Baraboo, Wisconsin

Baraboo is the largest city and the county seat in Sauk County, Wisconsin, along the Baraboo River. The population was 11,049 at the time of the 2007 census. The city is located mostly within the Town of Baraboo.

Baraboo is home to Circus World Museum, the former headquarters and winter home of the Ringling Brothers circus and now the largest library of circus information in the US. This living museum has one of the foremost collections of circus carts, and occasionally hosts a parade of these artifacts through the streets of Baraboo.

The Al. Ringling Theatre is an active landmark of the city's rich cultural history. This grand scale movie palace is larger and more elaborate than one would normally find in a town the size of Baraboo, owing to the financial assistance of the Ringling family. The Al Ringling home still exists and is kept in good condition.

Baraboo is also home to the International Crane Foundation, the world's foremost organization dedicated to the study and conservation of the world's 15 species of crane. Aldo Leopold's famous Shack and Farm, celebrated in A Sand County Almanac is also within the Baraboo vicinity.

Together with surrounding communities (including West Baraboo and the Town of Baraboo), the Baraboo micropolitan area was, according to the 2000 census, home to about 15,000 people. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Sauk County (2000 population: 55,225). The Baraboo mSA is just northwest of the Madison metropolitan area, with which it forms the Census Bureau's Baraboo-Madison Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.7 km²), all of it land.

Baraboo gives its name to the Baraboo Syncline, a doubly-plunging, asymmetric syncline in Proterozoic-aged Baraboo Quartzite. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, most notably Charles R. Van Hise used the syncline to prove that small-scale deformational structures in isolated outcrops reflect larger regional structures and established top-facing to occur inside elaborately deformed strata. These two principles sparked a global revolution in structural geology during the 1920s. The nearby Baraboo Hills are designated one of the "Last Great Places" by the Nature Conservancy because of unique rocks, plants and animals. Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin's largest state park, contains large areas of the Baraboo Hills. The hills near Baraboo were created by glacial action, and in some points poke up from the flat terrain nearby to from a stark contrast. Apparently some of these features were created when a glacial pocket was formed eons ago, or in other words were the advance of the glacier halted, creating some of the unique features of the Baraboo hills.

Education

The School District of Baraboo has four K-5 elmentary schools, one kindergarten center, one K-1 charter school, one middle school and one high school.

Civic Officials

Mayor and City Council:
Mayor Pat Liston
Alderperson Jerry McCammond (Council President)
Alderperson Phil Wedekind
Alderperson Betty Marquardt
Alderperson Olaf Kivioja
Alderperson Michael Cone
Alderperson Joel Petty
Alderperson Elizabeth Brickl
Alderperson Brett Topham
Alderperson Eugene Robkin

City Department Officials:
Ed Geick (City Administrator)
Mark Reitz (City Attorney)
Stewart Hamel (Assessor)
Pete Giese (Building Inspector)
Cheryl Giese (City Clerk-Finance Director)
Pat Hamilton (CDA Director)
Chuck Bongard (City Engineer)
Kevin Stieve (Fire Chief)
Richard MacDonald (Library Director)
Tim O'Keefe (Parks & Recreation Director and City Forester)
Craig Olsen (Chief of Police)
Bob Koss (Street Superintendent)
Lori Laux (City Treasurer)
Terry Kramer (Utility Superintendent)
Gordy Ringelstetter & Allison Goetz (Weed Commissioners)

Demographics

As of the census of 2007, there were 11,049 people, 4,467 occupied households and 2,403 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,030.2 people per square mile (783.2/km²). There were 4,718 housing units at an average density of 345.0 persons/km² (894.3 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 97.12% White, 0.51% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,467 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,375, and the median income for a family was $48,149. Males had a median income of $32,775 versus $22,813 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,304.

Notable people

*Belle Case La Follette lived with her family, near Baraboo.
*Ringling brothers
*Bradbury Robinson, who threw the first forward pass in football history, grew up in Baraboo.

Historic Points

* The Shack, the famous Aldo Leopold farm, is located near Baraboo.

See also

* Badger Army Ammunition Plant
* Devil's Lake State Park
* GRABAAWR
* International Crane Foundation

External links

* [http://cityofbaraboo.com/ City of Baraboo]
* [http://www.baraboo.k12.wi.us/ Baraboo School District]
* [http://www.baraboonow.com/ BarabooNow]
* [http://www.nextlevel-com.com/ NEXTLEVEL]
* [http://www.baraboopubliclibrary.org/ Baraboo Public Library]