Portage County is a county

County (United States)

In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

  in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. As of 2000, the population was 67,182. Its county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. Located in the central part of the state, it is the largest city in the county, with a population of 24,551 at the 2000 census...

. The United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

's Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Portage County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the county has a total area of 823 square miles (2,131 km²), of which 806 square miles (2,088 km²) is land and 16 square miles (43 km²) (2.00%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 39

Interstate 39

Interstate 39 is a highway in the midwestern United States. I-39 runs from Normal, Illinois at Interstate 55 to Highway 29 in Rothschild, Wisconsin, approximately six miles south of Wausau. I-39 was designed to replace US Highway 51, which in the early 1980s was one of the busiest two-lane...

U.S. Highway 51

U.S. Highway 10

Highway 34 (Wisconsin)

Highway 34 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 34 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south as a shortcut route in central wisconsin connecting Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids...

Highway 49 (Wisconsin)

Highway 49 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 49 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in central and southeast Wisconsin from Wittenberg to Lomira....

Highway 54 (Wisconsin)

Highway 54 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 54 is a Wisconsin state highway running east–west across central Wisconsin. It is in length.-Termini:...

Highway 66 (Wisconsin)

Highway 66 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 66 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in central Wisconsin from Rosholt to Stevens Point and along what used to be County Road P to Wisconsin Rapids...

Highway 73 (Wisconsin)

Highway 73 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 73 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south across central Wisconsin from Ingram to Edgerton, with the exception of Wood and Adams counties, where this route runs east–west.-Municipalities:Highway 73 travels through Rock, Dane,...

Highway 22 (Wisconsin)

Highway 22 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 22 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The route's trajectory is mostly south to north, with the exception of the segment between Shawano and the northern terminus being east–west...

Highway 161 (Wisconsin)

Highway 161 (Wisconsin)

State Trunk Highway 161 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs in east–west in central Wisconsin from Amherst Junction to Symco....

>

Adjacent counties

• Marathon County
  Marathon County, Wisconsin
  Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, WI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 134,063. Its county seat is Wausau.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Shawano County
  Shawano County, Wisconsin
  Shawano County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 40,664. Its county seat is Shawano.-History:...
  
   - northeast
• Waupaca County
  Waupaca County, Wisconsin
  -Demographics: As of the census of 2000, there were 51,731 people, 19,863 households, and 13,884 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 22,508 housing units at an average density of...
  
   - east
• Waushara County - southeast
• Adams County
  Adams County, Wisconsin
  Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Sources differ as to whether its name is in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams, or his son, the sixth President, John Quincy Adams. As of 2000, the population of Adams County was 18,643. Its county seat is...
  
   - southwest
• Wood County - west

Natural Wildlife refuges

• Buena Vista Marsh
  Buena Vista Marsh, Wisconsin
  Buena Vista Marsh is a state wildlife refuge in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Buena Vista Marsh is located on fragmented lands south of the Village of Plover and the Wisconsin River, east of Biron, Wisconsin Rapids, and Kellner, north of State Road 73, Adams County, and...
  
  
• Dewey Marsh
  Dewey Marsh, Wisconsin
  The Dewey Marsh is a state wildlife area in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:The Dewey Marsh is located in central Wisconsin approximately five to ten miles north of Stevens Point....
  
  
• Mead Wildlife Area
  Mead Wildlife Area
  The Mead Wildlife Area is a state wildlife area covering in central Wisconsin. It includes portions of Marathon, Portage, and Wood counties. It is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources . The Area is commonly referred to as “the Mead”. Eight WDNR staff manage the Area. The...
  
  

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 67,182 people, 25,040 households, and 16,501 families residing in the county. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 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

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.32% Black

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.36% Native American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 2.25% Asian

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.04% Pacific Islander

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.43% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.86% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race. 32.8% were of Polish, 31.6% German, 5.4% Norwegian and 5.0% Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 ancestry according to Census 2000. 93.9% spoke English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, 1.7% Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

, 1.6% Polish

Polish language

Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...

 and 1.3% Hmong

Hmong language

Hmong or Mong is the common name for a dialect continuum of the West Hmongic branch of the Hmong–Mien/Miao–Yao language family spoken by the Hmong people of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, northern Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos...

 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

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 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.

