Burlington, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Burlington | |
| Nicknames: Chocolate City, U.S.A. | |
| Motto: The town with Tall Tales | |
 Location of Burlington in Racine and Walworth counties, Wisconsin | |
  Burlington  Burlington | |
| Coordinates:42°40′40″N88°16′41″W / 42.67778°N 88.27806°W /42.67778; -88.27806 | |
| Country | United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Racine,Walworth |
| Incorporated (village) | 1886 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1900 |
| Named after | Burlington, Vermont |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Jon Schultz |
| • Administrator | Carina Walters |
| • Common council | 8 aldermen from 4 districts |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.97 sq mi (20.64 km2) |
| • Land | 7.71 sq mi (19.98 km2) |
| • Water | 0.25 sq mi (0.65 km2) 2.98% |
| Population | |
• Total | 11,047 |
| • Density | 1,423.1/sq mi (549.48/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 53105 |
| Area code | 262 |
| FIPS code | 55-11200 |
| Website | www |
Burlington is a city inRacine andWalworth counties in theU.S. state ofWisconsin,[4] with the majority of the city located in Racine County.[5] The population of the city was 11,047 as of the2020 census.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the area,Native American mounds were constructed near the present location of Burlington. A smallPotawatomi village stood in what became Burlington.[6]
The earliest certain European presence in what became Burlington was in the fall of 1799, when a group of French explorers and missionaries led by Francis Morgan de Vereceones made aportage from theRoot River to theFox River, reaching the Fox at approximately Burlington's present location.[7]
The first European settlers in Burlington were Moses Smith (the son of aRevolutionary War veteran) and William Whiting.[8][9] Smith and Whiting had been in the area previously, making a so-called "jackknife claim" to the land (carving their names and the date on trees in the vicinity) on December 15, 1835.[10] The men then left the encampment and returned with Lemuel Smith (Moses' brother) as well as Benjamin Perce, another member of the group. The four men searched for arable land and built a cabin on the east side of the Fox River (on what is now Wehmhoff-Jucker Park.) Other settlers arrived in the spring and summer of 1836, mostly fromNew England;[11] they named their settlement Foxville.[10] That year, the residents of Foxville unanimously decided to change their settlement's name to "Burlington" after the cityBurlington, Vermont;[12] the Foxville name continued to be used, however, until that name was officially changed on July 15, 1839.[8][10]
Since its establishment, Foxville had been inMichigan Territory. On July 3, 1836, however, an act ofCongress organizing theWisconsin Territory went into effect, and Foxville fell within the borders of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Territory, which at that time included the present-day county ofRacine. The two counties separated on December 7, 1836, and Foxville ended up in Racine County. The firstpost office in Foxville was created on March 21, 1837, with Moses Smith, one of the four founders of the city, as the first postmaster. In May 1837, asawmill (the firstframe building in the settlement) and a dam on theFox River were completed.[13]
On January 2, 1838,Rochester township, which included Foxville as well as all of Racine County west ofMount Pleasant, was established. On March 9, 1839,Burlington township (including at the time what is now theTown of Dover) and much ofBrighton were separated from Rochester.[13]
Settlers were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of theNorthwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion of theErie Canal. When they originally arrived in the area, there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie. The settlers laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their "Yankee" New England values, such as staunch support forabolitionism as well as a passion for education and the subsequent construction of many schools. They were mostly members of theCongregationalist Church, though some wereEpiscopalian. Due to thesecond Great Awakening some of them had converted toMethodism before moving to what is now Burlington. Burlington, like much ofWisconsin, would be culturally similar to early New England for most of its early history.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
Burlington was incorporated as avillage in 1886; in 1900 it became a city.[10]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.73 square miles (20.02 km2), of which, 7.50 square miles (19.42 km2) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.60 km2) is water.[20]
Burlington is located at42°40′40″N88°16′41″W / 42.67778°N 88.27806°W /42.67778; -88.27806 (42.677945, −88.278279).[21]
