[3] Waukesha County is included in the Milwaukee–Waukesha–West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Known as forested and prairie land, the region was first home to Indigenous tribes like Menomonie, Ojibwe (Chippewa), Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), who practiced agriculture and trade.

In 1836, Native American tribes formally lost title to the land when treaties were disregarded and were forcibly removed by the Federal Army.

Prior to the 1830s, the area was unoccupied by settlers due to its inland location and the fact that the Fox River was not a water highway.

The New England settlers only came to the area to set up fur trading posts between their new encampments and established cities like Milwaukee.

[7] The name is derived from the Potawatomi word for 'fox' because the streams in the lower part of the county drain into the Fox River.

They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was the wilds of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s.

Most arrived as a result of the completion of the Erie Canal as well as the end of the Black Hawk War.

The New Englanders built farms, roads, government buildings and established post routes.

They brought many of their Yankee New England values, such as a passion for education that led to the establishment of many schools as well as staunch support for abolitionism.

Due to the second Great Awakening some converted to Methodism, and others became Baptists before moving to what is now Waukesha County.

Waukesha County is located to the west of Milwaukee and its suburban development was spurred by the construction of Interstate 94 in Wisconsin.

It includes Pewaukee, Delafield, Hartland, Merton, Nashotah, Chenequa, Okauchee Lake, Oconomowoc, Summit, and Lac La Belle.

This includes the purchase of shared electronic databases, summer library programming, and circulation services.

The land conservation division works to educate on and regulate soil and water issues.

The environmental health division oversees animal welfare issues, food safety, and air, water and sewage, and safety issues (such as radon testing, well testing, and septic system monitoring).

The University of Wisconsin-Extension is a partnership with Waukesha County and brings the research of the UW System to families, businesses, governments, and organizations through educational outreach programs.

The UW-Extension office also houses 180° Juvenile Diversion, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates first-time young offenders in Waukesha County.

[24] Underlining this, Lyndon Johnson's narrow win in 1964 is the last time that a Democratic presidential candidate has even garnered 40 percent of the county's vote, though Jimmy Carter, Michael Dukakis, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris came close.

The initial unofficial statewide tally in the 2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court election had Democratic challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg defeating incumbent justice David Prosser by a 204-vote margin.

The newly reported votes gave Prosser the lead, and he retained his seat.