Peshtigo, Wisconsin

Peshtigo is a city in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,357 at the 2000 census. Peshtigo is most famous as the site of the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, in which more than 1,200 people perished. The city is located within the Town of Peshtigo.

Geography

Peshtigo is located at coor dms|45|3|13|N|87|44|45|W|city (45.053759, -87.746028)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), of which, 3.0 square miles (7.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (5.28%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,357 people, 1,315 households, and 879 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,101.8 people per square mile (425.0/km²). There were 1,416 housing units at an average density of 464.8/sq mi (179.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.00% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,315 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,898, and the median income for a family was $41,900. Males had a median income of $31,815 versus $21,531 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,379. About 5.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

On October 8, 1871 (the same day as the Great Chicago Fire), a forest fire driven by strong winds totally consumed Peshtigo along with a dozen other villages, killing 1,200 to 2,500 people and charring approximately 1.5 million acres (6,000 km²). This fire, known as the Peshtigo Fire, is the deadliest in American history. Unidentifiable remains of hundreds of residents were buried in a mass grave at the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery. The Peshtigo Fire Museum features several items that survived the fire, plus other artifacts from the area's history.

Education

The Peshtigo School District provides public education for the Peshtigo area. [http://www.peshtigo.k12.wi.us]

Modern culture

The fictional character Caroline Duffy from the TV show "Caroline in the City" is from Peshtigo. The town has been mentioned on the show many times.

References

External links

* [http://www.peshtigochamber.com/ Peshtigo Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1945701352100776188 Video documentary on The Peshtigo Fire]