Portage, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Portage | |
| Motto: "Where the North Begins" | |
 Location of Portage in Columbia County, Wisconsin | |
  Portage  Portage | |
| Coordinates:43°33′N89°28′W / 43.550°N 89.467°W /43.550; -89.467 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Columbia |
| Settled | 1851 |
| Area | |
• Total | 9.71 sq mi (25.14 km2) |
| • Land | 8.91 sq mi (23.07 km2) |
| • Water | 0.80 sq mi (2.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 794 ft (242 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 10,581 |
• Estimate (2019)[4] | 10,399 |
| • Density | 1,168/sq mi (450.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code | 53901 |
| Area code | 608 |
| FIPS code | 55-64100[5] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1571799[2] |
| Website | www.portagewi.gov |
Portage is a city inColumbia County, Wisconsin, United States, and itscounty seat.[6] The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census,[5] making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of theMadison metropolitan area.
Portage was named for theFox–Wisconsin Waterway, aportage between theFox River and theWisconsin River, which was recognized byJacques Marquette andLouis Joliet during their discovery of a route to theMississippi River in 1673. The city's slogan is "Where the North Begins."
TheNative American tribes that once lived here, and later theEuropean traders and settlers, took advantage of the lowlands between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers as a natural "portage". This is reflected in indigenous names for the town, such as theMenominee nameKahkāmohnakaneh, which means "at the short cut".[7] In May 1673,Jacques Marquette joined the expedition ofLouis Jolliet, a French-Canadian explorer, to find theMississippi River. They departed from St. Ignace on May 17, with two canoes and five voyageurs of French-Indian ancestry (Métis). They followed Lake Michigan to Green Bay and up the Fox River, nearly to its headwaters. From there, they were told to portage their canoes a distance of slightly less than two miles through marsh and oak plains to the Wisconsin River. Later,French fur traders described the place as "le portage", which eventually lent itself to the name of the community. As a portage, this community developed as a center of commerce and trade; later, acanal was constructed to facilitate this trade. When the railroads came through, the community continued in this role.
Portage emerged at this place because of its unique position along the one and a half mile strip of marshy floodplain between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. By the end of the 17th century, the Fox-Wisconsin waterway, linked at the Portage, served as the major fur trade thoroughfare betweenGreen Bay andPrairie du Chien. It was not until the 1780s and 1790s that traders built their posts and warehouses at each end of the Portage. In the early 19th century Portage was primarily populated byMétis.[8] In 1828, the federal government recognized the strategic economic importance of The Portage and builtFort Winnebago at the Fox River end. After 15 years of controversy, Winnebago settlement (now Portage) won thecounty seat in 1851. The community incorporated as Portage City in 1854.
The Portage business district lies along a hill that overlooks thePortage Canal. The buildings now in the city's downtown were once part of a bustling, urban commercial center serving a large region across north central Wisconsin. The building of the city paralleled its commercial prominence between the end of theAmerican Civil War and the second decade of the 20th century.
Portage lies in the Wisconsin River valley. The city is surrounded by prairies and grasslands. Approximately three miles (5 km) west of the city are the Baraboo bluffs. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.62 square miles (24.92 km2), of which, 8.82 square miles (22.84 km2) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.07 km2) is water.[14] The location of the town at the split of the Wisconsin and Fox river is what gives it the name "Portage", which means carrying a boat and its cargo between two navigable waters. In addition to the rivers, the city has access to Swan Lake and Silver Lake.
When Portage was first established, the streets were laid out on a traditional grid system. Today, the streets of the outlying city are contorted as a result of the many marshes and lowlands that run through much of Columbia County. The northern side of the city thus looks different from the central city, with the organized grid street system giving way to a more suburban streetscape with a lower housing density.
The city has two commercial areas. One is thedowntown historic district, which features several small boutique shops and restaurants; the other is the Northridge commercial area that featuresbig box stores. In the summer of 2007, thePortage Canal was cleaned up and now features abike path that runs alongside part of it. In the summer of 2008, the main downtown street was redone. Historical landmarks of the city include the Museum at the Portage, theIndian Agency house, and theSurgeons Quarters.
