Historically a logging and paper manufacturing mecca, Ashland today highlights the features of its industrial past with an artistic flair. Handpainted murals brighten the historical brick buildings, now housing a variety of successful businesses. Its impressive entrance from the west often treats motorists and pedestrians to the sight of swans, cranes and a variety of waterfowl. The population of Ashland qualifies it as the "metropolis" of Northcentral Wisconsin.