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. 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 is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Railroads

Buses

Airports

serves the county and surrounding communities.
Brennand Airport 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 2020 census, the county had a population of 171,730 and a median age of 39.1 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.2 males age 18 and over.
The population density was. There were 76,046 housing units at an average density of, of which 6.0% were vacant. There were 71,473 households in the county, of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.3% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Among occupied housing units, 64.7% were owner-occupied and 35.3% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 0.9% and a rental vacancy rate of 4.8%.
82.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 17.4% lived in rural areas.
The racial makeup of the county was 86.2% White, 3.0% Black or African American, 0.7% Native Americans in [the United States|American Indian and Alaska Native], 3.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 5.1% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 4.8% of the population.

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 was a longtime Republican stronghold, only tending to vote Democratic in national landslides. After 1964 it was not won by a Democrat until Bill Clinton won by a narrow plurality in 1996 due to large third-party performance. Since then, it has voted Republican with the exception of a heavy leftward swing in support of Barack Obama in 2008, and continued support for him again in 2012. It has voted for the winning presidential candidate in every election since 1980, except in 1992 when it supported George H. W. Bush, and in 2020, when it supported Donald Trump.

Communities

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

Notable people