Waupaca County, Wisconsin

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Waupaca County
WaupacaCountyWisconsinCourthouse.jpg
Waupaca County Courthouse
Map of Wisconsin highlighting Waupaca County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin in United States.svg
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°29′N88°58′W / 44.48°N 88.97°W / 44.48; -88.97
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Wisconsin.svg  Wisconsin
Founded1853
Named for Menominee word, "Wāpahkoh," meaning "Place of Tomorrow Seen Clearly"
Seat Waupaca
Largest city New London
Area
  Total
765 sq mi (1,980 km2)
  Land748 sq mi (1,940 km2)
  Water17 sq mi (40 km2)  2.3%
Population
 (2020) [1]
  Total
51,812
  Estimate 
(2023)
51,388 Decrease2.svg
  Density69.3/sq mi (26.8/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
  Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
54981
Congressional district 8th
Website www.co.waupaca.wi.us

Waupaca County ( /wəˈpækə/ wə-PAK) [2] is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. [3] The county seat is Waupaca. [4] The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. [5] It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee language name meaning "place of tomorrow seen clearly." [6]

Contents

History

Ancient indigenous peoples constructed earthworks that expressed their religious and political concepts. An early European explorer counted 72 such earthen mounds in what is now Waupaca County, many of them in the form of effigy mounds, shaped like "humans, turtles, catfish and others." [7] There were 52 mounds constructed around what is now called Taylor Lake. Most mounds were lost to agricultural development. One mound, shaped like a catfish, is still visible in a private yard along County Hwy. QQ, just east of Taylor Lake. The site was marked by a local women's club with a commemorative plaque installed on a large stone. [7]

Under pressure from European-American development, the Menominee people ceded their title to the United States for these lands by treaty in 1852. Following that, the flow of new migrant settlers greatly increased from the East, with people moving from New England, New York, and Ohio. They developed the land primarily for agricultural use in the early decades, also quickly establishing sawmills on the rivers.

In the 1870s railroads were constructed in the county: the Wisconsin Central in 1872 and the Green Bay and Minnesota Railroad (later known as Green Bay, Minnesota & St. Paul) in 1873. These improved the county's connections to markets for its lumber and other products. For a period, entrepreneurs and merchants gained high profits from the lumber industry, establishing many fine homes in the larger cities.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 765 square miles (1,980 km2), of which 748 square miles (1,940 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (2.3%) is water. [8] The water includes 22 lakes that form the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes. These lakes are majority spring fed and connected by the Crystal River outlet. [9] Waupaca County is also home to Partridge Lake on the Wolf River and the Waupaca River.

Major highways

Railroads

Buses

Airports

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1860 8,851
1870 15,53975.6%
1880 20,95534.9%
1890 26,79427.9%
1900 31,61518.0%
1910 32,7823.7%
1920 34,2004.3%
1930 33,513−2.0%
1940 34,6143.3%
1950 35,0561.3%
1960 35,3400.8%
1970 37,7806.9%
1980 42,83113.4%
1990 46,1047.6%
2000 51,73112.2%
2010 52,4101.3%
2020 51,812−1.1%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]
1790–1960 [11] 1900–1990 [12]
1990–2000 [13] 2010–2020 [3]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, [1] the population was 51,812. The population density was 69.3 people per square mile (26.8 people/km2). There were 25,457 housing units at an average density of 34.0 units per square mile (13.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.2% White, 0.6% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% Black or African American, 1.6% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

2000 Census age pyramid for Waupaca County USA Waupaca County, Wisconsin age pyramid.svg
2000 Census age pyramid for Waupaca County

As of the census [14] of 2000, there were 51,731 people, 19,863 households, and 13,884 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 people per square mile (27 people/km2). There were 22,508 housing units at an average density of 30 units per square mile (12 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.93% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 53.1% were of German, 8.5% Norwegian and 6.8% Irish ancestry. 96.6% spoke English, 1.4% Spanish and 1.3% German as their first language.

There were 19,863 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

By age, 25.70% of the population was under 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 27.80% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.40 males.

In 2017, there were 505 births, giving a general fertility rate of 63.4 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 37th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Of these, 26 of the births occurred at home. [15]

