Oconto County, Wisconsin

History

First visited by French explorers in the 17th century, Oconto County is among the oldest settlements in Wisconsin. Father Claude-Jean Allouez of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order said the first Mass in Oconto. Among the first settlers was Joseph Tourtilott, who explored much of the Oconto River watershed. Oconto County was created in 1851 and organized in 1854.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1149 sqmi, of which 998 sqmi is land and 151 sqmi (13%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Marinette County - northeast
• Door County - southeast, border is in Green Bay
• Brown County - south
• Shawano County - southwest
• Menominee County - west
• Langlade County - west
• Forest County - northwest

Major highways

• [[Image:US 41.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 41
• [[Image:US 141.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 141
• [[Image:WIS 22.svg|20px]] Highway 22 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 32.svg|20px]] Highway 32 (Wisconsin)
• [[Image:WIS 64.svg|20px]] Highway 64 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

• Canadian National
• Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad

Buses

Airport

J. Douglas Bake Memorial Airport (KOCQ) serves the county and surrounding communities.

National protected area

• Nicolet National Forest (part)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010 2020

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 38,965. The population density was 39.1 /mi2. There were 23,754 housing units at an average density of 23.8 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 93.5% White, 1.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% Black or African American, 0.8% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,634 people, 13,979 households, and 10,050 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 /mi2. There were 19,812 housing units at an average density of 20 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.76% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.9% were of German, 11.8% Polish, 6.0% French and 5.6% American ancestry.

There were 13,979 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.

In 2017, there were 353 births, giving a general fertility rate of 61.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 28th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Additionally, there were 14 reported induced abortions performed on women of Oconto County residence in 2017.

Communities

Cities

• Gillett
• Oconto (county seat)
• Oconto Falls

Villages

• Lena
• Pulaski (mostly in Brown County and Shawano County)
• Suring

Towns

• Abrams
• Bagley
• Brazeau
• Breed
• Chase
• Doty
• Gillett
• How
• Lakewood
• Lena
• Little River
• Little Suamico
• Maple Valley
• Morgan
• Mountain
• Oconto Falls
• Oconto
• Pensaukee
• Riverview
• Spruce
• Stiles
• Townsend
• Underhill

Census-designated places

• Abrams
• Lakewood
• Mountain
• Sobieski
• Townsend

Unincorporated communities

• Bonita
• Breed
• Brookside
• Chase
• County Line (partial)
• Cullen
• Frostville
• Hayes
• Hickory Corners
• Hintz
• Kelly Brook
• Klondike
• Little Suamico
• Logan
• Morgan
• Mosling
• Oak Orchard
• Pensaukee
• Sampson
• Sobieski Corners
• South Chase
• Spruce
• Stiles
• Stiles Junction
• Underhill
• Kingston

Native American community

• Forest County Potawatomi Community

Ghost town/neighborhood

• Leighton
• Pine Stump

Politics

In the latter half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, Oconto County was a bellwether in presidential elections, supporting the winning candidate in every election from 1964 to 2008. In 2012, however, the county voted for Republican Mitt Romney despite Romney losing the state of Wisconsin and the national election. In 2016, the county swung 27 percentage points to the right, giving Republican Donald Trump a margin of victory of more than 37 percentage points and a vote share of 66%. In 2020, Trump improved his performance, carrying Oconto by a margin of 41 percentage points and winning 69.9% of the vote to Democrat Joe Biden's 28.9%. This was the best result for any presidential nominee in Oconto County since 1920, when Warren Harding received 78.2% of the vote, and remains the third strongest performance of any candidate ever. Trump broke this record again in 2024, when he received over 70% of the county's vote.

References

References

1. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
2. ''Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer,'' (New York:Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 1364
3. (2007). "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
4. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. "2020 Decennial Census: Oconto County, Wisconsin". U.S. Census Bureau.
12. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
13. "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables".
14. [https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p45360-17.pdf 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
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".