Ripon, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Ripon | |
 Location of Ripon in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin | |
  Ripon Location within the state of Wisconsin | |
| Coordinates:43°50′42″N88°50′23″W / 43.84500°N 88.83972°W /43.84500; -88.83972 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Fond du Lac |
| settled | 1849 |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.03 sq mi (13.02 km2) |
| • Land | 4.97 sq mi (12.88 km2) |
| • Water | 0.054 sq mi (0.14 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,863 |
| • Density | 1,581/sq mi (610.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 920 |
| FIPS code | 55-68175 |
| Website | cityofripon.com |
Ripon (/ˈrɪpən/RIH-pən) is a city inFond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,863 at the2020 census.[3] The city is surrounded by theTown of Ripon.
Ripon is home to theLittle White Schoolhouse, where theRepublican Party was founded.[4]
Ripon was founded in 1849 byDavid P. Mapes, a former New York steamboat captain. Within two years the city had absorbed the nearby commune ofCeresco, established in 1844 by the Wisconsin Phalanx, a group of settlers inspired by thecommunitarian socialist philosophy ofCharles Fourier. Mapes was a founder ofRipon College, originally incorporated as Brockway College in 1851.[5]
The city was named for theEnglish cathedral city ofRipon,North Yorkshire, byJohn S. Horner, one of the community's original settlers, because that was where his immigrant ancestors originated.[6] Horner also named most of the streets. His house is still standing today.
Meeting at aschool house in Ripon on March 20, 1854,[7] some 30 opponents of theKansas–Nebraska Act called for the organization of a new political party (to link their cause with theDeclaration of Independence). The group also took a leading role in the creation of theRepublican Party in many northern states during the summer of 1854. While conservatives and many moderates were content merely to call for the restoration of theMissouri Compromise or a prohibition of slavery extension, the group insisted that no further political compromise with slavery was possible.
The February 1854 meeting was the first political meeting of the group that would become the Republican Party. The modernRipon Society, a Republican think tank, takes its name from Ripon, Wisconsin.
Crawfordsville, Iowa andJackson, Michigan also claim to be the true birthplace of the Republican Party.
Ripon is located in the northwest corner ofFond du Lac County. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.02 square miles (13.00 km2), of which, 4.97 square miles (12.87 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.[8]
Ripon lies in theSinnipee Group, a geologic formation composed primarily ofdolomite, with limestone as a secondary rock type. Ripon's bedrock is primarily limestone. The limestone indicates that Ripon's location was once a shallow sea. Since Ripon is on the Sinnipee Group, it is aKarst environment. Ripon also lies in an area that was affected by several glaciation periods. The area has relatively gentle relief and is part of theFox River (Wisconsin) watershed.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 2,025 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,976 | 47.0% | |
| 1880 | 3,117 | 4.7% | |
| 1890 | 3,358 | 7.7% | |
| 1900 | 3,818 | 13.7% | |
| 1910 | 3,739 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 3,929 | 5.1% | |
| 1930 | 3,984 | 1.4% | |
| 1940 | 4,566 | 14.6% | |
| 1950 | 5,619 | 23.1% | |
| 1960 | 6,163 | 9.7% | |
| 1970 | 7,053 | 14.4% | |
| 1980 | 7,111 | 0.8% | |
| 1990 | 7,241 | 1.8% | |
| 2000 | 6,828 | −5.7% | |
| 2010 | 7,733 | 13.3% | |
| 2020 | 7,863 | 1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] | |||
As of thecensus[10] of 2010, there were 7,733 people, 3,053 households, and 1,769 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,555.9 inhabitants per square mile (600.7/km2). There were 3,306 housing units at an average density of 665.2 per square mile (256.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.7%White, 0.7%African American, 0.3%Native American, 0.8%Asian, 2.6% fromother races, and 0.9% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 5.0% of the population.
There were 3,053 households, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% weremarried couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 17.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 6,828 people, 2,922 households, and 1,759 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,612.8 people per square mile (623.2/km2). There were 3,118 housing units at an average density of 736.5 per square mile (284.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.72%White, 0.19%Black orAfrican American, 0.16%Native American, 0.50%Asian, 0.86% fromother races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 2.21% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,922 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% weremarried couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,399, and the median income for a family was $51,100. Males had a median income of $35,990 versus $25,053 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $20,313. About 4.4% of families and 6.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.
Ripon is served byWisconsin 23,Wisconsin 44 andWisconsin 49 of the state highway system. Wis 23 West and Wis 49 North head toGreen Lake. Wis 23 heads east toRosendale andFond du Lac. Wis 44 North heads northeast toPickett andOshkosh. Wis 44 and 49 South are cosigned exiting town for 6 miles. Wis 44 heads toFairwater. Wis 49 heads toBrandon andWaupun. Fond du Lac County Hwy E also serves town.
Ripon is the starting point for the Fisk VFR arrival intoEAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
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