Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin | |
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Downtown Fort Atkinson | |
![]() Location of Fort Atkinson in Jefferson County, Wisconsin | |
Coordinates: 42°55′38″N88°50′26″W / 42.92722°N 88.84056°W | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
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 | 2,222.4/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.fortatkinsonwi.net |
Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It is on the Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. [3] Fort Atkinson is the largest city located entirely in Jefferson County, as Watertown is split between Jefferson and Dodge counties. Fort Atkinson is a principal city of the Fort Atkinson-Watertown micropolitan statistical area which is in turn a sub-market of the larger Milwaukee-Waukesha-Racine CSA.
Fort Atkinson was named after General Henry Atkinson, [5] the commander of U.S. forces in the area during the Black Hawk War (1832) against a mixed band of Sauk, Meskwaki and Kickapoo peoples. The city developed at the site of Fort Koshkonong, which was used during that war. A replica of the original 1832 stockade has been built just outside town, although not at the original site. The fort was located to control the confluence of the Rock and Bark 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 the Hoard Historical Museum and National Dairy Shrine Museum. [7] William Dempster Hoard founded the nationally distributed dairy farm magazine Hoard'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 earthworks indigenous mounds just south of town. Early European settlers named them the General Atkinson Mound Group. The mounds are a remnant of the Woodland Period in present-day Wisconsin. They are effigy and geometric mounds, different from the platform mounds at nearby Aztalan State Park, built by peoples of the Mississippian culture, which reached its peak around 1300. They had settlements throughout the Mississippi Valley and its tributaries, extending from central Illinois northward to the Great 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 panther intaglio, the Panther 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 the Main Street and Merchants Avenue historic districts. Other Registered Historic Places include the Fort Atkinson Water Tower, David W. and Jane Curtis House, Hoard's Dairyman Farm, and Jones Dairy Farm.
Fort Atkinson is located at 42°55′38″N88°50′26″W / 42.92722°N 88.84056°W (42.927091, −88.840446). [9]
According to the United 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 the Rock River exceeds its banks. Just east of the city, the Bark River enters the Rock and can add considerable volume in certain seasons. The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, which it joins at Rock Island, Illinois.
Climate data for Fort Atkinson Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wisconsin (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1941–present) | |||||||||||||
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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) |
Average precipitation 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 the census of 2020, [3] the population was 12,579. The population 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 or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 4.7% from other races, and 7.0% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 10.6% Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the census [14] of 2010, there were 12,368 people, 5,125 households, and 3,214 families residing in the city. The population 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% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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 the census [4] of 2000, there were 11,621 people, 4,760 households, and 3,070 families residing in the city. The population 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% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per 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 to Cygnus Business Media, NASCO, Spacesaver and Jones 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, the Daily Jefferson County Union, [17] as well as two radio stations, WFAW and WSJY. Fort Atkinson shares a radio market with the Janesville-Beloit area and is also served by stations from Milwaukee and Madison. A small student newspaper and website called "the Signal" [18] is also run in the Fort 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 45.6 primary care physicians per 100,000 population in the area. [20] Fort Atkinson is designated as both a mental health and primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) qualifying the area as a medical 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, and Fort Atkinson High School grades 9 to 12. [23] The high school's mascot is the Blackhawk, named after the Sauk leader Chief Blackhawk.
Crown of Life Christian Academy (2K–8) [24] and St. Paul's Lutheran School (3K–8) [25] are Christian schools of the Wisconsin 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 Bulevard. The school is located [27] in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison
The Dwight Foster Public Library, established in 1892, serves as Jefferson County's resource library. [28] It serves residents of Fort Atkinson and its surrounding communities. [29]
Primary automobile transportation is provided via Highway 12, Highway 26, Highway 89 and Highway 106. Highway 26 provides easy access to Interstate 94 (to the north in Johnson Creek), leading to downtown Milwaukee in about an hour; and to Interstate 90 (to the south in Janesville) leading to downtown Chicago in about 2.5 hours. Highway 12 provides access to the Madison 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 the Fort Atkinson Municipal Airport ( FAA LID : 61C).
Rock County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 163,687. Its county seat is Janesville. Rock County comprises the Janesville-Beloit, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison-Janesville-Beloit, WI Combined Statistical Area.
Juneau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,718. Its county seat is Mauston.
Jefferson County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 84,900. Its county seat is Jefferson. Jefferson County comprises the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI Combined Statistical Area.
Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital.
Fort Atkinson is a city in Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 312 at the time of the 2020 census. It is home to the historic Fort Atkinson State Preserve and hosts a large annual fur-trapper rendezvous each September. Fort Atkinson holds the largest regional hay auction every Wednesday.
Wickliffe is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Ballard County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 670 at the 2020 census.
Monona is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of the state capital, Madison, the city lies on the southeastern shore of Lake Monona, from which the city gets its name. The population was 8,624 at the 2020 census.
Shorewood Hills is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It was established in 1927. The population was 2,169 at the 2020 census. Entirely surrounded by the city of Madison and Lake Mendota, it is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Johnson Creek is a village in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,318 at the 2020 census. The village is approximately halfway between Milwaukee and Madison, at the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 26 and Interstate 94.
Koshkonong is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,763 at the 2020 census. The town entirely surrounds the city of Fort Atkinson. The unincorporated communities of Koshkonong Mounds and Vinnie Ha Ha are located in the town. The unincorporated communities of Blackhawk Island and Koshkonong, as well as The Census-designated place of Lake Koshkonong are also located partially in the town.
Oakland is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,100 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Breezy Knoll, Oakland, and Sylvan Mounds, as well as the census-designated place of Lake Ripley, are located in the town.
Watertown is a city in Dodge and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Most of the city's population is in Jefferson County. Division Street, several blocks north of downtown, marks the county line. The population of Watertown was 22,926 at the 2020 census. Of this, 14,674 were in Jefferson County, and 8,252 were in Dodge County. Watertown is the largest city in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson micropolitan area, which also includes Johnson Creek and Jefferson.
Cambridge is a village in Dane (mostly) and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 1,638 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,539 were in Dane County, and 99 were in Jefferson County.
William Dempster Hoard was an American politician, newspaper publisher, and agriculture advocate who served as the 16th governor of Wisconsin from 1889 to 1891.
Columbus is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin (mostly) and Dodge County, Wisconsin Counties in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,540 at the 2020 census. All of this population resided in the Columbia County portion of the city. Columbus is located about 28 miles (45 km) northeast of Madison on the Crawfish River. The Columbia County portion of the city lies within the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area while the Dodge County portion is a part of the Milwaukee-Waukesha-Racine CSA. Nearly all of the city is located within the town of Columbus in Columbia County, though a small portion lies within the town of Elba in Dodge County.
Prairie du Chien is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP code is 53821.
Blue Mounds is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 950. The village is adjacent to the Town of Blue Mounds, and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Dodgeville is a city in and the county seat of Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,984 at the 2020 census, making it the county's most populous city. Dodgeville is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Waterloo is a city in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the census of 2020, the population was 3,483. The name Waterloo was suggested by Mr. Wilt, a Frenchman living here, who was one of Napoleon's soldiers, at the battle of Waterloo. Waterloo is located in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson micropolitan area which is a sub-market of the larger Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha CSA.
Hoard's Dairyman is an American agricultural trade publication that focuses on dairy farming. It was founded in 1885 by William D. Hoard as a supplement to the Jefferson County Union and is published in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.