Plover is a village in Portage County,

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 ...

, United States. A

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of Stevens Point, it is part of the Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,519 at the 2020 United States census.

History

An 1825 treaty establishes a "Plover Portage of the Ouisconsin" as a boundary point between the Chippewa and Winnebago The area that later became Plover was selected as 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 ...

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 '' ...

in 1844. The election for the county seat only noted the general location of an unsettled area around present-day Plover. Until the area was settled, county business was actually conducted in the community of Rushville. The Plover area was platted in 1845, and received a post office at the same time under the name "Plover Portage".Malcolm Rosholt.
PLOVER, the Unincorporated Village of
" in ''Our County Our Story: Portage County, Wisconsin''. Stevens Point, Wis.: Portage County Board of Supervisors, 1959, pp 370-377. The name of the post office was changed to "Plover" in 1850.Michael Riley,

". In 1857, State Senator

Luther Hanchett Luther Hanchett (October 25, 1825 – November 24, 1862) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biogr ...

of Plover introduced a bill to incorporate the Village of Clayton in the community; he later amended the bill to make the name the Village of Algernon. That bill passed the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...

, incorporating the Village of Algernon on March 6, 1857. (Algernon was probably named for Algernon B. Crosby, a postmaster in Portage County.) On May 4, 1858, the name of the village was again changed, this time to the Village of Stanton. And in 1864, the name of the village was finally changed to Plover. In 1868, the county seat was moved to Stevens Point, following an energetic battle in newspapers and the state legislature. The village of Plover was dissolved, and government of the area fell to the Town of Plover. Plover was again incorporated as a village on March 8, 1912, after area residents' approval in an election. This incorporation was not long lived, as Plover was again dissolved on October 7, 1931, after another election. An attempt at re-incorporation failed in 1965. Plover re-incorporated, for the third time, on September 28, 1971. The vote for incorporation was narrow: 311 for and 289 against. The population of the village at that time was 2618. It incorporated about of territory, and increased to about in 1981, after annexation. Annexations continued nearly every year until the present. The village president is Tom Davies, who was first elected in 2015.

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 village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 13,519. 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 5,936 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 86.8%

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 ...

, 5.0% 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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% from other races, and 4.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.1%

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.

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 12,123 people, 4,948 households, and 3,242 families living in the village. The

was . There were 5,188 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 92.8%

, 0.5%

, 0.4% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. There were 4,948 households, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% 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, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the village was 35.9 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 10,520 people, 3,985 households, and 2,845 families living in the village. The

was 1,238.2 people per square mile (477.9/km²). There were 4,133 housing units at an average density of 486.5 per square mile (187.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.82%

, 0.43%

, 0.42% Native American, 0.95% 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 ...

, 0.41% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 3,985 households, out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.11. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $51,238, and the median income for a family was $60,146. Males had a median income of $40,206 versus $26,521 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 village was $23,085. About 4.2% of families and 6.0% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Saint Bronislava Catholic Church, Woodlands Church, and Divine Word Lutheran Church, affiliated with 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), are in Plover.

Transportation

Public transit service to Plover is provided by Central Transportation.

Notable people

* James S. Alban, Wisconsin State Senator *

Dennis Hall Dennis William Hall (born February 5, 1971) is an American former Greco-Roman wrestler. Hall was a 10-time US National Champion, a World Champion, and 3-time USA Olympian. He won a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Hall attended H ...

, world champion wrestler, Olympic medalist,

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

gold medalist * Harley M. Jacklin, Wisconsin State Senator *

Robert Lampman Robert James Lampman (September 25, 1920 in Plover, Wisconsin–March 4, 1997 in Madison) was an American economist known for his research on poverty and the measurement of income distribution. Academic career Lampman was a professor of economic ...

, economist * Alexander S. McDill, United States representative *

Joe Pavelski Joseph James Pavelski (born July 11, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars. Pavelski attended the University of Wisconsin and ...

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player,

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. The Sharks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Con ...

and

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

* Clayton K. Slack,

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 ...

* Walt Wilmot, baseball player, stole 76 bases in one season for 1890

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

References

External links

Plover, Wisconsin

Plover Area Business Association
{{authority control Villages in Portage County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin