Reedsburg, Wisconsin

Reedsburg is a city in Sauk County, Wisconsin, along the Baraboo River. The population was 7,827 at the 2000 census. The city is located within the Town of Reedsburg, but is politically independent.

Geography

Reedsburg is located at coor dms|43|32|1|N|90|0|10|W|city (43.533854, -90.002902)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²).The Baraboo River flows through the city.

Reedsburg is a community of 9,028 people. It is located 15 miles south west of the Wisconsin Dells along the Baraboo River with scenic views of the Baraboo Range to the south. There is easy access to Interstate 90/94 along with State Highway 33 and State Highway 23. The City also has its very own airport with a 5,000 foot runway for general aviation. The transportation options make Reedsburg very accessible to other communities.

History

Just west, across the Baraboo River from downtown Reedsburg, James Babb registered his claim in 1848. He cultivated some of the prairie, used the timber to build a log house and thus became the first white man to become a permanent resident in this area. Having established himself here, he left his meager possessions in the care of the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Indians who resided in this area, and returned to Ohio to bring other members of his family here.

David C. Reed, hearing of deposits of iron and copper in the area, soon followed. He built a saw and grist mill on the river and five shanties made of wood to house the laborers. Their shanties became known as Shanty Row and stood approximately where Main Street is today. Mr. Reed has been credited for starting the village, thus the name of Reedsburgh (Reedsburg) was give to the settlement.

Reedsburg is full of interesting historical facts. Two of the "Black Sox" teammates played at our ball field the season after they were barred from professional baseball.One summer during World War II, a prisoner of war camp was located in what is now Webb Park. Reedsburg is the location of the first Ford dealership in the state of Wisconsin and had the first sanctioned Little League in Wisconsin.

During the 1960 Wisconsin Primary, a little known senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy came to Main Street to campaign for the presidency of the United States.During the Berlin crisis, Reedsburg was featured in Life Magazine. They reported the events, trials and tribulations from a small community as their local national guard members were sent to Fort Lewis,Washington.

Known Facts

* Reedsburg is located directly on the 90th meridian, which means that clocks here are exactly in sync with the sun overhead.

* A pink quartzite marker on the Main Street boulevard reads "325 FEET EAST OF THIS POINT LIES THE 90TH MERIDIAN"The marker was dedicated on October 14, 1963, to designate Reedsburg's unique position in the state. It was donated by Whitney Memorials and erected by the Kiwanis

* During the 1960 Wisconsin Primary, a little known senator from Massachusetts came to Main Street to campaign for the presidency of the United States, named "John F. Kennedy"

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 7,827 people, 3,193 households, and 2,021 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,503.9 people per square mile (581.2/km²). There were 3,380 housing units 251.0/km² (649.4/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 97.44% White, 0.17% Black or African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,193 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 13.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,152, and the median income for a family was $44,329. Males had a median income of $33,211 versus $21,973 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,828. About 5.5% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

*Agnes Moorehead, actress who played Endora on the long running TV show Bewitched, lived in Reedsburg.

References

External links

* [http://www.reedsburglibrary.org/ Reedsburg Public Library]
* [http://www.reedsburg.com/ www.reedsburg.com]
* [http://www.reedsburgwi.gov/ Reedsburg's Virtual City Hall]
* [http://www.wiscnews.com/rtp] website of the Reedsburg Times-Press newspaper