Abbotsford is a city in Clark and

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

counties in the U.S. state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The population was 2,275 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,665 were in Clark County, and 610 were in Marathon County. Abbotsford is nicknamed "Wisconsin's First City" due to its alphabetical place on a list of Wisconsin cities.

History

In 1872, the Wisconsin Central Railroad cleared its right of way through the forest which would become Abbotsford, heading north for Ashland. Rails were built through the town site in 1874. In 1879 the directors of the Wisconsin Central decided to build west from Colby to Chippewa Falls, to connect there with the Chippewa Falls & Western and ultimately St. Paul. However, they found that Colby Hill was not a good site for a junction and rail yard, so they instead planned the east–west line 2.5 miles north of Colby. The place was called Colby Junction from 1879 to 1880, then renamed for Edwin H. Abbott of the Wisconsin Central. Abbotsford incorporated as a village in 1894. The village incorporated as a city in 1965.

Geography

Abbotsford is located at (44.946716, -90.318333). 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 , all of it land.

Demographics

Abbotsford is part of the

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2020 Abbotsford had a population of 2,275. The racial and ethnic composition was 65.9% white, 0.5% black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 20.7% other race, and 11.4% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.5% of the population.

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 2,310 people, 864 households, and 569 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 941 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.9%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 16.4% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races.

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 25.0% of the population. There were 864 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% 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, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.14. The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 20.9% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,956 people, 817 households, and 516 families living in the city. The

was 641.1 people per square mile (247.6/km). There were 870 housing units at an average density of 285.1 per square mile (110.1/km). The racial makeup of the city was 98.57%

, 0.15%

, 0.10% Native American, 0.05% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population. There were 817 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% 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 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 22.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,949, and the median income for a family was $46,058. Males had a median income of $30,650 versus $22,727 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 $17,133. About 1.9% of families and 6.7% 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 ...

, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Abbotsford Public Schools are part of the Abbotsford School District. The district has one elementary school, one middle/senior high school and one alternative high school and education center.

Notable people

* Bruce F. Beilfuss, 22nd chief justice of the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

, lived and operated a law office in Abbotsford, and represented the area on the county board. * Herman Hedrich, Wisconsin State Representative, lived in Abbotsford. * Galen Laack, NFL player, was born in Abbotsford. * Frank Nikolay, Wisconsin State Representative, lived in Abbotsford.'Wisconsin Blue Book 1970,' Biographical Sketch of Frank Nikolay, pg. 38

Images

File:Abbotsford Wisconsin Downtown Looking South WIS13.jpg, Looking south in Abbotsford File:Abbotsford Wisconsin Sign WIS13.jpg, Sign on WIS13 File:Abbotsford Wisconsin Welcome Sign.jpg, Welcome sign File:Abbotsford, Wisconsin.jpg, Looking north from Wis-29 up Wis-13

References

External links

City of Abbotsford official website
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Clark County, Wisconsin Cities in Marathon County, Wisconsin