Waupaca County, Wisconsin


Waupaca County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,410. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 2053. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menominee language name meaning 'white sand bottom', 'pale water', or 'tomorrow river'.

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 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, of which is land and is water. The water includes 43-acre Taylor Lake, one of a chain of lakes in the county. It has bluegill, brook trout, largemouth bass, muskellunge, Northern Pike, Tiger Muskellunge and Walleye fish.

Major highways

Airports

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. There were 22,508 housing units at an average density of. 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

YearRepublicanDemocraticThird parties
201662.1% 16,20932.4% 8,4515.5% 1,435
201254.2% 14,00244.8% 11,5781.0% 260
200848.0% 12,23250.8% 12,9521.3% 327
200459.1% 15,94140.0% 10,7920.9% 241
200056.9% 12,98038.5% 8,7874.5% 1,037
199645.1% 8,67940.5% 7,80014.4% 2,764
199244.3% 10,25228.8% 6,66627.0% 6,241
198861.6% 11,55937.7% 7,0780.6% 120
198468.3% 13,09730.8% 5,8950.9% 175
198061.7% 12,56831.4% 6,4016.9% 1,397
197660.1% 10,84938.0% 6,8571.9% 337
197270.1% 11,04028.1% 4,4181.8% 284
196867.1% 10,60625.2% 3,9787.7% 1,215
196454.5% 8,38145.4% 6,9900.1% 18
196072.6% 12,24727.3% 4,6060.1% 14
195678.6% 11,79820.9% 3,1330.5% 72
195281.4% 13,69318.5% 3,1050.2% 28
194867.5% 8,76431.0% 4,0201.5% 198
194474.4% 11,49525.1% 3,8790.4% 68
194070.0% 11,09929.1% 4,6161.0% 151
193645.9% 6,68047.5% 6,9206.6% 961
193237.5% 5,08260.4% 8,1792.0% 275
192872.3% 8,92826.8% 3,3070.9% 110
192433.9% 3,6546.2% 66559.9% 6,462
192083.0% 8,3028.9% 8888.1% 807
191669.9% 4,49226.8% 1,7203.4% 219
191237.7% 2,20426.7% 1,56335.6% 2,086
190871.9% 4,78522.3% 1,4835.8% 384
190481.3% 5,47114.0% 9424.7% 313
190076.3% 5,28420.0% 1,3833.7% 259
189675.2% 5,47221.7% 1,5773.2% 229
189257.2% 3,39736.8% 2,1865.9% 353

Communities

Cities