Nekoosa is a city in Wood County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States. Its name derives from the

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iow ...

word, "Nįįkuusra", "Nakrusa", or "Nįkusara" which translates to "running water". The population was 2,580 at the 2010 census.

History

An article dated March 16, 1916 from the long defunct newspaper ''The Nekoosa Tribune'' detailing the early history of Nekoosa may be found at the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

web site. It is a letter written by a resident to Nekoosa High School students to support them writing a history term paper.

Point Basse Point Basse refers to both a sharp bend in the Wisconsin River near present day Nekoosa, Wisconsin, as well as to a nearby historic village downstream from the point itself, the village no longer being in existence. Other historic spellings include ...

"Five rapids covering a distance of about three miles in this area were referred to as Nekoosa (swift water) by the Chippewa Indians, who made their campground on high Swallow Rock overlooking the rapids. Wakeley's tavern served as a rendezvous and resting place for the river traveler and lumber raftsman. Wakeley's was the nucleus for the development of a settlement named Point Basse (low point). The name was later changed to Nekoosa. The settlement became a key town during the colorful era when lumber was rafted down the river from the pineries of the North to Mississippi River markets. Daniel Whitney built the first sawmill on the Wisconsin River here at Whitney's Rapids in 1831 making Nekoosa the birthplace of Wood County. From this first harnessing of the river's power developed scores of power facilities making the Wisconsin River the hardest worked river in the world." oint Basse historical marker, erected 1963

Geography

Nekoosa is located at (44.319081, -89.899937). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,580 people, 1,065 households, and 688 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,135 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.4% Native American, 0.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.8% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 2.2% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.4% of the population. There were 1,065 households, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% 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 2.98. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,590 people, 987 households, and 702 families living in the city. The

was 763.5 people per square mile (295.0/km²). There were 1,063 housing units at an average density of 313.4 per square mile (121.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.72%

, 0.12%

, 1.27% Native American, 0.31%

, 0.97% from

, and 0.62% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.81% of the population. There were 987 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were

living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,375, and the median income for a family was $44,583. Males had a median income of $36,308 versus $22,361 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,063. About 6.7% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Employment in Nekoosa has long been dominated by paper making. The Nekoosa Paper Company, incorporated in 1893, constructed a mill on the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousi ...

. In 1908 it merged with a paper company in nearby Port Edwards, forming the Nekoosa Edwards Paper Company, or NEPCO. In 1970 NEPCO merged with the

Great Northern Paper Company Great Northern Paper Company was a Maine-based pulp and paper manufacturer that at its peak in the 1970s and 1980s operated mills in Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, and Wisconsin and produced 16.4% of the newsprint made in the United States. It was also ...

, forming Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation, or GNN, which was purchased in a hostile takeover by

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...

in 1990. In 2001 the mill was sold to Canadian paper company

Domtar Domtar Corporation is an American company that manufactures and markets wood fiber-based paper and pulp product. The company operates pulp and paper mills in Windsor, Quebec, Dryden, Ontario, Kamloops, British Columbia, Ashdown, Arkansas, Hawesv ...

. The Nekoosa mill was the original home of a cutting-edge paper machine first shown at the 1893 Columbian Exhibition. The machine was moved in 1923 to a sister mill in Port Edwards. Stock certificates from NEPCO and GNN are popular

scripophily Scripophily is the study and collection of stock and bond certificates. A specialized field of numismatics, scripophily is an area of collecting due to both the inherent beauty of some historical documents as well as the interesting historical con ...

items.

Education

Nekoosa has four schools: Humke Elementary School, Alexander Middle School, Nekoosa High School, and Nekoosa Academy. A new school designed specifically to teach

heritage and history has been added to the district.

Notable people

Chief Oshkosh Chief Oshkosh (also spelled Os-kosh or Oskosh) (1795–August 31, 1858) was a chief of the Menominee Native Americans, recognized as the leader of the Menominee people by the United States government from August 7, 1827, until his death. He ...

, Native American leader * Ed 'Strangler' Lewis,

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

Edgar Manske Edgar John "Eggs" Manske (July 4, 1912 – January 27, 2002) was a professional American football player who played six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Manske was the last college player to play without a football helmet. Manske pl ...

, professional football player * Frederick C. Peerenboom, radio *

John M. Potter John M. Potter (1924–1993) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biography Potter was born on August 16, 1924, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. He attended school in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, and De Pere, Wisconsin, as well as the University of M ...

, Wisconsin State Senator

Images

File:NekoosaWisconsinDowntown1WIS73EastTerminus.jpg, Looking south in downtown Nekoosa File:NekoosaWisconsinSignWIS73.jpg, Sign on

WIS 73 State Trunk Highway 73 (often called Highway 73, STH-73 or WIS 73) is a state highway in the central part of the US state of Wisconsin that runs mostly north–south from Ingram to near Edgerton. The exception is in Wood and Adams cou ...

File:NekoosaWisconsinPoliceStationWatertowerWIS173.jpg, Police station and water tower File:NekoosaWisconsinPostOfficeWIS173.jpg, Post office

References

External links

City of Nekoosa official web site

Nekoosa Public Schools

* Sanborn fire insurance maps
189519021909
* Plat maps of Nekoosa
19091928
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Wood County, Wisconsin