| Oconto County, Wisconsin | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Wisconsin |
|
 Wisconsin's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | information needed |
|---|---|
| Seat | Oconto |
| Largest city | Oconto |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,149 sq mi (2,976 km²) 998 sq mi (2,585 km²) 151 sq mi (391 km²), 13.15% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
35,634 36/sq mi (14/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.co.oconto.wi.us | |
Oconto County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 35,634. Its county seat is Oconto[1].
Oconto County is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was established in 1851.[2]
Contents |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,149 square miles (2,976 km²), of which, 998 square miles (2,585 km²) of it is land and 151 square miles (391 km²) of it (13.15%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Marinette County - northeast
- Brown County - south
- Shawano County - southwest
- Menominee County - west
- Langlade County - west
- Forest County - northwest
Major highways
National protected area
- Nicolet National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 20,874 |
|
|
| 1910 | 25,657 | 22.9% | |
| 1920 | 27,104 | 5.6% | |
| 1930 | 26,386 | −2.6% | |
| 1940 | 27,075 | 2.6% | |
| 1950 | 26,238 | −3.1% | |
| 1960 | 25,110 | −4.3% | |
| 1970 | 25,553 | 1.8% | |
| 1980 | 28,947 | 13.3% | |
| 1990 | 30,226 | 4.4% | |
| 2000 | 35,634 | 17.9% | |
| WI Counties 1900-1990 | |||
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 35,634 people, 13,979 households, and 10,050 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 19,812 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile (8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.76% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.78% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.9% were of German, 11.8% Polish, 6.0% French and 5.6% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 13,979 households out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.70% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.
Oconto County is perennially among the poorest counties in Wisconsin. Stagnant growth turned to negative growth in the early years of the 21st century as employers left the region. Oconto County had an unemployment rate of over 10% in 2004.[citation needed]
History
First visited by French explorers in the 17th century, Oconto County is among the oldest settlements in Wisconsin. Father Claude-Jean Allouez of the Roman Catholic Jesuit order said the first Mass in Oconto. Among the first settlers was Joseph Tourtilott, who explored much of the Oconto River watershed. Many of Tourtilott's descendants continue to reside in Oconto County, which has the highest percentage of residents with French ancestry in Wisconsin.[citation needed]
Cities, villages, and towns
Cities
Villages
Towns
- Abrams
- Bagley
- Brazeau
- Breed
- Chase
- Doty
- Gillett (town)
- How
- Lakewood
- Lena (town)
- Little River
- Little Suamico
- Maple Valley
- Morgan
- Mountain
- Oconto Falls (town)
- Oconto (town)
- Pensaukee
- Riverview
- Spruce
- Stiles
- Townsend
- Underhill
Unincorporated communities
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Columbia-Lippincott Gazeteer. (New York:Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 1364
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oconto County, Wisconsin |
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Forest County | Marinette County |
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| Langlade County and Menominee County |  |
Green Bay | |||||
 Oconto County, Wisconsin  |
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| Shawano County | Brown County |
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