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Baraboo, Wisconsin

Coordinates: 43°28′5″N 89°44′30″W / 43.46806°N 89.74167°W / 43.46806; -89.74167
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This article is about the city. For the adjacent town, see Baraboo (town), Wisconsin.
"Baraboo" redirects here. For other uses, see Baraboo (disambiguation).
Baraboo, Wisconsin
City
Downtown Baraboo (2010)
Downtown Baraboo (2010)
Location of Baraboo in Sauk County, Wisconsin
Location of Baraboo in Sauk County, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°28′5″N 89°44′30″W / 43.46806°N 89.74167°W / 43.46806; -89.74167
CountryUnited States
StateWisconsin
CountySauk
Incorporated (village)April 6, 1866
Incorporated (city)February 25, 1882[1]
Government
 • TypeMayor – Council
 • MayorRob Nelson
Area
[2]
 • City7.43 sq mi (19.25 km2)
 • Land7.35 sq mi (19.03 km2)
 • Water0.09 sq mi (0.22 km2)
Elevation
879 ft (268 m)
Population
 (2020)[3][4]
 • City12,556
 • Density1,709.2/sq mi (659.9/km2)
 • Metro
55,225
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
53913
Area code608
GNIS feature ID1582749[5]
FIPS code55-04625
Websitewww.cityofbaraboo.com

Baraboo (/ˈbɛərəbuː/ BAIR-ə-boo)[6] is the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, located along the Baraboo River.[7] The population was 12,556 as of the 2020 census. The most populous city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo micropolitan statistical area which comprises a portion of the Madison combined statistical area.

Baraboo is home to the Circus World Museum and the former headquarters and winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Al. Ringling Theatre is an active landmark in the city. Baraboo is near Devil's Lake State Park and Aldo Leopold's Shack and Farm.

History

[edit]

Early settlement

[edit]

The area around Baraboo was the site of a Kickapoo village as early as 1665.[8][dead link] The current community was established by Abe Wood in 1838, and was originally known as the village of Adams.[9] In 1839 several settlers arrived and started building cabins, and a saw mill.[10] In 1846 it became the county seat of Sauk County after a fierce fight with the nearby village of Reedsburg.[11] In 1852, the village was renamed "Baraboo", after the nearby river. It was incorporated as a village in 1866 and as a city in 1882.[12][13] In the 1860s, the city had surpassed a population of 2,000, and many businesses started to form, including grocery stores, banks, and hotels. In 1872, the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) was built.[9] Baraboo became home to several saw mills during this time, because of its location near the Baraboo and Wisconsin Rivers.

Late 1800s to present

[edit]

In 1884, the Ringling Brothers Circus was established in Baraboo by circus performers and tourers the Ringling brothers, after they settled in the city in 1875 and performed their first show in Mazomanie, Wisconsin in 1882. Several other circuses then came to the city, which earned Baraboo the nickname "Circus City".[13]

Located south of Baraboo in the Census-designated place of Bluffview, was the Badger Ordnance Works, which was the largest munitions factory in the world during World War II.[14] It was later demolished and now the land is a part of the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area.[15]

Hank Snow's 1959 song "I've Been Everywhere", famously covered by Johnny Cash, mentions visiting Baraboo.

Cirrus, a manufacturer of single-engine aircraft, was founded in a rural Baraboo barn in 1984 by the Klapmeier brothers.[16][17] After a few years of designing the VK-30, they relocated to the Baraboo–Dells Airport and in 1994 moved the company to its present-day home in Duluth, Minnesota.[18]

Geography

[edit]
Baraboo welcome sign on WIS 33

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.47 square miles (19.35 km2), of which 7.39 square miles (19.14 km2) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km2) is water.[19]

West Baraboo, a suburb of Baraboo, borders the city on its west side.

Baraboo gives its name to the Baraboo Syncline, a doubly plunging, asymmetric syncline in Proterozoic-aged Baraboo quartzite. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, particularly Charles R. Van Hise, used the syncline to demonstrate that small-scale deformational structures in isolated outcrops reflect larger regional structures and that sedimentary structures could indicate the original top-facing direction within elaborately deformed strata. These two principles sparked a global revolution in structural geology during the 1920s.[20]

The nearby Baraboo Hills are designated one of the "Last Great Places" by the Nature Conservancy because of its rare rocks, plants and animals. The hills were created by glacial action, and in some points poke up from the flat terrain to form a stark contrast. Some of these features were created when a glacial pocket was formed during the Wisconsin glaciation where the advance of the glacier halted, along the edge of what is known as the Driftless Area. Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin's largest state park, contains large areas of the Baraboo Hills. Pewits Nest is located outside Baraboo.

Climate

[edit]

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Baraboo has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Baraboo was 103 °F (39.4 °C) on July 5–7, 2012, while the coldest temperature recorded was −45 °F (−42.8 °C) on January 30, 1951.[21]

Climate data for Baraboo, Wisconsin, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 57
(14) 		69
(21) 		84
(29) 		92
(33) 		96
(36) 		102
(39) 		103
(39) 		102
(39) 		99
(37) 		92
(33) 		76
(24) 		68
(20) 		103
(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 46.8
(8.2) 		52.7
(11.5) 		67.3
(19.6) 		78.5
(25.8) 		86.5
(30.3) 		91.4
(33.0) 		92.9
(33.8) 		91.3
(32.9) 		87.8
(31.0) 		80.6
(27.0) 		65.4
(18.6) 		52.1
(11.2) 		94.9
(34.9)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 27.5
(−2.5) 		32.2
(0.1) 		44.1
(6.7) 		57.2
(14.0) 		69.6
(20.9) 		79.0
(26.1) 		82.8
(28.2) 		80.9
(27.2) 		73.7
(23.2) 		60.5
(15.8) 		45.5
(7.5) 		33.2
(0.7) 		57.2
(14.0)
Daily mean °F (°C) 18.6
(−7.4) 		22.4
(−5.3) 		33.6
(0.9) 		45.6
(7.6) 		57.9
(14.4) 		67.6
(19.8) 		71.5
(21.9) 		69.3
(20.7) 		61.7
(16.5) 		49.5
(9.7) 		36.6
(2.6) 		24.9
(−3.9) 		46.6
(8.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 9.6
(−12.4) 		12.5
(−10.8) 		23.1
(−4.9) 		34.1
(1.2) 		46.2
(7.9) 		56.2
(13.4) 		60.1
(15.6) 		57.6
(14.2) 		49.7
(9.8) 		38.4
(3.6) 		27.6
(−2.4) 		16.6
(−8.6) 		36.0
(2.2)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −15.9
(−26.6) 		−11.3
(−24.1) 		−2.3
(−19.1) 		16.9
(−8.4) 		28.8
(−1.8) 		39.4
(4.1) 		46.4
(8.0) 		43.4
(6.3) 		31.7
(−0.2) 		21.3
(−5.9) 		8.1
(−13.3) 		−6.6
(−21.4) 		−19.6
(−28.7)
Record low °F (°C) −45
(−43) 		−41
(−41) 		−34
(−37) 		−2
(−19) 		19
(−7) 		31
(−1) 		38
(3) 		34
(1) 		20
(−7) 		10
(−12) 		−17
(−27) 		−35
(−37) 		−45
(−43)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.35
(34) 		1.36
(35) 		2.21
(56) 		4.16
(106) 		4.28
(109) 		5.58
(142) 		4.79
(122) 		4.53
(115) 		3.85
(98) 		2.91
(74) 		2.20
(56) 		1.68
(43) 		38.90
(988)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 11.3
(29) 		10.1
(26) 		5.9
(15) 		2.6
(6.6) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.4
(1.0) 		2.1
(5.3) 		10.3
(26) 		42.7
(108.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 8.3 7.3 9.1 11.2 13.1 11.8 10.2 10.1 10.4 10.4 8.1 8.9 118.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 6.7 5.8 3.1 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.5 5.5 23.8
Source 1: NOAA[22]
Source 2: National Weather Service[21]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850255—
18601,360433.3%
18701,52812.4%
18803,266113.7%
18904,60541.0%
19005,75124.9%
19106,32410.0%
19205,538−12.4%
19305,5450.1%
19406,41515.7%
19507,26413.2%
19607,6605.5%
19707,9313.5%
19808,0811.9%
19909,20313.9%
200010,71116.4%
201012,04812.5%
202012,5564.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[23]

Baraboo forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Sauk County (2000 population: 55,225). The Baraboo μSA is just northwest of the Madison metropolitan area, with which it forms the Census Bureau's Baraboo-Madison Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2020 census

[edit]

As of the census of 2020,[3] the population was 12,556. The population density was 1,709.2 inhabitants per square mile (659.9/km2). There were 5,776 housing units at an average density of 786.3 per square mile (303.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.0% White, 1.4% Native American, 1.3% Black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 2.7% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.9% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

[edit]

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 12,048 people, 5,161 households, and 3,016 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,630.3 inhabitants per square mile (629.5/km2). There were 5,619 housing units at an average density of 760.4 per square mile (293.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.0% White, 1.3% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.7% of the population.

There were 5,161 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% 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 2.89.

The median age in the city was 38 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

[edit]

As of the census of 2000,[7] there were 10,711 people, 4,467 households, and 2,733 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,030.2 people per square mile (783.2/km2). There were 4,718 housing units at an average density of 894.3 per square mile (345.0 persons/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.12% White, 0.51% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,467 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,375, and the median income for a family was $48,149. Males had a median income of $32,775 versus $22,813 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,304. 6.6% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or older.

Government

[edit]
Baraboo City Hall

A city hall building opened in 1967,[24] and another location finished construction in 2018 at a cost of $9 million.[25]

A post office opened in 1961.[24]

Education

[edit]
Baraboo High School

A campus of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville Baraboo Sauk County is located in Baraboo.

