Beloit ( ) is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 36,657 people. Beloit is a principal city of the Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area (Rock County) and is included in the Madison–Janesville–Beloit combined statistical area.

History

Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836, and sent Horace White to find a suitable region of Wisconsin in which to settle. The level fields and the water power of Turtle Creek and "unlimited gravel" in the area around what is now Beloit fixed the site of the village and farms. White purchased the land. At the same time as the Colebrook settlers, six families from

Bedford, New Hampshire Bedford is a New England town, town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 23,322, reflecting a growth of 10% from 2010. Bedford is a suburb of Manchester, New Hamps ...

, arrived and settled in the region. They said the Rock River Valley had a "New England look" that made them feel at home. The village was platted in 1838 and was planned with wide streets, building on the

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

model. Beloit was originally named New Albany (after Albany, Vermont) in 1837 by its founder, Caleb Blodgett. The name was changed to Beloit in 1838.Callary, Edward. 2009. ''Place Names of Illinois''. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, p. 326. The name was coined to be reminiscent of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Beloit lays claim to such inventions as the

speedometer A speedometer or speed meter is a gauge (instrument), gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a vehicle. Now universally fitted to motor vehicles, they started to be available as options in the early 20th century, and as ...

, John Francis Appleby's twine binder, and Korn Kurls, which resemble Cheetos, and the original puffed cheese snack.

Railroad heritage

Beloit was served by the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

, and the Chicago & North Western Railroad (C&NW). In its 1980 bankruptcy, the Milwaukee Road disposed of the Southwestern Line. The

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

, which took over the C&NW, operates in Beloit today over a remnant of the former Milwaukee Road, providing a rail connection to

Fairbanks-Morse Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Founded in 1823 as a manufacturer of weighing scale, weighing scales, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinder ...

Engine manufacturing facility. The CPKC operates other trackage in Beloit. The city also had an electric interurban railroad.

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 an area of , of which is land and is water. Location: . The city is adjacent to the Town of Beloit, Town of Turtle, and the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

municipality of South Beloit, and is also Wisconsin's southernmost city. Most of Beloit's development is occurring on the east side, adjacent to Interstates 39/ 90 and Interstate 43, where the city annexed rural land for Beloit Gateway

Industrial Park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

, as well as in the newly revitalized downtown along the Rock River.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 36,657. 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 15,068 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 60.0%

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 ...

, 14.5%

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 ...

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 ...

, 1.6% Asian, 1.0% Native American, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 11.4% from other races, and 11.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 21.3%

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.

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 36,966 people, 13,781 households, and 8,867 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 15,177 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.9%

, 15.1%

, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 10.0% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 17.1% of the population. There were 13,781 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% 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, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% 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 3.16. The median age in the city was 33.1 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

Economy

Industries with headquarters in Beloit include ABC Supply Company, Bio-Systems International, Broaster Company,

Defense, Hendricks Holding Company, Murmac Paint Manufacturing, PlayMonster, and

Regal Beloit Regal Rexnord Corporation is a manufacturer of electric motors and power transmission components based in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company has manufacturing, sales, and service facilities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, ...

. Downtown Beloit is a dense cluster of mostly small shops and boutiques. The area has been recognized for increased investment and renewal since the 1990s. Downtown Beloit is one of two inaugural members of the Wisconsin Main Street designation. Upscale downtown condominiums and hotels were introduced after 2000 with the construction of the Hotel Hilton Apartments (2001), the Beloit Inn (now the Ironworks Hotel, 2003), Heritage View (2005), Phoenix Project (2013), Hotel Goodwin (2018), and the Wright & Wagner Lofts (2021). From the 1990s to 2011, downtown Beloit received direct public and private investment totaling more than $75 million. In 2011, Beloit was a Great American Main Street Award winner. In 2012, Beloit was listed #17 on '' Travel and Leisure''s list of America's Greatest Mainstreets.

Arts and culture

* Beloit Art Center * Beloit Civic Theatre * Beloit Historical Society * Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra * The Castle Performing Arts Center * Logan Museum of Anthropology * Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra * Wright Museum of Art *Beloit City Hall – this houses a

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

portraying the history of Beloit, completed in 1985 by artist Martha Nessler Hayden.

