Washington County, Wisconsin

County in Wisconsin, United States

For counties with a similar name, see Washington County (disambiguation).

U.S. county in Wisconsin

Washington County

U.S. county

Old Washington County courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin

Wisconsin's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Wisconsin
Founded| 1836
Named for| George Washington
Seat| West Bend
Largest city| West Bend
Area

• Total| 436 sq mi (1,130 km2)
• Land| 431 sq mi (1,120 km2)
• Water| 5.0 sq mi (13 km2)  1.2%%
Population

(2020)[1]

• Total| 136,761
• Density| 317.6/sq mi (122.6/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 5th
Website| www.co.washington.wi.us

Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,761.[1] Its county seat is West Bend.[2] The county was created from Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1845.[3] It was named after President George Washington.[4]

Washington County is part of the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Major highways
* 2.2 Railroads
* 2.3 Buses
* 2.4 Airports
* 2.5 Adjacent counties
* 2.6 Protected areas
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2020 census
* 3.2 2000 census
* 4 Communities
* 4.1 Cities
* 4.2 Villages
* 4.3 Towns
* 4.4 Census-designated place
* 4.5 Unincorporated communities
* 5 Public High Schools
* 6 Government
* 7 Politics
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 Further reading
* 11 External links

## History

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Washington County was created on December 7, 1836, by the Wisconsin Territory Legislature, with Port Washington designated as the county seat. It was run administratively from Milwaukee County until 1840, when an Act of Organization allowed the county self-governance, and the county seat was moved to Grafton, then called Hamburg. This solution was not satisfactory, as at that time four cities were vying to become the county seat: Port Washington, Grafton, Cedarburg, and West Bend. At least four inconclusive elections were held between 1848 and 1852, but the results were unusable due to accusations of foul play and serious irregularities.

In 1852, the state Legislature attempted to split the county into a northern and southern half, with the northern half retaining the name and the southern half becoming Tuskola County. Voters refused this decision, so in 1853 the Legislature again split the county, this time into a western and eastern portion. The western portion remained Washington County, with West Bend as its county seat, while the eastern portion became Ozaukee County, with Port Washington as its county seat. [5]

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 436 square miles (1,130 km2), of which 431 square miles (1,120 km2) is land and 5.0 square miles (13 km2) (1.2%) is water.[6] It is the fifth-smallest county in Wisconsin by total area.

### Major highways

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* Interstate 41
* U.S. Highway 41
* U.S. Highway 45
* Highway 28 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 33 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 60 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 83 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 144 (Wisconsin)
* Error creating thumbnail:  Highway 145 (Wisconsin)
* File:WIS 164.svg Highway 164 (Wisconsin)
* Highway 167 (Wisconsin)
* File:WIS 175.svg Highway 175 (Wisconsin)

### Railroads

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* Canadian National
* Wisconsin and Southern Railroad

### Buses

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* Washington County Commuter Express
* List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

### Airports

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Hartford Municipal Airport (KHXF) and West Bend Municipal Airport (KETB) serve the county and surrounding communities.

### Adjacent counties

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* Fond du Lac County \- northwest
* Sheboygan County \- northeast
* Ozaukee County \- east
* Milwaukee County \- southeast
* Waukesha County \- south
* Dodge County \- west

### Protected areas

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* Ackerman's Grove County Park
* Allenton Marsh State Wildlife Area
* Goeden County Park
* Heritage Trails County Park
* Isadore and Lorraine Spaeth County Park
* Jackson Marsh State Wildlife Area
* Kettle Moraine State Forest (part)
* Leonard J. Yahr County Park
* Lizard Mound State Park
* Pike Lake State Park
* Sandy Knoll County Park
* Theresa Marsh State Wildlife Area (part)

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1840| 343| | —
1850| 19,485| | 5,580.8%
1860| 23,622| | 21.2%
1870| 23,919| | 1.3%
1880| 23,442| | −2.0%
1890| 22,751| | −2.9%
1900| 23,589| | 3.7%
1910| 23,784| | 0.8%
1920| 25,713| | 8.1%
1930| 26,551| | 3.3%
1940| 28,430| | 7.1%
1950| 33,902| | 19.2%
1960| 46,119| | 36.0%
1970| 63,839| | 38.4%
1980| 84,848| | 32.9%
1990| 95,328| | 12.4%
2000| 117,493| | 23.3%
2010| 131,887| | 12.3%
2020| 136,761| | 3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790–1960[8] 1900–1990[9]
1990–2000[10] 2010[11] 2020[1]

### 2020 census

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As of the census of 2020,[1] the population was 136,761. The population density was 317.6 inhabitants per square mile (122.6/km2). There were 58,311 housing units at an average density of 135.4 per square mile (52.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 1.4% Asian, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% from other races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

File:USA Washington County, Wisconsin age pyramid.svg2000 Census Age Pyramid for Washington County

### 2000 census

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As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 117,493 people, 43,842 households, and 32,749 families residing in the county. The population density was 273 people per square mile (105/km2). There were 45,808 housing units at an average density of 106 per square mile (41/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.69% White, 0.40% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 59.9% were of German, 6.3% Polish and 5.5% Irish ancestry. 95.5% spoke English, 2.0% German and 1.7% Spanish as their first language.

There were 43,842 households, out of which 36.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.20% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.30% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.70% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 31.50% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.

## Communities

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File:Washington County Sign WIS28 Looking West.jpgSign on WIS 28 marking the county boundary

### Cities

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* Hartford (partly in Dodge County)
* Milwaukee (mostly in Milwaukee County and Waukesha County)
* West Bend (county seat)

### Villages

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* Germantown
* Jackson
* Kewaskum (partly in Fond du Lac County)
* Newburg (partly in Ozaukee County)
* Richfield
* Slinger

### Towns

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* Addison
* Barton
* Erin
* Farmington
* Germantown
* Hartford
* Jackson
* Kewaskum
* Polk
* Trenton
* Wayne
* West Bend

### Census-designated place

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* Allenton

### Unincorporated communities

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* Ackerville
* Addison
* Aurora
* Boltonville
* Cedar Creek
* Cedar Lake
* Cheeseville
* Colgate
* Diefenbach Corners
* Fillmore
* Hubertus
* Kirchhayn
* Kohlsville
* Mayfield
* Myra
* Nenno
* Nabob
* Orchard Grove
* Pike Lake
* Pleasant Hill
* Rockfield
* Rugby Junction
* Saint Anthony
* Saint Lawrence
* Saint Michaels
* Thompson
* Toland's Prairie
* Victory Center
* Wayne
* Young America

## Public High Schools

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* East High School
* Germantown High School
* Hartford Union High School
* Kewaskum High School
* Slinger High School
* West High School

The East High School and West High Schools share the same building but are separated.

The Slinger High School's Owls and the Hartford Union High School's Orioles have a rivalry, playing every year at the Coaches vs Cancer Game. Despite their rivalry they have a joint swim team.

## Government

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The County Executive is Josh Schoemann, a Republican who is the 1st County Executive, with the office having been established in 2020.

## Politics

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Like most other suburban counties surrounding Milwaukee (the "WOW counties"), Washington County is a Republican stronghold. Since 1940, the county has been won by the Republican presidential candidate in every election except 1964, as is the case in neighboring Ozaukee and Waukesha counties. Additionally, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter are the only Democratic presidential candidates since the 1936 election to have crossed the 40 percent mark. In 2008, while Barack Obama won Wisconsin by 14 points, Washington County, one of the 13 out of 72 counties to vote for his Republican rival John McCain was his weakest county in the state, as McCain won it by almost 30 points; and other WOW counties were the only three counties where Obama did not win 40 percent of the vote.[13]

