Oneida County, Wisconsin

Oneida County is a county in the state of Wisconsin, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 37,845.<ref name="2020-census-55085" /> The county seat is Rhinelander.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is considered a high-recreation retirement destination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Oneida County was formed in 1887 from sections of Lincoln County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was named after the indigenous Oneida tribe, one of the five nations of the Iroquois.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert (10%) are covered by water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> Most people visit Oneida County to enjoy its lakes. In particular, tourists flock to Minocqua, a town of nearly 5,000 people with a summer population around 15,000.

Adjacent counties

• Forest CountyTemplate:Sndeast
• Langlade CountyTemplate:Sndsoutheast
• Lincoln CountyTemplate:Sndsouth
• Price CountyTemplate:Sndwest
• Vilas CountyTemplate:Sndnorth

Major highways

• File:US 8.svg U.S. Highway 8
• File:US 45.svg U.S. Highway 45
• File:US 51.svg U.S. Highway 51
• File:WIS 17.svg Highway 17 (Wisconsin)
• File:WIS 32.svg Highway 32 (Wisconsin)
• File:WIS 47.svg Highway 47 (Wisconsin)
• File:WIS 70.svg Highway 70 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

• Watco

Airports

Oneida County is served by two public-use airports:

• Rhinelander–Oneida County Airport (KRHI) serves the county and surrounding communities with both scheduled commercial jet service and general aviation services.
• Three Lakes Municipal Airport (40D) enhances county general aviation service.

Dolhun Field Airport is also located in the county, but it is for private use by the members of the Dolhun Field Airpark Owners Association.

National protected area

• Nicolet National Forest (part)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,<ref name="2020-census-55085">Template:Cite web</ref> the population was 37,845. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 30,465 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 93.7% White, 1.2% Native American, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 census

At the census<ref name="GR8">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, 36,776 people, 15,333 households, and 10,487 families resided in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. The 26,627 housing units averaged Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 97.71% White, 0.33% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. About 0.66% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The ancestry of the population was around 44.4% was of German, 8.8% Polish, 7.9% Irish, 5.2% Norwegian, and 5.2% English.

Of the 15,333 households, 27.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 7.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were not families. About 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was distributed as 22.30% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 18.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.30 males.

In 2017, there were 324 births, giving a general fertility rate of 66.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 24th highest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Clear left

Communities

City

• Rhinelander (county seat)

Towns

• Cassian
• Crescent
• Enterprise
• Hazelhurst
• Lake Tomahawk
• Little Rice
• Lynne
• Minocqua
• Monico
• Newbold
• Nokomis
• Pelican
• Piehl
• Pine Lake
• Schoepke
• Stella
• Sugar Camp
• Three Lakes
• Woodboro
• Woodruff

File:Oneida County Wisconsin Sign US 45.jpg

Oneida County sign on U.S. Route 45

Census-designated places

• Lake Tomahawk
• Minocqua
• Three Lakes
• Woodruff

Unincorporated communities

• Clearwater Lake
• Clifford (partial)
• Crescent Corner
• Enterprise
• Gagen
• Gary Post
• Goodnow
• Harshaw
• Hazelhurst
• Jennings
• Lennox
• McCord
• Malvern
• Monico
• McNaughton
• Newbold
• Pelican Lake
• Pratt Junction
• Rantz
• Roosevelt
• Sugar Camp
• Starks
• Sunflower
• Tripoli (partial)
• Woodboro

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

• Manson

Politics

Oneida County tends to lean Republican. Since 1964, when Lyndon Johnson carried it in his national landslide, the county has only voted Democratic three times. Two of these wins were by Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, whose victories were almost entirely due to the heavy third-party performance of Ross Perot, which significantly lowered the Republican vote in the county. In 2008, like the state of Wisconsin as a whole, the county swung heavily Democratic in support of Barack Obama who carried it by a full majority. Since then, the county has voted Republican in every election, and since 2016 by double-digit margins.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</ref>

See also

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

Further reading

• Jones, George O. and Norman S. McVean (comp.) History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties, Wisconsin. Minneapolis: H. C. Cooper, Jr., 1924.

External links

• Oneida County website Template:Webarchive
• Oneida County map from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation