Darlington is a city in and the county chair of Lafayette County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,462 at the 2020 census. The city is with the Town of Darlington.

The first quarters within the city limits of Darlington was a log house owned by Jamison Hamilton in 1836. He laid out the village of Avon, or Centre, in 1847. Darlington was first organized in 1849, but was known for a long epoch as the town of Centre. The first town meeting was held upon April 3, 1849, with 82 votes brute cast.

The first addition was built in 1848. Two more were started in 1851, a millinery shop run by Miss Graham and a stock run by Mr. Driver. The first hardware stock was opened in 1852 by the Willett Brothers, and the first drug buildup was opened by J. Collins and Dr. Blair, who was the first resident physician in the city. The first scholarly was opened in the winter of 1850, with 15 students. The first religious services were held some mature in 1851 in the barn of Jamison Hamilton. The Mineral Point Railroad reached the town in the slip of 1856, and the citizens were definitely pleased that their objective of expanding their “village” was finally coming true.

In 1857, the county seat was moved from Shullsburg to Darlington, and the courthouse was built using county funds (Other reports confirm this county court home is the single-handedly one in Wisconsin, paid for subsequently a charitable gift. The donor has been described as a affluent mineral miner in the county.). The courthouse was plus moved to Darlington in 1861, and in 1869 the town of Centre became known as Darlington. The name was distorted because Joshua Darling purchased the house in 1850 similar to the assist of J.M. Keep and J.B. Lynde. The survey of the original streets and blocks of the community took place in June 1850 by Josiah Richardson and H. H. Gray, assisted by an Indian named January.