
De Pere ( ) is a city located in
Brown County,
Wisconsin, 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, 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 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 and Charles Tullar incorporated the De Pere Hydraulic Company and drew up the first
plat of the town. In 1837, a popular vote established De Pere as the
county seat 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 was a
town. 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
Jean Nicolet; 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 co ...
, 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 Abbot Pennings in 1898.
Registered historic places
De Pere has several areas on the
National Register of Historic Places.
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
The St. Norbert College Historic District is located in De Pere, Wisconsin.
Description
The district is made up of historical core for the St. Norbert College campus. St. Joseph Priory, the original permanent home of Premonstratensians in Nort ...
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 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 was . There were 10,305 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.9%
White, 2.1%
Asian, 1.9%
Black or
African American, 1.3%
Native American, 0.1%
Pacific Islander, 1.4% from
other races, and 5.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.2%
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
2010 census
As of the
census of 2010, there were 23,800 people, 9,254 households, and 5,869 families living in the city. The
population density was . There were 9,742 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%
White, 0.9%
African American, 1.2%
Native American, 1.5%
Asian, 0.7% from
other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino 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
census of 2000,
there were 20,559 people, 7,724 households, and 5,020 families living in the city. The
population density was 1,938.4 people per square mile (748.2/km
2). There were 7,993 housing units at an average density of 753.6 per square mile (290.9/km
2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.71%
White, 0.54%
African American, 0.92%
Native American, 0.75%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.19% from
other races, and 0.86% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino 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
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, 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 for the city was $24,013. About 2.3% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, 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 in De Pere.
The
National Shrine of Saint Joseph is located at
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 co ...
.
St. Norbert Abbey
St. Norbert Abbey is a Roman Catholic monastery of Canons Regular of Premontre, located in De Pere, Wisconsin. The Abbey is named after Saint Norbert of Xanten (c. 1180–1134), the founder of the order, after whom, members are known as, "Norber ...
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, and by
Ron Johnson (R) and
Tammy Baldwin (D) in the
United States Senate.
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, while
Shae Sortwell (R) represents De Pere in the
Wisconsin State Assembly.
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.
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 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
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 co ...
, a private
Roman Catholic 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 travels north–south on the west side of De Pere.
Wisconsin Highway 32/
Wisconsin Highway 57 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,
Commissioner of Social Security
*
Jason Berken,
MLB 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 retiring ...
, 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
United States House of Representatives
*
Charles W. Day
Charles West Day (July 1, 1836 – February 25, 1906) was an American lumberman, merchant, farmer, and politician.
Born in Jefferson County, New York, Day moved with his family to Wisconsin in 1849 and settled in Wrightstown, Brown County, ...
, Wisconsin State Senator
*
Gary T. Dilweg, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Burley Follett
Burley Follett was the 4th and 8th mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Biography
Follett was born on December 30, 1806, in Otsego County, New York. In 1822, he moved to Detroit, Michigan. Follett first came to Wisconsin to deliver supplies to the g ...
, 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, political commentator
*
Earl Gilson, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Charles Hall, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Robert J. Havighurst
Robert James Havighurst (Hurlock) (June 5, 1900 – January 31, 1991) was a chemist and physicist, educator, and expert on human development and aging. Havighurst worked and published well into his 80s. He died of Alzheimer's disease in January ...
, physicist
*
Charlie Hill
Charles Allan Hill (July 6, 1951 – December 30, 2013) was one of the first Native American stand-up comedians, to appear on major television shows such as the Richard Pryor Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Show with David Letter ...
, comedian
*
James F. Hughes
James Frederic Hughes (August 7, 1883 – August 9, 1940) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin.
Biography
Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hughes graduated from West Green Bay High School in 1901. After moving to De Pere, Wisconsin in 19 ...
, 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 West De Pere, Wisconsin. On January 7, 1902, he married Ida Rupiper. They would have a daughter. Janssen was a member of the Knigh ...
, 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, incarcerated terrorist known as "Dr. Chaos"
*
Scott McCurley
Scott McCurley is the current linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.
Biography
Born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, McCurley graduated from Mohawk High school in Bessemer, Pennsylvania and attended the University o ...
, NFL assistant coach
*
Robert J. McGeehan
Robert J. McGeehan (August 26, 1854 – July 9, 1911) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate.
Biography
McGeehan was born on August 26, 1854, in the Province of Canada. He moved to Wrightstown, Wisconsin, in ...
, Wisconsin State Senator
*
Terry Anne Meeuwsen,
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, born in De Pere
*
George F. Merrill
George Fisk Merrill (February 17, 1847 – January 31, 1941) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate.
Biography
Merrill was born on February 17, 1847, in Burnett, Wisconsin, son of Lorenzo Merrill and Mary Ann (Fisk) Merrill. His father was t ...
, Wisconsin State Senator
*
Enos Warren Persons, Wisconsin State Senator
*
John Schneider, NFL executive
*
Edward A. Seymour
Edward Amos Seymour (August 1, 1887 – July 4, 1965) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Biography
Seymour was born Edward Amos Seymour on August 1, 1887 in De Pere, Wisconsin. In 1919, he married Laura Caroline Knuth. He died on Ju ...
, Wisconsin State Representative
*
Alexander H. Smith, mycologist
*
Gale Staley
George Gaylord "Gale" Staley (May 2, 1899 – April 19, 1989) was a Major League Baseball Second baseman. Staley played for the Chicago Cubs in the season. In 7 career games, he had 11 hits in 26 at-bats. He batted left and threw right-handed. ...
,
MLB 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