Human prehistory in Racine began with Paleoindians after the last Ice Age. After the arrival of Europeans, the Historic period saw theMiami and later thePotawatomi expand into the area under the pressures of the French fur trade.
In November 1674, while traveling fromGreen Bay to the territory of theIllinois Confederation, FatherJacques Marquette and his assistants, Jacques Largillier, Pierre Porteret, and Nathan Kowitt camped at the mouth of the Root River.[14] These were the first Europeans known to visit what is now Racine County. Further expeditions were made in the area byRené-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle in 1679 and by François Jolliet De Montigny andJean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes in 1698. Nearly a century later, in 1791, a trading post would be established alongLake Michigan near where theRoot River empties into it.
Following theBlack Hawk War, the area surrounding Racine, which had previously been off-limits, was settled byYankees from upstateNew York andNew England. In 1834 CaptainGilbert KnappUSRM, who was fromChatham, Massachusetts, founded the settlement of "Port Gilbert" at the place where theRoot River empties intoLake Michigan.[15] Knapp had first explored the area of the Root River valley in 1818, and returned with financial backing when the war ended. Within a year of Knapp's settlement hundreds of other settlers fromNew England and westernNew York had arrived and built log cabins in the area surrounding his own. Some of the settlers were from the town ofDerby, Connecticut, and others came from theNew England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.[16] The area was previously called "Kipi Kawi" and "Chippecotton" by the indigenous peoples, both names for the Root River. The name "Port Gilbert" was never really accepted, and in 1841 the community was incorporated as the village of Racine, after theFrench word for "root". After Wisconsin was admitted to the Union in 1848, the new legislature voted in August to incorporate Racine as a city.
In 1852,Racine College, anEpiscopal college, was founded; it closed in 1933.[17] Its location and many of its buildings are preserved today by theCommunity of St. Mary as part of the DeKoven Center.
Racine was a factory town almost from the beginning. The first industry in Racine County included the manufacture of fanning mills, machines that separatewheat grain fromchaff. Racine also had its share of captains of industry, includingJ. I. Case (heavy equipment),S. C. Johnson & Son (cleaning and chemical products), and Arthur B. Modine (Heat Exchangers). Racine's harbor was central to the shipping industry in Wisconsin in the late 19th century. Racine was also an earlycar manufacturing center. One of the world's firstautomobiles was built there in 1871 or 1872 by J. W. Cathcart,[20] as was thePennington Victoriatricycle,[21][22] theMitchell,[23] and the Case.[24]
In 1887,malted milk was invented in Racine by English immigrantWilliam Horlick, andHorlicks remains a global brand. Thegarbage disposal was invented in 1927 byarchitect John Hammes of Racine, who founded the companyInSinkErator, which still produces millions of garbage disposers every year in Racine.[25] Racine is also the home ofS.C. Johnson & Son, whoseheadquarters were designed in 1936 byFrank Lloyd Wright. Wright also designed theWingspread Conference Center and several homes and other buildings in Racine. The city is also home to theDremel Corporation, Reliance Controls Corporation andTwin Disc.Case New Holland’s Racine manufacturing facility, which builds two types of tractors (the New Holland T8 and the Case IH Magnum), offers public tours throughout the year.[26]
Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built theJohnson Wax Headquarters building in Racine. The building was and still is considered a marvel of design innovation, despite its many practical annoyances such as rainwater leaks. Wright urged then-president Hib Johnson to build the structure outside of Racine, a city that Wright, a Wisconsin native, thought of as "backwater." Johnson refused to have the Johnson Wax Headquarters sited anywhere other than Racine.[citation needed]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.66 square miles (40.56 km2), of which, 15.47 square miles (40.07 km2) is land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km2) is water.[27]
Racine has a warm-summerContinental climate (Köppen climate classification:Dfb). Summers are warm and short while winters are cold. Precipitation is dispersed evenly throughout the year, although summers are slightly wetter and more humid than winters.
Climate data for Racine WWTP, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present)
Racine, WisconsinChautauqua presentation under a tent, July 14–23, 1911. Photo by Wright Photo.
Waves of European immigrants, includingDanes,Germans, andCzechs, began to settle in Racine between the Civil War and theFirst World War. African Americans started arriving in large numbers during World War I, as they did in otherMidwestern industrial towns, andHispanics migrated to Racine from roughly 1925 onward.
Unitarians,Episcopalians andCongregationalists fromNew England initially dominated Racine's religious life. Racine's Emmaus Lutheran Church, the oldest Danish Lutheran Church in North America, was founded on August 22, 1851. Originally a founding member of the Danish American Lutheran Church, it has subsequently been a member of the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (UDELCA), theAmerican Lutheran Church (ALC), and, since 1988, theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). There was also a large Catholic movement to the city, opening up churches for their own ethnicity, such as St. Stanislaus (Polish), St. Rose (Irish), Holy Name (German), St. Patrick (Irish), Sacred Heart (Italian), St. Joseph (German), St. Mary (German), Holy Trinity (Slovak), St. Casimir (Lithuanian), and others. As years passed, populations moved and St. Stanislaus, Holy Name, Holy Trinity, St. Rose, and St. Casimir merged in 1998, forming St. Richard. With new waves of people arriving, older parishes received a boost from theHispanic community, which formedCristo Rey, re-energizing St. Patrick's into the strong Catholic community of today.
Racine has the largestDanish population in North America.[32] The city has become known for its Danish pastries, particularlykringle. Several local bakeries have been featured on theFood Network[33][34] highlighting the pastry.
Racine, Wisconsin – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of thecensus of 2020, the city's population was 77,816, roughly a 1% decrease from its 2010 population.[38] Thepopulation density was 5,028.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,941.5/km2). There were 33,871 housing units at an average density of 2,188.8 per square mile (845.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 51.5%White, 23.9%Black orAfrican American, 0.8%Asian, 0.7%Native American, 10.4% fromother races, and 12.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 24.2%Hispanic orLatino of any race.
According to theAmerican Community Survey estimates for 2016–2020, the median income for a household in the city was $44,346, and the median income for a family was $54,161. Male full-time workers had a median income of $42,864 versus $36,299 for female workers. Theper capita income for the city was $22,837. About 15.7% of families and 20.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.[39] Of the population age 25 and over, 86.5% were high school graduates or higher and 17.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher.[40]
As of thecensus[3] of 2010, there were 78,860 people, 30,530 households, and 19,222 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 5,094.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,966.9/km2). There were 33,887 housing units at an average density of 2,189.1 per square mile (845.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 58.8%White, 22.6%African American, 0.5%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 10.3% fromother races, and 4.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 20.7% of the population.
There were 30,530 households, of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% weremarried couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.17.
The median age in the city was 33 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.8% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
Racine employscommunity-oriented policing, the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to address the immediate conditions that give rise to crime. The number of crimes committed in the city in 2013 dropped in several categories to the lowest point in decades. Racine saw a 38.3 percent drop in violent crime from 2009 to 2013, making it the 10th largest decrease in the country. Property crimes were at their lowest point since 1965, while the number of violent crimes was the lowest for any year on record.[43][44][45]
However, that trend has since changed. As of 2018, the chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Racine is 1 in 37, thus making the city's crime rate higher than 92% of Wisconsin's other cities and towns.[46]
Racine is home to museums, theater companies, visual arts organizations, galleries, performance groups, music organizations, dance studios, concert series and special art events.[47]
TheRacine Art Museum is the site of the largest collection of contemporary craft in America, with over 4,000 pieces in art jewelry, ceramics, fibers, glass, metals, polymer, and wood, and over 4,000 works on paper and sculptures.[48] RAM's satellite campus, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, presents exhibitions of regional artists along with art classes and workshops.[49][50][51] The Racine Arts Council's exhibitions feature local and regional artists.[52] The annual 16th Street Studios Open House offers a look inside artists’ workspaces at the Racine Arts and Business Center.[53]
The Racine Theater Guild annually offers a season of seven to eight main-stage plays and musicals, Racine Children's Theatre, Jean's Jazz Series and Comedy Tonight.[54] Every winter, Over Our Head Players at 6th Street Theatre hosts Snowdance, a playwriting contest in which audience members determine the winning plays. Entries for the contest come from all over the world.[55]
The Racine Symphony Orchestra performs 2-3 Masterworks concerts per year, several free pops concerts, and an annual concert for fifth graders.[56] Local bands perform free noontime and evening concerts at downtown's centrally located Monument Square throughout the summer.[57] Weekly open mic opportunities for musicians and other performers are hosted by Family Power Music.[58]
The monthly BONK! Performance Series showcases local, regional and national poets.[59][60]
There are four opportunities for area artists and poets to receive recognition for their work: The RAM Artist Fellowship Program awards four $3,000 Artist Fellowships and one $1,500 Emerging Artist Award every two years with recipients given solo exhibits;[61][62] The Racine Arts Council ArtSeed Program provides grants ranging from $500 to $1,500 to projects that are new, innovative, experimental and collaborative;[63] the Racine Writer in Residence Program awards two 6-month residencies each year with a stipend of $1,500;[64] the Racine/Kenosha Poet Laureate Program chooses one poet from Racine and one poet from Kenosha every 2 years.[65][66]