| Climate data for Burlington, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 60 (16) | 73 (23) | 82 (28) | 90 (32) | 94 (34) | 102 (39) | 105 (41) | 102 (39) | 101 (38) | 90 (32) | 76 (24) | 67 (19) | 105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.7 (9.3) | 51.5 (10.8) | 66.8 (19.3) | 78.0 (25.6) | 85.7 (29.8) | 90.6 (32.6) | 91.7 (33.2) | 90.4 (32.4) | 87.2 (30.7) | 79.9 (26.6) | 64.9 (18.3) | 52.0 (11.1) | 94.1 (34.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.7 (−2.4) | 31.4 (−0.3) | 42.7 (5.9) | 55.7 (13.2) | 67.1 (19.5) | 76.9 (24.9) | 81.0 (27.2) | 79.5 (26.4) | 72.9 (22.7) | 60.0 (15.6) | 45.2 (7.3) | 32.9 (0.5) | 56.1 (13.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.6 (−6.9) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 33.1 (0.6) | 44.1 (6.7) | 55.8 (13.2) | 65.8 (18.8) | 70.2 (21.2) | 68.6 (20.3) | 61.2 (16.2) | 49.3 (9.6) | 36.4 (2.4) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 46.1 (7.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 11.5 (−11.4) | 14.0 (−10.0) | 23.4 (−4.8) | 33.7 (0.9) | 44.4 (6.9) | 54.7 (12.6) | 59.3 (15.2) | 57.7 (14.3) | 49.5 (9.7) | 38.6 (3.7) | 27.6 (−2.4) | 17.9 (−7.8) | 36.0 (2.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −10.1 (−23.4) | −5.6 (−20.9) | 5.5 (−14.7) | 21.4 (−5.9) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 41.9 (5.5) | 48.5 (9.2) | 47.8 (8.8) | 36.2 (2.3) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 12.7 (−10.7) | −2.0 (−18.9) | −13.9 (−25.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) | −27 (−33) | −15 (−26) | 3 (−16) | 22 (−6) | 32 (0) | 39 (4) | 39 (4) | 23 (−5) | 15 (−9) | −9 (−23) | −18 (−28) | −27 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.82 (46) | 1.76 (45) | 2.08 (53) | 3.59 (91) | 3.96 (101) | 4.51 (115) | 3.59 (91) | 3.55 (90) | 3.46 (88) | 2.75 (70) | 2.38 (60) | 1.88 (48) | 35.33 (897) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.1 (31) | 9.7 (25) | 4.9 (12) | 1.1 (2.8) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.2 (5.6) | 7.7 (20) | 37.7 (96) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 11.5 | 12.3 | 10.9 | 9.1 | 9.9 | 8.9 | 9.7 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 115.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 6.0 | 4.5 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 19.1 |
| Source:NOAA[22][23] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 993 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,589 | 60.0% | |
| 1880 | 1,611 | 1.4% | |
| 1890 | 2,043 | 26.8% | |
| 1900 | 2,256 | 10.4% | |
| 1910 | 3,212 | 42.4% | |
| 1920 | 3,626 | 12.9% | |
| 1930 | 4,114 | 13.5% | |
| 1940 | 4,414 | 7.3% | |
| 1950 | 4,780 | 8.3% | |
| 1960 | 5,856 | 22.5% | |
| 1970 | 7,479 | 27.7% | |
| 1980 | 8,385 | 12.1% | |
| 1990 | 8,855 | 5.6% | |
| 2000 | 9,936 | 12.2% | |
| 2010 | 10,464 | 5.3% | |
| 2020 | 11,047 | 5.6% | |
| Source: U.S. Census[24] | |||
As of thecensus[2] of 2010, there were 10,464 people, 4,240 households, and 2,702 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,395.2 inhabitants per square mile (538.7/km2). There were 4,529 housing units at an average density of 603.9 units per square mile (233.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.8%White, 0.9%African American, 0.4%Native American, 1.1%Asian, 3.4% fromother races, and 1.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 8.6% of the population.
There were 4,240 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% weremarried couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.03.
The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
As of thecensus[25] of 2000, there were 9,936 people, 3,838 households, and 2,590 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,667.9 people per square mile (644.0 people/km2). There were 3,976 housing units at an average density of 667.4 units per square mile (257.7 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.89%White, 0.37%Black orAfrican American, 0.12%Native American, 0.55%Asian, 2.21% fromother races, and 0.85% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.65% of the population.
There were 1,838 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% weremarried couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,365, and the median income for a family was $54,045. Males had a median income of $38,471 versus $25,082 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,789. About 3.7% of families and 5.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
Burlington has amayor-council form of government, with acity administrator.[5] Themayor is the city'schief executive, responsible for seeing thatstate law andcity ordinances are enforced.[26] Mayors are elected to two-year terms;[27] the current mayor is Jon Schultz.[26]
TheCommon Council is composed of eightaldermen, two in each of Burlington's four districts.[28] In every year's spring election, one alderman is elected from each district. Aldermen serve two-year terms.
