Fond du Lac County, WI Real Estate

Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Named for the city of Fond du Lac, which serves as the county seat, Fond du Lac County covers 723 square miles of beautiful Wisconsin prairie land an hour drive northwest of Milwaukee. The region is home to over 30 cities, towns and villages, and over 50 unincorporated communities, all of which offer an unparalleled mix of commerce and culture, as well as an immaculately preserved natural landscape, complete with access to numerous parks and waterways. Whether you’re in the market for a quaint home tucked into the unspoiled Wisconsin wild, or a house in the city surrounded by modern amenities, Fond du Lac County is sure to have something for you. And with Fond du Lac County’s proximity to Madison (via Hwy. 151) and Milwaukee (via Hwy. 41), big city fun is only an hour drive away.

Real Estate in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Rated as one of the top 20 safest metropolitan areas in the country, Fond du Lac County offers a real estate market unlike any in the state. Due in part to the county’s charming mix of rural and city life, the variety of homes for sale in Fond du Lac County ranges from well-preserved rustic farmhouses for as low as $30,000, to hyper-modern estates with prices well over $1,000,000. For the majority of buyers looking to purchase a home in Fond du Lac County, the choice will be between the well-loved cape cod and colonial homes built between 1920 and 1940, and more modern designs which currently inhabit the region’s recently constructed neighborhoods. As with most communities, Fond du Lac County is also home to numerous recently-built condominiums.

Living in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Living in Fond du Lac County, one comes to find the region’s most stellar assets is the more than  958  acres included in the local park system. Managed by the Parks & Trails Department, Fond du Lac County’s parks cover the gamut of Wisconsin topography, including native woodlots, spring brooks, wetlands, lakeshore and rolling prairie. Throughout this variety of landscapes, residents are able to enjoy everything from hiking and mountain biking (through more than 50 miles of multi-purpose recreation trails), to unparalleled lake fishing, swimming and boating. Hunters without access to their own land will cherish the opportunity to use Fond du Lac County’s expansive public hunting ground. For those who like to experience the majesty of Wisconsin’s winter landscape by snowmobile, 239 miles of state-funded snowmobile trails open up each winter for trips both long and short.

Other natural attractions of interest in Fond du Lac county include Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, an extinct glacial lake which makes up the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the country, and the National Ice Age Reserve Unit, an affiliate of the National Park System which protects glacial landforms in Wisconsin. In addition to their preservation efforts, both are home to numerous to local flora and fauna populations.

Included in the Fond du Lac County parks system is the Rolling Meadows Golf Course, a 27 hole championship-level course which was redesigned in 1993 by famed course designer Dick Nugent. Though the course has been host to numerous state tournaments, casual and beginning players will find the course is able to accommodate their skills with six tee off areas per hole. Don’t have time for a full game? Rolling Meadows features a putting green, driving range and short game practice areas. The course is also home to JR’s On The Green bar and grill, open for lunch and dinner.

Though it goes without saying, most treasured among Fond du Lac County’s abundant natural resources are its many lakes and waterways. Lake Winnebago, the state’s largest freshwater lake, provides 137,700 acres of boating, swimming and beach going experiences. Two of Fond du Lac County’s most beautiful parks, Roosevelt Park and Wolf Lake County Park also offer opportunities to experience the joys of Wisconsin’s lakes.

Life in Fond du Lac County is not solely confined to enjoying the great outdoors. The area prides itself on preserving local history and fostering the imaginations of its youngest residents, as is evident by the county’s seven museums, the flagship of which is the Children’s Museum of Fond du Lac. Fond du Lac County also boasts a burgeoning arts scene, helmed in part by the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, and bolstered by two local theaters, and the Fond du Lac Public Library/Bookcellar, which strives to foster literacy and a lifelong desire to learn through its various community outreach operations. With Fond du Lac County’s close proximity to Madison and Milwaukee (both only an hour drive away), the comforts of the big city are never far away.

Schools in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Consistently placing in the top ranks of the national ACT scores, Fond du Lac County’s school system has time and time again been included amongst the top 25 public school districts in the United States. Serviced primarily by the Fond du Lac School District, the county also contains a number of religious-based and non-traditional schools. Pursuing higher education in Fond du Lac county has never been easier, thanks to the presence of the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac, Moraine Park Technical College, Marian University and Ripon College. Between the various institutions, students are able to pursue everything from graduate and doctoral work, to undergraduate and technical degrees.

Business in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

Fond du Lac County’s workforce finds employment in the county’s highly productive industrial sector. Businesses in this sector include Mercury Marine, Brenner Tank, J.M. Smucker Company, Saputo Food Services and Alliance Laundry Systems, as well as numerous others located in the regions 10 business and industrial parks. Retail workers will find employment opportunities in the area’s big box stores, or in one of the dozens of shops located inside Forest Mall.

Contributing to  the region’s continued growth is the hard work of the area’s various chambers of commerce. From networking meetings to business outreach and educational efforts, groups such as the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce, the Ripon Chamber of Commerce, and the Waupun Area Chamber of Commerce do the vital work of connecting business owners with customers and the surrounding community.

History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin

The phrase “Fond du Lac,” from which both the county and the city take its name, originates from the French traders who called the region the “foot of the lake” because of its location at the southern tip of Lake Winnebago. Though Fond du Lac County was settled in the mid 1830s, it wasn’t until midway through 1840 that settlers from New England, New York and Pennsylvania began migrating to the region. By as late as 1870, Fond du Lac had become the state’s second largest city, with major railway thoroughfares and thriving agricultural and milling industries.