Fish Creek in Door County. PC: Fox 11 Online
DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Summertime is a time to flock to popular destinations like Door County, but have you ever thought about what it would be like to live there?
A new survey lists one Door County community as among the nation’s tourist towns that are most stressful for locals.
The poll of 3,042 residents of traditional tourist towns, commissioned by mental health provider AMFM and carried out by Cherry Data Signals, says Fish Creek is one of the most stressed tourist towns in the country.
It’s ranked 117th in the U.S. and third in Wisconsin.
Survey organizers write:
Door County’s pressure is softer but steady, shaped by lake views, wineries, fish boils, galleries, orchards, state parks, summer homes and small villages that fill with visitors across the warm months and into fall. In places like Fish Creek, the stress may come from the repetition of small frictions: crowded roads, packed restaurants, busy trails, full parking areas and the feeling that familiar places become harder to access. For residents, the emotional toll may show up as social fatigue, avoidance of village centers and a protective feeling toward a peninsula many people experience only as a seasonal escape.
Wisconsin Dells is the top “most stressed” town in Wisconsin. According to the survey:
Wisconsin Dells is one of the Midwest’s clearest examples of a town built around visitors, with waterparks, boat tours, resorts, arcades, mini golf, restaurants, campgrounds and family attractions all packed into a high-energy vacation corridor. For residents, that can create a very specific kind of strain: traffic, noise, crowds, seasonal work pressure and the mental exhaustion of living beside a leisure machine designed to keep everyone else entertained. Survey respondents in places like Wisconsin Dells may be especially likely to report sensory overload, irritability and the feeling that summer fun for visitors can become summer fatigue for locals.
Lake Geneva comes in third in Wisconsin.
Lake Geneva’s visitor pressure is tied to its role as a long-standing resort escape from Chicago and the wider Midwest. Visitors come for lakefront mansions, boat tours, beaches, spas, restaurants, golf, weddings and weekend getaways, creating a polished leisure economy around a relatively small city. Survey responses in places like Lake Geneva may point to anticipatory stress – planning around summer traffic, avoiding the lakefront during busy weekends, feeling crowded out of restaurants or public spaces, and becoming mentally drained by the constant contrast between visitor relaxation and local congestion.
Nationally, Charleston, South Carolina, is listed number one, followed by Destin, Florida, and Hanalei, Hawaii.
Just under a quarter of residents polled — 23% — say they often feel “crowded out” by visitors during peak tourism season. That can mean they avoid downtown areas, restaurants and beaches, or change shopping times. The biggest complaint respondents have is traffic congestion.
Still, those who live in tourist towns say they see economic benefits, with almost a quarter saying they definitely outweigh he stress caused, and 46% say the benefits outweigh the stress.
“What stands out in this research is that the issue is not simply inconvenience. Over time, the pressure of living in a place that is constantly being consumed as a vacation product can affect people’s stress levels, mood, and sense of control over their own community,” AMFM executive director Anand Meta said in a news release.
“Tourism can bring huge economic benefits, and many residents clearly recognize that. But tourists also need to think seriously about the wellbeing of locals, especially in destinations where the busiest months make people feel crowded out of their own hometown.”
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