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Wausau ( ) is a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States, and its
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 ...
. It is located along the Wisconsin River and had a population of 39,994 as of the 2020 census. It is the core city of the Wausau
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
, which includes all of Marathon County and had a population of 138,013 in 2020. The city's suburbs include Schofield,
Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...
, Mosinee,
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and
Rothschild Rothschild () is a name derived from the German ''zum rothen Schild'' (with the old spelling "th"), meaning "to the red shield", in reference to the houses where these family members lived or had lived. At the time, houses were designated by signs ...
.


History


Establishment and early history

This area has for millennia changed hands between various
indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...
. The historic
Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...
(also known in the United States as the Chippewa) occupied it in the period of European encounter. They had a lucrative fur trade for decades with French colonists and French Canadians. After the French and Indian War this trade was dominated by British-American trappers from the eastern seaboard. The Wisconsin River first drew European-American settlers to the area during the mid-19th century as they migrated west into the Great Lakes region following construction of the
Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east–west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...
in New York State. This provided a route for products from the region to the large New York and other eastern markets. The area had been called "Big Bull Flats" or "Big Bull Falls" by French explorers, who were the first Europeans here. They named it for the long rapids in the river, which created many bubbles, called ''bulle'' in French. By an 1836 treaty with the United States, the Ojibwe ceded much of their lands in the area to federal ownership. It was sold to non-Native peoples. ''Wausau'', from Ojibwe “waasa”, means "a faraway place". George Stevens, the namesake of the city of Stevens Point south of Wausau, began harvesting the pine forests for
lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
in 1840 and built a saw mill. Lumbering was the first major industry in this area, and other sawmills along the Wisconsin River were quickly constructed by entrepreneurs. By 1846, Walter McIndoe arrived and took the lead in the local business and community. His efforts helped to establish Marathon County in 1850. Word of Stevens's success in the region spread across the country throughout the logging industry. By 1852, Wausau had been established as a
town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
and continued to grow and mature. German immigration into the area following the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states brought more people, and by 1861, the settlement was incorporated as a village. Churches, schools, industry and social organizations began to flourish. The state granted the city a charter in 1872, and elections are held the first Tuesday in April. The residents elected August Kickbusch as their first mayor in 1872. Five years earlier, Kickbusch had returned to his homeland of Germany and brought back with him 702 people, all of whom are believed to have settled in the Wausau area. Kickbusch founded the A. Kickbusch Wholesale Grocery Company, a family business carried on by his grandson, August Kickbusch II. In 1917, August Kickbusch II purchased a modest four-square-style house at 513 Grant Street. He undertook extensive additions, adding two sun rooms, arcaded windows, a tiled porch in the Mediterranean style, a formal classical entrance, and ornate custom-designed chimney crowns. The home is 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 ...
as part of the Andrew Warren Historic District. When the railroad arrived in 1874, Wausau became more accessible to settlers and industry. This enabled the city to develop alternatives to the lumber industry, which was in decline since the clear-cutting of many forests. By 1906 the lumber was gone, but the city continued to grow and flourish. Other villages and towns in the area declined because of over-harvesting of the forests and lumber mills closed down.


20th century to present

Wausau's favorable location on the Wisconsin River was partly responsible for its survival. The economy was diversified in the early 20th century, led by Employers Insurance of Wausau, now a part of Liberty Mutual. Its logo, first introduced in 1954, was the downtown
Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
railroad depot set against the backdrop of the community's skyline. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 had a major effect on the Wausau area. Many industries were forced to cut back by laying off and dismissing workers or by closing altogether. After decades of growth, the city virtually ground to a halt. But after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
—Wausau was significantly modernized—and it continued to grow in industry, education, recreation, and retail, more than in population. After the fall of Saigon, Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia who fought alongside the CIA immigrated to Wausau at the end of the 1970s. Wausau church organizations (Catholic and
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
) helped Hmong refugees adapt to American life. In 1983, the Wausau Center shopping mall opened. By the mid- to late-1990s, the Wausau began to purchase and develop parts of West Industrial Park to meet the needs of the expanding economy and companies. In the late 1990s, the city demolished a number of aging buildings on a square in the center of downtown, creating what is known locally as the 400 Block, an open, grassy block with paved sidewalks crossing it. The square is a focal point for summer festivals. In recent years Wausau has redone the 400 Block, adding a permanent stage and other renovations that cost $2 million. By the end of the 20th century, Wausau began to implement the Wausau Central Business District Master Plan, which included redevelopment and economic restructuring of downtown Wausau. The tallest commercial building in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee is in Wausau: the 241-foot Dudley tower.


Geography

Wausau is located at . 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 is located at an altitude of . Wausau is close to the center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere. Just west of Wausau, 45°N meets 90°W (), which is exactly halfway between the equator and the north pole and a quarter of the way around the world from the prime meridian.


Climate

Wausau's climate is classified as warm summer humid continental ( Dfb). It is built on or around a hemiboreal forest, which has some of the characteristics of a boreal forest and shares some of the features of the temperate zone forests to the south. Coniferous trees predominate in the hemiboreal zone, but a significant number of
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
species are found there, as well. ;Notes:


Demographics

Wausau is the larger principal city of the Wausau–Merrill CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Wausau metropolitan area (Marathon County) and the Merrill micropolitan area ( Lincoln County),Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Components
,
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...
, May 11, 2007. Accessed 2008-08-01.
which had a combined population of 155,475 at the 2000 census. In 1996, a US census estimate found the Hmong people were the largest ethnic minority group in Wausau, with about 11% of the population.


2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,994. 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 18,605 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 78.3%
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 ...
, 11.9% Asian, 1.7%
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 ...
or
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, 1.8% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 4.1%
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 of 2010, there were 39,106 people, 16,487 households, and 9,415 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 18,154 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.7%
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%
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 ...
, 0.8% Native American, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.3% 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 2.9% of the population. There were 16,487 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 36.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.9% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 38,426 people, 15,678 households, and 9,328 families resided in the city. The population density was . There were 16,668 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.91% White, 0.54% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 11.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. About 1.04% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 15,678 households, 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were not families. About 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city, the population was distributed as 25.4% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,831, and for a family was $47,065. Males had a median income of $33,076 versus $24,303 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,227. About 7.2% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.


Hmong population

As of 2003 the Hmong Americans are the largest ethnic minority in Wausau.In Wausau, Hmong at another crossroads
". ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'', June 16, 2003. Retrieved on March 2, 2014.
Churches and social service agencies settled refugees, most of them Hmong with some Vietnamese and Lao, in Wausau after the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. According to the 1980 U.S. Census, the Wausau SMSA had fewer than 1% non-White people. There were several dozen immigrants in 1978. By 1980 Wausau had 200 immigrants. This increased to 400 in 1982 and 800 in 1984.The Ordeal of Immigration in Wausau
.

. ''
The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...
''. April 1994. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
In 1981 there were 160 Hmong students in the Wausau School District and in 1991 1,010. In a period ending in 1994 the tax rate of the Wausau School District rose by 10.48% as a result of the expenses of services to children from immigrant families. The increase was three times as high as the increase in an adjacent school district without a large immigrant population. By 1994 Wausau had 4,200 refugees. By 1996 the number of Hmong students in the school district was over 2,000. In 1998 this number reached its peak, 2,214. The city experienced some social upheaval following the Hmong arrival. Some schools in Wausau had a minority of English speakers and some were predominantly Hmong students. Some native-born American families in Wausau criticized the crime and expenses in social services. Per the 2022
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 ...
five-year estimates, the Hmong population was 3,885 comprising over 80% of the city's Asian population. As of 2003, "Sixty percent of Hmong families are homeowners. Although more than half of the workforce is earning less than $8 an hour, the welfare rate has dropped to less than 5 percent. More people are going to college. And test scores and graduation rates of Hmong public school students are steadily rising." In Wausau there is relatively little Hmong-language media because, for much of its history, the Hmong language was not written.


