Wausau

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Wausau
The square called 400 Block in the center of Wausau
The square called 400 Block in the center of Wausau
Location in Wisconsin
Wausau (Wisconsin)
Wausau
Wausau
Basic data
Foundation : 1861
State : United States
State : Wisconsin
County : Marathon County
Coordinates : 44 ° 57 ′  N , 89 ° 38 ′  W Coordinates: 44 ° 57 ′  N , 89 ° 38 ′  W
Time zone : Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 )
Inhabitants :
-  Metropolitan Area :		 39,106 (as of 2010)
134,063 (as of 2010)
Population density : 926.7 inhabitants per km 2
Area : 45.6 km 2  (approx. 18 mi 2 ) of
which 42.2 km 2  (approx. 16 mi 2 ) is land
Height : 367 m
Postcodes : 54403
Area code : +1 715
FIPS : 55-84475
GNIS ID : 1576325
Website : www.ci.wausau.wi.us
Mayor : James E. Tipple
WausauWisconsinCityHall.jpg
Town hall of Wausau

Wausau is a city (with a status of " City ") and the administrative seat of Marathon County , Wisconsin . In 2010 Wausau had 39,106 inhabitants.

Wausau is the center of the Metropolitan Statistical Area  Wausau , which coincides with Marathon County.

geography

Wausau lies at 44 ° 57'00 "north latitude and 89 ° 38'00" west longitude and extends over 45.6 km 2 , which is spread over 42.2 km 2 of land and 3.3 km 2 of water.

Wausau is the place that is closest to the center of the northern western hemisphere (45 ° north, 90 ° west). This means that the city is halfway between the North Pole and the equator on the one hand and half the distance from the prime meridian to the date line on the other.

The city is located on the upper reaches of the 692 km long Wisconsin River , which flows through the state of Wisconsin from its northern border to the south, before flowing south of Prairie du Chien into the Mississippi .

The closest major cities are Eau Claire and the Twin Cities in Minnesota (160 km and 300 km west, respectively), Duluth on Lake Superior in Minnesota (370 km northwest), the twin city of Sault Ste. Marie in the Canadian province of Ontario and Michigan (570 km northeast), Green Bay on Lake Michigan (150 km east), Wisconsin's largest city Milwaukee on Lake Michigan (305 km southeast), Wisconsin's capital Madison (230 km south) and La Crosse (235 km southwest).

traffic

On the western outskirts of the city, US Highway 51 runs in a north-south direction . Wausau forms the northern end point of Interstate 39 , which runs in a southerly direction with Highway 51 on the same route. Wausau also goes through Wisconsin Highways 29 and 52 , a number of secondary roads and several railroad lines.

Local public transport is operated by Metro Ride bus routes in partnership with the city of Wausau, the city of Schofield and the communities of Rothschild and Weston . There are 8 lines that run in a 30 or 60 minute sequence.

Wausau Downtown Airport is located on the southern outskirts and is owned by the city of Wausau. In addition to the take-offs and landings of smaller private planes, charter connections are also operated from there. Central Wisconsin Airport is located 23.7 km south of the city of Wausau , from which scheduled flights to Minneapolis , Chicago and Detroit are also operated.

history

prehistory

The name “Wausau” comes from the Indian Ojibwe language and means something like “far away place” or “place that can be seen from afar” .

After French explorers were the first whites to travel to the area, the US government signed a treaty with the Chippewa tribe (also known as Ojibwa or Anishabe ) in 1836 and thus came into possession of the area around today's city of Wausau.

In 1840 George Stevens (after whom the town of Stevens Point in Portage County to the south was named) built the first sawmill, others along the Wisconsin River followed a little later.

In 1846 Walter McIndoe came to the area. As a member of the House of Representatives , he helped the region grow and helped found Marathon County in 1850.

Foundation and the first decades

In 1852 the Town (ship) of Wausau was established as an official local authority. Due to the immigration of many Germans , the number of residents increased considerably and in 1861 led to the establishment of the community ( Village ) Wausau. In 1872 the place was given City status. August Kickbusch, of German descent, was elected the new city's first mayor. Kickbusch founded a grocery wholesaler, a company that remained family-owned for generations to come.

In 1874 Wausau got a connection to the railway network. The region's economy, which was based primarily on the timber industry, prospered and Wausau became a regional center. As a result, the decline of the timber industry could not affect the city's economic development.

The 20th century

The Grand Theater , which was built in 1927 on the site of the opera house built in 1899

Wausau's convenient location on the Wisconsin River ensured economic survival. At the beginning of the 20th century, the economic structure changed early and became broader. The insurance company Employers Insurance of Wausau settled in, which later became known nationwide under the name Wausau Group and has now merged into the insurance company Liberty Mutual .

In the early 20th century, Wausau and Marathon County were part of the political hinterland of the strengthened Social Democratic Party . During the First World War , the party won a seat in the Wisconsin Senate .

A similar profound change in the transport system, as this was done by the railroad, came with the beginning of motorization. As a result, many new roads were built in the region and existing roads were paved.

