Mercer is an unincorporated

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

located in the town of Mercer, Iron County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States. Mercer is located on

US Highway 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered High ...

(US 51) south-southeast of Hurley. Mercer has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

with ZIP code 54547. As of the 2010 census, its population is 516. Mercer identifies itself as the "

Loon Loons (North American English) or divers ( British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order G ...

Capital of the World" in order to promote

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

. This is based on a wildlife study that found Mercer had the highest concentration of common loons in the world. In front of the Mercer Chamber of Commerce's information center, there is a , statue named "Claire de Loon." Mercer also hosts an annual "Loon Day" festival, which features a large arts and crafts fair, live music and a loon calling contest.

History

A post office called Mercer has been in operation since 1895. The community was probably named for

Hugh Mercer Hugh Mercer (16 January 1726 – 12 January 1777) was a Scottish-born American military officer and physician who participated in the Seven Years' War and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. Born in Pitsligo, Pitsligo, Scotland, he ...

, a general in the American Revolutionary War.

Tourism

Mercer's main industry is seasonal tourism, which is based on the large amount of undeveloped land and secluded waterways. Summer activities include boating, fishing, biking, hiking, and swimming. Summer tourism is often based on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage and other bodies of water, such as Tank Lake (Grand Portage Lake), former home to weekly water ski shows and site of a public beach. Fishing and other water sports include water skiing and jet skiing. Autumn and winter recreation includes snowmobiling, skiing, and hunting. Mercer is home to the Mercer Area Historical Society housed in the former

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing ...

; it contains a small museum of local history. Other buildings include a

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

, schoolhouse, barbershop, and a reconstructed

caboose A caboose is a crewed North American railroad car coupled at the end of a freight train. Cabooses provide shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were formerly required in switching and shunting, keeping a lookout for load shifting, dama ...

Images

Image:Mercer Main Street.JPG, Mercer's central district. The tourist store Wampum Shop is on the left, with the Historical Society in the background Image:Mercer Historical Society.JPG, The Historical Society, housed in the former train depot File:Haines Fire Hall Mercer Wisconsin.jpg, Haines Fire Hall File:Mercer Wisconsin Community Center and Library.jpg, Community center / library File:Mercer Wisconsin Post Office.jpg, Post office File:Mercer Wisconsin Sign US51.jpg, Sign on US 51 File:Mercer Wisconsin Welcome Sign.jpg, Welcome sign

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Iron County, Wisconsin Census-designated places in Wisconsin