Montello is a city in and the county seat of

Marquette County, Wisconsin Marquette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,592. Its county seat is Montello. The county was created in 1836 from the Wisconsin Territory and organized in 1848. The county ...

, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2020 census. The Fox River flows through the city. Montello is home to the largest tree in Wisconsin. A notable attraction in the city is the former granite quarry, which has been transformed into a park with several waterfalls. The Montello post office was established in 1850, and still operates today with the zip code 53949.

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 a total area of , of which, is land and is water. The Fox River flows from east through the middle of Montello. There is a dam in Montello, and the upstream portion of the river to the west of the dam is called Buffalo Lake. The Montello River flows from the north, meeting the Fox at the south end of Montello. The upstream portion of the river above the other dam is Montello Lake.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Montello has a

warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Montello was on July 14, 1995 and July 6, 2012, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 15, 1963 and January 9, 1977.

Demographics

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 1,495 people, 628 households, and 356 families residing 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 823 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.3%

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 ...

, 1.7%

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, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% 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 people of any race were 2.9% of the population. There were 628 households, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.8% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.3% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age in the city was 44.1 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 23% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,397 people, 591 households, and 348 families residing in the city. The

was 732.6 people per square mile (282.4/km²). There were 677 housing units at an average density of 355.0 per square mile (136.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.13%

, 0.29%

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 ...

, 1.00% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.14%

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 ...

, 1.15% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. 2.36% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 591 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 37.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 22.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $43,625. Males had a median income of $29,438 versus $21,375 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 $15,676. About 5.4% of families and 9.2% 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 8.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church is a member of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

(WELS) in Montello.

Transportation

Roads

The west junction intersection of WIS 22 and WIS 23 is the location of the only

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

in the county. Other highways that enter into Montello are County Highways C, F, K, and Y.

Rails

Montello was once the eastern terminus of a spur line of the Wisconsin Central Railroad built in 1882 to service the

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

and other industries. This line split from the WC's Stevens Point-

Portage Portage or portaging ( CA: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a '' ...

line (the "P" Line) at Packwaukee, and ran along the north shore of Buffalo Lake to Montello. The P-Line was abandoned in 1946 along with the Montello spur despite the fact that there was still almost daily service on it.

Notable people

* Bob Bruer, former

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 and coach * K. J. Callahan, Wisconsin state legislator * B. Frank Goodell, Wisconsin state legislator * Charles S. Kelsey, Wisconsin state legislator * Edwin B. Kelsey, lawyer, businessman, Wisconsin state legislator'Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin,' Wisconsin State Bar Association: 1905, Biographical Sketch of Edwin Bolivar Kelsey, pg 211-212 * James F. McDowell, Wisconsin state legislator * Spencer A. Pease, Wisconsin state legislator * William A. Schmidt, Wisconsin state legislator

Popular culture

* Underground Sunshine, a psychedelic rock band, is from Montello. * A season 4 episode of the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

series ''

A Haunting ''A Haunting'' is an American paranormal drama anthology television series that depicts eyewitness accounts of alleged possession, exorcism, and ghostly encounters. The program features narrations, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments based ...

'', called "Legend Trippers", takes place in Montello and the nearby town of Green Lake.

Images

File:FoxRiverWisconsinMontelloWestWIS22.jpg, Looking west at the dam and Buffalo Lake File:FoxRiverWisconsinMontelloEastWIS22.jpg, Houses built near the Upper Fox River west of the dam File:MontelloWisconsinQuarry.jpg, Quarry in Montello File:MontelloWisconsinWatertower.jpg, Water tower File:MontelloWisconsinChurch.jpg, Catholic church File:GraniteHouseTreesMontelloWI.jpg, Wisconsin's tallest tree File:Montello Wisconsin Municipal Building and Fire Department.jpg, Municipal building and fire department File:Montello Wisconsin Post Office.jpg, Post office File:Montello Wisconsin Public Libarary.jpg, Library File:Montello Wisconsin Sign WIS23.jpg, Sign on WIS 23 File:MontelloWisconsinDowntownWIS23WIS22.jpg, Looking west at downtown Montello File:Marquette County Tribune.jpg, '' Marquette County Tribune'' building

References

External links

Montello Chamber of Commerce
*Sanborn fire insurance map
1894
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Marquette County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin