Winnebago 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 171,730. 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 Oshkosh. It was named for the historic

Winnebago people The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iow ...

, 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 Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River, approximately forty miles (60 km) southwest of Gree ...

, WI

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

, which is included in the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

History

The region was occupied by several Native American tribes in the period of European encounter, including the Sauk, Fox, Menominee, and

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

(known as Chippewa in the US). French traders from what is now Canada had early interaction with them, as did French

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

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 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 (25%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Waupaca County - northwest *

Outagamie County Outagamie County is a county in the northeast region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705. Its county seat is Appleton. Outagamie County is included in the Appleton, WI Metropolitan Statistical ...

- northeast * Calumet County - east * Fond du Lac County - south * Green Lake County - southwest * Waushara County - west

Major highways

Interstate 41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located south of the Wisconsin– Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolita ...

U.S. Highway 10 U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Unlike most U.S. routes with "0" as the last digit of its route number, US 1 ...

* U.S. Highway 41 *

U.S. Highway 45 U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as . US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...

Wisconsin Highway 21 State Trunk Highway 21 (often called Highway 21, STH-21 or WIS 21) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west across the center of the state between Sparta and Oshkosh. The route often serves as a direct route ...

* Wisconsin Highway 26 *

Wisconsin Highway 44 State Trunk Highway 44 (often called Highway 44, STH-44 or WIS 44) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs in a diagonal southwest–northeast direction in east-central Wisconsin from Pardeeville to Oshkosh. R ...

Wisconsin Highway 47 State Trunk Highway 47 (often called Highway 47, STH-47 or WIS 47) is a state highway in the northeastern and northern parts of the US state of Wisconsin that runs in a diagonal northwest–southeast from Menasha to Manitowish. Route descrip ...

Wisconsin Highway 76 State Trunk Highway 76 (often called Highway 76, STH-76 or WIS 76) is a state highway 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 th ...

* Wisconsin Highway 91 *

Wisconsin Highway 114 State Trunk Highway 114 (often called Highway 114, STH-114 or WIS 114) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in east central Wisconsin from Neenah to Hilbert. The highway ran from Neenah to Brillion befor ...

* Wisconsin Highway 116 * Wisconsin Highway 441

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 ...

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and Chicag ...

Buses

GO Transit (Wisconsin) GO Transit, formerly the Oshkosh Transit System, is the primary provider of mass transportation in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. History Transit service in Oshkosh began in June 1882 when the Oshkosh Street Railway Company began operating six h ...

Valley Transit (Wisconsin) Valley Transit is a city bus and paratransit commission operated by the city government of Appleton, Wisconsin. It has operated as a bus system since 1930, and has been fully operated by the city since 1978. The system operates across the Fox C ...

* 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 An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...

service for Winnebago County is provided by Appleton International Airport in the neighboring

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 171,730. 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 76,046 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 86.2%

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 ...

, 3.3% Asian, 3.0%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 1.8% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.8%

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.

2000 census

As of the

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 ...

of 2000, there were 156,763 people, 61,157 households, and 39,568 families residing in the county. The

was . There were 64,721 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.92%

, 1.12%

, 0.46% Native American, 1.84% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.72% from other races, and 0.92% from two or more races. 1.96% of the population were

or Latino of any race. 52.4% 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 ...

, 6.2% Irish and 5.7% Polish ancestry. 94.6% 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 ...

, 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 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, 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.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

Government

Winnebago County is governed by the 36-member Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors are elected to the board in a

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

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 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 ...

Communities

Cities

* Appleton (mostly in

and Calumet County) *

Menasha Menasha () is a city in Calumet and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winnebago County, and 2,209 were in Calumet County. The city is located mostly in Win ...

(partly in Calumet County) *

* Omro * Oshkosh (county seat)

Villages

* Fox Crossing * Winneconne

Towns

* Algoma * Black Wolf * Clayton *

* Nekimi * Nepeuskun * Omro * Oshkosh * Poygan * Rushford * Utica *

Vinland Vinland, Vineland, or Winland ( non, Vínland ᚠᛁᚾᛚᛅᚾᛏ) was an area of coastal North America explored by Vikings. Leif Erikson landed there around 1000 AD, nearly five centuries before the voyages of Christopher Columbus and John ...

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

* Winneconne * Wolf River

Census-designated places

* Butte des Morts * Eureka * Waukau *

Unincorporated communities

* Adella Beach * Allenville * Black Wolf * Black Wolf Point * Clarks Point * Decorah Beach *

Elo Elo or ELO may refer to: Music * Electric Light Orchestra, a British rock music group ** ''The Electric Light Orchestra'' (album), the group's debut album ** ''ELO 2'', the group's second album * ELO Part II, an offshoot band of Electric Light ...

* 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 Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

(partial) * Mikesville * Nichols Shore Acres * Oakwood * Orihula * Paukotuk * Piacenza *

Pickett Pickett is an English surname. It is a variant form of Pigott. Notable people with the surname include: * Adarius Pickett (born 1996), American football player * Albert J. Pickett (1810–1858), American historian * Allison Deforest Pickett (190 ...

* Plummer Point * Point Comfort * Reighmoor * Ricker Bay * Ring * Rivermoor * Rush Lake * Shangri La Point * Snells * Sunrise Bay * Waverly Beach (partial) * Winnebago *

Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Isra ...

* Zittau

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

* Menasha (former)

References

External links

Winnebago County official website

Winnebago County map
from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation {{Coord, 44.06, -88.64, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WI_source:UScensus1990 1848 establishments in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1848 Wisconsin placenames of Native American origin