The People

Most Wisconsinites are descended from settlers who came from the eastern United States beginning in the 1820's or from Europe beginning around mid-century. By 1850, more than one third of the state's total population was foreign born. The most numerous immigrant groups were the Germans, Irish, Scandinavians, Poles, Italians, and English.

American Indians make up just under one per cent of the total population of Wisconsin. A small number of them live on or near reservations. Many of the Indians belong to the Chippewa (Ojibway), Iroquois, Menominee, Potawatomi, Cherokee, and Sioux tribes.

Population

Wisconsin is 18th in rank among the states. The overall population density is 98.8 persons per square mile (38.1 per km 2 ). Whites make up 88.9 per cent of the population and blacks, 5.7 per cent. Most of the black population lives in Milwaukee. Most of the Asians, who account for 1.7 per cent of the population, also live in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin's people are heavily concentrated in the southeast. About a third of the total population lives in Milwaukee, Dane, and Waukesha counties. In these counties are such sizable cities as Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha, and West Allis.

Annual events in Wisconsin
January-March
World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River (January); Hot Air Affair Balloon Rally in Hudson (February); American Birkebeiner in Cable and Hayward (February); Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Sports Show (March).
April-June
ChocolateFest in Burlington (May); Horicon Marsh Bird Festival (May); Balloon Rally in Monroe (June); Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute (June); Walleye Weekend in Fond du Lac (June); Strawberry Festival in Cedarburg (June); Summerfest in Milwaukee (June).
July-September
Art Fair on the Square in Madison (July); Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward (July); Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In in Oshkosh (July); Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee (August); World Championship Off-Road Races in Crandon (September); Cranberry Festival in Warrens (September); Oktoberfest in La Crosse (September-October).
October-December
Colorama, statewide (October); World Dairy Expo in Madison (October); Holiday Folk Fair in Milwaukee (November); Christmas in the Air in Oshkosh (December).