Economy

Nearly one-third of the Marathon County economy is based in manufacturing, with the balance in the service industry. Prominent industries include paper manufacturing, insurance, home manufacturing, and tourism. The Wausau region has a lower-than-average unemployment rate and continues a steady growth in job creation and economic viability among manufacturers and service providers alike. Wausau has 12 banks with 41 branch locations, three trust companies and three holding companies in the metropolitan area. There are also 13 open membership
credit union A credit union is a member-owned nonprofit organization, nonprofit cooperative financial institution. They may offer financial services equivalent to those of commercial banks, such as share accounts (savings accounts), share draft accounts (che ...
s with 18 branch locations. The Wausau area is a center for cultivation of American ginseng, and is also known for its red granite, which is quarried nearby.


Arts and culture

Entertainment available in the city includes Exhibitour, Concerts on the Square, Market Place Thursdays, Screen on the Green and the Hmong New Year. Wausau is home to the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, which houses the "Birds in Art" collection as well as Leigh Yawkey Woodson's collection of decorative glass. The Grand Theater is located in downtown Wausau. The theater hosts local and national shows.


Sports

The Wausau Woodchucks baseball team of the
Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not ...
, an
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
summer baseball league, plays home games at the Athletic Park in Wausau. The Wausau Woodchucks were formerly known as the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Woody Woodchuck is the mascot of the Woodchucks. The Wausau River Hawks baseball team of the Dairyland League, a Wisconsin Baseball Association summer baseball league, plays home games at Athletic Park in Wausau. The Wausau River Hawks were formerly known as Wausau Precision. Granite Peak Ski Area offers downhill skiing at nearby Rib Mountain. The 700-ft mountain is the highest skiable mountain in the state and one of the highest vertical drops in the Midwest. It first became a ski area in 1937, when Wausau residents cleared six runs by hand, installed the nation's longest ski lift, and built a chalet with stone quarried nearby. Granite Peak has 74 runs and seven ski lifts. Wausau hosts the annual Badger State Winter Games. Wausau is home to a kayak course which has hosted numerous regional, national, and world competitions over the last two decades. Nine Mile Recreation Area hosts many running, skiing, biking, and other outdoor events each year. The annual 24 hour mountain biking race has served as the USA Cycling 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships in past years. Ragnar relay began hosting a trail event at Nine Mile Recreation Area in 2016. Downhill flow machine built mountain bike trails were constructed and opened in 2017 at Sylvan Hill County Park. Wausau is also home to the Wausau Curling Club, with an eight-sheet ice surface. A new curling facility was finished in February 2013. The new curling facility is located next to the former Holtz-Krause Landfill. The new facility has an Olympic size ice rink and will allow for curling tournaments, national and world championship games. In the summers local softball teams come together to play softball at the Sunnyvale Softball Complex which possesses five softball fields and two volleyball courts. Men's, Women's, JO, and Slow and Fast pitch are played at the softball complex. In the beginning of 2012, Wausau bought the former Holtz-Krause landfill for plans to build a soccer complex. Building of the soccer complex began in 2013 and was eventually opened in 2014 in the fall.


Parks and recreation

The city's 37 city parks, which total ,http://www.co.marathon.wi.us/Departments/ParksRecreationForestry/ParksandFacilities/ListofParks.aspx#CityParks , accessed November 8, 2010 are maintained by the Wausau and Marathon County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department. Oak Island Community Park and Fern Island Community Park are located next to each other on the Wisconsin River. Oak Island has a wide range of activities: tennis courts, two playgrounds, a baseball diamond, one enclosed shelter with a kitchen, two open shelters, and a walking bridge to Fern Island. Fern Island Park hosts the annual Big Bull Falls Blues Festival in August, as well as the annual Beer and Bacon Fest. Athletic Park, a baseball stadium on the east side of Wausau, is home to the Wausau Woodchucks baseball team. Whitewater Park contains a third of a mile of Class I-II+ rapids along the Wisconsin River in downtown Wausau. It has bleachers facing whitewater rapids where recreational whitewater kayaking and
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
take place. Sylvan Hills is a county park within the Wausau city limits. During the winter, tubing takes place on hills that have vertical drops of up to . Marathon Park, another county park in the city of Wausau, is the location of the Wisconsin Valley Fair. The park includes camping grounds, two hockey rinks, a
curling Curling is a sport in which players slide #Curling stone, stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area that is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take t ...
barn, playgrounds, an obstacle course, an amphitheater, a bandstand, a grandstand, exhibition buildings, a concessions building, and a miniature golf course. Marathon Park contains the southernmost section of old-growth forest remaining in Wisconsin. The Little Red School House is housed within the park.


