county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Waushara County, Wisconsin
Waushara County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,520. Its county seat is Wautoma.
Waushara County is located in central Wisconsin, about north of Madison.
History
Waushara Co ...
, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census.
The city consists of three noncontiguous areas: one is entirely surrounded by the Town of Wautoma, the second is entirely surrounded by the Town of Dakota, and the third and largest straddles the boundary between the two towns.
Wautoma calls itself the "
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance.
The custom was deve ...
capital of the world". The Kirk Company of
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...
, operated the "Wautoma plantation" of more than of Christmas trees, beginning in 1953.
On August 29, 1992, the town was struck by a half-mile wide F-3 tornado, killing 2 people, injuring 30 others, and causing over $5 million in damage.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 2,218 people, 945 households, and 487 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 1,061 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.3%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.4%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 15.8% of the population.
There were 945 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.5% were non-families. 44.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 3.13.
The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.2% were from 25 to 44; 22.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 1,998 people, 806 households, and 429 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was 800.8 people per square mile (308.6/km2). There were 877 housing units at an average density of 351.5 per square mile (135.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.04%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.10%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.70% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 2.00% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. 7.21% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race.
There were 806 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 40.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,723, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $27,546 versus $19,648 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $16,006. About 5.2% of families and 11.5% 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 ...
, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
WAUH
WAUH (102.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Wautoma, Wisconsin, United States, the station is currently owned by Hometown Broadcasting, LLC.
The transmitter is located west of Redgranite, Wi ...
radio broadcasts at 102.3 FM.
High school sports
Wautoma High School has won five state championships, three in boys' track and field, one in boys' basketball, and one in football. In 1980, Wautoma High School won the Class B State Basketball Championship.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
,
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, and
Wisconsin Badgers
The Wisconsin Badgers are the College athletics in the United States, athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I ...
wide receiver
* Robert E. Behnke, Wisconsin State Representative
*
William Belter
William N. Belter (July 7, 1926 – December 12, 1999) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He represented Green Lake and Waushara counties in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1953 to 1957.
Biography
Born in Wausau, Wiscon ...
, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Robyn J. Blader
Robyn J. Blader is an American brigadier general in the Wisconsin Army National Guard and a practicing attorney in Wautoma, Wisconsin.
Personal
Blader is married to Edward Lucht. They have two children.
Military career
Blader originally enlis ...
,
U.S. National Guard
The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the U.S. military's reserve components of the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force when activated for federal missions.George M. Byse, Wisconsin State Representative
* Boyd A. Clark, Wisconsin State Representative and jurist
* Richard W. Hubbell, Wisconsin State Representative
* Edward F. Kileen, Wisconsin State Senator
* Robert L. D. Potter, Wisconsin State Senator
* Jon Wilcox Wisconsin State Representative, Wisconsin Chief Judge, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice
* June Wandrey,
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
veteran, writer
* William C. Webb, Wisconsin and Kansas politician and jurist
Images
File:Wautoma sign.jpg, Road sign, looking west down Highway 21
File:Wautoma city hall.jpg, Wautoma City Hall
File:Waushara County Courthouse.jpg, Waushara County courthouse
File:Wautoma Wisconsin Sign Looking West WIS21.jpg, Looking west at the sign for Wautoma
File:Wautoma Wisconsin Public Library.jpg, Public library
File:Wautoma Wisconsin High School.jpg, Wautoma High School
File:Waushara Training School Wautoma Wisconsin.jpg, The former Waushara Training School in Wautoma
See also
*
List of cities in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state, state located in the Midwestern United States. As of January 1, 2021, there were 190 cities in Wisconsin, and 1,883 municipalities.Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. ''State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2011-2012'', p. ...