Outagamie County ( ) is a county in the Fox Cities region of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, in the northeast of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,705.
Outagamie County is part of the Appleton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is itself part of the Appleton-Neenah-Oshkosh Combined Statistical Area. It was named for the historic Meskwaki (Fox) people.
History
"Outagamie", a French transliteration of the Anishinaabe term for the Meskwaki (Fox) people, means "dwellers of the other shore" or "dwellers on the other side of the stream", referring to their historic habitation along the St. Lawrence River and south of the Great Lakes. They occupied considerable territory in Wisconsin before colonization. Outagamie County was created in 1851 and organized in 1852. Before that, it was under the jurisdiction of Brown County.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (1.1%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Shawano County - north
- Brown County - east
- Calumet County - southeast
- Winnebago County - southwest
- Waupaca County - west
Rivers
- Wolf River - The Wolf River runs through the city of New London and the village of Shiocton along western half of the county.
- Fox River - The Fox River follows the southeastern corner of the county, running through the cities of Appleton and Kaukauna
- Shioc River - This river runs merges with the Wolf River in the village of Shiocton.
- Embarrass River - The Embarrass River runs through the city of New London and merges with the Wolf River there.
Lakes
- Black Otter Lake - Located in Hortonville, it receives much recreational use by anglers as the county's only lake.
Government
Outagamie County's government consists of an elected County Board of Supervisors, a County Executive, and 36 county agencies and departments.
County Executive
The county executive serves as its chief executive officer, participating in the legislative process with the County Board of Supervisors and exercising administrative authority and control over the county's operations, departments, offices, boards, programs, and communications.
Department heads are appointed by the county executive, subject to the approval of the board of supervisors. The county executive also appoints members to the county's boards and commissions. The county executive sets the annual budget in consultation with and subject to the approval of the board of supervisors.
Transportation
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 41
- 20px U.S. Highway 41
- 20px U.S. Highway 45
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 15
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 29
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 32
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 47
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 54
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 55
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 76
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 96
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 125
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 187
- 20px Wisconsin Highway 441
County Highways
- 20px County A
- 20px County AA
- 20px County B
- 20px County BB
- 20px County C
- 20px County CA
- 20px County CB
- 20px County CC
- 20px County CE
- 20px County D
- 20px County DD
- 20px County E
- 20px County EE
- 20px County F
- 20px County FF
- 20px County G
- 20px County GG
- 20px County GV
- 20px County H
- 20px County HH
- 20px County I
- 20px County J
- 20px County JJ
- 20px County K
- 20px County KK
- 20px County M
- 20px County MM
- 20px County N
- County NC
- 20px County O
- 20px County OO
- 20px County P
- 20px County PP
- 20px County Q
- 20px County S
- 20px County T
- 20px County TT
- 20px County U
- 20px County UU
- 20px County VV
- 20px County W
- 20px County WW
- 20px County X
- 20px County XX
- 20px County Y
- 20px County Z
- 20px County ZZ
Railroads
- Canadian National
- Watco
Buses
- Valley Transit (Wisconsin)
Airports
- Appleton International Airport (KATW) serves the county and surrounding communities. It is the third-busiest airport in Wisconsin and is served by four airlines to 16 destinations.
- Shiocton Airport (W34) is a grass strip airport in Shiocton, Wisconsin