Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Winnebago County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 166,994.[1] Its county seat is Oshkosh.[2] 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 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.

Winnebago County
U.S. county
Winnebago County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°04′N 88°38′W
Country United States
State Wisconsin
Founded1848
Named forWinnebago people
SeatOshkosh
Largest cityOshkosh
Area
 • Total579 sq mi (1,500 km2)
 • Land434 sq mi (1,120 km2)
 • Water144 sq mi (370 km2)  25%%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total166,994
 • Estimate 
(2019)
171,907
 • Density290/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts6th, 8th
Websitewww.co.winnebago.wi.us

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.[3] 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.[4] It means 'people dwelling by the fetid or ill-smelling water', which may also refer to a sulfur spring.[5] The county seat, Oshkosh, was incorporated as a city in 1853, when it already had a population of nearly 2,800.[6]

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 579 square miles (1,500 km2), of which 434 square miles (1,120 km2) is land and 144 square miles (370 km2) (25%) is water.[7]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

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
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1840135—
185010,1677,431.1%
186023,770133.8%
187037,27956.8%
188042,74014.6%
189050,09717.2%
190058,22516.2%
191062,1166.7%
192063,8972.9%
193076,62219.9%
194080,5075.1%
195091,10313.2%
1960107,92818.5%
1970129,93120.4%
1980131,7031.4%
1990140,3206.5%
2000156,76311.7%
2010166,9946.5%
2019 (est.)171,907[8]2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11]
1990–2000[12] 2010–2019[1]
2000 Census Age Pyramid for Winnebago County

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 156,763 people, 61,157 households, and 39,568 families residing in the county. The population density was 357 per square mile (138/km2). There were 64,721 housing units at an average density of 148 per square mile (57/km2). 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.[14] Additionally, there were 123 reported induced abortions performed on women of Winnebago County residence in 2017.[15]

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.

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020 50.8% 47,796 46.9% 44,060 2.3% 2,176
2016 49.9% 43,445 42.5% 37,047 7.6% 6,643
2012 47.2% 42,122 51.0% 45,449 1.8% 1,602
2008 43.3% 37,946 54.9% 48,167 1.8% 1,564
2004 52.5% 46,542 46.2% 40,943 1.3% 1,111
2000 50.4% 38,330 44.7% 33,983 5.0% 3,767
1996 42.7% 27,880 45.3% 29,564 12.0% 7,803
1992 43.6% 33,709 35.2% 27,234 21.3% 16,443
1988 54.8% 35,085 44.5% 28,508 0.6% 410
1984 62.7% 39,014 36.7% 22,791 0.6% 378
1980 53.3% 34,286 37.6% 24,203 9.1% 5,864
1976 55.4% 32,149 42.2% 24,485 2.5% 1,448
1972 57.3% 29,488 39.7% 20,450 3.0% 1,544
1968 53.8% 25,361 39.5% 18,605 6.7% 3,138
1964 47.0% 21,084 52.7% 23,636 0.3% 115
1960 61.7% 28,598 38.1% 17,656 0.2% 80
1956 71.4% 28,759 27.6% 11,115 0.9% 380
1952 68.2% 28,172 31.5% 13,016 0.3% 140
1948 55.2% 17,165 42.2% 13,116 2.7% 829
1944 59.6% 19,310 39.6% 12,841 0.8% 269
1940 54.1% 18,697 45.1% 15,570 0.8% 268
1936 36.9% 11,679 58.6% 18,522 4.5% 1,420
1932 41.3% 11,505 56.0% 15,591 2.7% 756
1928 61.1% 16,191 37.7% 9,995 1.2% 315
1924 48.7% 11,239 7.8% 1,801 43.5% 10,038
1920 69.5% 12,035 19.6% 3,397 10.8% 1,876
1916 50.5% 5,923 44.7% 5,242 4.8% 566
1912 17.0% 1,922 41.0% 4,631 42.0% 4,743[17]
1908 52.2% 6,797 42.4% 5,511 5.4% 703
1904 62.6% 7,720 32.5% 4,006 4.9% 600
1900 55.7% 7,467 41.8% 5,605 2.6% 342
1896 59.2% 7,898 38.2% 5,089 2.6% 347
1892 45.1% 5,354 49.6% 5,893 5.3% 635

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  4. "Winnebago", Dictionary.com
  5. "Winnebago Took Its Name from an Indian Tribe". The Post-Crescent. December 28, 1963. p. 14. Retrieved August 25, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. City of Oshkosh. About Us.
  7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  8. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  12. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  14. Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables
  15. Reported Induced Abortions in Wisconsin, Office of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Section: Trend Information, 2013-2017, Table 18, pages 17-18
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  17. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 4,098 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 478 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 146 votes, and Independent candidate Arthur Reimer received 21 votes.

Further reading

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