Waupaca County, Wisconsin

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." 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.

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 sqmi, of which 748 sqmi is land and 17 sqmi (2.3%) is water. 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. Waupaca County is also home to Partridge Lake on the Wolf River and the Waupaca River.

Major highways

Railroads

• Canadian National
• Watco

Buses

Airports

• KCLI - Clintonville Municipal Airport
• KPCZ - Waupaca Municipal Airport

Adjacent counties

• Shawano County - north
• Outagamie County - east
• Winnebago County - southeast
• Waushara County - southwest
• Portage County - west
• Marathon County - northwest

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 51,812. The population density was 69.3 /mi2. There were 25,457 housing units at an average density of 34.0 /mi2.

The median age was 46.1 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.3 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.2% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian,

36.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 63.6% lived in rural areas.

There were 21,951 households in the county, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.5% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Of the 25,457 housing units, 13.8% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 74.4% were owner-occupied and 25.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 51,731 people, 19,863 households, and 13,884 families residing in the county. The population density was 69 /mi2. There were 22,508 housing units at an average density of 30 /mi2. 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.

Government

County offices

• County board chairman - David Morack
• Vice Chair - James Nygaard
• County clerk - Kristy K. Opperman
• County sheriff - Timothy Wilz

Politics

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. 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

Cities

• Clintonville
• Manawa
• Marion (partly in Shawano County)
• New London (partly in Outagamie County)
• Waupaca (county seat)
• Weyauwega

Villages

• Big Falls
• Embarrass
• Fremont
• Iola
• Ogdensburg
• Scandinavia

Towns

• Bear Creek
• Caledonia
• Dayton
• Dupont
• Farmington
• Fremont
• Harrison
• Helvetia
• Iola
• Larrabee
• Lebanon
• Lind
• Little Wolf
• Matteson
• Mukwa
• Royalton
• Scandinavia
• St. Lawrence
• Union
• Waupaca
• Weyauwega
• Wyoming

Census-designated places

• Chain O' Lakes
• King
• Northport

Unincorporated communities

• Baldwins Mill
• Bear Creek Corners
• Buckbee
• Carmel
• Cobb Town
• Evanswood
• Gills Landing
• Hunting (partial)
• Lind Center
• Little Hope
• Nicholson
• Northland
• North Readfield
• Norske
• Ostrander
• Parfreyville
• Readfield
• Red Banks
• Royalton
• Rural
• Shaw Landing
• Sheridan
• Schmidt Corner
• Symco

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

• Granite City
• Granite Quarry
• Hatton
• Little Wolf
• Marble
• Nowell
• Petersville

References

References

1. "2020 Decennial Census: Waupaca County, Wisconsin". U.S. Census Bureau.
2. [http://www.misspronouncer.com/ MissPronouncer.com: A HALFWAY DECENT AUDIO PRONUNCIATION GUIDE FOR WISCONSIN]
3. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. (2007). "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". [[Newberry Library.
6. "Place Names Pronunciation Guide," College of the Menominee Nation, www.menominee.edu/tmcs/the-menominee-clans-story/place-names-pronunciation-guide.
7. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090804193704/http://www.waupacaareachamber.com/history.html Waupaca Area Chamber of Commerce]
8. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
9. "Chain O' Lakes".
10. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
13. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
14. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
15. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
17. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
18. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
19. "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables".
20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
21. "Gubernatorial General Election Results Comparison – Wisconsin". Dave Leip’s U.S. Election Atlas.