Historic buildings

Beloit's 1889 Water Tower Place began demolition in 1935, which was halted because of the cost. A historic pump station is nearby. The Fairbanks Flats were built in 1917 to house the rush of

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

moving to the area from the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. Pearsons Hall of Science was designed by the architectural firm Burnham and Root for Beloit College as a science center. The Lathrop-Munn Cobblestone House was originally built for politician John Hackett. The Castle at 501 Prospect was built as First Presbyterian Church in 1902; it now operates as a Performing Arts Center and Music School.

Festivals

Beloit's main festivals include the Beloit International Film Festival and Beloit's Winterfest, which includes an indoor playland, ice skating, ice sculpting and toboggan races.

Parks and recreation

Beloit is home to a professional

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team, the Beloit Sky Carp, who play in the High-A Central and are the High A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Sky Carp play their games at ABC Supply Stadium. Until August 3, 2021, they played at Harry C. Pohlman Field.

Government

Beloit is represented by Mark Spreitzer and Stephen Nass in the

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

, Clinton Anderson and Ellen Schutt 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, Bryan Steil in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, and Ron Johnson and

Tammy Baldwin Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin (born February 11, 1962) is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party (United Stat ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

. Beloit has a council-manager system of government, with seven council members, each elected for two-year terms. Four members are elected in even years and three in odd years. City council elections are held annually in April. The city council establishes policies for the city and appoints a city manager to implement those policies. The current city manager, Jerry Gabrielatos, started on February 20, 2023.

Education

The School District of Beloit serves 5,923 students in six primary schools, four intermediate schools, and one high school, with alternative programming and charter schools. Beloit Memorial High School is the city's public high school. The majority of Beloit is in the Beloit school district, though some portions are in the Beloit Turner School District. Beloit College, a private liberal arts college with undergraduate enrollment around 1,300, is in the city, with the main campus adjacent to downtown. The campus has a number of prehistoric Native American mounds. Blackhawk Technical College, a public

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

, has a campus in downtown Beloit. Beloit has a public library that was part of the Arrowhead Library System which merged with Lakeshores Library System in 2023 to form Prairie Lakes Library System.

Media

Beloit's main newspaper is The '' Beloit Daily News'', a daily (published Monday through Friday) paper owned by Adams Publishing Group, LLC, and serving the Wisconsin/Illinois stateline area. The ''Janesville Gazette'', also owned by Adams Publishing Group, also serves Beloit. Beloit is a part of the Madison television market, but due to its proximity to Rockford, stations from Rockford also serve the city and report on local stories and information (weather, school closings, etc.) relating to Beloit. Radio stations broadcasting to Beloit include '90s hits WBEL (1380 AM), which is licensed to South Beloit, Illinois and operates studios in Janesville, classic country WGEZ (1490 AM) and variety WBCR (103.5 FM), owned by the Board of Trustees of Beloit College. Radio stations from Janesville, Madison and Rockford are also receivable.

Transportation

The Beloit Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation. Four regular routes provide service from Monday through Saturday. In collaboration with the Janesville Transit System, BTS operates an express route between the two cities. Beloit Airport is a small public-use

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport within the city. It offers hangars for storing aircraft, gliders, and sky diving. Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport is a public airport north of Beloit in Rock County. Formerly known as Rock County Airport, it is owned and operated by the Rock County government. The airport has no scheduled commercial passenger service. Dane County Regional Airport and Rockford International Airport are the closest airports to Beloit that offer scheduled airline service.

Notable people

* Thomas Ryum Amlie, U.S. Representative * Clinton Anderson, Wisconsin State Representative * Marcia Anderson, U. S. Army Major General *

Roy Chapman Andrews Roy Chapman Andrews (January 26, 1884 – March 11, 1960) was an American explorer, adventurer, and Natural history, naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History. He led a series of expeditions through the politi ...

, adventurer and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

* Fred Ascani, U.S. Air Force Major General * Alan E. Ashcraft, Jr., Illinois State Representative * Clinton Babbitt, U.S. Representative * George B. Belting, Wisconsin State Representative * James A. Blaisdell, founder of the

Claremont Colleges The Claremont Colleges (known colloquially as the 7Cs) are a consortium of seven private university, private institutions of higher education located in Claremont, California, United States. They comprise five undergraduate colleges (the 5Cs)� ...