The stock market crash of 1929 also had a major impact on economic activity in the region around Wausau. Many industrial companies in the region were closed or downsized, so that the number of unemployed rose significantly. After decades of growth, growth came to a standstill for the first time.

As a result of the New Deal , the economy was able to recover and was subsequently heavily modernized. After the Second World War , the city experienced a strong boom in all areas.

In 1983 the new shopping mall was opened, which still exists today. In the 1990s a new industrial park was built. In the late 1990s, a number of old buildings in the city center were demolished to create the space called 400 Block . The open, grassy square forms the center of the city and is crossed by asphalt paths. Local festivals are held there in summer.

The new millennium

At the end of the 20th century, Wausau City Council began developing the Wausau Central Business District Master Plan . With this development plan, the future development and structure of the inner city should be determined.

economy

About a third of Marathon County's economy is based on industrial production. The balance between the industrial and service sectors helps stabilize the economy in the region.

Important branches of the economy are the paper industry, insurance and tourism. The city of Wausau has an unemployment rate that is below the national average. In the region around Wausau there are 12 banks with 41 branches, three trust companies and three holding companies . There are also 13 cooperative banks with 18 branches.

The region around Wausau is the center of the cultivation of American ginseng .

Wausau is also known for the red granite , which is mined not far from the city.

Culture and sport

Main building of the Marathon County History Museum
The main building of the Marathon County Public Library in Wausau

The main building of the Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) , the largest library in the area of ​​Wausau, is located in the center in close proximity to the shopping center of the city of Wausau. The library was established in 1974 when the Marathon County's library was merged with the Wausau city library. The library serves as the headquarters of all public libraries in all of Marathon County, which has eight other libraries.

The Marathon County's History Museum also has a public library located in its main building.

Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum

The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is located in Wausau . It is known for its Birds in Art exhibition . The Tudor- style building, erected in 1931 , belonged to Alice Woodson Forester and John E. Forester , who donated it to a museum in 1976.

In August 2010, the music festival Why not Wausau? held, which featured a number of indie rock bands from across the Midwest . The festival took place downtown and in the Granite Peak Sk Area .

The city is home to the Wisconsin Woodchucks, a baseball team of the Northwoods League and plays its home games in the Athletic Park in Wausau.

In the ski resort Granite Peak Ski Area at the near Rib Mountain , there are a number of ski slopes. The mountain is the highest ski slope in the entire American Midwest.

There is a kayak course in Wausau, where various regional, national and international competitions have already been held.

Population development
Census Residents ± in%
1870 1349 -
1880 4277 217%
1890 9253 116.3%
1900 12,354 33.5%
1910 16,560 34%
1920 18,951 14.4%
1930 23,758 25.4%
1940 27,268 14.8%
1950 30,386 11.4%
1960 31,943 5.1%
1970 32,806 2.7%
1980 32,426 -1.2%
1990 37,060 14.3%
2000 38,426 3.7%
2010 39.106 1.8%
2012 estimate 39,160 0.1%
1870-2000 2010 2012

population

According to the 2010 census , 39,106 people in 16,487 households lived in Wausau. The population density was 926.7 people per square kilometer. Statistically, 2.31 people lived in each of the 16,487 households.

The racial the population was composed of 83.7 percent white, 1.4 percent African American, 0.8 percent Native American, 11.1 percent Asian and 0.9 percent from other ethnic groups; 2.3 percent were descended from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 2.9 percent of the population.

23.5 percent of the population were under 18 years old, 60.8 percent were between 18 and 64 and 15.7 percent were 65 years or older. 50.9 percent of the population was female.

The average annual income for a household was 41,706  USD . The per capita income was $ 24,029. 18.8 percent of the population lived below the poverty line.

In 1996, it was estimated that the Hmong people make up the largest ethnic group in the city, at 11 percent.

Known residents

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ US Postal Service - ZIP Codes
  2. ↑ a b c American Fact Finder. Retrieved March 19, 2014
  3. ↑ Metro Ride ( Memento from February 10, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ^ Wausau Downtown Airport. Accessed March 21, 2014
  5. ↑ Google Maps: Wausau, WI - Central Wisconsin Airport
  6. ↑ a b History - The Wausau Story
  7. ^ History of Mayors - City of Wausau
  8. ↑ www.waow.com ( Memento from March 16, 2018 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ About Wausau - general information
  10. ^ Ginseng Board of Wisconsin
  11. ↑ www.michels.us ( Memento from May 3, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ^ Marathon County Public Library
  13. ↑ Birds in Art ( Memento from January 30, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ^ History of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum ( Memento from May 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ Why not Wausau?
  16. ↑ Granite Peak Ski Area ( Memento from July 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  17. ↑ US Decennial Census. Retrieved March 19, 2014
  18. ^ US Census Bureau, State & County QuickFacts - Wausau, Wisconsin ( September 23, 2012 memento in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved March 19, 2014
  19. ↑ Timeline of Hmong History ( Memento from February 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  20. ^ Pro Football Reference
  21. ↑ Baseball Reverence
  22. ^ Pro Football Reference

Web links