Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Winnebago County, Wisconsin
Winnebago County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 171,730. Its county seat is Oshkosh. It was named for the historic Winnebago people, a federally recognized Native American tribe now known as the Ho-Chunk Nation. Chief Oshkosh was a Menominee leader in the area. Winnebago County comprises the Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI Combined Statistical Area.
History
The region was occupied by several Native American tribes in the period of European encounter, including the Sauk, Fox, Menominee, and Ojibwa (known as Chippewa in the US). French traders from what is now Canada had early interaction with them, as did French Jesuit missionaries, who sought to convert them to Catholicism. European and American settlement encroached on their traditional territories, and the United States negotiated treaties in the mid-19th century to keep pushing the Indians to the west.
Winnebago County was created in 1840 by European Americans and organized in 1848. The name Winnebago is of Algonquin origin, with variations used by the Fox and Potowatomi to refer to the Fox River below Lake Winnebago, which sometimes got muddy and full of fish. It means 'people dwelling by the fetid or ill-smelling water', which may also refer to a sulfur spring. The county seat, Oshkosh, was incorporated as a city in 1853, when it already had a population of nearly 2,800.
Chief Oshkosh was the namesake for the county seat. A leader of the Menominee in the region, he was successful in gaining authorization from the federal government for 2500 of his people to remain in Wisconsin, at a time when the government was pushing for their removal west of the Mississippi River.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (25%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Waupaca County - northwest
Outagamie County - northeast
Calumet County - east
Fond du Lac County - south
Green Lake County - southwest
Waushara County - west
Major highways
Interstate 41
U.S. Highway 10
U.S. Highway 41
U.S. Highway 45
Wisconsin Highway 21
Wisconsin Highway 26
Wisconsin Highway 44
Wisconsin Highway 47
Wisconsin Highway 76
Wisconsin Highway 91
Wisconsin Highway 114
Wisconsin Highway 116
Wisconsin Highway 441
Railroads
Canadian National
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
Buses
GO Transit (Wisconsin)
Valley Transit (Wisconsin)
List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin
Airports
Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH) serves the county and surrounding communities.
Brennand Airport (79C) in the Town of Clayton is a major recreational aircraft hub year-round.
Commercial airline service for Winnebago County is provided by Appleton International Airport in the neighboring Outagamie County.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, the population was 171,730. The population density was . There were 76,046 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.2% White, 3.3% Asian, 3.0% Black or African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.8% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 156,763 people, 61,157 households, and 39,568 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 64,721 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.92% White, 1.12% Black or African American, 0.46% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.4% were of German, 6.2% Irish and 5.7% Polish ancestry. 94.6% spoke English, 2.5% Spanish and 1.0% Hmong as their first language.
There were 61,157 households, out of which 31.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.00% were married couples living together, 8.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.30% were non-families. 27.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99.
By age, 23.80% of the population was under 18, 11.80% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 12.50% were 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.80 males.
In 2017, there were 1,833 births, giving a general fertility rate of 56.5 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 15th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were 123 reported induced abortions performed on women of Winnebago County residence in 2017.
Government
Winnebago County is governed by the 36-member Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected to the board in a nonpartisan election held the first Tuesday of April in even numbered years and serve two-year terms. The board has several committees. It meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Winnebago County Courthouse in Oshkosh.
Politics
Winnebago County has become a swing county in recent decades. It has voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1980, except in 1992 when it supported George Bush, and in 2020, when it supported Donald Trump.
Communities
Cities
Appleton (mostly in Outagamie County and Calumet County)
Menasha (partly in Calumet County)
Neenah
Omro
Oshkosh (county seat)
Villages
Fox Crossing
Winneconne
Towns
Algoma
Black Wolf
Clayton
Neenah
Nekimi
Nepeuskun
Omro
Oshkosh
Poygan
Rushford
Utica
Vinland
Winchester
Winneconne
Wolf River
Census-designated places
Butte des Morts
Eureka
Waukau
Winchester
Unincorporated communities
Adella Beach
Allenville
Black Wolf
Black Wolf Point
Clarks Point
Decorah Beach
Elo
Fairview Beach
Fisk
Fitzgerald
Harbor Springs
Highland Shore
Indian Shores
Island Park
Larsen
Lasleys Point
Leonards Point
Little Point
Koro
Medina Junction
Melrose Park
Metz (partial)
Mikesville
Nichols Shore Acres
Oakwood
Orihula
Paukotuk
Piacenza
Pickett
Plummer Point
Point Comfort
Reighmoor
Ricker Bay
Ring
Rivermoor
Rush Lake
Shangri La Point
Snells
Sunrise Bay
Waverly Beach (partial)
Winnebago
Zion
Zittau
Ghost towns/neighborhoods
Delhi
Menasha (former)
Notable people
Martin Madison (born 1854, Winnebago County), South Dakota politician
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Winnebago County, Wisconsin
References
Further reading
Commemorative Biographical Record of the Fox River Valley Counties of Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago. Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1895.
Lawson, Publius V. (ed.) History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People. Chicago: C. F. Cooper, 1908.
External links
Winnebago County official website
Winnebago County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
1848 establishments in Wisconsin
Populated places established in 1848
Wisconsin placenames of Native American origin