Neillsville is a city and

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 ...

Clark County, Wisconsin Clark County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 34,659. The county seat is Neillsville. History By the early 1800s, the land and streams that are now Clark County were the hunting grounds of ...

, United States. The population was 2,384 at the 2020 census.

History

The

Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...

were the earliest known residents of the Neillsville area. The first settlers of European descent in the area were James O'Neill and his party, who arrived around 1845, looking for a location to build a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

along the Black River. The city was named in honor of O'Neill, as was O'Neill Creek, which runs through the center of the city and drains into the Black River. In 1854, O’Neill's Mill, as Neillsville was originally called, was selected as the county seat of

Clark County Clark County may refer to: *Clark County, Arkansas *Clark County, Idaho *Clark County, Illinois *Clark County, Indiana *Clark County, Kansas *Clark County, Kentucky *Clark County, Missouri *Clark County, Nevada, containing Las Vegas *Clark County, ...

. Neillsville was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted on April 14, 1855, and incorporated in April 1882. A Winnebago Indian boarding school was operated by the

Evangelical and Reformed Church The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). ...

on the west side of Neillsville from 1921 to 1957. Neillsville is where noted architect William L. Steele died. Poor health had forced Steele to retire from architecture in late 1946, leaving his eldest son William L. Steele Jr. and partner Josiah D. Sandham in charge of the practice. Steele had come to Neillsville to live with one of his daughters, Sallie (Mrs. Thomas S. Noble Jr.), and died at her house on March 4, 1949.

Geography

Neillsville is located at (44.560996, -90.595746). 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 city lies on US Highway 10 and State Trunk Highway 73.

Climate

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 2,463 people, 1,095 households, and 586 families 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 1,230 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.2%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.7% 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 2.3% of the population. There were 1,095 households, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% 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, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.5% were non-families. 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 43.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 23.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,731 people, 1,130 households, and 653 families living in the city. The

was 975.3 people per square mile (376.6/km²). There were 1,200 housing units at an average density of 428.5 per square mile (165.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.78%

, 0.15%

, 1.10% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.26% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population. There were 1,130 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,969, and the median income for a family was $41,076. Males had a median income of $30,523 versus $20,379 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 $16,298. About 6.3% of families and 10.3% 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 6.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Neillsville is served by the Neillsville Municipal Airport (KVIQ).

Education

Neillsville has a public K-12 school system, consisting of Neillsville Elementary School, Neillsville Middle School, and Neillsville High School, whose mascot is the Neillsville Warriors. Neillsville is also home to St. John's Lutheran School, a private school for grades K-8 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 ...

, and the former home of St. Mary's School of Neillsville, a Catholic school which closed in 1972. In addition, the Chippewa Valley Technical College has a regional center in Neillsville, which offers

GED Ged or GED may refer to: Places * Ged, Louisiana, an unincorporated community in the United States * Ged, a village in Bichiwara Tehsil, Dungarpur District, Rajasthan, India * Delaware Coastal Airport, in Delaware, US, callsign GED People * Ged B ...

associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

, and

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

classes.

Points of interest

The High Ground is a veterans' memorial park located west of Neillsville. Originally a memorial to Vietnam War veterans, it now includes memorials to World War I, World War II, and Korean War veterans. The Clark County Jail, now a museum, and the Reed School, now a museum, are on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The Wisconsin Pavilion from the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activ ...

was moved to Neillsville at the conclusion of the Fair. The building is now home to local radio station WCCN/ WCCN-FM and a gift shop. Chatty-Belle is a large cow statue located on the ground of the Wisconsin Pavilion. She has the distinction of being the World's Largest Talking Cow. File:Neillsville chatty 6464.jpg, Wisconsin's 1964 World's Fair exhibit File:Chatty 6469 copy.jpg, Chatty Belle, the world's largest talking cow, part of Wisconsin's contribution to the 1964 World's Fair. File:Clark County Jail 1897 2.jpg, The old Clark County Jail, built in 1897, is now a historical museum. File:Neillsville Gazebo.jpg, Gazebo in downtown File:WCCN-FM Studio.jpg, WCCN-FM and WCCN (AM) studio File:Charles and Theresa Cornelius House Neillsville.jpg, Charles and Theresa Cornelius House File:Herman and Hanna Hediger House.jpg, Herman M. and Hanna Hediger House File:John Hein House Neillsville.jpg, John and Maria Hein House File:Neillsville_Standpipe.jpg, Neillsville Standpipe File:Charles and Katharyn Sniteman House.jpg, Charles C. and Katharyn Sniteman House File:George Trogner House.jpg, George W. and Sarah Trogner House

References

External links

City of Neillsville official website

Neillsville Area Chamber of Commerce

School District of Neillsville

* Sanborn fire insurance maps:
1887189219031914
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Clark County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin