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Manitowoc County, Wisconsin

Coordinates: 44°09′N 87°33′W / 44.15°N 87.55°W / 44.15; -87.55
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Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
County
Manitowoc County Courthouse
Manitowoc County Courthouse
Flag of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Flag
Official seal of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Seal
Map of Wisconsin showing Manitowoc County
Map of Wisconsin showing Manitowoc County
Wisconsin's location in the United States
Wisconsin's location in the United States
Country United States
State Wisconsin
Incorporated1848
County seatCity of Manitowoc
Incorporated Municipalities
30 (total)
  • 3 cities
  • 18 towns
  • 9 villages
Government
 • TypeCounty
 • BodyBoard of Supervisors
 • Board ChairmanTyler Martell[1]
 • County Board25 commissioners
Area
 • Total
1,494 sq mi (3,870 km2)
 • Land589 sq mi (1,530 km2)
 • Water905 sq mi (2,340 km2)
 • Rank6th largest county in Wisconsin
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total
81,359
 • Estimate 
(2023)
81,331 Decrease
 • Rank21st largest county in Wisconsin
 • Density138.1/sq mi (53.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (Central)
Area codes920
Congressional districts6th
Interstates
U.S. Routes
State Routeslink = Highway 32 (Wisconsin) link = Highway 42 (Wisconsin) link = Highway 57 (Wisconsin) link = Highway 67 (Wisconsin) link = Highway 147 (Wisconsin) link = Highway 310 (Wisconsin)
AirportsManitowoc County Airport
WaterwaysLake Michigan – Manitowoc River
Public transitMaritime Metro Transit
Websitemanitowoccountywi.gov

Manitowoc County (/ˈmænɪtəwɒk/ ⓘ MAN-it-ə-wok) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359.[3] Its county seat is Manitowoc.[4] The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848.[5] Manitowoc County comprises the Manitowoc, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,494 square miles (3,870 km2), of which 589 square miles (1,530 km2) is land and 905 square miles (2,340 km2) (61%) is water.[6]

Major highways

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Railroads

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Buses

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Airport

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Manitowoc County Airport (KMTW) serves the county and surrounding communities.

Adjacent counties

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National marine sanctuary

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The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 in the waters of Lake Michigan, with most of its northern half lying off Manitowoc County's coast. The national marine sanctuary is the site of a large number of historically significant shipwrecks.[7][8][9]

Climate

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Manitowoc County
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
62
 
 
−6
−8
 
 
62
 
 
−6
−11
 
 
66
 
 
3
−3
 
 
141
 
 
9
2
 
 
105
 
 
12
2
 
 
106
 
 
21
9
 
 
108
 
 
19
14
 
 
88
 
 
18
18
 
 
72
 
 
19
12
 
 
121
 
 
9
5
 
 
68
 
 
5
2
 
 
61
 
 
1
−2
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [10]
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2.4
 
 
21
18
 
 
2.4
 
 
21
12
 
 
2.6
 
 
37
27
 
 
5.6
 
 
48
36
 
 
4.1
 
 
54
36
 
 
4.2
 
 
70
48
 
 
4.3
 
 
66
57
 
 
3.5
 
 
64
64
 
 
2.8
 
 
66
54
 
 
4.8
 
 
48
41
 
 
2.7
 
 
41
36
 
 
2.4
 
 
34
28
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1840235—
18503,7021,475.3%
186022,416505.5%
187033,36448.8%
188037,50512.4%
189037,8310.9%
190042,26111.7%
191044,9786.4%
192051,64414.8%
193058,67413.6%
194061,6175.0%
195067,1599.0%
196075,21512.0%
197082,2949.4%
198082,9180.8%
199080,421−3.0%
200082,8873.1%
201081,442−1.7%
202081,359−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[3]

As of the census of 2020,[2] the population was 81,359. The population density was 138.1 people per square mile (53.3 people/km2). There were 37,818 housing units at an average density of 64.2 units per square mile (24.8 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% White, 2.8% Asian, 1.3% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.8% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 Census age pyramid for Manitowoc County

The 2000 census[15] shows Manitowoc County as having 82,887 people, 32,721 households and 22,348 families. The population density was 140 people per square mile (54 people/km2). There were 34,651 housing units at an average density of 59 units per square mile (23 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.90% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 1.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 53.7% were of German, 7.3% Polish, 5.3% Czech and 5.0% American ancestry. 95.2% spoke English, 1.8% Spanish, 1.3% Hmong and 1.1% German as their first language.

There were 32,721 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.70% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population is spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 15.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.

In 2017, there were 780 births, giving a general fertility rate of 60.2 births per 1000 women aged 15–44, the 27th lowest rate out of all 72 Wisconsin counties.[16]

Government

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The county executive is Bob Ziegelbauer. He is serving his fourth term in that position after being elected in April 2006 and reelected in April 2010, April 2014, and April 2018.[17] The county is served by a 25-member county board.

