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| Waukesha County, Wisconsin | ||
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 Location in the state of Wisconsin | ||
 Wisconsin's location in the U.S. | ||
| Founded | 1846 | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | Waukesha | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
580 sq mi (1,502 km²) 556 sq mi (1,440 km²) 25 sq mi (65 km²), 4.29% | |
| Population - (2020) - Density |
406,172 650/sq mi (251/km²) | |
| Website | www.waukeshacounty.gov | |
Waukesha County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020, the population was 406,172. Its county seat is Waukesha.[1]
History[]
The part of Wisconsin that Waukesha County now occupies was a part of Michigan when Milwaukee County was organized in September 1834.[2] On July 4, 1836, the Wisconsin Territory was formed, which included land currently in the state of Minnesota.[2] In January 1846, part of Milwaukee County was split off into Waukesha County.[3][4] Curtis Reed was the first county chairman.[3] When voting took place to decide the county seat, Waukesha beat out Pewaukee by two votes.[3]
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,503 km²), of which 556 square miles (1,439 km²) is land and 25 square miles (65 km²) (4.29%) is water.
Lake country[]
Because of its large number of lakes, the northwestern corner of Waukesha County is referred to as "Lake Country" by local residents. It includes Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland, Merton, Nashotah, Chenequa, Okauchee Lake, Oconomowoc, Summit, and Lac La Belle.
Major highways[]
Interstate 94
Interstate 43- U.S. Highway 18
- U.S. Highway 41
- U.S. Highway 45
- Highway 16 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 36 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 59 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 67 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 74 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 83 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 100 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 145 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 175 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 164 (Wisconsin)
- Highway 190 (Wisconsin)
Adjacent counties[]
- Washington County - north
- Ozaukee County - northeast
- Milwaukee County - east
- Racine County - southeast
- Walworth County - southwest
- Jefferson County - west
- Dodge County - northwest
Demographics[]
2000 Census Age Pyramid for Waukesha County.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 19,258 | ||
| 1860 | 26,831 | 39.3% | |
| 1870 | 28,274 | 5.4% | |
| 1880 | 28,957 | 2.4% | |
| 1890 | 44,270 | 52.9% | |
| 1900 | 35,229 | −20.4% | |
| 1910 | 37,100 | 5.3% | |
| 1920 | 42,612 | 14.9% | |
| 1930 | 52,358 | 22.9% | |
| 1940 | 62,744 | 19.8% | |
| 1950 | 85,901 | 36.9% | |
| 1960 | 158,249 | 84.2% | |
| 1970 | 231,365 | 46.2% | |
| 1980 | 280,326 | 21.2% | |
| 1990 | 304,715 | 8.7% | |
| 2000 | 360,767 | 18.4% | |
| 2010 | 389,891 | 8.1% | |
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}} As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 360,767 people, 135,229 households, and 100,475 families residing in the county. The population density was 649 people per square mile (251/km²). There were 140,309 housing units at an average density of 252 per square mile (98/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.77% White, 0.73% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. 2.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.5% were of German, 9.2% Polish, Italian 7.5%, and 7.7% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.3% spoke English, 2.2% Spanish and 1.2% German as their first language.
There were 135,229 households out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.80% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 20.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the county, the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.80% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 12.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $62,839, and the median income for a family was $71,773 (these figures had risen to $71,907 and $85,116 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[6]). Males had a median income of $49,232 versus $31,643 for females. The per capita income for the county was $29,164. About 1.7% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government[]
Elected officials[]
- County Executive: Paul Farrow
- County Board Chair: Paul Decker
- County Clerk: Meg Wartman (interim)
- Treasurer: Pamela F. Reeves (R)
- Register of Deeds: James Behrend (R)
- Clerk of Circuit Court: Kathy Madden (R)
- District Attorney: Susan Opper (interim)
- Sheriff: Eric Severson (R)
Departments[]
There are 12 departments in Waukesha County, with most located in the Administration Center.
- Administration
The Department of Administration has five divisions that provide administrative services to the county: the finance division, the human resources division, the information technology division, the purchasing and risk management division, and the administrative services division.
