Darlington, WI

Darlington is Lafayette County's seat in southwest Wisconsin, a city in the Driftless Area where the Pecatonica River runs through the middle of town. The 2020 census counted 2,462 residents. It began as a village in the 1840s, got a railroad in 1856, and became the county seat soon after. The town was first called Centre, then took the name Darlington in 1869 for early founder Joshua Darling. The river earned the city its nickname, the Pearl of the Pecatonica, thanks to the pearl-button clams once harvested there.

Darlington's practical center is still easy to find: courthouse, Main Street, schools, shops, and the Pecatonica River Trails Park. Historic Main Street and the Driver Opera House give the city an older face, while the Tri-County trail system, ATV routes, and river access make the surrounding Driftless landscape part of everyday life. Darlington's local scoop is a county-seat city with a pearl-button past, a river running through it, and enough trails to turn an old railroad town into an outdoor base.