Colby 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 In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. It 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. The population was 1,952 at the 2020 census. Of this, 1,275 were in Clark County, and 677 were in Marathon County. The city is bordered by the Town of Colby, the Town of Hull, and the City of Abbotsford.

Colby cheese Colby is a semi-hard cheese, semihard orange cheese made from cow's milk. It is named after the city of Colby, Wisconsin, USA, where it was first developed in 1885 and quickly became popular. Today the cheese is typically used in snacks, sandwic ...

was first created in Colby.

History

When the Wisconsin Central Railroad was building its line through the wilderness heading toward Lake Superior, it finished its 1872 construction season with rails completed to the site of today's Colby. The place was initially called "Section 53," but the railroad renamed the station in honor of Charles L. Colby, partner in the construction company that was building the railroad, and the son of the railroad's financier Gardner L. Colby. As early as 1962, the area was home to Colby-Abbotsford Airport, a private facility with a 2600 ft runway running northeast–southwest and the remnants of a shorter northwest–southeast runway. The airport remained in operation as late as 1988, but has since been abandoned. Colby is the birthplace of

. A historical marker in downtown Colby commemorates the development of Colby cheese by Joseph Steinwand in 1874.

Geography

Colby is located at (44.910186, -90.317058). 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

2020 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 2020, there were 1,952 people and 792 households 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 834 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.2%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 13.1% from other races, and 7.8% 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 20.6% of the population. 2009-0620-Colby-CH

There were 792 households, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% 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, 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 17.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 9.2% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46. The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 26.0% of residents were under the age of 18; 20.9% of residents were over the age of 65. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.2% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 1,852 people, 714 households, and 474 families living in the city. The

was . There were 757 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.4%

, 0.6%

, 0.4% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%

, 8.6% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 11.9% of the population. There were 714 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.6% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% 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 2.99. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 21.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,616 people, 623 households, and 423 families living in the city. The

was 1,090.1 people per square mile (421.6/km²). There were 645 housing units at an average density of 435.1 per square mile (168.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.53%

, 0.19%

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 ...

, 0.37% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 1.73% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population. There were 623 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.1% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was distributed with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,318, and the median income for a family was $41,685. Males had a median income of $30,530 versus $21,806 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 $16,137. About 3.7% of families and 7.0% 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 ...

, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over. Colby, is split between one of the richest counties, (Marathon) and one of the poorest (Clark) in the state of Wisconsin. 2009-0620-Colby-sign

Education

Colby is part of the Colby School District. Schools in the district include a preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school. Students attend Colby High School. Also located within the city is St. Mary's Catholic School, which serves students from 1st through 8th grade. The private and public schools have collaborative sports and band programs.

Events

Since 1961 Colby has put on the Colby Cheese Days festival on the third weekend in July. Events include a softball tournament, tractor pull, carnival rides, bingo, cheese-curd throwing contest, a fun-run, and finally a parade. Free cheese is distributed by vendors and food stands. The Colby High School choir program holds the Central Wisconsin Show Choir Spectacular the first Saturday in January. The competition hosts show choirs, and was recognized as a top regional competition in 2018.

Notable people

* Kirk Baumgartner, NAIA college football All-American at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point * Todd Boss, poet * George Washington Blanchard, U.S. congressman * James E. Lyons, Wisconsin State Representative and Mayor of Colby *

Joseph Weix Joseph Weix (February 13, 1874 – March 30, 1925) was an American businessman and politician. Born in Leroy, Wisconsin, Weix owned a store and was in the lumber business. He served on the Colby, Wisconsin village board and on the Marathon ...

, Wisconsin State Representative

Images

File:Colby Wisconsin Welcome Sign.jpg, Welcome sign File:Colby Wisconsin Sign WIS13.jpg, Sign

References

External links

City of Colby official website

Colby School District
* Sanborn fire insurance maps:
1884189419001914
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Clark County, Wisconsin Cities in Marathon County, Wisconsin