Cities, villages, and towns

• Alban
  Alban, Wisconsin
  Alban is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 897 at the 2000 Census. The unincorporated community of Alban is located within the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Almond
  Almond, Wisconsin
  Almond is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 459 in the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1905, the town originated when Jacob Meyers from Mohawk Valley, New York, started a stagecoach and freight route between Berlin and Stevens Point...
  
  
• Almond (town)
  Almond (town), Wisconsin
  Almond is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 679 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.2 square miles , of which, 43.1 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles of it is...
  
  
• Amherst (town)
  Amherst (town), Wisconsin
  Amherst is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,435 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.5 square miles , of which, 38.0 square miles of it is land and 0.5 square miles of it ...
  
  
• Amherst
  Amherst, Wisconsin
  Amherst is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. As of 2009 the population was 1052 people. Amherst creates the core of the Tomorrow valley area.-History:...
  
  
• Amherst Junction
  Amherst Junction, Wisconsin
  Amherst Junction is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 305 at the 2000 census.-History:Amherst Junction was created when the railroad first came through the county...
  
  
• Belmont
  Belmont, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Belmont is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 623 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Blaine, Dopp, and Heffron are located within the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Buena Vista
  Buena Vista, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Buena Vista is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,187 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Coddington and Keene are located within the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Carson
  Carson, Wisconsin
  Carson is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,299 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Mill Creek Community and Rocky Run are located in the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Dewey
  Dewey, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Dewey is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 975 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Torun is located in the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Eau Pleine
  Eau Pleine, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Eau Pleine is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 931 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.7 square miles , of which, 55.5 square miles of it is land and 2.3 square miles of it...
  
  
• Grant
  Grant, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Grant is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,020 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.2 square miles , of which, 71.2 square miles of it is land and 0.04 square miles of it ...
  
  
• Hull
  Hull, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Hull is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,493 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Casimir and Jordan are located in the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Junction City
  Junction City, Wisconsin
  Junction City is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 440 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Junction City is located at ....
  
  
• Lanark
  Lanark, Wisconsin
  Lanark is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 1,449. The unincorporated community of Badger is in the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Linwood
  Linwood, Wisconsin
  Linwood is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,111 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.8 square miles , of which, 31.9 square miles of it is land and 1.8 square miles of it ...
  
  
• Milladore
  Milladore, Wisconsin
  Milladore is a village in Portage and Wood Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 268 at the 2000 census. Most of the village is located within the Town of Milladore in Wood County, while only a very small portion of the village lies in Portage County.-Geography:Milladore is...
  
   (partial)
• Nelsonville
  Nelsonville, Wisconsin
  Nelsonville is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 191 at the 2000 census.-History:The village was named after Jerome Nelson, an Englishman who started a sawmill along the Tomorrow River in 1855...
  
  
• New Hope
  New Hope, Wisconsin
  New Hope is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 736 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Peru is located in the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Park Ridge
  Park Ridge, Wisconsin
  Park Ridge is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States and is a suburb of Stevens Point. It is included in the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area...
  
  
• Pine Grove
  Pine Grove, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Pine Grove is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 904 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Bancroft is located within the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Plover
  Plover, Wisconsin
  Plover is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States and is a suburb of Stevens Point. It is included in the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 10,520 at the 2000 census.-History:...
  
  
• Plover (town)
  Plover (town), Wisconsin
  Plover is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,415 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Kellner is located partially in the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Rosholt
  Rosholt, Wisconsin
  Rosholt is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 518 at the 2000 census.-History:The person recorded as first owning the land on which Rosholt sits is Gottlieb Stanbly. Stanbly received four parcels directly from the U.S. Government on May 10, 1858 because he...
  
  
• Sharon
  Sharon, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Sharon is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,936 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Ellis, Little Waupon, North Star, and Polonia are located within the town.-Geography:...
  
  
• Stevens Point
  Stevens Point, Wisconsin
  Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. Located in the central part of the state, it is the largest city in the county, with a population of 24,551 at the 2000 census...
  
  
• Stockton
  Stockton, Wisconsin
  Stockton is a town in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,896 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Arnott, Custer, Fancher, Esker, and Stockton are located in Stockton.-Geography:...
  
  
• Whiting
  Whiting, Wisconsin
  Whiting is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States and is a suburb of Stevens Point. It is included in the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area...
  
  

Unincorporated communities

• Alban
  Alban (community), Wisconsin
  Alban is an unincorporated community in the town of Alban in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Alban is located in central Wisconsin approximately one-half mile east of Rosholt and approximately three and a half miles northwest of Peru....
  
