Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
_side.JPG) Downtown Fort Atkinson in December 2007 | |
 Location of Fort Atkinson in Jefferson County, Wisconsin | |
  Fort Atkinson  Fort Atkinson | |
| Coordinates:42°55′38″N88°50′26″W / 42.92722°N 88.84056°W /42.92722; -88.84056 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Jefferson |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council |
| • President | Mason Becker |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.80 sq mi (15.03 km2) |
| • Land | 5.66 sq mi (14.66 km2) |
| • Water | 0.14 sq mi (0.37 km2) |
| Elevation | 787 ft (240 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 12,579 |
| • Density | 2,223/sq mi (858.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Zip Code | 53538 |
| Area code | 920 |
| FIPS code | 55-26675[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1565151[2] |
| Website | www |
Fort Atkinson is a city inJefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It lies along theRock River a few miles upstream fromLake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census.[3] Fort Atkinson is the largest city located entirely in Jefferson County, asWatertown is split between Jefferson andDodge counties. Fort Atkinson is a principal city of the Watertown–Fort Atkinsonmicropolitan statistical area, which is, in turn, a sub-market of the largerMilwaukee–Waukesha–Racine combined statistical area.
Fort Atkinson was named after GeneralHenry Atkinson,[5] the commander of U.S. forces in the area during theBlack Hawk War (1832) against a mixed band ofSauk,Meskwaki andKickapoo peoples. The city developed at the site ofFort Koshkonong, which was used during that war. A replica of the original 1832stockade has been built just outside town, although not at the original site. The fort was located to control theconfluence of the Rock andBark rivers.
The settlement grew rapidly in the mid-19th century, after the migration of pioneers from the east, especially New York State and the northern tier. They were among the many migrants carrying New England Yankee culture west across the northern tier of states.[6]
The history and natural history of Fort Atkinson and the surrounding area are presented at theHoard Historical Museum andNational Dairy Shrine Museum.[7]William Dempster Hoard founded the nationally distributed dairy farm magazineHoard's Dairyman in Fort Atkinson in 1885. The museums include the Frank and Luella Hoard House, the Dwight and Almira Foster House, and the Knox Research Library and Archive. The Dairy Shrine portion of the complex portrays the past, present, and future of the dairy industry.
The oldest manmade features near Fort Atkinson are a cluster of prehistoric earthworksindigenous mounds just south of town. Early European settlers named them the General Atkinson Mound Group. The mounds are a remnant of theWoodland Period in present-day Wisconsin. They areeffigy and geometric mounds, different from theplatform mounds at nearbyAztalan State Park, built by peoples of theMississippian culture, which reached its peak around 1300. They had settlements throughout theMississippi Valley and its tributaries, extending from central Illinois northward to theGreat Lakes and also to the Southeastern United States. Materials were traded within the culture from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. A 125-foot (38 m) long pantherintaglio, thePanther Intaglio Effigy Mound, appears on a mound west of town, the last remaining intaglio in the state.[8]
Fort Atkinson's 19th- and early 20th-century building history is preserved in theMain Street andMerchants Avenue historic districts. OtherRegistered Historic Places include theFort Atkinson Water Tower,David W. and Jane Curtis House,Hoard's Dairyman Farm, andJones Dairy Farm.
Fort Atkinson is located at42°55′38″N88°50′26″W / 42.92722°N 88.84056°W /42.92722; -88.84056 (42.927091, −88.840446).[9]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.80 square miles (15.02 km2), of which 5.66 square miles (14.66 km2) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km2) is water.[10]
The city developed along the river, which provided the earliest transportation pathways for trade and travel. Occasionally, the downtown area is flooded when theRock River exceeds its banks. Just east of the city, theBark River enters the Rock River and can add considerable volume in certain seasons. The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, which it joins atRock Island, Illinois.
| Climate data for Fort Atkinson Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1941–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 58 (14) | 72 (22) | 84 (29) | 90 (32) | 96 (36) | 101 (38) | 103 (39) | 102 (39) | 98 (37) | 88 (31) | 78 (26) | 67 (19) | 103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 45.6 (7.6) | 50.3 (10.2) | 65.0 (18.3) | 77.1 (25.1) | 85.1 (29.5) | 90.4 (32.4) | 91.1 (32.8) | 89.2 (31.8) | 86.9 (30.5) | 79.1 (26.2) | 63.9 (17.7) | 50.2 (10.1) | 93.2 (34.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 27.7 (−2.4) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 43.6 (6.4) | 56.9 (13.8) | 69.1 (20.6) | 79.0 (26.1) | 82.5 (28.1) | 80.6 (27.0) | 74.0 (23.3) | 60.9 (16.1) | 45.7 (7.6) | 33.2 (0.7) | 57.1 (13.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 19.2 (−7.1) | 22.7 (−5.2) | 34.1 (1.2) | 46.6 (8.1) | 58.3 (14.6) | 68.3 (20.2) | 72.1 (22.3) | 70.1 (21.2) | 62.6 (17.0) | 50.3 (10.2) | 37.2 (2.9) | 25.5 (−3.6) | 47.2 (8.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 10.7 (−11.8) | 13.8 (−10.1) | 24.7 (−4.1) | 36.2 (2.3) | 47.5 (8.6) | 57.7 (14.3) | 61.7 (16.5) | 59.6 (15.3) | 51.2 (10.7) | 39.7 (4.3) | 28.6 (−1.9) | 17.9 (−7.8) | 37.4 (3.0) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −11.6 (−24.2) | −7.2 (−21.8) | 4.1 (−15.5) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 33.5 (0.8) | 44.3 (6.8) | 51.0 (10.6) | 49.7 (9.8) | 36.9 (2.7) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 13.0 (−10.6) | −2.7 (−19.3) | −15.8 (−26.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −33 (−36) | −39 (−39) | −21 (−29) | −4 (−20) | 25 (−4) | 33 (1) | 39 (4) | 37 (3) | 28 (−2) | 11 (−12) | −14 (−26) | −29 (−34) | −39 (−39) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 1.51 (38) | 1.43 (36) | 1.96 (50) | 3.56 (90) | 4.13 (105) | 4.98 (126) | 4.03 (102) | 3.86 (98) | 3.33 (85) | 2.84 (72) | 2.20 (56) | 1.71 (43) | 35.54 (903) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.7 (27) | 9.4 (24) | 4.0 (10) | 1.2 (3.0) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 2.1 (5.3) | 8.7 (22) | 36.4 (92) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 9.3 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 12.1 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 9.5 | 9.4 | 9.2 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 119.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 7.3 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 6.0 | 25.0 |
| Source:NOAA[11][12] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 334 | — | |
| 1870 | 2,010 | — | |
| 1880 | 1,969 | −2.0% | |
| 1890 | 2,283 | 15.9% | |
| 1900 | 3,043 | 33.3% | |
| 1910 | 3,877 | 27.4% | |
| 1920 | 4,915 | 26.8% | |
| 1930 | 5,793 | 17.9% | |
| 1940 | 6,153 | 6.2% | |
| 1950 | 6,280 | 2.1% | |
| 1960 | 7,908 | 25.9% | |
| 1970 | 9,164 | 15.9% | |
| 1980 | 9,785 | 6.8% | |
| 1990 | 10,227 | 4.5% | |
| 2000 | 11,621 | 13.6% | |
| 2010 | 12,368 | 6.4% | |
| 2020 | 12,579 | 1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
As of thecensus of 2020,[3] the population was 12,579. Thepopulation density was 2,222.4 inhabitants per square mile (858.1/km2). There were 5,590 housing units at an average density of 987.6 per square mile (381.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.9%White, 1.0%Black orAfrican American, 0.9%Asian, 0.4%Native American, 4.7% fromother races, and 7.0% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 10.6%Hispanic orLatino of any race.
