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De Pere ( ) is a city located in Brown 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. The population was 25,410 according to the 2020 Census. De Pere is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

At the arrival of the first European,

Jean Nicolet Jean Nicolet (Nicollet), Sieur de Belleborne (October 1642) was a French '' coureur des bois'' noted for exploring Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island, Green Bay, and being the first European to set foot in what is now the U.S. state of Wisconsin. ...

, who visited the place in 1634–1635, De Pere was the site of a polyglot settlement of several thousand attracted by the fishing at the first rapids of the Fox River. In 1671 French Jesuit explorer Père

Claude-Jean Allouez Claude Jean Allouez (June 6, 1622 – August 28, 1689) was a Jesuit missionary and French explorer of North America. He established a number of missions among the indigenous people living near Lake Superior. Biography Allouez was born in Sai ...

founded the

St. Francis Xavier Mission The mission of St. Francis Xavier was a seventeenth-century Jesuit mission located on the rapids of the Fox River near De Pere, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1671 by Claude Allouez to proselytize the native peoples of the western Great Lakes. In ...

at the last set of rapids on the Fox River before it enters The Bay of Green Bay. The site was known as Rapides Des Pères (rapids of the fathers) which became modern day De Pere. The present city of De Pere had its beginnings in 1836, when

John Penn Arndt John Penn Arndt (November 25, 1780 – June 10, 1861) was an American merchant, pioneer, and legislator. Born in Durham, Pennsylvania, Arndt built Durham boats with his family near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He moved to Buffalo, New York, a ...

and Charles Tullar incorporated the De Pere Hydraulic Company and drew up the first

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

of the town. In 1837, a popular vote established De Pere as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Brown County. It maintained this position until 1854, when another election moved the county seat to Green Bay. De Pere was incorporated as a village on March 6, 1857. Originally De Pere consisted solely of the community on the east side of the river. West De Pere on the west side of the

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

was a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

. In 1870 the Village of West De Pere was incorporated; in 1883 the Village of West De Pere became the City of Nicolet after voyageur

; in 1887 the City of Nicolet became the City of West De Pere; and in 1890 the City of West De Pere consolidated with the City of De Pere to form a single municipality.

St. Norbert College St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the c ...

, which abuts the banks of the Fox River on the city's west side near the

Claude Allouez Bridge Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

, was founded by

Norbertine The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

Abbot Pennings in 1898.

Registered historic places

De Pere has several areas on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

North Broadway Street Historic District The North Broadway Street Historic District is a historic district in De Pere, Wisconsin which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It included 47 contributing buildings and seven non-contributing ones. With . The dis ...

is listed as #83003368. Large homes line Broadway, Ridgeway Blvd., Morris, Fulton, Franklin, Cass, Front, and Wisconsin Streets near the Fox River."WISCONSIN – Brown County – Historic Districts"
Retrieved June 5, 2007 The

De Pere Lock and Dam Historic District The De Pere Lock and Dam Historic District is located in De Pere, Wisconsin. It was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 1992 and to the National Register of Historic Places the following year. References External links *Historic ...

(#93001331) was added in 1993. The Union Hotel was added to the list in 2003. The

Randall Avenue Historic District The Randall Avenue Historic District is located in De Pere, Wisconsin. It was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 2006 and to the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Unit ...

was added in 2007. The

Edwin and Jennie Gutknecht House The Edwin and Jennie Gutknecht House is located in De Pere, Wisconsin. History Edwin Gutknecht was employed by the C. A. Lawton Company as a salesman. The house was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 2014 and to the National Regi ...

was listed in 2015. The St. Norbert College Historic District was added to the list in 2018. The Mansion Street World War II Defense Housing Historic District and the Daviswood Ranch Homes Historic District were added to the list in 2021.

Geography

De Pere is located at (44.4460910, −88.0740510). 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.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 25,410. 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 10,305 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.9%

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 ...

, 2.1%

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 ...

, 1.9%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

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 ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.4% 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 5.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.2%

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.