  
• Arnott
  Arnott, Wisconsin
  Arnott is an unincorporated community located in the town of Stockton, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at the intersection of County B and County J.-Geography:...
  
  
• Badger
  Badger, Wisconsin
  Badger is an unincorporated community in the town of Lanark in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Badger is located in central Wisconsin approximately eight miles southeast of Amherst and approximately six miles southwest of Waupaca...
  
  
• Bancroft
  Bancroft, Wisconsin
  Bancroft is an unincorporated census-designated place in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 535. It is included in the Stevens Point, Wisconsin Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
  
  
• Blaine
• Casimir
  Casimir, Wisconsin
  Casimir is an unincorporated community located in the town of Hull, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Coddington
  Coddington, Wisconsin
  Coddington is an unincorporated community in the town of Buena Vista in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Coddington is located in central Wisconsin approximately halfway between Bancroft and Plover . Coddington is parallel with mile post 148 on Interstate 39 / U.S...
  
  
• Custer
  Custer, Wisconsin
  Custer is an unincorporated community in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-History:The origin of the communities name is not confirmed but a genereal consensus is it was named after Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, who was defeated during the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876...
  
  
• Dopp
  Dopp, Wisconsin
  Dopp is an unincorporated community in the town of Belmont in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Dopp is located in central Wisconsin approximately nine miles east of Almond, or four miles north of Wild Rose. Dopp rests on the intersection of Portage County Road AA, and Wisconsin...
  
  
• Ellis
  Ellis, Wisconsin
  Ellis is an unincorporated community in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Ellis is located in central Wisconsin approximately six miles northeast of Stevens Point, approximately four miles north of Custer, and approximately six miles southwest of Rosholt...
  
  
• Esker
  Esker, Wisconsin
  Esker is an unincorporated community in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Esker is located in central Wisconsin approximately four miles east of Stevens Point on U.S. Highway 10 near Portage County Road K...
  
  
• Fancher
• Garfield
  Garfield, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Garfield is an unincorporated community in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Garfield is located in central Wisconsin approximately half way between Rosholt and Nelsonville on Portage County Road A, about two and a half miles west of Peru...
  
  
• Heffron
  Heffron, Wisconsin
  Heffron is an unincorporated community in the town of Belmont in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States.-Geography:Heffron is located in central Wisconsin approximately five miles east of Almond and five miles south of Blaine at the intersection of Portage County Highway AA, and the town roads of...
  
  
• Keene
  Keene, Wisconsin
  Keene is an unincorporated community located in the town of Buena Vista, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Kellner
  Kellner, Wisconsin
  Kellner is an unincorporated community located in Portage and Wood counties, Wisconsin, United States. The Portage County portion of Kellner is located in the town of Plover, while the Wood County portion is located in the town of Grand Rapids. Kellner is located at the junction of County Highways...
  
   (partial)
• Little Waupon
  Little Waupon, Wisconsin
  Little Waupon is an unincorporated community located in the town of Sharon, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Jordan
  Jordan, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Jordan is an unincorporated community located in the town of Hull, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Mill Creek Community
  Mill Creek Community, Wisconsin
  Mill Creek Community is an unincorporated community located in the town of Carson, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• North Star
  North Star, Wisconsin
  North Star is an unincorporated community located in the town of Sharon, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Peru
  Peru, Portage County, Wisconsin
  Peru is an unincorporated community located in the town of New Hope, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Polonia
  Polonia, Wisconsin
  Polonia is an unincorporated census-designated place in the town of Sharon, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on Wisconsin Highway 66 two miles east of Ellis and about 8 miles southwest of Rosholt. As of the 2010 census, its population is 526. At the 2000 census it was...
  
  
• Rocky Run
  Rocky Run, Wisconsin
  Rocky Run is an unincorporated community located in the town of Carson, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Stockton
  Stockton (community), Wisconsin
  Stockton is an unincorporated community located in the town of Stockton, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  
• Torun
  Torun, Wisconsin
  Torun is an unincorporated community located in the town of Dewey, Portage County, Wisconsin, United States....
  
  

See also

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

External links

• Portage County
• Portage County Business Council, Inc.
• Portage County Historical Society
• Stevens Point Area (Portage County) Genealogical Society
• Local Histories of Dane, Portage, Wood, and Sauk Counties
• Rotary Club of Stevens Point, WI
• PEOPLE & PLACES OF PORTAGE COUNTY: Collections of Genealogy & History