Oconto

Formed January 1, 1851 (34^th county)

Oconto County (38,971), Oconto (4,612)

The Romanesque Revival/Classical Revival light tan brick structure was built in 1891 and remodeled in 1907.  There was an earlier courthouse also in Oconto.  The facility is on Washington Street at Park Avenue.  United States Highway 41 passes 10 blocks to the west.  Rau & Kirsch provided the designs.  The building was enlarged in 1960 and 1977.  The facility features a tower with a working clock and veteran memorials on the grounds.  Oconto County was organized on January 1, 1851 as the 34^th county with Oconto as the only county seat.  The county and its county seat are a Native American word meaning “pike place.” 

Oconto County government consists of a sheriff and 31 Supervisors.  Two Circuit Court Judges and Five Municipal Court Judges serve Oconto County.  The county is in the northeast part of the state.  Lake Michigan is its northeast border.  Green Bay, Wisconsin is south and Madison, Wisconsin is southwest of the county.  The county center is 18.1 miles West-Northwest of Oconto nearer Spruce.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Marinette, Door, Kewaunee, Brown, Shawano, Menominee, Langlade, and Forest counties. 

The area of the county is 998.0 square miles.  It is 14 out of 72 in the state.  It ranks 38 out of 72 in population in the state.  It has a density of 39.0 persons per square mile making it 42 out of 72 in the state.  Oconto County has 25.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 41 enters the county from the northeast, Marinette County, and exits to the south, Brown County.  United States Highway 141 come in from Marinette County, north, and joins United States Highway 41 into Brown County.  The county looks like a two-pointed arrow pointing northwest.  The City of Oconto is located on the southeast border of the county.  Oconto is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 11.8% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced OE-KON-TOE.  This county is in the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.