The city administrator is appointed by the Common Council to oversee the routine operations of the city.[29]
As of 2018[update], the Burlington Police Department employed 17 full-time officers. As of 2020, the Fire Department employed firefighters/EMT's to staff the station full-time, and had over 30 volunteer firefighters/EMT's.[5]
The first school classes in Burlington were taught in 1838. One of the first teachers wasWilliam P. Lyon, later aJustice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. The settlement's firstschoolhouse was built in 1839, and classes were taught there irregularly for the next 15 years.[30] An act of theWisconsin Legislature in 1857 incorporated the Burlington Union School District of Racine County. In 1858 and 1859, a schoolhouse was built for the district's use.[31] Now called Lincoln School (Burlington, Wisconsin), the building is now used as the headquarters for the Burlington Area School District. Early quarrels about the management and costs of the school led to the creation of two rivalschool boards, each claiming to be legal; a new board gained control in 1861, and lasting stability came to the system in 1872.[32]
Burlington is served by theBurlington Area School District.[33] The district has seven schools. Elementary schools include:Cooper Montessori,Dyer Elementary, Waller Elementary,and Winkler Elementary. The community is served by Karcher Middle School and Burlington High School.[34] A campus of theGateway Technical College is also in Burlington.[5]
Burlington's firstprivate school, the Burlington Academy, was founded in 1844 as a result of dissatisfaction with the other schools operating at the time. One of its early teachers wasJohn F. Potter, later aCongressman from Wisconsin.[35]
The Malt House Theater,[36] along the Fox River in Burlington, is home to the community theater company Haylofters, which has been in continuous operation since 1932.[37]
The firstnewspaper in the Burlington area was theVoree Herald, published inVoree in January 1846 byJames Strang, the leader of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite). Its primary purpose was to inform his congregation about events in the widerLatter Day Saint movement. The paper was renamed theGospel Herald in September 1847, and continued to be published until 1850, when most of the church relocated toBeaver Island inLake Michigan.[38]
The first newspaper published in Burlington intended for a general audience was theWeekly Burlington Gazette, first published on April 8, 1858. The newspaper was stronglyRepublican[39] and continued until December 11, 1860, when its owner moved toHouston, Texas.[39]
From 1860 until 1863, no newspaper was published in Burlington.[39] On October 14, 1863, theBurlington Standard, another Republican newspaper, was founded.[38] In 1881, the paper became largely nonpartisan,[38] but in April 1886, with a new owner, the paper was renamed theStandard Democrat and became strongly pro-Democrat.[40] From 1896 to 1911, theStandard Democrat was also published inGerman under the nameDer Standard Demokrat.[40]
TheBurlington Democrat, a newspaper with Democratic leanings, was first published in 1880 as a counter to the RepublicanBurlington Standard. Its name was soon changed to theBurlington Free Press, and its leanings changed to Republican at about the same time theStandard became theStandard Democrat.[40]
TheweeklyBurlington Standard Press is currently published in Burlington;[5] thedailyRacine Journal Times,[5]Kenosha News, andMilwaukee Journal Sentinel are also available in the area.
WBSD (89.1 FM) is a high school radio station owned by the Burlington Area School District and operated by the staff and students of Burlington High School. Burlington is also served by radio stationsWIIL (95.1 FM) andWLKG (96.1 FM), as well as stations from Milwaukee and Racine.
Around 1989 Win-TV (now WIN Media, Inc. -[1]) was created. According to their web site they began as a producer of local news and sports programming televised throughout Southeastern Wisconsin on CNN Headline News. Since then their services have expanded to include an array of multimedia services for their clients.
The firstrailroad to pass through Burlington was built in 1855 by the Racine, Janesville and Mississippi Railroad Company. Its construction nearly bankruptedRacine. The line was later reorganized as the Western Union Railroad and eventually incorporated into theChicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Company.[41]
In 1856 Burlington invested in theFox River Valley Railroad of Wisconsin, a planned railroad that would have started inMilwaukee, connected to the railroad already in Burlington, and continued on to theFox River Valley Railroad of Illinois. The roadbed was built, but because of the failure of the company, rails were never laid.[41]
Burlington Municipal Airport (KBUU) serves Burlington and surrounding communities.[5]
Wisconsin.
The Expansion of New England: The Spread of New England Settlement and Burlington, Racine County, Wisconsin, in 1840.
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Municipalities and communities ofRacine County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofWalworth County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
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| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | ||
Places adjacent to Burlington, Wisconsin | |
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