Dane 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 U.S. state of

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 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. 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 ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the central county of the Madison, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Madison- Janesville- Beloit

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

History

Dane County was formed in 1836 as a territorial county and organized in 1839. It was named after Nathan Dane, a Massachusetts delegate to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

who helped carve Wisconsin out of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

. Dane County was settled in the 1840s by settlers from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

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 (3.3%) is water.

Major highways

* Interstate 39 *

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern term ...

U.S. Highway 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

U.S. Highway 14 U.S. Route 14 (abbreviated U.S. 14 or US 14), an east–west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It currently has a length of 1,398 miles (2,250 km), but it had a peak length of 1,429 miles (2,300 km). For ...

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 51 *

U.S. Highway 151 U.S. Highway 151 (US 151) is a United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of Iowa and Wisconsin. The southern terminus for US 151 is at a junction with Interstate 80 (I-80) in Iowa County, Iowa, and its northern terminu ...

Highway 19 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 19 (often called Highway 19, STH-19 or WIS 19) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It provides a more direct route from U.S. Highway 14 near Mazomanie east to Highway 16 at Watertown, passing around the nort ...

Highway 30 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 30 (often called Highway 30, STH-30 or WIS 30) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in suburban Madison as a connector freeway between Interstate 39, Interstate 90, and Interstate 94 at th ...

Highway 69 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 69 (often called Highway 69, STH-69 or WIS 69) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in south central Wisconsin from the Illinois border near Monroe to Verona. Route description WIS&nb ...

Highway 73 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 73 (often called Highway 73, STH-73 or WIS 73) is a state highway in the central part of the US state of Wisconsin that runs mostly north–south from Ingram to near Edgerton. The exception is in Wood and Adams coun ...

Highway 78 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 78 (often called Highway 78, STH-78 or WIS 78) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in south central Wisconsin from Portage to the Illinois border near Gratiot. History In the 1920s, Hi ...

* Highway 89 (Wisconsin) *

Highway 92 (Wisconsin) State Trunk Highway 92 (often called Highway 92, STH-92 or WIS 92) is a state highway in Green and Dane counties in the south-central area of the US state of Wisconsin that runs north–south from Mount Horeb Mount Horeb (Hebrew: ''Har Ḥ� ...

* Highway 104 (Wisconsin) * Highway 106 (Wisconsin) * Highway 113 (Wisconsin) * Highway 134 (Wisconsin) * Highway 138 (Wisconsin) * Highway 188 (Wisconsin)

Railroads

* Canadian Pacific *

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

* Madison Metro * List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airports

* Blackhawk Airfield (87Y) * Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) provides commercial airline service. * Middleton Municipal Airport (C29) * Verona Airport (W19) * Waunakee Airport (6P3)

Adjacent counties

* Columbia County (north) * Dodge County (northeast) * Green County (south) * Iowa County (west) * Jefferson County (east) * Rock County (southeast) *

Sauk County Sauk County is a county in Wisconsin. It is named after a large village of the Sauk people. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,763. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. The county was created in 1840 from Wisconsin Territor ...

(northwest)

Demographics

In 2017, there were 5,891 births, giving a general fertility rate of 51.7 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the eighth lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties. Of these, 73 of the births occurred at home, the fifth highest number of home births for Wisconsin counties. 428 of the births were to mothers who held doctorate or professional degrees, more than any other Wisconsin county. These accounted for 7.3% of total births for the county, a higher percent than any other Wisconsin county and more than Ozaukee County which had 5.8% of births to mothers who held doctorate or professional degrees and ranked second.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 561,504. 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 248,795 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.6%

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 ...

, 6.4% Asian, 5.4%

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% Native American, 3.2% from other races, and 6.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 7.5%

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.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 488,073 people, 203,750 households, and 116,752 families living in the county. The population density was 394 people per square mile (152/km²). There were 216,022 housing units at an average density of 174 per square mile (67/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 84.7% White, 5.2% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.003% Pacific Islander, 2.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 5.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 203,750 households 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 30.5% of households were one person and 7.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.95. The age distribution was 21.7% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% 65 or older. The median age was 34.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 426,526 people, 173,484 households, and 100,794 families living in the county. The population density was 355 people per square mile (137/km²). There were 180,398 housing units at an average density of 150 per square mile (58/km²). The

of the county was 88.96% White, 4.00% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 3.45% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.43% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. 3.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.4% 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 ...

