Wausau, Wisconsin

Wausau ( WAH-sah or Wə-sə) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin and had a population of 39,994 at the 2020 census. The Wausau metropolitan statistical area, consisting solely of Marathon County, had a population of 138,013. The Wausau area was inhabited by various indigenous peoples, including the Ojibwe. It was settled by European immigrants in the mid-19th century and developed as a lumbering center due to its access to pine forests and river transport. Cultural and recreational attractions in Wausau include the Grand Theater, Granite Peak Ski Area, Rib Mountain State Park, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and the Wisconsin River. History Establishment and early history This area has for millennia changed hands between various indigenous peoples. The Ojibwe (also known in the United States as the Chippewa) occupied it in the period of European encounter. They had a lucrative fur trade for decades with French colonists and French Canadians. After the French and Indian War this trade was dominated by British-American trappers from the eastern seaboard. The Wisconsin River first drew European-American settlers to the area during the mid-19th century as they migrated west into the Great Lakes region following construction of the Erie Canal in New York State. This provided a route for products from the region to the large New York and other eastern markets. The area had been called "Big Bull Flats" or "Big Bull Falls" by French explorers, who were the first Europeans here. They named it for the long rapids in the river, which created many bubbles, called bulle in French. By an 1836 treaty with the United States, the Ojibwe ceded much of their lands in the area to federal ownership. It was sold to non-Native peoples. Wausau, from Ojibwe “waasa”, means "a faraway place". George Stevens, the namesake of the city of Stevens Point south of Wausau, began harvesting the pine forests for lumber in 1840 and built a sawmill. Lumbering was the first major industry in this area, and other sawmills along the Wisconsin River were quickly constructed by entrepreneurs. By 1846, Walter McIndoe arrived and took the lead in the local business and community. His efforts helped to establish Marathon County in 1850. Word of Stevens's success in the region spread across the country throughout the logging industry. By 1852, Wausau had been established as a town and continued to grow and mature. German immigration into the area following the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states brought more people, and by 1861, the settlement was incorporated as a village. Churches, schools, industry and social organizations began to flourish. The state granted the city a charter in 1872, and elections are held the first Tuesday in April. The residents elected August Kickbusch as their first mayor in 1872. Five years earlier, Kickbusch had returned to his homeland of Germany and brought back with him 702 people, all of whom are believed to have settled in the Wausau area. Kickbusch founded the A. Kickbusch Wholesale Grocery Company, a family business carried on by his grandson, August Kickbusch II. In 1917, Kickbusch II bought a modest four-square-style house at 513 Grant Street. He made extensive additions, adding two sunrooms, arcaded windows, a tiled porch in the Mediterranean style, a formal classical entrance, and ornate custom-designed chimney crowns. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Andrew Warren Historic District. When the railroad arrived in 1874, Wausau became more accessible to settlers and industry. This enabled the city to develop alternatives to the lumber industry, which was in decline since the clear-cutting of many forests. By 1906 the lumber was gone, but the city continued to grow and flourish. Other villages and towns in the area declined because of over-harvesting of the forests and lumber mills closed down. 20th century to present Wausau's location on the Wisconsin River was partly responsible for its survival. The economy was diversified in the early 20th century, led by Employers Insurance of Wausau, now a part of Liberty Mutual. Its logo, first introduced in 1954, was the downtown Milwaukee Road railroad depot set against the backdrop of the community's skyline. The Wall Street crash of 1929 had a major effect on the Wausau area. Many industries were forced to cut back by laying off and dismissing workers or by closing altogether. After decades of growth, the city virtually ground to a halt. But after World War II Wausau was significantly modernized and it continued to grow in industry, education, recreation, and retail, more than in population. After the fall of Saigon, Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia who fought alongside the CIA immigrated to Wausau at the end of the 1970s. Wausau church organizations (Catholic and Lutheran) helped Hmong refugees adapt to American life. In 1983, the Wausau Center shopping mall opened. By the mid- to late-1990s, Wausau began to buy and develop parts of West Industrial Park to meet the needs of the expanding economy and companies. In the late 1990s, the city demolished several aging buildings on a square in the center of downtown, creating what is known as the 400 Block, an open, grassy block with paved sidewalks crossing it. The square is a focal point for summer festivals. In recent years Wausau has redone the 400 Block, adding a permanent stage and other renovations that cost $2 million. By the end of the 20th century, Wausau began to implement the Wausau Central Business