Wisconsin Rapids

Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The city also forms one of the core areas of the Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area. The American Indians called the area "Ahdawagam", meaning "Two-sided Rapids" The name was changed in 1920 to avoid mail and other goods from being misdirected to the much better known Grand Rapids, Michigan. Wisconsin Rapids is located at 44°2312N 89°4923W (44.386805, 89.823078). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.77 square miles (38.3 km²), of which 13.88 sq miles (35.9 km²) is land and 0.89sq miles (2.3 kms) is water. The population of the city was 18,877 at the 2020 census, with 9,265 housing units at an average density of 667.6 per square mile (257.8/km²) The racial makeup of theCity was 87.4% White, 3.5% Asian, 1.4%. Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 1,5% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.6%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9%. In the 2010 census, there were 18,367 people, 8,296 households, and 4,626 families living in the city.

History

Wisconsin Rapids is the primary city name, but also Wisc Rapids are acceptable city names or spellings, Biron, Grand Rapids, Kellner, Lake Wazeecha on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. Wisconsin Rapids has been known by this name only since 1920. The name was changed in 1920 to avoid mail and other goods from being misdirected to the much better known Grand Rapids, Michigan. Prior to that, the community was divided by the Wisconsin River, with the west side incorporated as Centralia and the east side as Grand Rapids. The two cities merged in 1900, and the entire community took the name GrandRapids. The American Indians called the area "Ahdawagam", meaning "Two-sided Rapids", and Europeans began to settle this area in the 1830s. It is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario. The town has a population of about 2,000 people, with most of its residents living in the central part of the town. It has a post office with a ZIP code of 7053. The city is located on the shores of the Wisconsin Rapids River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It was once known as "Wisconsin Rapids" and was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in 1864. The community is now known as Wisconsin Rapids and was once called "Wisconsin City" and "Wisconsin Falls" It is also known as the location of the Grand Rapids Dam, which was built in 1869. The Wisconsin River runs through the town, and was originally called the "Wisconsin River" before being renamed the " Wisconsin River" in 1875. The current name of Wisconsin Rapids was adopted in 1920.

Geography

Wisconsin Rapids is located at 44°2312N 89°4923W (44.386805, 89.823078).According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.77 square miles (38.3 km²) of which 13.88square miles (35.9km²) is land and 0.89square miles ("2.3km²") is water. Wisconsin Rapids is home to the University of Wisconsin-Ripley, which was founded in 1872. The city is located in the Wisconsin River Valley, which is a tributary of the Red River. The Wisconsin River runs through the center of the city, and the city is also known as the "Red River River Valley" and the "Wisconsin River River Delta" The city was named after Wisconsin Rapids, a city in the state's Upper Great Lakes region, where it is located. It is the only city in Wisconsin that has been named after a river or river in the last 1,000 years. It was also named after the town of Wisconsin Rapids in Wisconsin, which dates back to the 17th century. It has a population of 3,000, and was named for the town's first postman, who arrived in the area in 1776. It also has a post office, which opened in 1778. It became the first post office in the city in 1781. The town is located on the Wisconsin Rapids River, which runs through it.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 18,367 people, 8,296 households, and 4,626 families living in the city. Ethnically, the population was 4.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a family was $34,000, and the median age was 41.1 years. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female. The city has a population of 18,877, and its population is expected to grow to 19,000 by the 2020 census. It is located in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers's home state of Kansas. The U.N. Census Bureau estimates the city's population will reach 18,800 by the end of the century. It has a poverty rate of 12.5%. The city is home to the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, who play in the NFL's Super Bowl XLVIII. The team's home field is the University of Kansas, which plays in the Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, July 28. The game is also the home of the Kansas City Royals, which play the NFL in the World Series on July 31 and August 1. The Chiefs' home stadium is the K-State Memorial Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,000 people. It was the site of the NFL World Series in 1998 and 1998-2000. It also hosts the NBA All-Star Game, which is played on the same day as the Superbowl.

Economy

Wisconsin Rapids is the corporate home of the international educational software company, Renaissance Learning. From its founding in 1894, Wisconsin Rapids was home to the corporate headquarters of Consolidated Papers, Inc. In 2007, NewPage acquired the paper production facility. In 2015, Verso Corporation acquired the mill. Verso continues its presence in the area with a paper mill that houses two paper machines and a kraft pulp mill. In June 2020, Verso announced the closing of their paper mill for at least two months, with the resulting loss of 900 jobs. The area is also an important location for the cranberry industry. It is home to a number of national and global companies, such as Renaissance Learning, as well as other national andglobal companies. The city is also home to an array of small businesses, including a local bank, a bank, and a bank that provides loans to people in need of financial assistance. The town is also known for its papermaking history, which began in the 1880s. It was the site of the first papermaking plant in the U.S. and is now home to several other paper-making facilities, including NewPage, which was acquired by the Finnish company Stora Enso in early-2000. It also has a cranberry processing plant, which has been in operation since the 1950s and is still in operation today. It has a population of about 2,000. It's also the headquarters of the American Cranberry Association, which is a trade group for cranberry growers.