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 23,800 people, 9,254 households, and 5,869 families living in the city. The

was . There were 9,742 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

, 0.9%

, 1.2% Native American, 1.5%

, 0.7% from

, and 1.8% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.1% of the population. There were 9,254 households, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 33.7 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 14.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.4% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 20,559 people, 7,724 households, and 5,020 families living in the city. The

was 1,938.4 people per square mile (748.2/km²). There were 7,993 housing units at an average density of 753.6 per square mile (290.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.71%

, 0.54%

, 0.92% Native American, 0.75%

, 0.03%

, 0.19% from

, and 0.86% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 7,724 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,282, and the median income for a family was $61,688. Males had a median income of $39,710 versus $27,166 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 $24,013. About 2.3% of families and 4.0% 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 3.2% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those 65 and older.

Religion

St. Mark Lutheran Church is a member of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as theologically conservative, it was founded in 1850 in Milwaukee ...

in De Pere. The National Shrine of Saint Joseph is located at

. St. Norbert Abbey is the mother canonry of the

Premonstratensian The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

Order in the United States.

Government

De Pere is represented by Mike Gallagher (R) in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, and by

Ron Johnson Ronald Harold Johnson (born April 8, 1955) is an American accountant, businessman, and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wisconsin, a seat he has held since 2011. A Republican, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. Se ...

(R) and

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Wisconsin since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she served three terms in the Wisconsin Stat ...

(D) in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

André Jacque André Jacque (born October 13, 1980) is an American politician who serves as a Wisconsin State Senator, representing the Wisconsin's 1st State Senate district, 1st senatorial district as a Republican Party (United States), Republican since 2019. ...

(R) represents De Pere in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, while

Shae Sortwell Shae Sortwell (born August 3, 1985) is an American Republican politician. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 2nd Assembly district since 2019. Political career Local politics After serving on the Green Bay, Wisconsi ...

(R) represents De Pere in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

. De Pere has a mayor-council form of government with a full-time city administrator. The mayor is elected. The city council consists of eight alderpersons, two elected from each of four districts. All elected officials serve two-year terms. De Pere City Council Chambers

Education

De Pere is served by two school districts. The Unified School District of De Pere has the following schools: *

De Pere High School De Pere High School (DPHS) is a public high school located in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in 1870, it serves students in grades 9 through 12. It is the only high school in the Unified School District of De Pere. History Until 1870, schooling f ...

*De Pere Middle School *Foxview Intermediate School *Dickinson Elementary School *Heritage Elementary School *Altmayer Elementary School The School District of West De Pere has the following schools: *

West De Pere High School West De Pere High School is one of two public high schools in De Pere, Wisconsin, USA. Built in 1960, it serves students in the 9th to the 12th grade. The school's mascot is the Phantom. The Phantoms compete in the Bay Conference. History In 20 ...

*West De Pere Middle School *West De Pere Intermediate School *Westwood Elementary School *Hemlock Creek Elementary School *Phantom Knight Charter School De Pere Private Schools: *Notre Dame of De Pere *Our Lady of Lourdes De Pere is also home to

, a private

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

liberal arts college. Syble Hopp is a school for children ages 3–21 years old who have cognitive and other developmental disabilities. It is operated by the Brown County Children with Disabilities Education Board.

Transportation

Interstate 41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolitan Ch ...

travels north–south on the west side of De Pere.

Wisconsin Highway 32 State Trunk Highway 32 (often called Highway 32, STH-32 or WIS 32) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin that runs north–south in eastern Wisconsin. It runs from the Illinois border (at Illinois Route 137) north to the Michigan bord ...

Wisconsin Highway 57 Wisconsin Highway 57 (often called Highway 57, STH-57 or WIS 57) is a state highway in Wisconsin, United States. It runs from its southern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 59 in Milwaukee to its northern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 42 in Si ...

enter De Pere from the south and split in the middle of De Pere. WIS 32 heads east–west through De Pere before turning north. WIS 57 continues straight north. There is limited transit service operated by

Green Bay Metro Green Bay Metro (originally known as Green Bay Transit prior to 2001) is the mass transit system found in the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. It also provides service in Ashwaubenon, Allouez, De Pere, and Bellevue. In , the system had a ridershi ...

and the CN provides freight railroad service. The Fox River is navigable for boat and canoe traffic with the exception of a dam.