United States presidential election results for Washington County, Wisconsin[14] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 60,237  | 68.40% | 26,650  | 30.26%  | 1,183  | 1.34%
2016 | 51,740  | 67.41% | 20,852  | 27.17%  | 4,165  | 5.43%
2012 | 54,765  | 69.55% | 23,166  | 29.42%  | 811  | 1.03%
2008 | 47,729  | 64.14% | 25,719  | 34.56%  | 963  | 1.29%
2004 | 50,641  | 69.88% | 21,234  | 29.30%  | 592  | 0.82%
2000 | 41,162  | 67.03% | 18,115  | 29.50%  | 2,135  | 3.48%
1996 | 25,829  | 52.96% | 17,154  | 35.18%  | 5,784  | 11.86%
1992 | 22,739  | 45.41% | 13,339  | 26.64%  | 13,995  | 27.95%
1988 | 24,328  | 60.01% | 15,907  | 39.24%  | 304  | 0.75%
1984 | 25,279  | 65.54% | 12,966  | 33.61%  | 328  | 0.85%
1980 | 23,213  | 58.81% | 12,944  | 32.79%  | 3,314  | 8.40%
1976 | 18,798  | 55.17% | 14,422  | 42.33%  | 850  | 2.49%
1972 | 15,338  | 56.81% | 10,434  | 38.64%  | 1,229  | 4.55%
1968 | 12,439  | 54.96% | 8,104  | 35.81%  | 2,088  | 9.23%
1964 | 9,191  | 44.21%  | 11,563  | 55.62% | 37  | 0.18%
1960 | 11,452  | 57.29% | 8,523  | 42.63%  | 16  | 0.08%
1956 | 12,167  | 72.93% | 4,447  | 26.66%  | 69  | 0.41%
1952 | 12,626  | 73.84% | 4,440  | 25.96%  | 34  | 0.20%
1948 | 6,876  | 59.46% | 4,495  | 38.87%  | 194  | 1.68%
1944 | 8,921  | 69.44% | 3,840  | 29.89%  | 86  | 0.67%
1940 | 8,501  | 63.54% | 4,683  | 35.00%  | 196  | 1.46%
1936 | 3,589  | 29.68%  | 7,129  | 58.96% | 1,374  | 11.36%
1932 | 2,209  | 20.11%  | 8,570  | 78.02% | 206  | 1.88%
1928 | 4,163  | 41.13%  | 5,827  | 57.57% | 132  | 1.30%
1924 | 1,987  | 24.44%  | 980  | 12.05%  | 5,164  | 63.51%
1920 | 5,949  | 76.78% | 1,328  | 17.14%  | 471  | 6.08%
1916 | 2,892  | 50.30% | 2,732  | 47.52%  | 125  | 2.17%
1912 | 1,799  | 38.26%  | 2,425  | 51.57% | 478  | 10.17%
1908 | 2,588  | 48.54%  | 2,625  | 49.23% | 119  | 2.23%
1904 | 2,565  | 52.00% | 2,243  | 45.47%  | 125  | 2.53%
1900 | 2,614  | 50.24% | 2,524  | 48.51%  | 65  | 1.25%
1896 | 2,877  | 53.19% | 2,404  | 44.44%  | 128  | 2.37%
1892 | 1,700  | 39.04%  | 2,624  | 60.27% | 30  | 0.69%

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Wisconsin

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "2020 Decennial Census: Washington County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
4. ^ "Winnebago Took Its Name from an Indian Tribe". The Post-Crescent. December 28, 1963. p. 14. Retrieved August 25, 2014 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ Quickert, Carl (1912). Washington County, Wisconsin: Past and Present. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 51–52. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
9. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
11. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
12. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
13. ^ "2008 Presidential General Election Results - Wisconsin". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
14. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.

## Further reading

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* History of Washington and Ozaukee Counties, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1881.
* Quickert, Carl. The Story of Washington County. West Bend, Wis.: Author, 1923.
* Quickert, Carl (ed.). Washington County, Wisconsin: Past and Present. Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1912.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* Washington County website
* Washington County map at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
* Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Places adjacent to Washington County, Wisconsin

| Fond du Lac County |  | Sheboygan County

|
|

|  |
Dodge County |

Washington County, Wisconsin

| Ozaukee County
|  |
| Waukesha County | Milwaukee County

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Counties|

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Other topics|

* WOW counties

Notes: Vvillage Ttown Ccity

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Washington County, Wisconsin, United States

County seat: West Bend

Cities|

* Hartford‡
* Milwaukee‡
* West Bend

Error creating thumbnail:

Villages|

* Germantown
* Jackson
* Kewaskum‡
* Newburg‡
* Richfield
* Slinger

Towns|

* Addison
* Barton
* Erin
* Farmington
* Germantown
* Hartford
* Jackson
* Kewaskum
* Polk
* Trenton
* Wayne
* West Bend

CDP|

* Allenton

Other
communities|

* Ackerville
* Addison
* Aurora
* Boltonville
* Cedar Creek
* Cedar Lake
* Cheeseville
* Colgate‡
* Diefenbach Corners
* Fillmore
* Hubertus
* Kirchhayn
* Kohlsville
* Mayfield
* Myra
* Nabob
* Nenno
* Orchard Grove
* Pike Lake
* Rugby Junction
* Saint Anthony
* Saint Lawrence
* Saint Michaels
* Thompson
* Wayne
* Young America

Former
communities|

* Dheinsville
* Goldenthal
* Meeker
* Rockfield
* Toland's Prairie or Toland
* Victory Center

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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Coordinates: 43°22′N 88°14′W﻿ / ﻿43.37°N 88.23°W﻿ / 43.37; -88.23
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