As of thecensus[14] of 2010, there were 12,368 people, 5,125 households, and 3,214 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,181.3 inhabitants per square mile (842.2/km2). There were 5,429 housing units at an average density of 957.5 per square mile (369.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.5%White, 0.6%African American, 0.3%Native American, 0.7%Asian, 4.4% fromother races, and 1.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 9.1% of the population.
There were 5,125 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% weremarried couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.94.
The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, there were 11,621 people, 4,760 households, and 3,070 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 2,154.8 people per square mile (832.4/km2). There were 4,983 housing units at an average density of 924.0 per square mile (356.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.09%White, 0.34%African American, 0.29%Native American, 0.60%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 1.87% fromother races, and 0.79% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino people of any race were 4.37% of the population.
There were 4,760 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% weremarried couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,807, and the median income for a family was $51,689. Males had a median income of $36,442 versus $23,852 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,008. 5.3% of the population and 3.9% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
The city's largest employer is Fort HealthCare, an integrated hospital and health system. Fort Atkinson Memorial Hospital has 82 licensed beds and more than 100 physicians on staff. Fort Medical Group, a subsidiary of Fort HealthCare, employs more than 60 physicians, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare providers.[15] The city is also home toCygnus Business Media,NASCO,Spacesaver andJones Dairy Farm.
Fireside Dinner Theatre draws thousands of visitors each year.[16] Another tourist attraction is a reconstruction of the original fort.
Fort Atkinson is home to a daily newspaper, theDaily Jefferson County Union,[17] as well as two radio stations,WFAW andWSJY. Fort Atkinson shares a radio market with theJanesville-Beloit area and is also served by stations fromMilwaukee andMadison.A small student newspaper and website called "the Signal"[18] is also run in theFort Atkinson High School, which focuses on local events that affect students in the district. Fort Atkinson is a part of the Milwaukee television market with stations from Madison also available over the air and on cable.
Fort Memorial Hospital is a 49 bed hospital located in Fort Atkinson.[19] There are 45.6primary care physicians per 100,000 population in the area.[20] Fort Atkinson is designated as both amental health and primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) qualifying the area as amedical desert.[21] By 2035, Fort Atkinson is expected to have a 50.3% deficit in primary care physicians, the seventh largest expected deficit in Wisconsin.[20] There are two behavioral health professionals in Fort Atkinson.[20]
Fort Atkinson School District[22] has four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. Barrie, Rockwell, Purdy, and Luther elementary schools serve grades kindergarten to 5, Fort Atkinson Middle School (FAMS) grades 6 to 8, andFort Atkinson High School grades 9 to 12.[23] The high school's mascot is the Blackhawk, named after the Sauk leader ChiefBlackhawk.
Crown of Life Christian Academy (2K–8)[24] and St. Paul's Lutheran School (3K–8)[25] are Christian schools of theWisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) in Fort Atkinson.
Saint Joseph's school[26] is a private catholic school that teaches kindergarten through 8th grade. It is located in the southwest portion of the town on the corner of Hackbarth Road and Endl Boulevard. The school is located[27] in theRoman Catholic Diocese of Madison.
TheDwight Foster Public Library, established in 1892, serves asJefferson County's resource library.[28]It serves residents of Fort Atkinson and its surrounding communities.[29]
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Primary automobile transportation is provided viaHighway 12,Highway 26,Highway 89 andHighway 106. Highway 26 provides easy access toInterstate 94 (to the north inJohnson Creek), leading to downtownMilwaukee in about an hour; and toInterstate 90 (to the south inJanesville) leading to downtownChicago in about 2.5 hours. Highway 12 provides access to theMadison metro area in about 45 minutes.Fort Atkinson was a stop on the C&NW Milwaukee to Madison line. There is no public transportation available within city limits.
Fort Atkinson is served by theFort Atkinson Municipal Airport (FAALID:61C).
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Municipalities and communities ofJefferson County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