Government

County offices

Politics

United States presidential election results for Waupaca County, Wisconsin [16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
2024 20,09366.09%9,94732.72%3631.19%
2020 18,95265.06%9,70333.31%4751.63%
2016 16,20962.12%8,45132.39%1,4355.50%
2012 14,00254.19%11,57844.81%2601.01%
2008 12,23247.95%12,95250.77%3271.28%
2004 15,94159.10%10,79240.01%2410.89%
2000 12,98056.92%8,78738.53%1,0374.55%
1996 8,67945.10%7,80040.53%2,76414.36%
1992 10,25244.27%6,66628.78%6,24126.95%
1988 11,55961.62%7,07837.74%1200.64%
1984 13,09768.33%5,89530.76%1750.91%
1980 12,56861.71%6,40131.43%1,3976.86%
1976 10,84960.13%6,85738.00%3371.87%
1972 11,04070.13%4,41828.07%2841.80%
1968 10,60667.13%3,97825.18%1,2157.69%
1964 8,38154.46%6,99045.42%180.12%
1960 12,24772.61%4,60627.31%140.08%
1956 11,79878.64%3,13320.88%720.48%
1952 13,69381.38%3,10518.45%280.17%
1948 8,76467.51%4,02030.97%1981.53%
1944 11,49574.44%3,87925.12%680.44%
1940 11,09969.95%4,61629.09%1510.95%
1936 6,68045.88%6,92047.52%9616.60%
1932 5,08237.54%8,17960.42%2752.03%
1928 8,92872.32%3,30726.79%1100.89%
1924 3,65433.89%6656.17%6,46259.94%
1920 8,30283.04%8888.88%8078.07%
1916 4,49269.85%1,72026.75%2193.41%
1912 2,20437.66%1,56326.70%2,08635.64%
1908 4,78571.93%1,48322.29%3845.77%
1904 5,47181.34%94214.01%3134.65%
1900 5,28476.29%1,38319.97%2593.74%
1896 5,47275.19%1,57721.67%2293.15%
1892 3,39757.23%2,18636.83%3535.95%

Waupaca County has long been one of the most Republican counties in Wisconsin. Only two Democrats have carried the county at the presidential level since the formation of the Republican Party – Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936, and Barack Obama in 2008, and in 1936 Roosevelt only won by plurality because of a sizeable vote for Union Party nominee William Lemke. It was one of only three Wisconsin counties, alongside Walworth and Waushara, to vote for Barry Goldwater over Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

In other statewide races, the county is equally Republican. The only Democratic gubernatorial candidate it has backed since at least 1908 is Albert Schmedeman in 1932. [17] Senators Herb Kohl in 2006 and William Proxmire in 1976 and 1970 did carry Waupaca County when they swept every county in the state, but no other Democratic senatorial candidate has won the county since the Seventeenth Amendment.

Communities

Waupaca County Fairgrounds WaupacaCountyWisconsinFairgrounds.jpg
Waupaca County Fairgrounds

Cities

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 74,207. Its county seat is Wisconsin Rapids. The county is named after Joseph Wood, a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Wood County comprises the Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnebago County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waushara County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Waushara County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,520. Its county seat is Wautoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawano County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Shawano County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,881. Its county seat is Shawano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portage County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 70,377. Its county seat is Stevens Point.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outagamie County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oconto County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Oconto County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,965. Its county seat is Oconto. The county was established in 1851.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Menominee County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Menominee County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,255, making it the least populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat is in the community of Keshena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marquette County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Marquette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,592. Its county seat is Montello. The county was created in 1836 from the Wisconsin Territory and organized in 1848.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marinette County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Marinette County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,872. Its county seat is Marinette. Marinette County is part of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marathon County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013. Its county seat is Wausau. It was founded in 1850, created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langlade County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Langlade County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,491. Its county seat is Antigo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Jefferson County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,900. Its county seat is Jefferson. Jefferson County comprises the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Lake County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Green Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,018. Its county seat is Green Lake. In 2020, the center of population of Wisconsin was located in Green Lake County, near the city of Markesan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Florence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,558, making it the second-least populous county in Wisconsin after Menominee County. Its county seat is Florence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dunn County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Dunn County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,440. Its county seat is Menomonie. Dunn County comprises the Menomonie Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Eau Claire-Menomonie, WI Combined Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown County, Wisconsin</span> County in Wisconsin, United States

Brown County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 268,740, making it the fourth-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Green Bay. Brown County is part of the Green Bay, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fremont, Wisconsin</span> Village in Wisconsin, United States

Fremont is a village in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. It is surrounded by Town of Fremont. The population was 691 at the 2020 census. Fremont has been referred to as the "White Bass Capital of the World."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waupaca, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Waupaca is a city in and the county seat of Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,282 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weyauwega, Wisconsin</span> City in Wisconsin, United States

Weyauwega is a city in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,900 at the 2010 census.

References

  1. 1 2 "2020 Decennial Census: Waupaca County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  2. MissPronouncer.com: A HALFWAY DECENT AUDIO PRONUNCIATION GUIDE FOR WISCONSIN
  3. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  6. "Place Names Pronunciation Guide," College of the Menominee Nation, www.menominee.edu/tmcs/the-menominee-clans-story/place-names-pronunciation-guide.
  7. 1 2 Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce
  8. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  9. "Chain O' Lakes". Explore Waupaca Co. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  10. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  11. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  12. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  13. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  15. "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  17. "Gubernatorial General Election Results Comparison – Wisconsin". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.

Further reading

44°29′N88°58′W / 44.48°N 88.97°W / 44.48; -88.97