District Master Plan, which included redevelopment and economic restructuring of downtown Wausau. The tallest commercial building in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee is in Wausau: the 241-foot Dudley tower. Geography Wausau is located at 44°57′N 89°38′W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 20.33 square miles (52.7 km2), of which 19.22 square miles (49.8 km2) is land and 1.11 square miles (2.9 km2) is water. The city is at an altitude of 1,195 feet (364 m). Wausau is close to the center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere. Just west of Wausau, 45°N meets 90°W (45°N 90°W﻿ / 45; -90), which is exactly halfway between the equator and the north pole and a quarter of the way around the world from the prime meridian. Climate Wausau's climate is classified as warm summer humid continental (Dfb). It is built on or around a hemiboreal forest, which has some of the characteristics of a boreal forest and shares some of the features of the temperate zone forests to the south. Coniferous trees predominate in the hemiboreal zone, but a significant number of deciduous species are found there, as well. Notes Demographics The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and Rothschild. Wausau is the larger principal city of the Wausau–Merrill CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Wausau metropolitan area (Marathon County) and the Merrill micropolitan area (Lincoln County), which had a combined population of 155,475 at the 2000 census. In 1996, a US census estimate found the Hmong people were the largest ethnic minority group in Wausau, with about 11% of the population. 2020 census As of the 2020 census, Wausau had a population of 39,994. The population density was 2,081.1 inhabitants per square mile (803.5/km2). The median age was 38.1 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over. 98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas. There were 17,420 households in Wausau, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.9% were married-couple households, 23.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 18,605 housing units, with an average density of 968.1 units per square mile (373.8 units/km2). Of those units, 6.4% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.0%. 2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 39,106 people, 16,487 households, and 9,415 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,082.3 inhabitants per square mile (804.0/km2). There were 18,154 housing units at an average density of 966.7 units per square mile (373.2 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.7% White, 1.4% African American, 0.8% Native American, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population. There were 16,487 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, 38,426 people, 15,678 households, and 9,328 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,330.7 people per square mile (899.9 people/km2). There were 16,668 housing units at an average density of 1,011.0 units per square mile (390.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.91% White, 0.54% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 11.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. About 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 15,678 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were not families. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was distributed as 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,831, and for a family was $47,065. Males had a median income of $33,076 versus $24,303 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,227. About 7.2% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over. Hmong population As of 2003, Hmong Americans were Wausau's largest ethnic minority. Churches and social service agencies settled refugees, most of them Hmong with some Vietnamese and Lao, in Wausau after the Vietnam War. According to the 1980 United States census, the Wausau SMSA had fewer than 1% nonwhite people. There were several dozen immigrants in 1978. By 1980 Wausau had 200 immigrants. This increased to 400 in 1982 and 800 in 1984. In 1981 there were 160 Hmong students in the Wausau School District and in 1991 1,010. In a period ending in 1994 the tax rate of the Wausau School District rose by 10.48% as a result of the expenses of services to children from immigrant families. The increase was three times as high as the increase in an adjacent school district without a large immigrant population. By 1994 Wausau had 4,200 refugees. By 1996 the number of Hmong students in the school district was over 2,000. In 1998 this number reached its peak, 2,214. The city experienced some social upheaval following the Hmong arrival. Some schools in Wausau had a minority of English speakers and some were predominantly Hmong students. Some native-born American families in Wausau criticized the crime and expenses in social services. Per the 2022 American Community Survey five-year estimates, the Hmong population was 3,885, over 80% of the city's Asian population. As of 2003, "Sixty percent of Hmong families are homeowners. Although more than half of the workforce is earning less than $8 an hour, the welfare rate has dropped to less than 5 percent. More people are going to college. And test scores and graduation rates of Hmong public school students are steadily rising." In Wausau there is relatively little Hmong-language media because, for much of its history, the Hmong language was not written. Economy Nearly one-third of the Marathon County economy is based in manufacturing, with the balance in the service industry. Prominent industries include paper manufacturing, insurance, home manufacturing, and tourism. The Wausau region has a lower-than-average unemployment rate and continues a steady growth in job creation and economic viability among manufacturers and service providers alike. Wausau has 12 banks with 41 branch locations, three trust companies and three holding companies in the metropolitan area. There are also 13 open membership credit unions with 18 branch locations. The Wausau area is a center for cultivation of American ginseng, and is also known for its red granite, which is quarried nearby. Arts and culture Entertainment available in the city includes Exhibitour, Concerts on the Square, Market Place Thursdays, Screen on the Green, and the Hmong New Year. Wausau is home to the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, which houses the "Birds in Art" collection as well as Leigh Yawkey Woodson's collection of decorative glass. The Grand Theater is in downtown Wausau. It hosts local and national shows. Sports The Wausau Woodchucks baseball team of the Northwoods League, an NCAA summer baseball league, plays home games at the Athletic Park in Wausau. The Wausau Woodchucks were formerly known as the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Woody Woodchuck is their mascot. The Wausau River Hawks baseball team of the Dairyland League, a Wisconsin Baseball Association summer baseball league, plays home games at Athletic Park in Wausau. The Wausau River Hawks were formerly known as Wausau Precision. Granite Peak Ski Area offers downhill skiing at nearby Rib Mountain. The 700-ft mountain is Wisconsin's tallest skiable mountain and one of the highest vertical drops in the Midwest. It first became a ski area in 1937, when Wausau residents cleared six runs by hand, installed the nation's longest ski lift, and built a chalet with stone quarried nearby. Granite Peak has 74 runs and seven ski lifts. Wausau hosts the annual Badger State Winter Games. Wausau is home to a kayak course that has hosted numerous regional, national, and world competitions over the last two decades. Nine Mile Recreation Area hosts many running, skiing, biking, and other outdoor events each year. The annual 24-hour mountain biking race has served as the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in past years. Ragnar relay began hosting a trail event at Nine Mile Recreation Area in 2016. Downhill flow machine built mountain bike trails were constructed and opened in 2017 at Sylvan Hill County Park. Wausau is also home to the Wausau Curling Club, with an eight-sheet ice surface. A new curling facility was finished in 2013, next to the former Holtz-Krause Landfill. It has an Olympic-size ice rink and allows for curling tournaments, national and world championship games. In the summers local softball teams play at the Sunnyvale Softball Complex, which has five softball fields and two volleyball courts. Men's, Women's, JO, and Slow and Fast pitch are played at the softball complex. In 2012, Wausau bought the former Holtz-Krause landfill with plans to build a soccer complex. It opened in 2014. Parks and recreation The city's 37 city parks, which total 337 acres (136 ha), are maintained by the Wausau and Marathon County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department. Oak Island Community Park and Fern Island Community Park are next to each other on the Wisconsin River. Oak Island has a wide range of activities: tennis courts, two playgrounds, a baseball diamond, one enclosed shelter with a kitchen, two open shelters, and a walking bridge to Fern Island. Fern Island Park hosts the annual Big Bull Falls Blues Festival in August, as well as the annual Beer and Bacon Fest. Athletic Park, a baseball stadium on Wausau's east side, is home to the Wausau Woodchucks baseball team. Whitewater Park contains a third of a mile of Class I-II+ rapids along the Wisconsin River in downtown Wausau. It has bleachers facing whitewater rapids where recreational whitewater kayaking and canoeing take place. Sylvan Hills is a county park in Wausau. During the winter, tubing takes place on hills that have vertical drops of up to 133 feet (41 m). Marathon Park, another county park in Wausau, hosts the Wisconsin Valley Fair. The park includes camping grounds, two hockey rinks, a curling barn, playgrounds, an obstacle course, an amphitheater, a bandstand, a grandstand, exhibition buildings, a concessions building, and a miniature golf course. Marathon Park contains Wisconsin's southernmost section of old-growth forest. The Little Red School House is in the park. Government and politics Wausau has a mayor–council form of government. Eleven elected alderpersons make up the city council, each representing one district of the city. The city council manages eight standing committees, including Parks & Recreation, Parking & Traffic, Finance, Human Resources, Public Health & Safety, Economic Development, Coordinating, and Capital Improvement & Street Maintenance. The mayor of Wausau is Doug Diny, who was sworn in on April 16, 2024. Diny, who served as District 4 Alderperson of Wausau from 2022 to 2024, defeated incumbent mayor Katie Rosenberg in the April 2, 2024, election. Fire department The Wausau Fire Department has 3 stations within the city which contain 5 ambulances, 4 engines, a heavy rescue vehicle, a 100-foot platform truck, rescue boats, inspections vehicles, and command vehicles. The department also has a hazardous incident team, or HIT, which is a type II regional hazardous materials team. The department employs 72 full-time firefighter/paramedics. It responded to 6,490 calls in 2021. Police department The Wausau Police Department is responsible for law enforcement services in the City of Wausau. On average, between 8–12 officers are on patrol at a time. Outdoor warning system The city of Wausau, in coordination with the Marathon County Sheriff's Office, is responsible for maintaining 14 outdoor tornado sirens that are strategically placed throughout the city. Sirens are sounded during tornadoes and severe weather. Sirens are tested at 1:15PM every Monday (April–September) and the first Monday of the month (October–March). Education Primary and secondary Wausau is served by the Wausau School District, which has 14 elementary schools, two middle schools (John Muir and Horace Mann), and two high schools (Wausau East, Wausau West) and two charter schools (Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership Academy and Enrich Excel Achieve Learning Academy). Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership (EGL) Academy is a public charter school housed in Wausau East High School serving grades 9–12 and emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math. D.C. Everest Area School District also serves a large part of the Wausau area. This school district has 7 elementary schools, one middle school, one junior high, and one senior high. They also have a 4K Program. Wausau Area Montessori Charter School serves grades 1–6 and is housed at Horace Mann Middle School. Two kindergarten classes are available at the Montessori Children's Village and Rib Mountain Montessori. The Excel, Enrich, Achieve (EEA) Learning Academy is a public charter school in the Wausau School District, housed in Wausau East High School, and is for students who do not find the traditional school setting to be a fit for their academic needs. EEA services grades 6–12. The Idea Charter School, a project-based charter school that is a part of the D.C. Everest School District, had its first year in operation in the 2011–2012 school year. The charter school serves grades 6–12. The city's Roman Catholic parochial schools are known as the Newman Catholic Schools. They include St. Anne, St. Michael and St. Mark, Newman Middle School, and Newman Catholic High School. Other parochial schools include Trinity Lutheran grade school (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod), Our Savior's Lutheran School (Pre-K–8) (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod), Faith Christian Academy (K4–12), a non-denominational Christian school. Colleges and universities Wausau is home to Northcentral Technical College, a two-year technical college, as well as satellite campuses of University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Wausau [via NTC Campus], Rasmussen University, and Medical College of Wisconsin. Libraries The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) – Wausau Headquarters, downtown near the Wausau Center Mall, is the largest library in the Wausau area. It was formed when the county and city libraries merged in 1974. It serves as the headquarters for the Marathon County Public Library system, which encompasses all public libraries in Marathon County, including eight branch libraries. The Marathon County Historical Museum also maintains a library. Media The only local daily print newspaper is the Wausau Daily Herald, with a daily circulation of 21,400 during the week and 27,500 on Sunday. Wausau Pilot and Review is a local online newspaper, City Pages is a free weekly newspaper. TV Stations WSAW-TV 7/CBS/CW+, WAOW-TV 9/ABC, WJFW-TV 12/NBC, WZAW-LD 33/Fox, WTPX-TV 46/Ion Transportation Airports AUW – Wausau Downtown Airport serves general aviation aircraft, charter flights, and seaplane operations. CWA – Central Wisconsin Airport has commercial flights with American Eagle and Delta Connection. Public transit Metro Ride provides local bus service. For intercity bus service Wausau is served by Lamers Bus Lines providing daily trips from Wausau to Milwaukee via Appleton and Coach USA/Van Galder with a daily trip to Janesville via Madison. Until 1971, Wausau was served by intercity passenger trains at Wausau station. Roads and highways Major roads in Wausau are Grand Avenue, North 6th St/North 5th St (one-way pair), East and West Bridge St, West Thomas St, 1st Ave/3rd Ave (one-way pair), Stewart Ave, 17th Ave, Merrill Ave, 28th Ave, and East Wausau Ave. The Wausau street grid is set up with numbered streets on the east side and numbered avenues on the west side. The Wisconsin River divides the city between East and West. Grand Avenue turns into North 6th Street when traveling north into the downtown area. Business 51 is a major route designation that runs through the city mostly along the original route of US 51 before the freeway bypass was constructed in the 1960s. Entering from the south along Grand Ave, north to downtown then splitting into one-way streets; northbound follows 6th St, McIndoe St, N. 1st St, and Scott St to the Wisconsin River; and southbound from the Wisconsin River along Washington St, 1st St, and Forest St back to Grand Ave. Once on the west side of the river, Scott St becomes Stewart Ave. Business 51 turns north off of Stewart Ave onto the one-way 1st Avenue north to W. Union Avenue westerly for two blocks then north out of town along Merrill Ave (southbound from Merrill Ave along 3rd Avenue, then East on Stewart Ave to the Wisconsin River). Notable people References External links City of Wausau Wausau Regional Chamber of Commerce