- Aging and Disability Resource Center
The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Waukesha County (ADRC) provides information, assistance, counseling and supportive services regarding adults age 60 and above, adults with physical or developmental disabilities; and adults with mental health or substance abuse concerns. It also provides publicly funded long-term care to county residents.[7]
- Airport
The Waukesha County Airport serves commercial and private aircraft and is supervised by the Airport Commission.
- Corporation Counsel
- Emergency Preparedness
- Bridges Library System
The Bridges Library System works in partnership with 16 public libraries in Waukesha County to cooperatively provide library services. This includes the purchase of shared electronic databases, summer library programming, and circulation services. Bridges also oversees Internet access for member libraries.
- Health and Human Services
- Medical Examiner
The Medical Examiner investigates suspicious or unexplained deaths or deaths that result from a homicide, suicide, or accident. The office also generates statistics for the county.
- Parks and Land Use
The Department of Parks and Land Use (PLU), oversees six divisions that design and maintain county parks. The division also works with state and federal agencies. The planning division administers permits for construction and landscaping activities. The land conservation division works to educate on and regulate soil and water issues. Most programs look to control water runoff and soil erosion. The recycling and solid waste division oversees recycling and disposal programs. It also performs educational outreach on topics such as composting and waste reduction. The official mascot of the recycling division is Recycle Raccoon. The environmental health division oversees animal welfare issues, food safety, and air, water and sewage, and safety issues (such as radon testing, well testing, and septic system monitoring). The land information systems division coordinates databases of information relating to land use and development.
- Public Works
- Sheriff
- University of Wisconsin Extension
The University of Wisconsin-Extension is a partnership with Waukesha County and brings the research of the UW System to families, businesses, governments, and organizations through educational outreach programs. The UW-Extension office also houses 180° Juvenile Diversion, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates first-time young offenders in Waukesha County.
- Veterans
Politics[]
Waukesha County is the largest Republican-leaning county in Wisconsin and has been one of the GOP's most solid suburban strongholds for many years. It has not supported a Democrat for president since 1964, and has only supported a Democrat four other times since 1892. While other non-Southern suburban counties have moved towards Democrats since the 1990s, Waukesha and other Milwaukee suburbs have continued to vote solidly Republican.[8] Underlining this, Lyndon Johnson's narrow win in 1964 is the last time that a Democratic presidential candidate has even garnered 40 percent of the county's vote, though Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, and Joe Biden came close.
The county is split between 10 state assembly districts, all but one of which is held by a Republican, and six state senate districts, all held by Republicans.
In 2008, John McCain carried the county by a 25.7% margin over Barack Obama, when Obama won Wisconsin by 13.9% over McCain.[9]
In 2020, the county continued to demonstrate strong preference for the Republican candidate.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 159,649 | 59.57% | 103,906 | 38.77% | 4,441 | 1.66% |
| 2016 | 142,543 | 59.99% | 79,224 | 33.34% | 15,826 | 6.66% |
| 2012 | 162,798 | 66.76% | 78,779 | 32.31% | 2,279 | 0.93% |
| 2008 | 145,152 | 62.32% | 85,339 | 36.64% | 2,406 | 1.03% |
| 2004 | 154,926 | 67.25% | 73,626 | 31.96% | 1,811 | 0.79% |
| 2000 | 133,105 | 65.33% | 64,319 | 31.57% | 6,310 | 3.10% |
| 1996 | 91,729 | 55.43% | 57,354 | 34.66% | 16,389 | 9.90% |
