Coalition Name: Community Action for Underage Substance Elimination (Winnebago County Task Force)
Location: Winnebago County, IA
Winnebago County was named to honor the Winnebago Indian tribe that resided in the area.
The county was established in the year 1851.
Winnebago County is a rural, predominately farming county of 402 square miles (400 square miles of dry land and 1 square mile of water), and 10,500 persons (34% urban, 66% rural), an average of 27 persons per square mile, in North Central Iowa. The median age is 42.5 years, 62.8% of the population is 21 years old and over. The county is predominately White (95.5%) with Hispanic (4.19%), African American (1.09%), Native American (.32%), Asian (1.23%) and 2 or more races (1.48%). Persons below poverty level in Winnebago County (2018) was 9.1%, below the state of Iowa average of 12.0%.
The county has 3 major school districts. Students living on the county borders may attend schools outside of the county. All county school districts offer open-enrollment and have students attending that live in the adjacent counties of Hancock, Kossuth, and Worth.
Winnebago County borders Minnesota to the north. US Hwy 9 runs through the county and US Interstate 35 runs through the area 11 miles away.
Winnebago County is a great place to grow up, considered a safe “county”, and is amid large areas of open, tilled farm ground, where everyone knows their neighbor. Farms have become larger and the rural population is now held by fewer active farmers and more “town-employed” residents living on acreages. Manufacturing is a larger employer in the last 30 years with local businesses growing and drawing employees from surrounding counties. Some of these manufacturing companies include Winnebago Industries (the well-known recreational vehicle), Larson Manufacturing Co., Rembrandt Foods, The Perfect Circle Corp., and Lunds & Byerlys.
The three largest communities have active parks and recreation departments, public libraries, recreation centers and swimming pools (summer use only). The community school districts are the center of the communities providing a great array of extra-curricular activities such as, sports, drama, music, and Future Farmers of America. The three schools have enjoyed success with several sports programs, including many state tournament appearances in several sports. Other youth serving organizations include Boy and Girl scouting and 4H provide youth development opportunities. The communities also offer many churches with youth groups and activities. Winnebago County citizens are proud of the high standards of education, strong sense of community, friendly people who care about each other, and a quiet life in a beautiful county.