Manitowoc County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the U.S. state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (61%) is water.

Major highways

Railroads

Canadian National The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN ...

Buses

* Maritime Metro Transit * List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airport

Manitowoc County Airport Manitowoc County Airport is located two miles northwest of Manitowoc, in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. It is 21 miles from Whistling Straights golf course and 34 minutes from Road America. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan ...

(KMTW) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties

* Brown County – northwest * Kewaunee County – northeast * Sheboygan County – south * Calumet County – west * Mason County, MI - east & southeast * Manistee County, MI - northeast

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the population was 81,359. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 37,818 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 88.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 2.8% Asian, 1.3%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 1.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.0%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. The 2000

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

shows Manitowoc County as having 82,887 people, 32,721 households and 22,348 families.The

was 140 people per square mile (54/km²). There were 34,651 housing units at an average density of 59 per square mile (23/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.90%

, 0.30%

, 0.43% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.60% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were

or Latino of any race. 53.7% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 7.3% Polish, 5.3% Czech and 5.0% American ancestry. 95.2% spoke

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, 1.8% Spanish, 1.3% Hmong and 1.1%

as their first language. There were 32,721 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population is spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males. In 2017, there were 780 births, giving a general fertility rate of 60.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 27th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were 43 reported induced abortions performed on women of Manitowoc County residence in 2017.

Government

The county executive is Bob Ziegelbauer. He is serving his fourth term in that position after being elected in April 2006 and reelected in April 2010, April 2014, and April 2018. The county is served by a 25-member

county board A county board is a common form of county legislature, particular of counties in the United States. Related forms of county government include: * Board of Supervisors — a form of county legislature in some U.S. states * County commission, ...

Politics

Manitowoc County is fairly competitive in presidential elections; in 2016,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

became the first candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson from 1964 to win more than 55% of the vote. He expanded his share to 60% during the 2020 elections. Statewide, Manitowoc has voted Republican since the 2002 gubernatorial election.

Communities

Cities

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...

(partly in Calumet County) * Manitowoc (county seat) * Two Rivers

Villages

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

Francis Creek Francis Creek is a village in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 669 at the 2010 census. History A post office called Francis Creek was first established in 1850. The village took its name from nearby Francis Creek. ...

* Kellnersville * Maribel * Mishicot * Reedsville * St. Nazianz * Valders * Whitelaw

Towns

* Cato * Centerville *

Cooperstown Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the ...

Eaton Eaton may refer to: Buildings Canada * Eaton Centre, the name of various shopping malls in Canada due to having been anchored by an Eaton's store * Eaton's / John Maryon Tower, a cancelled skyscraper in Toronto * Eaton Hall (King City), a conferen ...

* Franklin *

Gibson Gibson may refer to: People * Gibson (surname) Businesses * Gibson Brands, Inc., an American manufacturer of guitars, other musical instruments, and audio equipment * Gibson Technology, and English automotive and motorsport company based * Gi ...

* Kossuth *

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

* Manitowoc * Manitowoc Rapids * Maple Grove * Meeme * Mishicot * Newton * Rockland * Schleswig * Two Creeks * Two Rivers

Census-designated places

* Collins

Unincorporated communities

* Alverno *

Branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' twig'' usuall ...

* Cato * Cato Falls * Clarks Mills *

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus ...

* Duveneck * Fisherville * Grimms * Hickory Grove * Kellners Corners * Kingsbridge * Larrabee * Louis Corners * Madsen * Maple Grove * Meeme * Meggers (partial) * Melnik * Menchalville * Millhome * Newton * Newtonburg * North Grimms *

Northeim Northeim (; nds, Nuurten) is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, seat of the district of Northeim, with, in 2011, a population of 29,000. It lies on the German Half-Timbered House Road. History Northeim is first mentioned in 800 in a document ...

* Osman * Reifs Mills * Rockville * Rockwood * Rosecrans *

Rube A rube is a country bumpkin or an inexperienced, unsophisticated person. Rube is also sometimes used as a nickname, for Reuben, Ruben or Rubin. Arts and entertainment *Rube Bloom (1902-1976), Jewish American songwriter, pianist, arranger, band ...

* School Hill * Shoto * Spring Valley * Steinthal * Taus * Tisch Mills (partial) * Two Creeks * Wells (partial) * Zander

At night

In the media

The Netflix documentary series ''

Making a Murderer ''Making a Murderer'' is an American true crime documentary television series written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. The show tells the story of Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who served 18 years in pri ...

'' (2015) explores the arrests and trials in 2007 of Manitowoc County residents Steven Avery and his nephew

Brendan Dassey Brendan Ray Dassey (born October 19, 1989) is an American convicted murderer from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who at 16 confessed to being a party to first-degree murder, mutilation of a corpse, and second-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced ...

for the murder of Teresa Halbach, who disappeared in October 2005. The series describes an earlier wrongful conviction of Avery, for which he served 18 years, and his subsequent lawsuit against Manitowoc County. It then focuses on the procedures of the Calumet County Sheriff's Office and the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the later Halbach case. The Sheriffs officers have come under intense scrutiny for their involvement in the Halbach case due to Steven Avery's $36 million lawsuit and their questionable police and investigative techniques.MONICA DAVEY, "Questioning the Evidence in the ‘Making a Murderer’ Case"
''New York Times,'' January 29, 2016; accessed January 14, 2016

Gallery

File:Manitowoc County Fairgrounds July 27 2012.jpg, Manitowoc County Expo Grounds Image:ManitowocCountySignWIS57WIS32.jpg, Sign marking entrance to Manitowoc County in

File:ManitowocCountyJail.jpg, Manitowoc County Jail

References

External links

Official website

Manitowoc County map
from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation {{authority control Wisconsin counties 1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1836