| Climate data for Portage Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 57 (14) | 72 (22) | 83 (28) | 99 (37) | 102 (39) | 104 (40) | 111 (44) | 103 (39) | 103 (39) | 93 (34) | 76 (24) | 67 (19) | 111 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 45.7 (7.6) | 51.7 (10.9) | 66.3 (19.1) | 77.9 (25.5) | 85.9 (29.9) | 90.8 (32.7) | 92.1 (33.4) | 90.7 (32.6) | 87.5 (30.8) | 79.9 (26.6) | 64.5 (18.1) | 50.6 (10.3) | 94.3 (34.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 30.6 (−0.8) | 42.4 (5.8) | 55.7 (13.2) | 68.2 (20.1) | 77.9 (25.5) | 81.6 (27.6) | 79.9 (26.6) | 72.6 (22.6) | 59.3 (15.2) | 44.2 (6.8) | 31.8 (−0.1) | 55.9 (13.3) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 18 (−8) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 33.2 (0.7) | 45.8 (7.7) | 58 (14) | 67.9 (19.9) | 71.6 (22.0) | 69.6 (20.9) | 61.6 (16.4) | 49.2 (9.6) | 36.3 (2.4) | 24.4 (−4.2) | 46.5 (8.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.9 (−12.3) | 13.2 (−10.4) | 24 (−4) | 35.8 (2.1) | 47.8 (8.8) | 57.9 (14.4) | 61.6 (16.4) | 59.4 (15.2) | 50.7 (10.4) | 39 (4) | 28.3 (−2.1) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 37.1 (2.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −11.7 (−24.3) | −7.8 (−22.1) | 3.2 (−16.0) | 22.4 (−5.3) | 34.1 (1.2) | 44.3 (6.8) | 51.1 (10.6) | 47.7 (8.7) | 36.5 (2.5) | 25.9 (−3.4) | 13 (−11) | −2.6 (−19.2) | −15.2 (−26.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −35 (−37) | −37 (−38) | −25 (−32) | 5 (−15) | 20 (−7) | 29 (−2) | 37 (3) | 33 (1) | 17 (−8) | 8 (−13) | −10 (−23) | −24 (−31) | −37 (−38) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.44 (37) | 1.41 (36) | 2.18 (55) | 4.15 (105) | 4.58 (116) | 5.61 (142) | 4.51 (115) | 4.12 (105) | 3.56 (90) | 2.86 (73) | 2.22 (56) | 1.68 (43) | 38.32 (973) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.2 (26) | 10.0 (25) | 5.5 (14) | 2.2 (5.6) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 2.0 (5.1) | 8.9 (23) | 39.3 (100) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.2 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 11.6 | 13.1 | 11.6 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 8.1 | 9.5 | 121.9 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 6.8 | 5.8 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 5.9 | 24.6 |
| Source:NOAA[15][16] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 603 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,879 | 377.4% | |
| 1870 | 3,945 | 37.0% | |
| 1880 | 4,346 | 10.2% | |
| 1890 | 5,143 | 18.3% | |
| 1900 | 5,459 | 6.1% | |
| 1910 | 5,440 | −0.3% | |
| 1920 | 5,582 | 2.6% | |
| 1930 | 6,308 | 13.0% | |
| 1940 | 7,016 | 11.2% | |
| 1950 | 7,334 | 4.5% | |
| 1960 | 7,822 | 6.7% | |
| 1970 | 7,821 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 7,896 | 1.0% | |
| 1990 | 8,640 | 9.4% | |
| 2000 | 9,728 | 12.6% | |
| 2010 | 10,324 | 6.1% | |
| 2020 | 10,581 | 2.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[17] | |||
As of thecensus[3] of 2010, there were 10,324 people, 4,060 households, and 2,349 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,170.5 inhabitants per square mile (451.9/km2). There were 4,493 housing units at an average density of 509.4 per square mile (196.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.9%White, 5%African American, 0.9%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 0.7% fromother races, and 1.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 4.0% of the population.
There were 4,060 households, of which 31% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% weremarried couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.9.
The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.7% male and 46.3% female.
As of thecensus[5] of 2000, there were 9,728 people, 3,770 households, and 2,228 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,172.9 people per square mile (453.1/km2). There were 3,970 housing units at an average density of 478.7 per square mile (184.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.76%European-American, 3.90%African American, 0.51%Native American, 0.71%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.85% fromother races, and 1.21% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 3.39% of the population.
There were 3,770 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% weremarried couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.3 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,815, and the median income for a family was $44,804. Males had a median income of $33,158 versus $23,478 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $18,039. About 4.6% of families and 7.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Portage Community School District serves Portage.[18]
Portage High School was upgraded to a larger building in 1998, with the older high school building now housing the Wayne E. Bartels Middle School. Portage has two elementary schools: John Muir and Woodridge. Two rural elementary schools serve two of the towns in Columbia County: Lewiston and Fort Winnebago. There are also two private schools: St. John's Lutheran and St. Mary's Catholic Schools.Madison Area Technical College also has a campus located in Portage.
The Portage scheme of support for children with special educational needs was developed in the city.[19]
Wisconsin Department of Corrections operates theColumbia Correctional Institution.
Three interstate highways,Interstate 94,Interstate 90, andInterstate 39, run past Portage, giving the city a 30-minute commute toMadison and 15-minute commute toWisconsin Dells. The city also lies only a few hours fromMilwaukee,Chicago, andMinneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Portage station providesAmtrak service via theEmpire Builder between Chicago and Seattle or Portland, and theBorealis between Chicago and St. Paul, for a total of two trains in either direction daily. Freight railroad service is provided by theCanadian Pacific Railway which does business in theAmerican Midwest as theSoo Line Railroad.
Portage is served by intercity bus fromJanesville via Madison toWausau with a bus stopping in each direction daily at thePortage stationPortage Municipal Airport (C47) serves the city and surrounding communities.
Municipalities and communities ofColumbia County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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