St. Croix County, Wisconsin

History

St. Croix County was created on August 3, 1840, by the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory. It was named after the river on its western border. Sources vary on the name's origin. The St. Croix River may have been named after an explorer named St. Croix who drowned at the river's mouth in the late 17th century. According to another account, Father Hennepin gave this region the French name Ste Croix (Holy Cross) because of the burial markers at the river's mouth.

La Pointe County (now extinct, see Bayfield County) was created from the northern portions of Wisconsin Territory's St. Croix County on February 19, 1845. When Wisconsin was admitted into the union as a state on May 29, 1848, the territorial St. Croix County was further divided, with the territory from the Mississippi River to the Minnesota border remaining de facto Wisconsin Territory until on March 3, 1849, it and unorganized federal territory north of Iowa were used in the creation of the Minnesota Territory. Itasca, Washington, Ramsey and Benton Counties were created by the Minnesota Territory on October 27, 1849, from the de facto Wisconsin Territory that had been separated from the Wisconsin Territory's La Pointe County.

The part of St. Croix County allocated to Wisconsin became the parental county to Pierce and Polk Counties, and formed significant portions of Dunn, Barron, Washburn and Burnett Counties.

On June 12, 1899, a deadly F5 tornado struck New Richmond. The tornado's damage path was 400 yd wide and 46 mi long. The tornado formed on the banks of the St. Croix River, south of Hudson. Moving to the northeast across St. Croix County, the tornado passed through the villages of Burkhardt and Boardman before striking New Richmond head on, leveling the entire business district and half the town's residences. The storm continued northeast, narrowly missing the town of Deer Park before crossing into Polk County, where it narrowly missed the towns of Clear Lake, Richardson, and Clayton. Once the tornado passed into Barron County, it struck the village of Arland before breaking up southwest of Barron. The tornado killed 117 people (four at Boardman, two in Polk County, and the rest at New Richmond), including at least 20 people who died from their injuries in the days after the storm. Largely thanks to state aid and donations, most of the town was rebuilt by the next winter. The tornado was the deadliest ever recorded in Wisconsin and the 9th deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 736 sqmi, of which 722 sqmi is land and 13 sqmi (1.8%) is water.

Major highways

Railroads

• Canadian National
• Union Pacific

Buses

Airport

New Richmond Regional Airport (KRNH) serves the county and surrounding communities.

National protected area

• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)

Adjacent counties

• Polk County - north
• Barron County - northeast
• Dunn County - east
• Pierce County - south
• Washington County, Minnesota - west

Demographics

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

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 93,536 and a median age of 39.9 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.0 males age 18 and over.

The population density was 129.5 /mi2. There were 37,369 housing units at an average density of 51.7 /mi2.

The racial makeup of the county was 92.2% White, 0.7% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian,

36.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 64.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 35,892 households in the county, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 57.4% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 37,369 housing units, of which 4.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 77.4% were owner-occupied and 22.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.2%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 63,155 people, 23,410 households, and 16,948 families residing in the county. The population density was 88 /mi2. There were 24,265 housing units at an average density of 34 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 97.85% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.4% were of German, 19.3% Norwegian, 8.2% Irish and 5.4% Swedish ancestry.

There were 23,410 households, out of which 38.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.60% were married couples living together, and 27.60% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 32.20% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 100.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

In 2017, there were 988 births, giving a general fertility rate of 59.0 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 25th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.

Communities

Cities

• Glenwood City
• Hudson (county seat)
• New Richmond
• River Falls (mostly in Pierce County)

Villages

• Baldwin
• Deer Park
• Hammond
• North Hudson
• Roberts
• Somerset
• Spring Valley (mostly in Pierce County)
• Star Prairie
• Wilson
• Woodville

Towns

• Baldwin
• Cady
• Cylon
• Eau Galle
• Emerald
• Erin Prairie
• Forest
• Glenwood
• Hammond
• Hudson
• Kinnickinnic
• Pleasant Valley
• Richmond
• Rush River
• Somerset
• Springfield
• St. Joseph
• Stanton
• Star Prairie
• Troy
• Warren

Census-designated places

• Emerald
• Houlton

Unincorporated communities

• Boardman
• Burkhardt
• Burkhardt Station
• Centerville
• Cylon
• Dahl
• Erin Corner
• Forest
• Glover
• Hatchville (partial)
• Hersey
• Huntington
• Jewett
• Johannesburg
• Northline
• Palmer
• Sono Junction
• Stanton
• Viking (partial)
• Wildwood

Politics

Since 2000, St. Croix County has voted consistently Republican, and starting in 2012 it has done so by double-digit margins. Prior to this, it was a swing county.

References

References

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6. (December 28, 1963). "Winnebago Took Its Name from an Indian Tribe". The Post-Crescent.
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21. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
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23. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
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