Black River Falls, Wisconsin

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Black River Falls, Wisconsin
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Black River Falls, Wisconsin


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Wisconsin
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Jackson

government_footnotes =
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leader_title =
leader_name =
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unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 8.4
area_land_km2 = 8.2
area_water_km2 = 0.2
area_total_sq_mi = 3.3
area_land_sq_mi = 3.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 3618
population_density_km2 = 442.6
population_density_sq_mi = 1146.4

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes = GR|3
elevation_m = 242
elevation_ft = 794
latd = 44 |latm = 17 |lats = 50 |latNS = N
longd = 90 |longm = 50 |longs = 57 |longEW = W

postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code =
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 55-07900GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1561883GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Black River Falls is a city in Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,618 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jackson CountyGR|6.

The Ho-Chunk Nation has its administrative center in Black River Falls.

The Black River Falls area is home to a large population of the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. The city celebrates with the [http://downtownblackriverfalls.com/karnerblue/ Karner Blue Butterfly Festival] held annually on the second Saturday of July.

History

Black River Falls was originally founded to utilize the waterpower of the Black River. As the area was predominantly forest at the time, the primary utilization was sawmills. Some of the lumber produced here was used in the construction of the Mormon temple at Nauvoo, Illinois. [ [http://www.blackriverfalls.com/area_history.html blackriverfalls.com - Home ] ]

While the logging and lumber industry is still present in the area, the current economy leans heavily on agriculture and tourism. Lake Arbutus, a 839-acre impoundment of the river, lies several miles northeast, as does the multi-use Levis/Trow trail system. Additionally, Black River Falls is home to a casino and hotel operated by the Ho-Chunk Nation.

Geography

Black River Falls is located at coor dms|44|17|50|N|90|50|57|W|city (44.297166, -90.849263)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (3.08%) is water.

The city is located on the falls of the Black River at the northeast edge of the Driftless Area. Currently, the falls are covered by a hydroelectric dam, forming the 200-acre Black River Flowage. [ [http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/gmu/bbt/black/blackriver.html Black River - WDNR ] ]

Local Media

Despite its rather small size, Black River Falls has two newspapers, both published weekly: the Banner-Journal and the [http://jacksoncountychronicle.com/ Jackson County Chronicle] .

[http://www.wwisradio.com/ WWIS Radio] operates the only radio stations located in Black River Falls, WWIS 1260AM and WWIS 99.7FM. The AM station only operates during daytime hours.

Government

City Hall, located at 101 S. 2nd St, houses the mayor, Ron Danielson, the city clerk/treasurer, Bill Arndt, the Parks and Rec Department, headed by Steve Peterson, and the Police Department, with Chief of Police Don Gilberg.

Culture

Black River Falls is depicted in Michael Lesy's book "Wisconsin Death Trip" (1973), which uses photographs and newspaper cuttings to highlight the harshness of life in the town during the late nineteenth century and the effects it had on the psychology of the inhabitants. The book was made into a film in 2000 which also includes images from the town as it is today.

Those passing through the town often visit a large orange moose statue that perches over Interstate 94 for a candid picture with the animal replica. The "Orange Moose" appears in photographs on many Web sites.

The song "Reformation!" by British rock band The Fall (from their 2007 LP Reformation Post TLC) references the Black River Falls Motel. [http://www.freehosting.hostrave.com/p/fall/rptlc.html#reformation]

Education

Black River Falls High School is the city's high school within the Black River Falls School District. Western Technical College offers classes in Black River Falls.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,618 people, 1,563 households, and 886 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,146.4 people per square mile (442.1/km²). There were 1,679 housing units at an average density of 532.0/sq mi (205.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.37% White, 0.19% African American, 4.73% Native American, 0.11% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 1,563 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,555, and the median income for a family was $46,222. Males had a median income of $31,481 versus $18,519 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,532. About 3.7% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

External links

* [http://downtownblackriverfalls.com/ Black River Falls Downtown Association]
* [http://www.blackriverfallslibrary.org/ Black River Falls Public Library] Wisconsin's first public library
* [http://www.blackrivercountry.net/ Black River Area Chamber of Commerce] Information on the city and surrounding area
* [http://www.blackriverfalls.com/ BlackRiverFalls.com] City and city government information

References