, 11.5% Norwegian, 8.9% Irish and 6.0%

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 ...

ancestry. Of the 173,484 households 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.10% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.90% were non-families. 29.40% of households were one person and 7.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.97. The age distribution was 22.60% under the age of 18, 14.30% from 18 to 24, 32.50% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.00 males.

Religion

In 2010, the largest religious groups in Dane County by number of adherents were Catholic at 106,036 adherents, ELCA Lutheran at 48,620 adherents, United Methodist at 9,753 adherents, non-denominational Christian at 7,448 adherents, Evangelical Free at 6,075 adherents, United Church of Christ at 5,035 adherents, Wisconsin Synod Lutheran at 4,214 adherents, Missouri Synod Lutheran at 3,921 adherents, American Baptist at 3,755 adherents, and PC-USA Presbyterian at 3,664 adherents.

Government

Dane County is governed by a county executive and a county board of supervisors. The county executive is elected in a countywide vote. The county executive is Joe Parisi. The board of supervisors consists of 37 members, each elected from single member districts. As the policy-making body of the county government, the board of supervisors enacts county ordinances, levies taxes, and appropriates money for services.

Politics

Like most other counties anchored by an urban population center and a large public university, Dane County is solidly Democratic, with a long history in the progressive movement. They have backed the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

(and the only Republican president to carry the county since 1932 was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956), even in the Republican landslide victories of 1972,

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – In ...

, 1984, and 1988. In that time, Republicans have only crossed the 35% mark six times. Only the predominantly Native American county of Menominee is more reliably Democratic. At state level, the county is no less Democratic. The last Republicans the county supported at state level were Governor Tommy Thompson and Treasurer Jack Voight in

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

. The last Republican Senator to carry the county was

Alexander Wiley Alexander Wiley (May 26, 1884 – October 26, 1967) was an American politician who served four terms in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1963. When he left the Senate, he was its most senior Republican member. ...

in 1956 by less than one percent, 10 years earlier the county was the only one in the state to not vote for notorious Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarth ...

. In the three-party era of 1930s-1940s, the county backed Progressive Party candidates, such as the La Follette brothers, Orland Steen Loomis and

Herman Ekern Herman Louis Ekern (December 27, 1872 – December 4, 1954) was an American attorney and progressive Republican politician who served as the 28th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, the 25th attorney general of Wisconsin, and the 42nd speaker o ...

. Dane County is one of the counties in the United States to have elected a member of the Green Party
Leland Pan
into county-level office.

County executives

* George Reinke, 1973-1981 * Jonathan B. Barry, 1981-1988 * Richard J. Phelps, 1988-1997 * Kathleen Falk, 1997-2011 * Joe Parisi, 2011–present

Recreation

County parks

* Babcock County Park * Badger Prairie County Park * Blooming Grove Drumlins * Blue Mounds Natural Resource Area * Brigham County Park * CamRock County Park * Cherokee Marsh * Donald County Park * Festge County Park * Fish Camp County Park * Fish Lake County Park * Goodland County Park * Halfway Prairie School * Indian Lake County Park * Jenni & Kyle Preserve * La Follette County Park * Lake Farm County Park * Lake View Hill Park * Lussier County Park * McCarthy County Park * Mendota County Park * Phil's Woods County Park * Prairie Moraine County Park * Riley-Deppe County Park * Salmo Pond County Park * Scheidegger Forest * Schumacher Farm * Stewart Lake County Park * Token Creek County Park * Viking County Park * Walking Iron County Park * Yahara Heights County Park

Communities

Cities

: Cities are incorporated, generally have a mayor (or a administrator/manager), an elected council, and generally provide more services than smaller administrative divisions. * Edgerton (mostly in Rock County) * Fitchburg *

(county seat) * Middleton * Monona * Stoughton * Sun Prairie (city) *

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city municipality in the region and the second largest in nor ...

