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Portage County, Wisconsin
Portage County Courthouse, Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Portage County Courthouse in Stevens Point
Map of Wisconsin highlighting Portage County
Location in the state of Wisconsin
Map of the U.S
Wisconsin's location in the U.S.
Founded 1844
Named for the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers
Seat Stevens Point
Largest city Stevens Point
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

823 sq mi (2,132 km²)
801 sq mi (2,075 km²)
22 sq mi (57 km²), 2.7%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

70,377
Congressional district 3rd
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.co.portage.wi.us

Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 70,377.[1] Its county seat is Stevens Point.[2]

Portage County comprises the Stevens Point, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.

History[]

Portage County was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844.[3] Like the city of Portage, Portage County is named for the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers; Portage County originally included the portage and Portage but boundary changes detached the county from its namesake.[4]

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 823 square miles (2,130 km2), of which 801 square miles (2,070 km2) is land and 22 square miles (57 km2) (2.7%) is water.[5]

Major highways[]

  • I-39 Interstate 39
  • US 10 U.S. Highway 10
  • US 51 U.S. Highway 51
  • WIS 22 Highway 22 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 34 Highway 34 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 49 Highway 49 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 54 Highway 54 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 66 Highway 66 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 73 Highway 73 (Wisconsin)
  • WIS 161 Highway 161 (Wisconsin)

Railroads[]

  • Canadian National

Buses[]

  • Stevens Point Transit
  • List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airport[]

  • KSTE - Stevens Point Municipal Airport

Adjacent counties[]

Wildlife refuges[]

  • Buena Vista Marsh
  • Dewey Marsh
  • Mead Wildlife Area
  • Paul J. Olson Wildlife Area

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1840 1,623
1850 1,250 −23.0%
1860 7,507 500.6%
1870 10,634 41.7%
1880 17,731 66.7%
1890 24,798 39.9%
1900 29,483 18.9%
1910 30,945 5.0%
1920 33,649 8.7%
1930 33,827 0.5%
1940 35,800 5.8%
1950 34,858 −2.6%
1960 36,964 6.0%
1970 47,541 28.6%
1980 57,420 20.8%
1990 61,405 6.9%
2000 67,182 9.4%
2010 70,019 4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2020[1]
USA Portage County, Wisconsin age pyramid

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Portage County

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 67,182 people, 25,040 households, and 16,501 families residing in the county. The population density was 83 people per square mile (32/km2). There were 26,589 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.73% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 2.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.8% were of Polish, 31.6% German, 5.4% Norwegian and 5.0% Irish ancestry. 93.9% spoke English, 1.7% Spanish, 1.6% Polish and 1.3% Hmong as their first language.

There were 25,040 households, out of which 32.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.10% under the age of 18, 16.20% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 21.10% from 45 to 64, and 10.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

In 2017, there were 674 births, giving a general fertility rate of 46.4 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the third lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[11]

Communities[]

Portage County Wisconsin Fairgrounds

Fairgrounds

Portage County Wisconsin Grandstands

Grandstands at the county fairgrounds

Amherst Speedway Four Cylinder race cars

4 cylinder stock cars racing at the county fairgrounds

City[]

Villages[]

  • Almond
  • Amherst
  • Amherst Junction
  • Junction City
  • Milladore (mostly in Wood County)
  • Nelsonville
  • Park Ridge
  • Plover
  • Rosholt
  • Whiting

Towns[]

  • Alban
  • Almond
  • Amherst
  • Belmont
  • Buena Vista
  • Carson
  • Dewey
  • Eau Pleine
  • Grant
  • Hull
  • Lanark
  • Linwood
  • New Hope
  • Pine Grove
  • Plover
  • Sharon
  • Stockton

Census-designated places[]

  • Bancroft
  • Polonia

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Alban
  • Arnott
  • Badger
  • Blaine
  • Casimir
  • Coddington
  • Custer
  • Dopp
  • Ellis
  • Esker
  • Fancher
  • Garfield
  • Heffron (partial)
  • Keene
  • Kellner (partial)
  • Little Waupon
  • Jordan
  • Meehan
  • Mill Creek Community
  • New Hope
  • North Star
  • Peru
  • Rocky Run
  • Stockton
  • Torun
  • West Almond
  • West Bancroft

Ghost town/neighborhood[]

  • Lake Emily

Politics[]

Portage County has been reliably Democratic since Eisenhower's win in 1956, but in 2016 and 2020, Republican Donald Trump has been short of winning the county by around 1,000 votes.

United States presidential election results for Portage County, Wisconsin[12]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 19,299 47.53% 20,428 50.31% 876 2.16%
2016 17,305 44.84% 18,529 48.02% 2,755 7.14%
2012 16,615 42.24% 22,075 56.12% 647 1.64%
2008 13,810 35.03% 24,817 62.95% 795 2.02%
2004 16,546 42.47% 21,861 56.11% 554 1.42%
2000 13,214 39.14% 17,942 53.15% 2,604 7.71%
1996 9,631 32.18% 15,901 53.13% 4,396 14.69%
1992 10,914 32.37% 15,553 46.13% 7,249 21.50%
1988 12,057 42.25% 16,317 57.18% 161 0.56%
1984 13,605 48.28% 14,399 51.10% 175 0.62%
1980 10,465 34.09% 16,443 53.56% 3,794 12.36%
1976 9,520 36.28% 15,912 60.65% 805 3.07%
1972 9,346 40.04% 13,564 58.11% 431 1.85%
1968 6,180 36.10% 10,014 58.49% 927 5.41%
1964 4,579 27.75% 11,887 72.05% 32 0.19%
1960 6,436 37.92% 10,516 61.96% 20 0.12%
1956 8,320 54.08% 7,010 45.56% 56 0.36%
1952 8,499 52.83% 7,537 46.85% 51 0.32%
1948 5,424 39.33% 8,154 59.13% 213 1.54%
1944 5,405 38.27% 8,678 61.44% 42 0.30%
1940 5,670 35.63% 10,148 63.78% 94 0.59%
1936 3,969 26.74% 10,576 71.25% 299 2.01%
1932 3,434 26.79% 9,195 71.72% 191 1.49%
1928 5,161 43.03% 6,764 56.39% 70 0.58%
1924 2,854 27.76% 2,010 19.55% 5,416 52.68%
1920 5,527 65.39% 2,656 31.42% 269 3.18%
1916 2,520 44.52% 3,000 53.00% 140 2.47%
1912 1,932 36.37% 2,301 43.32% 1,079 20.31%
1908 3,269 56.42% 2,362 40.77% 163 2.81%
1904 3,633 61.09% 2,168 36.46% 146 2.46%
1900 3,285 54.60% 2,633 43.77% 98 1.63%
1896 3,537 53.81% 2,890 43.97% 146 2.22%
1892 2,291 44.75% 2,570 50.21% 258 5.04%



See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Portage County, Wisconsin

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/55097.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". The Newberry Library. 2007. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/WI_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. 
  4. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". The Newberry Library. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/WI_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#Individual_County_Chronologies. 
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_55.txt. 
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/wi190090.txt. 
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  11. ^ "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publication/p01161-2019-tb.xlsx. 
  12. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

Further reading[]

External links[]

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Coordinates: 44°29′N 89°30′W / 44.48, -89.50


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Portage County, Wisconsin. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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