| 1992 | 91,461 | 51.04% | 50,270 | 28.06% | 37,451 | 20.90% |
| 1988 | 90,467 | 60.76% | 57,598 | 38.68% | 828 | 0.56% |
| 1984 | 92,426 | 65.71% | 47,313 | 33.64% | 921 | 0.65% |
| 1980 | 81,059 | 58.25% | 46,612 | 33.50% | 11,477 | 8.25% |
| 1976 | 70,418 | 58.22% | 47,487 | 39.26% | 3,048 | 2.52% |
| 1972 | 59,399 | 60.85% | 34,573 | 35.42% | 3,650 | 3.74% |
| 1968 | 47,557 | 54.98% | 31,947 | 36.93% | 7,000 | 8.09% |
| 1964 | 35,502 | 47.07% | 39,796 | 52.76% | 131 | 0.17% |
| 1960 | 39,380 | 57.56% | 28,963 | 42.33% | 76 | 0.11% |
| 1956 | 35,212 | 68.93% | 15,496 | 30.33% | 376 | 0.74% |
| 1952 | 30,238 | 65.58% | 15,756 | 34.17% | 117 | 0.25% |
| 1948 | 17,324 | 54.22% | 13,952 | 43.67% | 674 | 2.11% |
| 1944 | 17,995 | 57.44% | 13,038 | 41.62% | 293 | 0.94% |
| 1940 | 16,726 | 55.86% | 12,859 | 42.94% | 358 | 1.20% |
| 1936 | 8,921 | 35.41% | 14,982 | 59.47% | 1,291 | 5.12% |
| 1932 | 8,538 | 37.76% | 13,487 | 59.65% | 584 | 2.58% |
| 1928 | 12,218 | 60.15% | 7,846 | 38.63% | 247 | 1.22% |
| 1924 | 7,026 | 45.45% | 1,965 | 12.71% | 6,468 | 41.84% |
| 1920 | 8,665 | 71.63% | 2,759 | 22.81% | 673 | 5.56% |
| 1916 | 3,768 | 45.21% | 4,192 | 50.29% | 375 | 4.50% |
| 1912 | 2,714 | 36.86% | 3,594 | 48.81% | 1,055 | 14.33% |
| 1908 | 4,758 | 55.91% | 3,206 | 37.67% | 546 | 6.42% |
| 1904 | 5,247 | 62.63% | 2,693 | 32.14% | 438 | 5.23% |
| 1900 | 5,127 | 60.91% | 3,016 | 35.83% | 275 | 3.27% |
| 1896 | 5,411 | 60.93% | 3,192 | 35.95% | 277 | 3.12% |
| 1892 | 3,600 | 47.54% | 3,635 | 48.01% | 337 | 4.45% |
Cities, villages, and towns[]
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- Note- due to a zoning issue, a single acre of Waukesha County was annexed by the City of Milwaukee (which otherwise is fully within Milwaukee County) in 2003 to accommodate the Ambrosia Chocolate Factory.[11]
Unincorporated communities[]
- Buena Vista
- Colgate
- Eagleville
- Genesee Depot
- Goerke's Corners
- Jericho
- Lake Five
- Mapleton
- Monches
- Monterey
- North Lake
- Okauchee Lake
- Saylesville
- Stone Bank
- Summit Center
- Summit Corners
- Vernon
Ghost towns[]
- Muskego Settlement
- Nya Upsala
See also[]
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Waukesha County, Wisconsin
References[]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ a b Barquist, Barbara; Barquist, David (1987). "The Beginning". In Haley, Leroy. The Summit of Oconomowoc: 150 Years of Summit Town. Summit History Group. p. 6.
- ^ a b c Barquist, Barbara; Barquist, David (1987). "The Beginning". In Haley, Leroy. The Summit of Oconomowoc: 150 Years of Summit Town. Summit History Group. p. 7.
- ^ Barquist, Barbara; Barquist, David (1987). "The Early Years". In Haley, Leroy. The Summit of Oconomowoc: 150 Years of Summit Town. Summit History Group. p. 37.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Waukesha County, Wisconsin - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder". Factfinder.census.gov. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US55089&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US55%7C05000US55089&_street=&_county=waukesha+county&_cityTown=waukesha+county&_state=04000US55&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ Mission Statement from "Archived copy". http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/page.aspx?SetupMetaId=336&id=94.
- ^ Cohn, Nate (May 6, 2014). "The Curious Case of Milwaukee's Suburban Voters". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/upshot/the-curious-case-of-milwaukees-suburban-voters.html?rref=upshot.
- ^ 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Results
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
- ^ [1]
External links[]
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Dodge County | Washington County | Ozaukee County |
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| Jefferson County | 
|
Milwaukee County | ||
   Waukesha County, Wisconsin | ||||
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| Walworth County | Racine County |
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