Winneshiek 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 ...

located in the U.S. state of

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,070. 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 ...

is Decorah.

History

A largely rural and agricultural county, Winneshiek County has a rich cultural history from

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, Slovak,

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 ide ...

, Irish, German,

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internatio ...

, and Norwegian immigrants that have settled within its boundaries. The county was originally settled in 1848 in present-day Bloomfield Township (near Castalia, Iowa) and in Washington Township (near Fort Atkinson, Iowa). It was organized in 1847, and named after a chief of the

Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...

tribe. In 1980, Winneshiek County reported a population of 21,842. Like much of Iowa during the 1980s it witnessed a population loss, dropping to 20,847 according to the 1990 United States Census. However, during the 1990s the county experienced some mild growth and was able to rise above the 21,000 mark once again.

Government and elected officials

As of 2010, the Winneshiek County government had a total of 785 employees and staff.

Politics

Like all Iowa counties, Winneshiek is governed by an elected

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...

Board of Supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

. Winneshiek County's Board of Supervisors has five members elected by single-member districts of equal population. Other elected officials are the

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting and ...

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transl ...

and

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 o ...

. The offices for the supervisors and county officers are located in the County Courthouse at the county seat.

Political culture

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.04%) is water.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 52 * 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 ...

Iowa Highway 24 * Elongated circle 139

Iowa Highway 139 Iowa Highway 139 (Iowa 139) is an highway in northeastern Iowa. It begins at Iowa 9 east of Cresco and ends at the Minnesota state line, where it continues northward as Minnesota State Highway 139. It crosses the Upper Iowa River near ...

Iowa Highway 150 Iowa Highway 150 (Iowa 150) is an state highway in eastern and northeastern Iowa. It begins at U.S. Route 218 (US 218) in Vinton and ends at US 52 and Iowa 24 in Calmar. From Vinton, it heads north and east towards Urba ...

Adjacent counties

Fillmore County, Minnesota Fillmore County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,228. Its county seat is Preston. Fillmore County is included in the Rochester metropolitan area. History Fillmore County was created on ...

(northwest) * Houston County, Minnesota (northeast) * Allamakee County (east) * Fayette County (south) * Chickasaw County (southwest) * Howard County (west) * Clayton County (southeast)

Demographics

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 20,070 in the county, with a population density of . 97.20% of the population reported being of one race. There were 8,916 housing units, of which 8,170 were occupied.

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 21,056 in the county, with a population density of . There were 8,721 housing units, of which 7,997 were occupied.

2000 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 2000, there were 21,310 people, 7,734 households, and 5,189 families residing in the county. 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 RosenberP ...

was 31 people per square mile (12/km²). There were 8,208 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.85%

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 o ...

, 0.51%

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 have of ...

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 ensl ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.24% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were

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 form ...

or Latino of any race. 38.3% were of German, 31.7% Norwegian, 5.5% Irish and 5.1%

ancestry. There were 7,734 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% 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 t ...

living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03. In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 16.7% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males. The median income for a household in the county was $38,908, and the median income for a family was $45,966. Males had a median income of $29,278 versus $21,240 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $17,047. About 5.1% of families and 8.0% 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 ...

, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Calmar * Castalia * Decorah * Fort Atkinson * Jackson Junction *

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined under ...

* Ridgeway * Spillville

Census-designated place

* Burr Oak

Other unincorporated communities

* Bluffton * Festina * Frankville * Highlandville *Hesper * Kendalville

Townships

* Bloomfield * Bluffton * Burr Oak * Calmar *

Canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the ter ...

* Decorah * Frankville * Fremont * Glenwood * Hesper *

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, ...

* Lincoln * Madison *

Military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...

* Orleans * Pleasant * Springfield *

Sumner Sumner may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Sumner, a mountain in the Rare Range, Antarctica * Sumner Glacier, southern Graham Land, Antarctica Australia * Sumner, Queensland, suburb of Brisbane New Zealand * Sumner, New Zealand, seaside ...

* Washington

Ghost towns

Conover Conover may refer to: People * Conover (surname) Places in the United States * Conover, Iowa, a ghost town * Conover, North Carolina Conover is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,421 as of the 202 ...

*Moneek *Sattre *Canoe

Population ranking

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

Education

The following school districts have their administrative headquarters in the county: - (PDF p. 91/512) See "Figure 8: School Districts in Winneshiek County" in section "Public Schools"
Text list
/ref> * Decorah Community School District * South Winneshiek Community School District * Turkey Valley Community School District North Winneshiek Community School District was in the county, until it merged with Decorah CSD on July 1, 2018. The Decorah district and the Mabel-Canton Public Schools in Minnesota have an agreement where people who live in the Decorah district but closer to the Mabel-Canton schools than to Decorah schools can enroll in Mabel-Canton schools. The following school districts have their administrative headquarters outside of the county but serve sections of Winneshiek County: * Allamakee Community School District * Howard–Winneshiek Community School District * Postville Community School District

References

External links

Winneshiek County
- Official County Government site
Winneshiek County Health and Demographic DataOfficial Winneshiek County Fair site
{{authority control Iowa placenames of Native American origin 1847 establishments in Iowa Driftless Area Populated places established in 1847