Welcome to Southeastern Wisconsin
We invite you to discover the Southeastern Wisconsin area consisting of Walworth, Kenosha and Racine Counties offering wide ranging lifestyle and recreation options.
Twin Lakes
Twin Lakes is part of the Twin Lakes Area. Located in Kenosha County, in southeastern Wisconsin, Twin Lakes is a village of 6,000 located near the Wisconsin – Illinois border. The village takes its name from two nearby lakes: Lake Mary and Elizabeth Lake.
The first settlers in the community were Mary Rae and Jonathan Ineson, who were married in the area in 1837. At the time the area was known as English Prairie, a name which would remain until the Village of Twin Lakes was incorporated in 1912. The Inesons had eight children, but only two girls. These girls were notable as they were named Mary and Elizabeth, which, not coincidentally, are the names of the two nearby lakes. The lakes were named after these two girls, and shortly thereafter, the name “Twin Lakes” became widely-used among locals.
Delavan Lake
Delavan is part of the Delavan Area. Located in Walworth County, Delavan is the name of both a city and a town located in southeastern Wisconsin. Part of the City of Delavan lies within the Town of Delavan, and the unincorporated communities of East Delavan, Inlet and Lake Lawn lie within the town as well.
The area where Delavan presently sits was originally part of the Indiana Territory and then the Illinois Territory, until ultimately becoming a part of the Wisconsin Territory in 1836. Once Wisconsin was granted statehood in 1848, Delavan as it stands today finally began to take shape. During the mid to late 19th century, Delavan was home to 26 circus companies. The world-famous P.T. Barnum Circus was founded in the town in 1871, and immediately put this quiet Wisconsin town on the map.
Lake Geneva
Located in Walworth County, Lake Geneva is one of the most popular resort communities in the state of Wisconsin, known for its year-round natural beauty.
The area was first named “Muck-Suck,” which is “Big Foot” in the Potawatomi language. After western settlers arrived in the mid-1800s, the name was changed to Geneva, after the town of the same name in New York. This quickly presented a problem, as the town was often confused with nearby Geneva, Illinois, so the name was changed to Lake Geneva. As the railroads expanded into Wisconsin in the middle of the 19th century, the community became a popular summer retreat destination for Chicagoans looking to escape the city, earning Lake Geneva the title of “The Newport of the West.” While the complexion of the town has changed over the years, its popularity with summer vacationers has not waned.
Lauderdale Lakes
Lauderdale Lakes is part of the Elkhorn Area. Located in Walworth County, Elkhorn is a city of over 10,000 located in southeastern Wisconsin. As the county seat of Walworth County, it is a major center for activity and industry in the region.
The first settler in the area was Colonel Samuel Phoenix, who arrived in 1836. It was Colonel Phoenix who named the town after discovering a rack of elk antlers in a tree and aptly naming the area “Elk Horn.” The town did not flourish until the Bradley brothers, Daniel and Milo, established a community in the 1840s. It was in 1846 that the town was named the county seat of Walworth County, a position it has held ever since.
Powers Lake
Powers Lake is part of the Twin Lakes Area. Located in Kenosha County, in southeastern Wisconsin, Twin Lakes is a village of 6,000 located near the Wisconsin – Illinois border. The village takes its name from two nearby lakes: Lake Mary and Elizabeth Lake.
The first settlers in the community were Mary Rae and Jonathan Ineson, who were married in the area in 1837. At the time the area was known as English Prairie, a name which would remain until the Village of Twin Lakes was incorporated in 1912. The Inesons had eight children, but only two girls. These girls were notable as they were named Mary and Elizabeth, which, not coincidentally, are the names of the two nearby lakes. The lakes were named after these two girls, and shortly thereafter, the name “Twin Lakes” became widely-used among locals.
Whitewater Lake
Whitewater is part of the Whitewater Area. Located in Walworth and Jefferson counties, Whitewater is a town of nearly 15,000 located in southeast Wisconsin. The city is home to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a 4-year residential college that is part of the University of Wisconsin System, with an enrollment of over 12,000.
Whitewater was named after the white sand that lines the beds of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook, and it was at the junction of these two bodies of water that the community was founded. Although initial settlement in the early 19th century was steady, the population exploded in the 1850s, as railroad lines spread into the area. The original settlers were predominately farmers from New England, who arrived via Chicago. The area was initially covered with thick, wild prairie grasses, but the complexion quickly changed, with wheat and corn growing where prairie and dense forests once stood.
Whitewater Lake is just south of the town of Whitewater, in Walworth County, Wisconsin. It is a popular fishing spot in Southern Wisconsin, not far from Lake Geneva.