Walworth County is a county is located in Southeast Wisconsin. While being the most rural county in the region, it enjoys a strong tourism industry in Lake Geneva and Delavan.
Regions
Walworth County has four population centers: Lake Geneva, Elkhorn, Delavan and Whitewater. The rest of the County is dotted with smaller cities and unincorporated areas and farmland.
Cities
- Darien: A rural community located in western central Walworth County.
- Delavan: A lake community and home to Lake Lawn Resort.
- East Troy: A lake community located near Lake Beulah.
- Elkhorn: The county seat and Christmas Card Capital of the World.
- Fontana: A lake community located on the far west edge of Lake Geneva.
- Genoa City: A rural community located in southeastern Walworth County immediately adjacent to Richmond.
- Lake Geneva: A lake community and popular tourist destination area. Home to a number of resorts and golf courses.
- Sharon: A rural community located in southwestern Walworth County.
- Walworth: A community located near the Illinois state line.
- Whitewater: A college town and home to the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater. Partially located in Jefferson County.
- Williams Bay: A lake community located on the western side of Lake Geneva and home to George Williams College of Aurora University
Other destinations
Understand
Walworth County has a unique mixture of agriculture and tourism.
Talk
As with most of the Midwest, English is by far the most common language spoken in the area. Spanish is an increasingly common language, especially in Walworth and Delavan.
Get in
Walworth County is mostly accessible only by car. Prominent routes leading into the County include I-43 (from Milwaukee or Beloit), US 12 (from Chicago or Madison), US 14 (from Chicago or Janesville) and WI 11 (from Racine or Janesville).
Get around
Most of the County is only accessible by car. The following major routes grant easy access to most of the County:
- Interstate 43: Interstate 43 travels southwest to northeast through the County entering near Darien and exiting at Mukwonago. It interchanges with every other major route in the County and runs directly through or immediately adjacent to Darien, Delavan, Elkhorn, East Troy and Mukwonago.
- US 12: US 12 moves on a southeast to northwest route through most of Walworth County entering at Genoa City and exiting near Whitewater. The stretch between Genoa City and Elkhorn is open freeway. It runs through or immediately adjacent to Genoa City, unincorporated Pell Lake, Lake Geneva, Elkhorn and Whitewater.
- US 14: US 14 services only the southwestern portion of the County and enters south of Walworth and exits immediately west of Darien.
- WI 50: WI 50 moves on an east-west route entering immediately east of Lake Geneva and terminating at its intersection with WI 11 near downtown Delavan. It is one of the two major routes located immediately near Williams Bay and Fontana.
- WI 11: WI 11 moves on an east-west route entering immediately west of Burlington in Kenosha County. It passes through the downtown areas of Elkhorn and Delavan prior to joining US 14 and exiting immediately west of Darien.
- WI 67: WI 67 is a north-south numbered route entering the County immediately south of Kettle Moraine State Park in the area near Palmyra and passes through Elkhorn, Williams Bay, Fontana, Walworth and Sharon prior to exiting immediately west of Sharon.
- WI 120: WI 120 is a north-south state route serving East Troy and Lake Geneva. It originates in downtown East Troy and exits south of Lake Geneva where it becomes IL 47.
See
- Lake Geneva: One of the major attractions of the area, Lake Geneva is a large, freshwater lake with year-round activities for boating, fishing, hiking and ice fishing. There are public launches at the City of Lake Geneva, Fontana, and Williams Bay. There are regular boat tours of the lake during the summer focused on the history of the homes built on the lake.
- Clifford F. Messinger Dry Prairie & Savanna State Natural Area: A state park in north central Walworth County, covering the southernmost extent of the Kettle Moraine area. There are plenty of opportunities for biking, hiking, camping and RVing near Whitewater Lake with easy access to both Whitewater and Delavan.
Do
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Stay safe
Walworth County is an exceptionally safe area. Motorists are cautioned that travel can be difficult in the winter or during periods of heavy wind.