 miLowest 9.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 2Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 1.4Highest 0.7Lowest
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.

Oulu neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Oulu’s Town Square.

Orienta neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Orienta’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Oulu and Orienta

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

Bordering Oulu

T
+ Compare
Tripp308 people · $251K homes
B
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Brule545 people · $227K homes
H
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Hughes555 people · $285K homes
C
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Cloverland199 people · $213K homes

Towns like Oulu

A
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Almond471 people · $278K homes
F
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Franzen514 people · $208K homes
S
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Skanawan364 people · $248K homes
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Avon634 people · $248K 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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