Amherst, WI

Amherst is a Portage County town with its civic center at Amherst Junction. Lake Emily, once the site of a vanished settlement, now sits beside Lake Emily Park, a 143-acre county park on a 96-acre lake with a boat ramp, beach, nature trail, playground, and ball field. Amherst Communications, founded locally in 1903 as Amherst Telephone Company, still operates from Mill Street and provides internet, television, and phone service across nearby communities. Town Hall meetings, the park, and the communications office give Amherst a practical map that runs from local government to a regional utility and a lake used for boating, fishing, and swimming.