Hudson is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.

History

Several Native American burial mounds dated to the

Middle Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

Late Woodland period In the classification of archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact in the eastern part of North America, with some arch ...

have been found in what is now Birkmose Park in Hudson. Hudson was settled in 1840 by Louis Massey and his brother in-law, Peter Bouchea. William Streets arrived at about the same time. Later that year, Joseph Sauperson (commonly known as Joe LaGrue) took up residence. These four are considered Hudson's original inhabitants. Massey and Bouchea settled at the mouth of the Willow River, near the present-day First and St. Croix Streets. They had been part of a group that lived for some time along the river below

Fort Snelling Fort Snelling is a former military fortification and National Historic Landmark in the U.S. state of Minnesota on the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. The military site was initially named Fort Saint An ...

, which appears on some old maps as "Massey's Landing". Hudson was originally called "Willow River". It was later named Buena Vista by Judge Joel Foster, founder of River Falls, after returning from the Mexican War where he fought in the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between U.S. forces, largely vol ...

. In 1852, Alfred D. Gray, Hudson's first mayor, petitioned to change the city's name to Hudson, because the bluffs along the St. Croix River reminded him of the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

in his native

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. A large number of settlers arrived in the 1850s and 1860s, many of whom were ancestors of today's residents. The lumber industry was the area's prime attraction, and over time sawmills were established throughout the St. Croix Valley. The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway was formed in 1881 from other railroads building between the Twin Cities and Chicago. The shops and headquarters of the Omaha Road were in Hudson. This route is now part of the Union Pacific Railroad. On August 30, 1917, a violent mob of 1,000 held a night rally in front of the armory protesting the

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

People's Council of America's attempt to hold a conference in Hudson's prizefighting arena. The crowd then moved on the four organizers in the lobby of their hotel and threatened to hang them. Only after the pleadings of county attorney N. O. Varnum were the four allowed to leave town at once and unharmed. U.S. Highway 12 once crossed the St. Croix River on a toll bridge between Wisconsin and Minnesota, which provided revenue for the town. With the construction of

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

, the toll bridge was removed, though the long

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

extending to the former bridge location is now open to the public as a pedestrian walkway, known as "The Dike".

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. Interstate Highway 94,

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90 ...

and

Wisconsin Highway 35 State Trunk Highway 35 (STH-35, WIS 35) is a Wisconsin state highway running north–south across western Wisconsin. It is 412.15 miles in length, and is the longest state highway in Wisconsin. Portions of WIS 35 are part of the ...

are three of the main routes in the community.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 14,755. 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 6,510 housing units at an average density of . Ethnically, the population was 4.4%

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. When counting both Hispanic and non-Hispanic people together by race, the city was 89.5%

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 ...

, 1.4% Asian, 1.3%

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 ...

, 0.4% 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 ...

, 1.6% from other races, and 5.7% from two or more races. According to the

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

estimates for 2016-2020, the median income for a household in the city was $74,207, and the median income for a family was $94,292. Male full-time workers had a median income of $61,412 versus $49,663 for female workers. 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 $38,400. About 4.9% of families and 6.8% 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 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 95.0% were high school graduates or higher and 42.5% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

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 12,719 people, 5,287 households, and 3,324 families living in the city. The

was . There were 5,642 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.8%

, 0.9%

, 0.3% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population. There were 5,287 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

Economy

Hudson has grown as a tourist destination and restaurants on the St. Croix in its historic downtown, along with hotels and other businesses that serve traffic on Interstate Highway 94. The former greyhound racing track, St. Croix Meadows, is being redeveloped to include a hotel, dining, commercial office space, residential condos, a baseball field, an 18-hole mini golf course, and an indoor sports complex with two hockey rinks and a soccer arena. Two made-for-TV movies were filmed in the city in 2021.

Arts and culture

Hudson is home of the Phipps Center for the Arts, a regional

performing arts center Performing arts center/centre (see spelling differences), often abbreviated as PAC, is usually a complex housing performance spaces for various performing arts, including dance, music, and theatre. In some cases it refers to a single multi-use s ...

. It was the original headquarters of Little Free Libraries and was the site of the first Little Free Library.

Education

Hudson is served by the Hudson School District. Public schools in the city include E. P. Rock Elementary School, Hudson Prairie Elementary School, North Hudson Elementary School, Willow River Elementary School, Houlton Elementary School, River Crest Elementary School, Hudson Middle School, and Hudson High School. St Patrick's School, a Catholic parochial school, is also in Hudson. The Trinity Academy of Hudson, a Lutheran private school, offers preschool through eighth grade. In 2010, the University of Wisconsin–River Falls opened a satellite campus in Hudson with a focus on undergraduate and graduate degrees for adult students.