Notable people

Arthur J. Altmeyer Arthur Joseph Altmeyer (May 8, 1891October 16, 1972) was the United States Commissioner for Social Security from 1946 to 1953, and chairman of the Social Security Board from 1937 to 1946. He was a key figure in the design and implementation of th ...

Commissioner of Social Security The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify for ...

Jason Berken Jason Thomas Berken (born November 27, 1983) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. College Berken graduated from West De Pere High School. He ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

Wilson Charles Wilson David "Buster" Charles, Jr. (April 4, 1908 – June 6, 2006) was a Native American athlete who finished fourth in the decathlon at the 1932 Summer Olympics. He also competed nationally in basketball and American football. After retirin ...

, athlete *

Robert John Cornell Robert John Cornell, Premonstratensians, O.Praem (December 16, 1919 – May 10, 2009) was an American Catholic Church, Catholic priest, professor, and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin ...

, Roman Catholic priest, former member of the

* Charles W. Day, Wisconsin State Senator *

Gary T. Dilweg Gary Thomas Dilweg (born January 3, 1937) is an American politician, teacher, and businessman. Background Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Dilweg received his bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1960 and then went to the Uni ...

, Wisconsin State Representative * Burley Follett, former mayor of

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

Paul Gigot Paul Anthony Gigot (; born May 24, 1955) is an American Pulitzer Prize–winning conservative political commentator and editor of the editorial pages for ''The Wall Street Journal''. He is also the moderator of the public affairs television ser ...

, political commentator *

Earl Gilson Earl Gilson (July 1, 1923 – September 4, 2004) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Gilson was born on July 1, 1923, in De Pere, Wisconsin. He graduated from high school in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin before attending Colorado St ...

, Wisconsin State Representative * Charles Hall, Wisconsin State Representative * Robert J. Havighurst, physicist *

Charlie Hill Charles Allan Hill (July 6, 1951 – December 30, 2013) was one of the first Native Americans in the United States, Native American Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, to appear on major television shows such as the Richard Pryor Show, The Ton ...

, comedian * James F. Hughes, U.S. Representative *

Henry J. Janssen Henry J. Janssen was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Janssen was born on November 6, 1876, in De Pere, Wisconsin#History, West De Pere, Wisconsin. On January 7, 1902, he married Ida Rupiper. They would have a daughter. Jansse ...

, Wisconsin State Representative *

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

, Author *

Joseph Konopka Joseph Konopka (born June 24, 1976), better known by his self-invented alias Dr. Ch@os (typically spelled Dr. Chaos by the media), is an American citizen who served 16 years of a 20-year prison sentence for arson, vandalism, and possessing chemi ...

, incarcerated terrorist known as "Dr. Chaos" * Scott McCurley, NFL assistant coach * Robert J. McGeehan, Wisconsin State Senator *

Terry Anne Meeuwsen Terry Anne Meeuwsen Friedrich (born March 2, 1949) is an American television personality, co-host of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)'s '' 700 Club'', author and singer. Meeuwsen was the 1972 Miss Appleton, 1972 Miss Wisconsin and the ...

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

1973, Miss Wisconsin 1972, co-host of the

700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, con ...

, born in De Pere * George F. Merrill, Wisconsin State Senator *

Enos Warren Persons Enos Warren Persons (October 27, 1836 – February 13, 1899) was an American businessman and politician. Biography Persons was born in Sheldon, New York and attended the Aurora Academy. In 1859, he moved to the town of Albany, Green County ...

, Wisconsin State Senator * John Schneider, NFL executive * Edward A. Seymour, Wisconsin State Representative *

Alexander H. Smith Alexander Hanchett Smith (December 12, 1904 – December 12, 1986) was an American mycologist known for his extensive contributions to the taxonomy and phylogeny of the higher fungi, especially the agarics. Early life Smith, born in Crandon, Wis ...

, mycologist * Gale Staley,

player * William J. Sweeney, Wisconsin State Representative

References

External links

City of De Pere WebsiteDe Pere City CouncilList of De Pere MayorsBrief History of De PereList of De Pere Boards, Commissions & CommitteesList of De Pere ParksDe Pere Maps
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Brown County, Wisconsin Green Bay metropolitan area Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Wisconsin