Best Web Design in Oshkosh, WI (2026)

Web Design for Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Oshkosh sits on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and takes its name and identity from Menominee Chief Oshkosh. A 19th-century lumber boomtown nicknamed "Sawdust City," it is now known worldwide two ways: as the home of OshKosh B'gosh overalls and Oshkosh Corporation's heavy trucks, and as the site of EAA AirVenture, the planet's largest airshow, which briefly makes its airport the busiest on Earth. Winters bring a distinctive spectacle of ice-shanty sturgeon spearing on the frozen lake.

AppWT works with Oshkosh, WI businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Oshkosh

Also known as. Sawdust City. Event City. The City on the Water.

History. The city is named for Chief Oshkosh (c. 1795-1858), a leader of the Menominee people; his name is often translated as "claw." Oshkosh incorporated as a city in 1853 with roughly 2,800 residents and grew rapidly on the lumber and wood-products industry. By 1870 it had become Wisconsin's third-largest city, with more than 12,000 people. A catastrophic fire on April 28, 1875, destroyed some 70 stores, 40 factories, and 500 homes, causing nearly $2.5 million in damage. Chief Oshkosh resisted federal pressure to relocate the Menominee, helping the tribe avoid removal from Wisconsin. The wood boom gave way to durable manufacturing, most notably vehicle-making and children's clothing in the late 19th and 20th centuries.

Local economy. Oshkosh Corporation, a Fortune 500 maker of specialty and defense vehicles (military trucks, fire/emergency apparatus, and the U.S. Postal Service's next-generation mail truck), is the marquee employer. OshKosh B'gosh, the children's-clothing brand founded in 1895, made the city's name internationally famous through its bib overalls. Amcor (the former Bemis Company) operates plastic-packaging manufacturing in the area. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is headquartered in Oshkosh and drives a large aviation-tourism economy. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is a major regional employer and one of the largest campuses in the UW System. EAA AirVenture alone generates an estimated $257 million in annual economic impact for the Fox Valley region.

Culture and community. EAA AirVenture, held each summer, is the world's largest airshow, drawing well over 600,000 visitors. WaterFest is a long-running lakeside summer concert series on the Fox River. Country USA and other large music festivals have made the area a warm-weather concert destination. Winter sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago is a deeply rooted local tradition and social season. Sawdust Days, a Fourth of July festival held for about 47 years in Menominee Park, celebrated the city's lumber heritage. The Grand Opera House, opened in 1883, remains a centerpiece performing-arts venue.

What makes Oshkosh distinct. During EAA AirVenture, Wittman Regional Airport becomes the busiest airport in the world by aircraft operations. Lake Winnebago is one of only two places in the country where lake sturgeon may be harvested by spear (the other is Black Lake, Michigan). The "Oshkosh b'gosh" overall brand carried the city's quirky name into closets nationwide. Chief Oshkosh Beer, once the city's most popular brew, was discontinued in 1972; the brewery's old marketing falsely claimed the chief himself was a customer. Chief Oshkosh, the namesake leader, died in 1858 from injuries suffered in a brawl.

Oshkosh Landmarks and Local Life

• Lake Winnebago - the largest lake entirely within Wisconsin, forms the city's eastern edge
• The EAA Aviation Museum displays hundreds of historic and experimental aircraft.
• The Paine Art Center and Gardens - a Tudor-revival estate with formal gardens
• The Grand Opera House - a restored Victorian-era theater
• Menominee Park and its small zoo along the lakeshore.
• The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus.