Ozaukee County, Administrative division in Wisconsin, United States.
Ozaukee County is an administrative division in Wisconsin located along Lake Michigan's western shore, spanning about 233 square miles of land and 883 square miles of water. Port Washington serves as its county seat and largest community in this water-rich region.
The county was formed in 1853, with Port Washington established as its administrative hub and a key port for water-based commerce and shipping. This creation followed decades of European immigration that had transformed the lakeside landscape.
German, Irish, and Luxembourger families arrived starting in the 1840s and shaped the area's character, with German settlers becoming the largest group by 1870. Their heritage appears in local architecture, craft traditions, and community life throughout the county today.
The area stretches along Lake Michigan, offering many points of water access and shoreline to explore throughout the county. Most services and facilities cluster around Port Washington in the southern portion of the region.
The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 to protect numerous historical shipwrecks along the shoreline. This underwater site preserves stories of sailors and maritime history spanning generations.
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