The School District of Baraboo has four elementary schools serving students in grades 1 through 5, one kindergarten center, one middle school and one high school (Baraboo High School).

The middle school has a swimming pool that can be accessed by the public with a seasonal membership option. There are also three parochial schools: St. Joseph's Catholic School, which serves Pre-K through sixth grade; St. John's Lutheran School of the WELS, serving Pre-K through eighth grade;[26] and Community Christian School, serving 4K through high school.[27]

St. Joseph's Catholic, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, is a parochial school. The current school building, designed by the Wisconsin Rapids company Billmeyer and Sons and with a cost of over $500,000, has 11 classrooms. The basement has a cafeteria and a combination auditorium/gymnasium. The second building for the school opened on a filled-in ravine in 1912, northeast of its associated church. The building had three floors and a basement. The first and second floors each had three classrooms, and the second floor also housed the chapel and the library. The third floor had a 600-seat auditorium while the basement had a large banquet hall/gymnasium. The second building became overcrowded due to the post-World War II baby boom, so the third school building, north of the second building, opened in 1958.[28]

The Baraboo Public Library serves the community. The former Free Congregational Society church was demolished by 1902 for the library's construction.[29]

Infrastructure

[edit]

Baraboo includes the Downtown Baraboo Historic District, which consists of 75 commercial and civic buildings built between 1870 and 1938.[30] The Sauk County Courthouse is in the center of the district, and it serves the county.

Transportation

[edit]
US-12 and Bus. US -12 Junction on the west side of town

The Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Airport (KDLL) serves the city and surrounding communities, and is located on Bus. US 12 3 miles north of the city. State Highways 33, 113, 136, and U.S. 12 pass through Baraboo. There is access to Interstate 90/94 nearby. The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad provides freight rail service to Baraboo via the Reedsburg Subdivision, the nearest Amtrak passenger rail station is in neighboring Wisconsin Dells. Dial-a-ride transit service is available in the city through Baraboo Transit.

Historic sites

[edit]

Notable people

[edit]
Bradbury Robinson
John Ringling North (right) and Frank Buck

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Municipal Data System". Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Intergovernmental Relations. 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  2. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census: Baraboo city, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  5. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ^ "Cities -". Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  8. ^ "Fur Trade | Indians of the Midwest". Indians of the Midwest. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Chapter 15 The City of Baraboo". A Standard History of Sauk County (PDF).
  10. ^ "History of Baraboo Sauk County, Wisconsin". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  11. ^ "County Government: Why Adams County?" in Adams County Historical Society,From Past to Present: Adams County. Friendship, Wisconsin: New Past Press, 1999.
  12. ^ The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929. Madison: Democrat Printing Company, 1929, p. 627.
  13. ^ a b "Term: Baraboo (brief history)" in Dictionary of Wisconsin History.
  14. ^ "GSA - Badger Site Information". Archived from the original on June 21, 2006. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  15. ^ "Sauk Prairie Wisconsin State Park System | Wisconsin DNR". dnr.wisconsin.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  16. ^ The Museum of Flight "Lecture by Cirrus Aircraft CEO Dale Klapmeier | the Museum of Flight". Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
  17. ^ The Dream Brothers: Alan and Dale Klapmeier Airport Journals, June 2005
  18. ^ Exciting News From the National Aviation Hall of Fame Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame
  19. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  20. ^ Dott, R.H. Jr. (August 2001). "Wisconsin roots of the modern revolution in structural geology". GSA Bulletin. 113 (8). The Geological Society of America: 996–1009. Bibcode:2001GSAB..113..996D. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(2001)113<0996:WROTMR>2.0.CO;2.
  21. ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Milwaukee". National Weather Service. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  22. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Baraboo, WI". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  23. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  24. ^ a b Dewel, Bob. "'60s, '70s and sophistication too?" In: "The 1970's" [sic] Pages 989 to 1052. Baraboo Public Library. Retrieved on November 22, 2018. CITED: p. 990.
  25. ^ Bromley, Ben (March 14, 2018). "Staff will move into Baraboo's new City Hall April 9". Wisconsin News. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  26. ^ "St John's Lutheran School Home". March 8, 2016.
  27. ^ "Community Christian School of Baraboo". Community Christian School of Baraboo. Retrieved August 9, 2014.
  28. ^ Sauk County Historical Society. Baraboo. Arcadia Publishing, 2017. ISBN 1467125105, 9781467125109. p. 84.
  29. ^ Sauk County Historical Society. Baraboo. Arcadia Publishing, 2017. ISBN 1467125105, 9781467125109. p. 85.
  30. ^ "Roughly bounded by 5th and 2 Avenues, and 5th, Ash, 1st, Oak and Birch Streets | National or State Registers Record". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 1, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  31. ^ The History of Sauk County, Wisconsin, Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880, p. 437.
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