Crawford County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the southwest part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,113. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Prairie du Chien.

History

Along with Brown County, Crawford County is one of Wisconsin's original counties, established by the Michigan Territorial legislature in 1818, and named after William H. Crawford,

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

at the time. It originally covered the western half of Wisconsin's present area. In 1836, it was transferred to the newly formed

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

prepared for statehood and has gradually been subdivided into its present area.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (4.8%) is water. The county's highest point is near St. James Church in Rising Sun. Three rivers run through the county: The

Kickapoo River The Kickapoo River is a tributary of the Wisconsin River in the state of Wisconsin, United States. It is named for the Kickapoo Indians who occupied Wisconsin before the influx of white settlers in the early 19th century. Watershed The river be ...

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d "the crookedest river in Wisconsin" was carved out by

glacial A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...

run-off. It is considered one of the best Class 1

paddling Paddling with regard to watercraft is the act of manually propelling a boat using a paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel. The paddle is not connected to the boat (unlike in ...

rivers in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. * The

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskous ...

borders the county's southern edge. Although it is the state's busiest river, its run within the county is tranquil, with high bluff

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...

s and sandy islands. * The

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

, serves as the county's western border. The steep

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s are interspersed with bluffs and prairies.

Adjacent counties

* Vernon County - north * Richland County - east * Grant County - south * Clayton County,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

- southwest * Allamakee County,

- west

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 16,113. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 8,658 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.7%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.6%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race.

2020 American Community Survey Estimates

According to the most recent

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

estimates available in 2020, the five largest ancestries, whether partially claimed or claimed in full, were: 36.37% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

; 19.15% Irish; 13.87% Norwegian; 7.57%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

; and 4.77% Czech or Czechoslovakian. There were 6,676 households, out of which 20.78% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 23.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.99% were non-families. 17.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.93. Of all households in the county, 74.4% of households were owner-occupied, and 25.6% were renter-occupied households. In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.90% under the age of 20, 15.86% from 20 to 34, 10.54% from 35 to 44, 28.38% from 45 to 64, and 23.38% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 108 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males. In total, 52% of the population was male, and 48% of the population was female.

2010 Census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 16,644 people, 6,677 households, and 4,613 families residing in the county. The

was 12/km² (30/sq mi). There were 8,480 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (15/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 96.61%

, 1.78%

, 0.23% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.17% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. 0.9% of the population were

or Latino of any race. 33.6% were of

, 16.0% Norwegian, 11.4% Irish, 7.2% Czech, 7.2%

and 6.4%

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

or American ancestry. There were 6,677 households, out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were

living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 26.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.25% under the age of 20, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 20 to 44, 31.16% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.30 males.

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Highway 18 U.S. Route 18 (US 18) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 runs ...

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

* Highway 27 (Wisconsin) * Highway 35 (Wisconsin) *

Highway 60 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 60, often called Highway 60, STH-60 or WIS 60, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southern Wisconsin from Prairie du Chien on the Mississippi River at the Iowa state line to th ...

Highway 82 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 82 (often called Highway 82, STH-82 or WIS 82) is a state highway in Wisconsin, United States. It runs east–west in southwest and south central Wisconsin from the Iowa border near Lansing, IA to Oxford. This highway is ...

Highway 131 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 131 (also called Highway 131, STH-131 or WIS 131) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The highway is located in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, passing through Crawford, Vernon, Richland, and Monroe coun ...

Highway 171 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 171 (often called Highway 171, STH-171 or WIS 171) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in southwest Wisconsin from near Ferryville to Boaz. A section of the route was initially designate ...

* Highway 179 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

BNSF BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and Chicag ...

Buses

* Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit

Airport

Prairie du Chien Municipal Airport Prairie du Chien Municipal Airport is a city owned public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southeast of the central business district of Prairie du Chien, a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. It is included in th ...

(KPDC) serves Crawford County and the surrounding communities.

Communities

Cities

* Prairie du Chien (county seat)

Villages

Bell Center Bell Centre (), formerly known as Molson Centre (), is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montr ...

De Soto De Soto commonly refers to * Hernando de Soto (c. 1495 – 1542), Spanish explorer * DeSoto (automobile), an American automobile brand from 1928 to 1961 De Soto, DeSoto, Desoto, or de Soto may also refer to: Places in the United States of Ameri ...

(Mostly in Vernon County) * Eastman * Ferryville * Gays Mills * Lynxville * Mount Sterling * Soldiers Grove * Steuben * Wauzeka

Towns

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonn ...

* Clayton * Eastman *

Freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

* Haney * Marietta * Prairie du Chien *

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sask ...

* Seneca * Utica * Wauzeka

Unincorporated communities

* Barnum * Boydtown *

* Charme * Easter Rock * Fairview * Harmony Hill * Montgomeryville *

Mount Zion Mount Zion ( he, הַר צִיּוֹן, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; ar, جبل صهيون, ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the Ci ...

* North Clayton * Petersburg *

Pine Knob A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garde ...

* Plugtown *

Reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

* Rising Sun * Rolling Ground * Seneca * Towerville * White Corners * Yankeetown

Politics

When the county was founded, Crawford County was a Republican stronghold, Having voted for the Republican presidential candidate every year from 1892 to 1908, and having only voted Democrat once from 1892 to 1920. The county leaned Republican for many years, until 1988 when Michael Dukakis won it by a margin of 5.3 percentage points. The county voted for the Democratic presidential candidate every year from 1988 to 2012. In 2016, Donald Trump won Crawford County by 5.4 percentage points. Trump would win it again in 2020 by a larger margin of 7.8 percentage points, marking the first time the county voted for a Republican back to back election cycles since 1984 when Ronald Reagan carried Crawford County.

External links

Official Crawford County website

Crawford County map
at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Crawford County Health and Demographic Data
{{authority control 1818 establishments in Michigan Territory Populated places established in 1818 Wisconsin counties on the Mississippi River