Columbia County, Wisconsin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Columbia County
U.S. county
Columbia County courthouse in December 2014
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1846
Named for	Christopher Columbus
Seat	Portage
Largest city	Portage
Area
• Total	796 sq mi (2,060 km²)
• Land	766 sq mi (1,980 km²)
• Water	30 sq mi (80 km²) 3.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	58,490
• Estimate (2023)	58,091
• Density	76.4/sq mi (29.5/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th

Columbia County is a county located in the state of Wisconsin. It was named after Christopher Columbus. As of the 2020 census, about 58,490 people lived here. The main city and county seat is Portage. The county was created in 1846.

Columbia County is part of the larger Madison area. This means it's connected to the economy and community of Madison.

Geography
People Living Here (Demographics)
- 2020 Census Information
Communities
See also

Geography

Columbia County covers a total area of about 796 square miles. Most of this area, 766 square miles, is land. The rest, about 30 square miles, is water. This makes up about 3.8% of the county's total area.

The highest point in the county is in the Baraboo Range. It is near Durward's Glen and is 1,480 feet above sea level.

Main Roads

Many important roads pass through Columbia County. These roads help people travel and transport goods.

Interstate 39
Interstate 90
Interstate 94
U.S. Highway 51
U.S. Highway 151
Highway 13
Highway 16
Highway 22
Highway 23
Highway 33
Highway 44
Highway 60
Highway 73
Highway 78
Highway 89
Highway 113
Highway 127
Highway 146
Highway 188

Railroads

Trains also play a role in transportation. Several railroad companies operate here.

Amtrak
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad
Canadian Pacific
Union Pacific
Columbus station
Portage station
Wisconsin Dells station

Airports

Two airports serve Columbia County. They help people travel by air.

94C - Gilbert Field airport
C47 - Portage Municipal Airport

Neighboring Counties

Columbia County shares borders with several other counties.

Marquette County – to the north
Green Lake County – to the northeast
Dodge County – to the east
Dane County – to the south
Sauk County – to the west
Juneau County – to the northwest
Adams County – to the northwest

People Living Here (Demographics)

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	9,565	—
1860	24,441	155.5%
1870	28,802	17.8%
1880	28,065	−2.6%
1890	28,350	1.0%
1900	31,121	9.8%
1910	31,129	0.0%
1920	30,468	−2.1%
1930	30,503	0.1%
1940	32,517	6.6%
1950	34,023	4.6%
1960	36,708	7.9%
1970	40,150	9.4%
1980	43,222	7.7%
1990	45,088	4.3%
2000	52,468	16.4%
2010	56,833	8.3%
2020	58,490	2.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 Census Information

In 2020, the county had 58,490 people. This means there were about 76 people for every square mile. Most people living in the county were White. There were also smaller groups of Black, Asian, and Native American people. About 3.7% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.

Communities

Columbia County has different types of communities. These include cities, villages, and towns.

Cities

Cities are larger communities with their own governments.

Columbus (partly in Dodge County)
Lodi
Portage (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are)
Wisconsin Dells (partly in Adams County, Juneau County, and Sauk County)

Villages

Villages are smaller than cities but still have their own local governments.

Towns

Towns are usually larger areas that include rural land and sometimes smaller communities.

Census-designated places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or villages.

Lake Wisconsin (partial)

Unincorporated communities

These are small communities that do not have their own local government.

Ghost town/neighborhood

Moe Settlement

Columbia County, Wisconsin facts for kids

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