Villages

: Villages are incorporated, are governed by a Village President and Board of Trustees, and provide residential services. * Belleville (partly in Green County) * Black Earth * Blue Mounds *

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

(partly in Green County) *

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

(partly in Jefferson County) * Cottage Grove * Cross Plains * Dane * Deerfield * DeForest * Maple Bluff * Marshall * Mazomanie * McFarland * Mount Horeb *

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

* Rockdale * Shorewood Hills * Waunakee * Windsor

Towns

: Towns may have the same name as a city or village associated with it, but it is a separate municipality. Towns are not incorporated, are governed by a town board, and only provide limited services to residents. *

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

* Black Earth (town) * Blooming Grove * Blue Mounds (town) *

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

Burke Burke is an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman Monarchy of Ireland, Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (–1206) had ...

* Christiana * Cottage Grove (town) * Cross Plains * Dane * Deerfield (town) *

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

* Dunn * Madison (town) * Mazomanie (town) *

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

* Middleton (town) * Montrose * Oregon (town) * Perry * Pleasant Springs * Primrose *

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bo ...

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

* Springdale * Springfield * Sun Prairie (town) *

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

* Westport *

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Unincorporated communities

: Unincorporated communities are smaller communities that are governed by the town they are located in and often exist as nomenclature in

vital records Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some ...

. *

* Aldens Corners * Ashton * Ashton Corners * Bakers Corners * Basco *

* Daleyville * Deansville * Door Creek *

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.

* East Bristol * Elvers * Five Points * Forward * Hanerville * Highwood * Hillside * Hoffman Corners *

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

* Indian Heights * Kegonsa * Kingsley Corners * Klevenville *

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

(partial) * Lutheran Hill * Martinsville * Marxville * Middleton Junction * Montrose * Morrisonville * Mt. Vernon * Nora * North Bristol * Norway Grove * Old Deerfield * Paoli * Pierceville * Pine Bluff * Primrose * Riley *

* Seminary Springs * Schey Acres * Springfield Corners * Stone * Token Creek * Utica *

* Vilas * West Middleton * York Center

Neighborhoods

: Neighborhoods exist mostly for nomenclature purposes; some may have administrative associations with powers that are defined in the property deed covenants of the neighborhood. * Lake Windsor * Fitchburg Center * Oak Hall

Native American community

* Ho-Chunk Indian Reservation

Education

School districts (all K-12) include:
Text list
/ref> * Barneveld School District * Belleville School District * Cambridge School District * Columbus School District *

DeForest Area School District The DeForest Area School District is a school district based in the city of DeForest, Wisconsin DeForest is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Yahara River. The population was 10,811 at the 2020 census. It is part o ...

* Deerfield Community School District * Edgerton School District * Evansville Community School District *

Fort Atkinson School District A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

* Lodi School District * Madison Metropolitan School District * Marshall School District * McFarland School District * Middleton-Cross Plains School District * Monona Grove School District * Mount Horeb Area School District * New Glarus School District *

Oregon School District Oregon School District is located south of Madison, in the village of Oregon, Wisconsin Oregon is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin. As of the census of 2020, the population was 11,179. Oregon is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical ...

* Pecatonica Area School District *

Poynette School District The Poynette School District is a public school district in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States, based in Poynette, Wisconsin. Schools The Poynette School District has two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Elemen ...

River Valley School District River Valley School District was a school district in Lawrence County, Arkansas. It served Poughkeepsie and Strawberry. It was formed on July 1, 1992, by the merger of the Poughkeepsie School District and the Strawberry School District. On Ju ...

* Sauk Prairie School District * Stoughton Area School District * Sun Prairie Area School District *

Verona Area School District Verona Area School District (VASD) is the public school district for the cities of Verona and Fitchburg, Wisconsin, as well as a small part of Madison, Wisconsin. It consists of one high school, two middle schools, and six elementary schoo ...

* Waterloo School District * Waunakee Community School District * Wisconsin Heights School District

References

External links

Official Dane County government website

Dane County map
from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation {{Coord, 43.07, -89.42, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WI_source:UScensus1990 1839 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Populated places established in 1839 Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan statistical area