Racine, Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Racine is a city located in Racine County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 81,855. It is the county seat of Racine County6.
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Geography
Racine is located at 42°43'34" North, 87°48'21" West (42.726052, -87.805873)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.4 km² (18.7 mi²). 40.2 km² (15.5 mi²) of it is land and 8.1 km² (3.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 16.76% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 81,855 people, 31,449 households, and 20,410 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,033.7/km² (5,267.6/mi²). There are 33,414 housing units at an average density of 830.2/km² (2,150.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 68.91% White, 20.32% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.14% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. 13.95% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 31,449 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% are married couples living together, 17.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% are non-families. 29.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.54 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,164, and the median income for a family is $45,150. Males have a median income of $35,079 versus $24,279 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,705. 13.9% of the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.6% of those under the age of 18 and 6.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
In 1832 just after the Blackhawk War the area surrounding Racine was settled by Yankees from upstate New York, looking for new horizons for their entrepreneurial urges.
Gilbert Knapp, a Lake boat captain in 1834, founded the settlement of Port Gilbert at the place where the Root River empties into Lake Michigan. The area was previously called Kipi Kawi and Chippecotton by the indigenous peoples, both names for the Root River. The name "Port Gilbert" was never really accepted, and in 1841 the community was incorporated as the village of Racine. (The word "racine" means "root" in French). After Wisconsin statehood was granted in 1848, the new legislature voted in August to incorporate Racine as a city.
Before the American Civil War, Racine was well known for its strong opposition to slavery. Many slaves escaping to freedom via the underground railroad passed through Racine. In 1854 Joshua Glover, an escaped slave who had made a home in Racine, was arrested as a fugitive and taken to jail in Milwaukee. 100 men landed by boat from Racine and broke into the jail to free him. He was helped to escape to Canada. Glover's rescue gave rise to many legal complications and a great deal of litigation eventually leading to the Supreme Court declaring the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 unconstitutional.
Waves of immigrants, including Danes, Germans, and Czechs began to settle in Racine between the Civil War and the First World War. Racine's Emmaus Lutheran Church is the oldest Danish Lutheran Church in North America, founded on August 22, 1851. Emmaus Lutheran, orginally part of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), merged with the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) in 1988, to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Commercial background
Racine was a factory town almost from the very beginning. The first industry in Racine County included the manufacture of Fanning mills, machines that separated wheat grain from chaff. Racine also had its share of captains of industry, including J. I. Case (heavy equipment), S.C. Johnson (cleaning and chemical products), Secor, and many others.
In 1887, malted milk was invented by William Horlick in Racine. The garbage disposal was invented in 1927 by architect John Hammes of Racine. He founded the company In-Sink-Erator in Racine, which still produces millions of garbage disposers a year. In addition, Racine is the home of Johnson Wax, with its headquarters designed in 1936 by Frank Lloyd Wright, who also designed the Wingspread Conference Center and many residences in Racine.
Racine is particularly known for it Danish pastries, especially kringle. The O&H Danish Bakery, founded there in 1949, has been featured on Food Network.
Other notable people from Racine
Racine claims to be the largest North American settlement of Danes outside of Greenland.
- Olympia Brown, minister and champion of women's suffrage
- Caron Butler, professional basketball athlete; small forward on the Washington Wizards
- Ellen Corby, television actress
- Laurel Salton-Clark, astronaut. Died on reentry in her first space flight on Space Shuttle Columbia
- Albert Dremel, founder of the Dremel company
- Norman Golden II, screen actor
- Greg Graffin, lead vocalist in political punk music band Bad Religion
- Kurt Halsey, artist
- Max Hardcore, pornographer
- Fredric March, screen and stage actor
- Barbara McNair, television and screen actress
- Robert McRay, television and screen actor
- John Oster, inventor of the Osterizer (blender appliance)
- Edward Piel, Sr, screen actor
- Warner Richmond, screen actor
| Racine, Wisconsin |  |
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| Suburbs | |
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Sturtevant | Wind Point | Franksville | Elmwood Park | North Bay |
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External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
- Racine History Websites
- Racine Newspapers
- Racine Visitor Guides
