Winneshiek County, Iowa Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Winneshiek County

U.S. county

Courthouse and Civil War Monument located in Decorah

Flag

Location within the U.S. state of Iowa

Iowa's location within the U.S.

Country

United States

State

Iowa

Founded

1847

Named for

Chief Winneshiek

Seat

Decorah

Largest city

Decorah

Area

• Total

690 sq mi (1,800 km²)

• Land

690 sq mi (1,800 km²)

• Water

0.3 sq mi (0.8 km²) 0.04%

Population

(2020)

• Total

20,070

• Density

29.09/sq mi (11.23/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (Central)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

Congressional district

1st

Winneshiek County is a special area in the state of Iowa, USA. Think of a county as a smaller part of a state, like a big neighborhood with its own local government. The main city and center of the county is Decorah. In 2020, about 20,070 people lived here.

History of Winneshiek County
Geography of Winneshiek County
- Main Roads in the County
- Neighboring Counties
People of Winneshiek County
- What the 2020 Census Shows
Communities in Winneshiek County
Education in Winneshiek County
Images for kids
See also

History of Winneshiek County

Winneshiek County is mostly made up of farms and open land. It has a very interesting history because many different groups of people came to live here. These include families from Czech, Slovak, English, Irish, German, Swiss, and Norwegian backgrounds.

The first settlers arrived in 1848. They built homes in areas that are now near Castalia, Iowa and Fort Atkinson, Iowa. The county itself was officially created in 1847. It was named after Chief Winneshiek, a leader of the Winnebago Native American tribe.

In 1980, Winneshiek County had about 21,842 people. Like many parts of Iowa, the number of people living here went down a bit in the 1980s. By 1990, the population was 20,847. But in the 1990s, more people started moving to the county, and the population grew back to over 21,000.

Geography of Winneshiek County

Winneshiek County covers a total area of about 690 square miles. Almost all of this area is land, with only a tiny bit (0.04%) being water.

Main Roads in the County

These are the most important highways that help people travel through Winneshiek County:

U.S. Highway 52
Iowa Highway 9
Iowa Highway 24
Iowa Highway 139
Iowa Highway 150

Neighboring Counties

Winneshiek County shares its borders with several other counties:

To the northwest: Fillmore County, Minnesota
To the northeast: Houston County, Minnesota
To the east: Allamakee County
To the south: Fayette County
To the southwest: Chickasaw County
To the west: Howard County
To the southeast: Clayton County

People of Winneshiek County

Population of Winneshiek County from US census data over time

The number of people living in Winneshiek County has changed over the years. Here's a quick look at the population from different census counts:

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	546	—
1860	13,942	2,453.5%
1870	23,570	69.1%
1880	23,938	1.6%
1890	22,528	−5.9%
1900	23,731	5.3%
1910	21,729	−8.4%
1920	22,091	1.7%
1930	21,630	−2.1%
1940	22,263	2.9%
1950	21,639	−2.8%
1960	21,651	0.1%
1970	21,758	0.5%
1980	21,876	0.5%
1990	20,847	−4.7%
2000	21,310	2.2%
2010	21,056	−1.2%
2020	20,070	−4.7%
2023 (est.)	19,815	−5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2018

What the 2020 Census Shows

2022 US Census population pyramid for Winneshiek County from ACS 5-year estimates

In 2020, the census counted 20,070 people in Winneshiek County. This means there were about 29 people living in each square mile. Most people (97.20%) said they belonged to one race. There were 8,916 homes, and 8,170 of them were lived in.

Here's a breakdown of the different groups of people living in Winneshiek County in 2020:

Winneshiek County Racial Composition
Race	Number of People	Percentage of Total
White	18,705	93.2%
Black or African American	119	0.6%
Native American	19	0.1%
Asian	178	0.9%
Pacific Islander	12	0.06%
Other/Mixed Race	452	2.3%
Hispanic or Latino	585	3%

Communities in Winneshiek County

Winneshiek County has several cities and smaller communities where people live.

Cities in the County

Other Communities

Burr Oak (This is a "census-designated place," meaning it's a community that's not officially a city but is recognized for census counting.)
Bluffton
Festina
Frankville
Freeport
Highlandville
Hesper
Kendallville

Townships in the County

A township is a small area of land, usually with a local government, that helps manage things like roads and services for people living there.

Bloomfield
Bluffton
Burr Oak
Calmar
Canoe
Decorah
Frankville
Fremont
Glenwood
Hesper
Highland
Jackson
Lincoln
Madison
Military
Orleans
Pleasant
Springfield
Sumner
Washington

Places That Used to Be Towns

Some places in Winneshiek County that were once towns are now called "ghost towns" because most people have moved away.

Conover
Moneek
Sattre
Canoe

Population Ranking of Communities

Here's a list of the cities and communities in Winneshiek County, ranked by how many people lived there in 2020. † county seat (the main city of the county)

Rank	City/Town/Community	Type	Population (2020 Census)
1	† Decorah	City	7,587
2	Calmar	City	1,125
3	Ossian	City	802
4	Spillville	City	385
5	Fort Atkinson	City	312
6	Ridgeway	City	275
7	Burr Oak	CDP	171
8	Castalia	City	145
9	Jackson Junction	City	37

Education in Winneshiek County

Schools are very important in Winneshiek County. Here are the school districts that have their main offices in the county:

Decorah Community School District
South Winneshiek Community School District
Turkey Valley Community School District

The North Winneshiek Community School District used to be in the county. However, it joined with the Decorah Community School District on July 1, 2018. The Decorah district also has a special agreement with the Mabel-Canton Public Schools in Minnesota. This means that students who live in the Decorah district but are closer to the Mabel-Canton schools can choose to go to those schools instead.

Some other school districts have their main offices outside of Winneshiek County, but they still serve parts of the county: