Winnebago

Formed January 16, 1836 (66^th county)

Winnebago County (285,350), Rockford (148,662)

The Modern style skyscraper courthouse in Rockford was built in 1968.  There were 1844 and 1868 versions of the courthouse also in Rockford.  The current courthouse is located on Church at State streets.  United States Highway 20 Business is State Street.  The courthouse is a red and black brick and concrete structure using the designs of Gilbert A. Johnson, Kile, Seehausen & Associates.  A Justice Center was added in 2004.  Winnebago County was created on January 16, 1836 from parts of Jo Daviess and La Salle counties as the 66^th county.  Winnebago was the first county seat followed by Rockford in 1839.  The county is named for the Native American tribe.  Rockford is named for the river crossing of the Rock River. 

Winnebago County government consists of a sheriff and 20 Commissioners.  Twenty Circuit Court Judges serve Winnebago and Boone counties.  The county is in the northern extreme of Illinois on the border with Wisconsin.  Chicago, Illinois is southeast and Madison, Wisconsin is north of the county.  The Rock River flows through the middle of the county.  The county center is 6.5 miles Northwest of Rockford.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wisconsin and Boone, De Kalb, Ogle and Stephenson counties. 

The area of the county is 513 square miles.  It is 51 out of 102 in the state.  It ranks 7 out of 102 in population in the state.  It has a density of 556.2 persons per square mile making it 6 out of 102 in the state.  Winnebago County has 80.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 39 crosses the county north to south from Wisconsin to Ogle County.  Interstate Highway 90 enters from the east, Boone County, and joins Interstate Highway 39 to travels north into Wisconsin.  United States Highway 20 comes from Boone County to the east and goes west into Stephenson County.  United States Highway 51 is joined with Interstate Highway 39 from Wisconsin to Ogle County.  The county is a rectangle is an added foot on the southeast.  Rockford is located in the southeast corner of the county.  Rockford is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 52.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced WIN-E-BAE-GOE.  This county is in the Rockford Metropolitan Statistical Area.