User talk:Ancheta Wis/Stevens Point

Stevens Point is a city located in Portage County in central Wisconsin. It is the county seat and the largest city of the county. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 24,551. The city was incorporated in 1858.

History

Before statehood in 1848, the Wisconsin Territory, which was part of the Northwest Territories, included Portage County, centered on the portage (now the City of Portage) location of Marquette and Joliet. At that time, the City of Portage was called Fort Winnebago, and the County extended north to Upper Michigan (called the Upper Peninsula in Wisconsin). Counties split off from Portage County, until the present boundaries settled in 1856. The county seat was moved from Fort Winnebago to Plover Portage (1844), and then to Stevens Point.

Natural history

The city is located in the largely flat central plain of the state, on the banks of its major river, the Wisconsin River. This river rises in the north and flows largely south and westward to the Mississippi. It was used by Marquette and Joliet to travel to the Mississippi River by portage from the Fox River (Wisconsin), upriver from Green Bay, on the Great Lakes, during the time of the voyageurs.

At one time, the state was two-thirds forest, consisting partly of white pine in the north woods, and also mixed deciduous trees. These forests were to be largely exploited and logged over by the lumbermen, with Stevens Point at the center of this economy.

Logging

George Stevens was a mill owner in Wausau, twenty-five miles north of the "point", still on the Wisconsin river. It was easiest to move the logs as large rafts on the river to convenient milling locations. Since the waters of the Central Plan were not as turbulent to navigate as the Wisconsin Rapids downriver, it was natural that the rivermen would congregate at the point above the rapids, to which the logs could be guided, on their way downriver from the north woods to the mills. This time would be memorialized by the tall tales of Paul Bunyan, as a form of entertainment.

Lumber milling

Eventually Stevens Point became a milling location.

Papermaking

After the mills, papermaking was a natural industry.

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Stevens Point is home to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), a small university known for (among other things) its graduate program in natural resources, for which Aldo Leopold and John Muir, who are historically associated with the University of Wisconsin.

Each year in April, WWSP, the campus radio station of UW - Stevens Point hosts a trivia contest that bills itself as the largest trivia contest in the world. Usually the contest features over 500 teams and over 10,000 participants. It has been featured in several newspapers, and was reported on by the BBC. It has been held annually since 1969.

Stevens Point was also a major shooting location for the films of Kandrew Ltd, although the headquarters and editing facilities were located in neighboring Plover. Kandrew Ltd, although never celebrated by the citizens of its hometown, remains an enduring success in the minds of its two creators.

Geography

Location of Stevens Point, Wisconsin

Stevens Point is located at 44°31'23" North, 89°33'37" West (44.523036, -89.560321).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.0 km² (16.2 mi²). 39.7 km² (15.3 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.61% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there are 24,551 people, 9,305 households, and 4,652 families residing in the city. The population density is 619.2/km² (1,603.2/mi²). There are 9,749 housing units at an average density of 245.9/km² (636.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 92.53% White, 0.47% African American, 0.46% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. 1.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 9,305 households out of which 23.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% are married couples living together, 8.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% are non-families. 33.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.29 and the average family size is 2.95.

In the city the population is spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 30.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $33,178, and the median income for a family is $47,176. Males have a median income of $32,894 versus $23,114 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,510. 17.3% of the population and 6.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.8% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

• City Web page
• UWSP Trivia Contest page
• Stevens Point is located at 44.523036°N 89.560321°W / 44.523036; -89.560321