Platteville is the largest city in Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin. The population was 11,836 at the 2020 census, up from 11,224 at the 2010 census. Much of this bump is likely due to the enrollment lump of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. It is the principal city of the Platteville Micropolitan Statistical area, which has an estimated population of 49,681. Platteville is located atop the greater Platte River valley in the southern Driftless Region of Wisconsin, an area known for its karst topography and rolling hills.

Platteville was established by pioneers and early improvement miners along inlets and flat groves of The Rountree Branch and Platte River, which form portion of the greater Upper Mississippi River system in the southwest Driftless Region of Wisconsin.

Areas of town are carved by ridges, narrow valleys, and steep hills. The put on of geography can along with be seen in the anomaly of the streets in the community. As the town grew, roads were given Strange routes, to avoid the steep ravines and mining shafts strewn just about the locality.

Platteville was officially founded in 1829 by John H. Rountree, a southern businessman who had moved to the region prior, in hopes of finding plenty during its benefit rush. The town became a wealthy mining community in allowance due to its close proximity to Dubuque, Iowa & Galena, Illinois. Both were flourishing cities along the Mississippi River trade route that benefited from the rising request for improvement throughout the United States from the 1820’s–1850’s.