* Jim Breton,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * Jason W. Briggs, leader in development of Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints * James A. Brittan, Wisconsin State Representative * Tony Brizzolara, MLB player * Richard Burdge, Wisconsin State Senator * Jackson J. Bushnell, educator * Jim Caldwell, Beloit Memorial High School alumnus, former head coach of NFL's

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 ...

* Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, geologist * Franklin Clarke, professional football player for

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

(1960–1967) and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

(1957–1959) * Lawrence E. Cunningham, Wisconsin State Senator * Horatio N. Davis, Wisconsin State Senator * Delmar DeLong, Wisconsin State Representative * Burger M. Engebretson, Wisconsin State Representative * John E. Erickson, NBA executive * Betty Everett, rock and jazz singer (" The Shoop Shoop Song") * Edward A. Everett, Wisconsin State Representative * Dorr Felt, inventor of comptometer * Edwin G. Fifield, Wisconsin State Representative * Lucius G. Fisher, state representative and businessman * Bill Flannigan, NFL player * Patsy Gharrity,

player * Danny Gokey, ''American Idol'' contestant, choir director at a Beloit church * Bernie Graham, professional baseball player * John Hackett, businessman and politician * Jim Hall, professional boxer * Edward F. Hansen, Wisconsin State Representative * William O. Hansen, Wisconsin State Representative * Bill Hanzlik, NBA player and coach * Jonathan Harr, journalist and author of '' A Civil Action'' * Ken Hendricks, founder of ABC Supply, listed on the Forbes 400 * William H. Hurlbut, Wisconsin State Representative *

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th List of governors of New Mexico, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republica ...

, elected majority leader of Wisconsin Assembly in 1980 and 1983 * Jerry Kenney, baseball player for

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

(1967, 1969–1972) and

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

(1973) * John Baxter Kinne,

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

recipient * Stephanie Klett, television personality, Miss Wisconsin 1992 * Gene Knutson, NFL player * Richard LaPiere, sociologist at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

* Eugene Lee, Tony Award-winning set designer ('' Wicked'', ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

'') * Wallace Leschinsky, Wisconsin State Representative * Alonzo J. Mathison, Wisconsin State Representative * Max Maxfield, Wyoming Secretary of State * Juan Conway McNabb (John Conway McNabb), Roman Catholic bishop, missionary in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

* Sereno Merrill, Wisconsin State Representative * Elmer Miller,

player * Tommy Mills, head coach of Creighton Bluejays, Georgetown Hoyas and Arkansas State Indians football teams; Creighton and Arkansas State men's basketball, Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball * Orsen N. Nielsen, U.S. diplomat * David Noggle, Wisconsin State Representative, Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Idaho Territory * Russ Oltz, NFL player * Terell Parks, professional basketball player *

Danica Patrick Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver and model. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win ...

, Indy Car & NASCAR auto racing driver and model * George Perring,

player * Samuel L. Plummer, Wisconsin State Representative * Alan S. Robertson, Wisconsin State Representative * Robert P. Robinson, Wisconsin State Senator * Judy Robson, former majority leader, Wisconsin Senate * David Roth, opera director * Jane Sherman, actress, writer, composer, dancer with The Rockettes * Richard Shoemaker, Wisconsin State Senator * Tracy Silverman, violinist * Mark Simonson, font designer * Erastus G. Smith, Wisconsin State Representative * Simon Smith, Wisconsin State Representative * Robert C. Strong, U.S. diplomat * William Barstow Strong, former president of

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

* Tyree Talton, NFL player * Rusty Tillman, NFL player and assistant coach, XFL head coach * S. J. Todd, Wisconsin State Senator * Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck, education professional * Allen F. Warden, Wisconsin State Representative * Arthur Pratt Warner, aviator and inventor * Kyle Weaver, professional basketball player for

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

* Floyd E. Wheeler, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer * John D. Wickhem, Justice of Wisconsin Supreme Court * Albert J. Winegar, Wisconsin State Representative * Zip Zabel,

player *

Robin Zander Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a ...

, musician (

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

)

References

External links

City of BeloitGreater Beloit Chamber of CommerceVisit Beloit
{{authority control 1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Rock County, Wisconsin Populated places established in 1836