I lived in Ashland for several years, until I finished college and couldn’t get a teaching job…declining enrollment. It is a great place to live and raise a family – very diverse population with a lot of environmental consciousness and people who love the outdoors! I prefer it to Bayfield, which along with Madeline Island draws in people from the cities to purchase second homes. It is an authentic and very nice little town – if you go, The Black Cat, The Deep Water, and the 2nd Street Bistro are all excellent places to eat and reasonably priced.