Transportation

The South Wood County Airport (IATA: ISW, ICAO: KISW, FAA LID:ISW), also known as Alexander Field, is a public use airport. It is located one nautical mile (1.85 km) south of the central business district of Wisconsin Rapids. It has one runway, which is used for general aviation. The airport was built in the 1930s and was the first airport in the state. It was named Alexander Field after the founder of the town where it is located. The FAA has a license to use the airport, which was granted in 2008. It also has a private use license. It opened in the 1990s and is located in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, about 1.85 miles (2.5 km) from the central area of the city's business district. The runway has a single runway that is used as a general aviation airport. The airfield has two runways: one for airliners and one for non-directional beacon (F/A) use. It will be used for air traffic in the coming years for air travel to and from Wisconsin Rapids and elsewhere in the region. The Airport has two hangars, one for commercial use and the other for air taxi service. It  is the only airport in South Wisconsin Rapids with an FAA license to fly in and out of the area. It had a runway extension in 2007 and was completed in 2010. It currently has one of the world's smallest runways, with a total length of 2.5 miles (3.4 km).

Education

Wisconsin Rapids is served by the Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools. Lincoln High School is the local public high school, serving grades 9 through 12. Assumption High school is a private Catholic high school. The city has two middle schools, Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School (grades 68) and Central Oaks (Virtual) Academy (68) East Junior High was a junior high school for grades 89 before it closed after the 2017-2018 school year. Mid-State Technical College, which has a campus in the city, offers vocational diplomas, and Lakeland University offers qualifications in academic subjects. McMillan Memorial Library serves Wisconsin Rapids and southern Wood County. The library was a Finalist for the 2019 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. It is located in Wisconsin Rapids, a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin. It was built in the early 1900s and is located on the banks of the Wisconsin River, which runs through the city. It has a library that is open to the public through the end of the school year, as well as a number of private schools and day care centers. It also has a museum, which was opened in the late 1950s. The museum is located at the former site of Wisconsin Rapids High School, which is now a part of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. It opened in 1958 and has a collection of more than 2,000 books. It's also home to the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod's Good Shepherd Lutheran School (18th grade) and St. Paul's Lutheran School.

Recreation and culture

Wisconsin Rapids has several local parks, including Robinson Park, Gaynor Park, and Lyon Park. The state water-skiing championships are held at Lake Wazeecha every year. There are three museums, the South Wood County Historical Corporation Museum, the Alexander House, and the Wisconsin River Paper Making Museum. There is a prairie chicken sanctuary at the Buena Vista Wildlife Reservation, and every year the Prairie Chicken Festival is held. The Souper Snow Sculpture Spectacular that takes place every February is one of the largest snow sculpture competitions in the country by numbers of sculptures. The Wisconsin Rapids Aquatic Center opened in July 2020 and features several pools and other recreational facilities including a tennis court, pickleball courts, an adventure playground, ice-skating rink, and splash pad. The FRM Music Festival happens every June, as does the Cranberry Blossom Festival. The Grand Affair Arts Festival takes place in September of each year (2020 excepted, due to COVID-19 precautions). The state (and sometimes national) water skiing tournaments are held in Wisconsin Rapids annually, as are the state cross country running championships and the national BMX Bandit cycling championships. The city is home to the Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings, a hockey team who are a member of the United States Premier Hockey League and won the Midwest Elite Championship in the 2016-2017 season. The town also has a municipal zoo which is free to enter, and operated during the summer only, and is open to the public in the summer.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Wisconsin Rapids, Wood County, Wisconsin = 84. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 47. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Wisconsin Rapids = 3.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 38,431 individuals with a median age of 40.8 age the population dropped by -5.67% in Wisconsin Rapids, Wood County, Wisconsin population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,360.2 residents per square mile of area (525.2/km²). There are average 2.14 people per household in the 7,935 households with an average household income of $38,216 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.40% of the available work force and has dropped -3.98% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 24.64%. The number of physicians in Wisconsin Rapids per 100,000 population = 555.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Wisconsin Rapids = 31.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 42.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 116. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 188. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 50, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Wisconsin Rapids, Wood County, Wisconsin which are owned by the occupant = 59.84%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 46 years with median home cost = $73,560 and home appreciation of -0.05%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $19.52 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,426 per student. There are 15.8 students for each teacher in the school, 1296 students for each Librarian and 374 students for each Counselor. 7.75% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 11.47% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 3.65% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).