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Manitowoc County, Wisconsin[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 28,200 60.89% 17,399 37.57% 717 1.55%
2020 27,218 60.72% 16,818 37.52% 793 1.77%
2016 23,244 56.99% 14,538 35.64% 3,004 7.37%
2012 21,604 50.69% 20,403 47.88% 610 1.43%
2008 19,234 45.35% 22,428 52.88% 752 1.77%
2004 23,027 52.14% 20,652 46.77% 481 1.09%
2000 19,358 49.86% 17,667 45.51% 1,799 4.63%
1996 13,239 38.44% 16,750 48.63% 4,455 12.93%
1992 14,008 33.94% 15,903 38.54% 11,357 27.52%
1988 16,020 44.52% 19,680 54.69% 287 0.80%
1984 19,639 52.54% 17,250 46.15% 487 1.30%
1980 18,591 48.00% 17,330 44.74% 2,811 7.26%
1976 16,039 43.62% 19,819 53.90% 913 2.48%
1972 16,599 48.51% 16,489 48.19% 1,132 3.31%
1968 13,562 44.23% 15,298 49.89% 1,801 5.87%
1964 9,849 30.96% 21,927 68.92% 39 0.12%
1960 14,622 45.58% 17,423 54.31% 35 0.11%
1956 18,078 61.91% 10,800 36.99% 321 1.10%
1952 18,950 61.32% 11,879 38.44% 72 0.23%
1948 10,947 44.03% 13,401 53.90% 515 2.07%
1944 14,047 53.52% 11,949 45.53% 251 0.96%
1940 12,616 48.29% 13,142 50.30% 368 1.41%
1936 5,094 21.20% 15,539 64.68% 3,393 14.12%
1932 4,573 21.98% 15,696 75.44% 536 2.58%
1928 7,519 41.70% 10,292 57.08% 221 1.23%
1924 4,828 29.54% 1,599 9.78% 9,918 60.68%
1920 8,378 61.70% 2,018 14.86% 3,183 23.44%
1916 4,224 46.46% 4,338 47.72% 529 5.82%
1912 2,389 31.11% 3,436 44.74% 1,855 24.15%
1908 4,126 45.39% 3,952 43.47% 1,013 11.14%
1904 4,626 53.28% 3,274 37.71% 783 9.02%
1900 4,317 49.50% 4,167 47.78% 238 2.73%
1896 4,430 51.57% 3,919 45.62% 242 2.82%
1892 2,249 33.64% 4,349 65.06% 87 1.30%

Manitowoc County is fairly competitive in presidential elections; in 2016, Donald Trump became the first candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson from his 1964 landslide to win more than 55% of the vote. He expanded his share to over 60% during the 2020 election, the first time since Dwight D. Eisenhower in his 1956 landslide that a Republican has hit 60% of the vote in the county. Statewide, Manitowoc County has voted Republican since the 2002 gubernatorial election.

Communities

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Cities

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Villages

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Unincorporated communities

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At night

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The bright light on the lakeshore to the far left is the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. Taken at 3:09:47 A.M. CDT on March 28, 2012, from an altitude of 211 nautical miles (391 km) during ISS Expedition 30.
The bright light on the lakeshore to the far left is the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. Taken at 3:09:47 A.M. CDT on March 28, 2012, from an altitude of 211 nautical miles (391 km) during ISS Expedition 30.

In the media

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The Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer (2015) explores the arrests and trials in 2007 of Manitowoc County residents Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach, who disappeared in October 2005. The series describes an earlier wrongful conviction of Avery, for which he served 18 years, and his subsequent lawsuit against Manitowoc County. It then focuses on the procedures of the Calumet County Sheriff's Office and the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department, which investigated the later Halbach case. The Sheriffs officers have come under intense scrutiny for their involvement in the Halbach case due to Steven Avery's $36 million lawsuit and their questionable police and investigative techniques.[19][20]

In 2017, Charlie Berens created a comedic short-form video series called Manitowoc Minute, which features a fictitious news presenter character who exaggerates the culture and dialect of Wisconsin.[21][22]

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  • Manitowoc County Expo Grounds
    Manitowoc County Expo Grounds
  • Sign marking entrance to Manitowoc County in Kiel
    Sign marking entrance to Manitowoc County in Kiel
  • Manitowoc County Jail
    Manitowoc County Jail

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tyler Martell". Manitowoc County. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census: Manitowoc County, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Wisconsin: Individual County Chronologies". Wisconsin Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. Archived from the original on April 14, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  7. ^ "Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Designation; Final Regulations". NOAA via Federal Register. June 23, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  8. ^ National Marine Sanctuaries media document: Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Accessed 29 June 2021
  9. ^ NOAA News "NOAA designates new national marine sanctuary in Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan," June 22, 2021 Accessed 29 June 2021
  10. ^ "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  13. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Annual Wisconsin Birth and Infant Mortality Report, 2017 P-01161-19 (June 2019): Detailed Tables". Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  17. ^ Schafer, Alisa M. (April 3, 2018). "3 Bob Ziegelbauer re-elected as county exec; Manitowoc schools referendum passes". Herald Times Reporter. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  19. ^ MONICA DAVEY, "Questioning the Evidence in the ‘Making a Murderer’ Case", New York Times, January 29, 2016; accessed January 14, 2016
  20. ^ Hale, Mike (December 16, 2015). "Review: 'Making a Murderer,' True Crime on Netflix". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  21. ^ "What Is the Manitowoc Minute?". Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  22. ^ McCollum, Maureen (December 29, 2017). "'Manitowoc Minute' Creator Charlie Berens Keeps 'Er Movin'". Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR). Retrieved January 25, 2024.

Further reading

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  • Falge, Louis (ed.). History of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Goodspeed Historical Association, 1912. Vol. 1, Vol. 2
  • Langill, Ellen, Robin E. Butler, Rachel Young, and MaryBeth Matzek. Manitowoc County: A Beacon on the Lakeshore. Milwaukee, Wis.: Milwaukee Pub. Group, 1999.
  • Plumb, Ralph Gordon. A History of Manitowoc County. Manitowoc, Wis.: Brant Print & Binding Co., 1904.
  • Rapper, Joseph J. Story of a Century, 1848-1948: Manitowoc County During Wisconsin's First Hundred Years. Manitowoc, Wis.: Manitowoc County Centennial Committee, 1948.
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44°09′N 87°33′W / 44.15°N 87.55°W / 44.15; -87.55

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