The New England settlers only came to the area to set up fur trading posts between their new encampments and established cities like Milwaukee. 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.
In 1836, Native American tribes formally lost title to the land when treaties were disregarded and were forcibly removed by the Federal Army. 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. Waukesha County is included in the Milwaukee– Waukesha– West Allis, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha.
As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Waukesha County ( / ˈ w ɔː k ɪ ʃ ɔː/) is a county in the U.S.