TheRacine Art Museum, designed by the Chicago architecture firmBrininstool + Lynch, is a modern reuse of an existing structure to house RAM's permanent collection of contemporary craft. The building has an exterior façade of translucent acrylic panels that are illuminated at night, making the museum glow in the dark like a Japanese lantern.[71]
The OS House, a private residence designed by the Milwaukee architecture firmJohnsen Schmaling Architects, was recognized in 2011 as one of the top 10 residential projects in the United States by theAmerican Institute of Architects.[72] TheLEED Platinum-certified home was also named in 2011 as one of the top 10 green projects in the country by the AIA,[73][74][75] and in 2012 as one of 11 national winners in the Small Projects category.[76] The OS House has been featured in theNew York Times.[77] The house, an example of 21st-century modern architecture, is located on the shore of Lake Michigan in Racine'sSouthside Historic District.[78]
Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places
The city is known for its largeprom celebration, at which students from all the high schools in the city participate in an after prom party. This was featured on the radio showThis American Life in Episode #186 "Prom", which originally aired on June 8, 2001;[79] Racine's prom tradition was also the subject of the 2006 documentaryThe World's Best Prom. In addition to the large prom Racine has become known for, the city has also been hosting a special needs prom called A Night To Remember every year since 2013. The A Night To Remember prom always takes place on the Sunday following Racine's larger prom and includes those from age 13 to 30.[80]
Racine has amayor-council form of government. The mayor is the chief executive, elected for a term of four years. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the departments, subject to Common Council approval. The current mayor isCory Mason (D); he is the 58th mayor of Racine, currently serving his second full four-year term after taking office in a special election in October 2017.
Racine's other citywide elected official is the Municipal Judge. The city council is made up of 15 aldermen, one elected from each aldermanic district in the city. The council enacts local ordinances and approves the city budget. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance usually adopted each November. Being a diverse community with a history of organized labor, the city predominantly votes for theDemocratic Party. The city's youngest city council president was Tom Mortenson, 28, who was a leading Progressive Republican who led ethical reform that served as a model for other municipal governments.
Fire protection and ambulance service is provided by the Racine Fire Department with six fire stations. Law enforcement services are provided by the Racine Police Department.
Racine's public schools are administered by the Racine Unified School District, which oversees one early education center, seven elementary schools, eight K-8 schools, two 6-12 schools, three high schools and one alternative education center with a combined student enrollment of around 16,000. Programs such asInternational Baccalaureate[81] andMontessori are utilized in the District.
University of Wisconsin–Parkside is located south of Racine in the Town ofSomers. Prior to Parkside's creation there were state college campuses in both Racine and Kenosha, but with their proximity it was decided they would be better served by one larger campus in between the two cities. A campus ofGateway Technical College, which serves the tri-county area of the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, is located in the downtown district on Lake Michigan.
TheRacine Legion, a professionalfootball team and part of theNational Football League, played here from 1922 to 1924. Its official name was the Horlick-Racine Legion.[83] The team then operated as theRacine Tornadoes in 1926. They played atHorlick Field.
Racine is served by the daily newspaperThe Journal Times,[84] which is the namesake (but not current owner) of radio stationWRJN (1400), and is owned byLee Enterprises. TheMilwaukee Journal Sentinel formerly published a Racine-specific page on Thursdays and a Racine County section on Sundays, but dropped them in 2007.The Insider News covers issues specific to the city's Black community. TheRacine County Eye also covers Racine County news.Happenings Magazine covers local entertainment events in Racine.
The city has one television station owned byWeigel Broadcasting,WMLW-TV (Channel 49), anindependent station which airs syndicated content, and had its analog transmitter just north of the Milwaukee County line inOak Creek. For all intents and purposes, the station serves all of southeastern Wisconsin, with the station offices located inWest Allis and the station's current transmitter is located on the Weigel tower in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park.WDJT-TV (its sisterCBS station) continues to produce a weekendpublic affairs program calledRacine & Me which is devoted to topics of interest to Racine residents.
FM radio stations serving the area arecountry musicWVTY (92.1 FM) andurban contemporaryWKKV-FM (100.7). WVTY specifically targets Racine and Kenosha and is locally owned (though with some competition with market leaderWMIL-FM), while WKKV is a station owned byiHeartMedia that, although licensed to Racine and having a transmitter in north-central Racine County, is targeted towards Milwaukee audiences and has its offices inGreenfield.Sturtevant-licensedWDDW-FM (104.7) broadcasts a traditional Mexican music format targeting the metro area'sMexican-American population.WGTD (91.1 FM) is operated by Gateway Technical College in Kenosha. While licensed to the city of Kenosha, the station provides news coverage to the cities of Kenosha and Racine.
Racine's municipal water is drawn fromLake Michigan. In 2011, the city's water was named the best tasting tap water in the United States by a panel of theU.S. Conference of Mayors.[85]
.jpg)
.jpg)
