Winnebago County is a

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

in 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 ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the 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: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,679. The

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 st ...

is Forest City. The county was founded in 1847 and named after the

Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, tribal nation, or similar concept is any extant or historical clan, tribe, band, nation, or other group or community of Native Americans in the Unit ...

. It is the location of the motor homes manufacturer

Winnebago Industries Winnebago Industries, Inc. is an American manufacturer of motorhomes, a type of recreational vehicle (RV), in the United States. In 2018, the company expanded into motorboat manufacturing with the acquisition of Chris-Craft Corporation. Winnebag ...

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 (0.3%) is water. It is Iowa's fifth-smallest county by land area and second-smallest by total area.

Adjacent counties

Faribault County, Minnesota Faribault County () is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,921. Its county seat is Blue Earth. History The county was founded in 1855. It was named for Jean-Baptiste Faribault, a settler and ...

(northwest) *

Freeborn County, Minnesota Freeborn County is a county in the state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert Lea Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Freeborn Cou ...

(northeast) * Worth County (east) * Hancock County (south) * Kossuth County (west) *

Cerro Gordo County Cerro Gordo County (; ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,127. Its county seat is Mason City. The county is named for the Battle of Cerro Gordo, which took place during the Mexican–Am ...

(southeast)

Transportation

Major highways

U.S. Highway 69 * Circle sign 9

Iowa Highway 9 Iowa Highway 9 is the most northern of Iowa's east–west highways, traversing the entire northern tier of counties. It runs from the eastern terminus of South Dakota Highway 42 at the South Dakota border east of Sioux Falls, South Dakota near ...

Airport

Forest City Municipal Airport Forest City Municipal Airport is a public use airport in Hancock County, Iowa, Hancock County, Iowa, United States. It is located two nautical miles (4 km) south of the central business district of Forest City, Iowa, Forest City, a city in ...

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 10,679 in the county, with a population density of . 96.07% of the population reported being of one race. There were 5,077 housing units, of which 4,512 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 10,866 in the county, with a population density of . There were 5,194 housing units, of which 4,597 were occupied.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 11,723 people, 4,749 households, and 3,181 families in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 5,065 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 97.37% white, 0.18% black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 2.02% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 4,749 households 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.00% were non-families. 29.40% of households were one person and 14.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.91. The age distribution was 24.10% under the age of 18, 9.80% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 18.90% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males. The median household income was $38,381 and the median family income was $47,306. Males had a median income of $30,720 versus $22,509 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,494. About 5.00% of families and 8.40% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 11.90% of those under age 18 and 8.20% of those age 65 or over.

History

"When the first white settlers came into the county, and for some years thereafter, roving bands of Winnebago Indians made their temporary home within the limits of the county. At times there would be as many as one hundred living along the Lime Creek valley or about Coon Grove, and at other times there would be but a mere handful ... During the summer seasons they would cache their cooking utensils, leave their tepees standing and go northward into Minnesota to hunt and trap. At that time the Winnebago agency was located about forty miles north of Forest City." The Winnebago were removed after the

Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several ban ...

. Initial settlement was in the wooded eastern third of the county, with prairie and marshy areas in the west being settled after 1880. Early teachers in Winnebago County were required to be able to converse in the language of their pupils. Many of the county's pioneers were of Norwegian descent. The oldest standing structure in the county is Trinity Church, built in 1874. In 1938, the Winnebago Rural Electric Cooperative was established. The first section of lines was energized on January 3, 1940. A 1951 movie by the

Rural Electrification Administration The United States Rural Utilities Service (RUS) administers programs that provide infrastructure or infrastructure improvements to rural communities. These include water and waste treatment, electric power, and telecommunications services. it is ...

featured local residents describing the struggles for adequate phone service in Winnebago County, prior to the federal loan which enabled the Winnebago Cooperative Telephone Association to convert the area to modern dial service. The Winnebago Industries RV manufacturing company was founded in Forest City in 1958. The Winnebago Historical Society is located in the Mansion Museum in Forest City.

Communities

Cities

* Buffalo Center * Forest City * Lake Mills * Leland * Rake * Scarville *

Thompson Thompson may refer to: People * Thompson (surname) * Thompson M. Scoon (1888–1953), New York politician Places Australia *Thompson Beach, South Australia, a locality Bulgaria * Thompson, Bulgaria, a village in Sofia Province Canada * ...

Townships

* Buffalo *

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

* Eden *

Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

* Linden * Logan * Mount Valley * Newton *

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Winnebago County. † ''county seat''

Politics

References

External links

Winnebago County website
{{authority control Iowa placenames of Native American origin 1847 establishments in Iowa Populated places established in 1847