Columbia

Formed January 1, 1845 (25^th county)

Columbia County (56,833), Portage (10,324)

The light tan brick Modern facility was built in 1962.  It is at the intersection of DeWitt and Conant streets.  United States Highway 51 is DeWitt Street in the town.  Foeller, Schober, Berners, Safford and Jann are the architects.  The facility has marble insets on the front.  There was an 1865 facility earlier in Portage, the only county seat.  The county was created on January 1, 1845 from Portage County as the 25^th county.  Columbia County is named for Explorer Christopher Columbus.  The county seat was named for the portage or passageway between two rivers.  It is the same source for the name of Portage County.  Columbia County is the birthplace of 1 Wisconsin Governor, Oscar Rennebohm. 

Columbia County government consists of a sheriff and 28 Supervisors.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Three Municipal Court Judges serve Columbia County.  The county is in southern Wisconsin.  Madison, Wisconsin is south and Green Bay, Wisconsin is northeast of the county.  The Wisconsin River flows through the county.  The county center is 11.7 miles Southeast of Portage nearer Lowville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Marquette, Green Lake, Dodge, Dane, Sauk, Juneau, and Adams. 

The area of the county is 796 square miles.  It is 41 out of 72 in the state.  It ranks 26 out of 72 in population in the state.  It has a density of 71.40 persons per square mile making it 25 out of 72 in the state.  Columbia County has 55.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 39 enters the county from the north, Marquette County, and exits to the south, Dane County.  Interstate Highways 90/94 come from Sauk County, west, and join Interstate Highway 39 into Dane County, south.  United States Highway 51 is joined with Interstate Highway 39 from Marquette County, splits and continues south into Dane County.  United States Highway 151 enters from Dodge County, east, and exits to Dane County, south.  The county looks like the end of an electrical plug.  Portage is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Portage is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.2% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced POR-TAJ.  This county is in the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.