Dane

Formed January 1, 1836 (6^th county)

Dane County (561,507), Madison (269,769)                

The Modern concrete and glass building was constructed in 2005.  It is located on Hamilton Street at Wilson Street.  United States Highway 151 is one block southeast of the location.  Durrant Architects provided the designs.  There was a classic 1886 courthouse and a modern 1955 courthouse earlier.  Dane County was established on January 1, 1836 as an original county (6^th county) with Madison as the only county seat.  It is named for Nathan Dane, congressman who carved Wisconsin from the Northwest Territories.  The county seat was named for United States President James Madison.  Dane County is the birthplace of 3 Wisconsin Governors, Robert M. La Follette, Sr., Philip F. La Follette, and Albert G. Schmedeman. 

Dane County government consists of a sheriff and 37 Supervisors.  Seventeen Circuit Court Judges and Twenty-eight Municipal Court Judges serve Dane County.  The county is in southern Wisconsin.  Milwaukee, Wisconsin is east and Green Bay, Wisconsin is northeast of the county.  The Wisconsin River forms its northwest border.  The county center is in Madison 3.5 miles Southwest of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Columbia, Dodge, Jefferson, Rock, Green, Iowa, and Sauk counties. 

The area of the county is 1197.2 square miles.  It is 8 out of 72 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 72 in population in the state.  It has a density of 469.0 persons per square mile making it 6 out of 72 in the state.  Dane County has 86.7% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highways 39/90 cross through the county from north to south from Columbia County to Rock County.  Interstate Highway 94 is joined with Interstate Highway 39 from Columbia County, splits and heads east into Jefferson County.  United States Highway 12 enters from Sauk County, northwest, and exits to Jefferson County, east.  United States Highway 14 comes from the west, Iowa County, and goes to the south, Rock County.  United States Highway 18 crosses east to west from Jefferson County to Iowa County.  United States Highway 51 parallels Interstate Highway 39 from Columbia to Rock counties.  United States Highway 151 enters from the northeast, Columbia County, and joins United States Highway 18 to the west, Iowa County.  The Wisconsin state capitol is located in this county.  The county is an overall rectangular shape.  Madison is located in the center of the county.  Madison is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 48.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.