Public safety

Hudson is served by the Hudson Police Department, the Hudson Fire Department, and Lakeview EMS. These agencies respond to about 400 fire calls, 2000 EMS and rescue calls, and 5000 police calls annually.

Transportation

Hudson has no public airports, though residents have access to the New Richmond Regional Airport and the St. Paul Downtown Airport for general aviation, and the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport — also less commonly known as Wold–Chamberlain Field — is a joint civil-military public international airport serving the Twin Cities in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in Fort ...

(MSP) for commercial and international flights. There is an airport shuttle from Hudson to MSP.

Notable people

* Benjamin Allen, Wisconsin state senator * Lynn H. Ashley, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly *

Julius Beer Julius Beer (1836–1880) was a German-born English businessman, banker and newspaper baron. He owned '' The Observer'' from 1870 to 1880. Biography Early life Julius Beer was born in 1836 in Frankfurt, Germany. Career Beer made his fort ...

, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly *

Jim Bertelsen James Allen Bertelsen (February 26, 1950 – May 7, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a running back for five seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the T ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

player * Todd Bol, Little Free Library founder * Philo Boyden, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * George W. Chinnock, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * John A. Chinnock, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Harvey Clapp, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Moses E. Clapp, U.S. senator from

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

* Otis Clymer,

Major League Baseball 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 *

Richard H. Cosgriff Richard H. Cosgriff, Sr., (December 15, 1845 – November 2, 1910) was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. An Irish immigrant, his family eventual ...

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 * Thomas Cleland Dawson, diplomat *

Eliza B. K. Dooley Eliza Bellows King Dooley (May 31, 1880 – August 7, 1958), also seen as Elisa B. K. Dooley, was an American government official, artist, and writer. She was appointed US District Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization Service in San Jua ...

, artist, writer, government official in Puerto Rico * Davis Drewiske, professional hockey player *

James A. Frear James Archibald Frear (October 24, 1861 – May 28, 1939) was a U.S. Representative from Wisconsin. Biography Born in Hudson, Wisconsin, in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, Frear attended the public schools, and Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisco ...

, U.S. representative * David C. Fulton, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Marcus Fulton, Wisconsin state senator * Phil Gallivan, baseball player * Jay R. Hinckley, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * John Huot, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives * James B. Hughes, politician, abolitionist, lawyer *

Donald L. Iverson Donald L. Iverson (February 3, 1923 – March 20, 1999) was an American politician, who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Iverson was born in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. After graduating from St. Croix Falls High School, he atten ...

, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Andrew P. Kealy, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Arthur D. Kelly, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Max Malanaphy, drag queen *

Pamela Matson Pamela Anne Matson (born 1953) is an American scientist and professor. From 2002 - 2017 she was the dean of the Stanford University School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences. She also previously worked at NASA and at the University of Cal ...

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

scientist * Jason Naidyhorski,

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

admiral * Frank Nye, U.S. representative from

* Ted Odenwald, baseball player *

Wilder Penfield Wilder Graves Penfield (January 26, 1891April 5, 1976) was an American-Canadian neurosurgeon. He expanded brain surgery's methods and techniques, including mapping the functions of various regions of the brain such as the cortical homunculus. ...

, neurosurgeon pioneer * William Henry Phipps, Wisconsin state senator * Thomas Porter, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Bobby Reis, baseball player * Kitty Rhoades, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly * Barry Rose, professional football player *

Bjørn Selander Bjørn Kristian Selander (born January 28, 1988) is an American professional road racing cyclist of Norwegian descent. Selander currently rides cyclocross for Donkey Label Cycling. Selander completed his first and only Giro in 2011, wearing th ...

, racing cyclist *

John Coit Spooner John Coit Spooner (January 6, 1843June 11, 1919) was an American lawyer and Republican politician from Hudson, Wisconsin. He represented Wisconsin as a United States Senator from 1885 to 1891, then again from 1897 to 1907. In his latter stint ...

, United States senator * Philip Loring Spooner, tenor singer * Horace Adolphus Taylor, Wisconsin state senator * Kraig Urbik, professional football player * Mark Mondus, F1 snowmobile racer

References

External links

* * *
Hudson Chamber of Commerce and Tourism BureauAround the Corner with John McGivern -- Hudson
Video produced by ''

Milwaukee PBS Milwaukee PBS is the collective brand for two PBS member television stations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States: WMVS (channel 10) and WMVT (channel 36). Both stations are owned and operated by the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). ...

'' {{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in St. Croix County, Wisconsin St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota) County seats in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1840 1840 establishments in Wisconsin Territory