Government and politics

Wausau has a mayor–council form of government. Eleven elected alderpersons comprise the city council, each representing one district of the city. The city council manages eight standing committees, including Parks & Recreation, Parking & Traffic, Finance, Human Resources, Public Health & Safety, Economic Development, Coordinating, and Capital Improvement & Street Maintenance. The current mayor of Wausau is Doug Diny, 62, and was sworn in on April 16, 2024. Diny, who served as District 4 Alderperson of Wausau from 2022 to 2024, defeated incumbent mayor Katie Rosenberg in the April 2, 2024, election.


Fire department

The Wausau Fire Department has 3 stations within the city which contain 5
ambulance An ambulance is a medically-equipped vehicle used to transport patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to ...
s, 4
engines An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
, a heavy rescue vehicle, a 100-foot platform truck, rescue boats, inspections vehicles, and command vehicles. The department also has a hazardous incident team, or HIT, which is a type II regional hazardous materials team. The department currently employs 72 full-time firefighter/paramedics. The department responded to 6,490 calls in the year 2021.


Police department

The Wausau Police Department is responsible for law enforcement services in the City of Wausau. On average, between 8–12 officers are on patrol at a time.


Outdoor warning system

The city of Wausau, in coordination with the Marathon County Sheriff's Office, is responsible for maintaining 14 outdoor tornado sirens that are strategically placed throughout the city. Sirens are sounded during tornadoes and severe weather. Sirens are tested at 1:15PM every Monday (April–September) and the first Monday of the month (October–March).


Education


Primary and secondary

Wausau is served by the Wausau School District, which has 14 elementary schools, two middle schools (John Muir and Horace Mann), and two high schools ( Wausau East, Wausau West) and two charter schools (Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership Academy and Enrich Excel Achieve Learning Academy). Wausau Engineering and Global Leadership (EGL) Academy is a public charter school housed in Wausau East High School serving grades 9–12 and emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math. D.C. Everest Area School District also serves a large part of the Wausau area. This school district has 7 elementary schools, one middle school, one junior high, and one senior high. They also have a 4K Program. Wausau Area Montessori Charter School serves grades 1–6 and is housed at Horace Mann Middle School. Two kindergarten classes are available at the Montessori Children's Village and Rib Mountain Montessori. The Excel, Enrich, Achieve (EEA) Learning Academy is a public charter school in the Wausau School District, housed in Wausau East High School, and is for students who do not find the traditional school setting to be a fit for their academic needs. EEA services grades 6–12. The Idea Charter School, a project-based charter school that is a part of the D.C. Everest School District, had its first year in operation in the 2011–2012 school year. The charter school serves grades 6–12. The city's Roman Catholic parochial schools are known as the Newman Catholic Schools. They include St. Anne, St. Michael and St. Mark, Newman Middle School, and Newman Catholic High School. Other parochial schools include Trinity Lutheran grade school (
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
), Our Savior's Lutheran School (Pre-K–8) ( Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod), Faith Christian Academy (K4–12), and a K–8 school operated by the
Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...
.


Colleges and universities

Wausau is home to the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Wausau, a two-year university satellite campus of the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. The university houses the Wisconsin Public Radio Station. The city is also home to Northcentral Technical College, a two-year technical college, as well as satellite campuses of Lakeland University, Rasmussen University, and Medical College of Wisconsin.


Libraries

The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) – Wausau Headquarters, located downtown near the Wausau Center Mall, is the largest library in the Wausau area. It was formed when the county and city libraries merged in 1974. It serves as the headquarters for the Marathon County Public Library system, which encompasses all public libraries in Marathon County, including eight branch libraries. The Marathon County Historical Museum also maintains a library.


Media

The only local daily print newspaper is the '' Wausau Daily Herald'', with a daily circulation of 21,400 during the week and 27,500 on Sunday., '' Wausau Pilot and Review'' is a local on-line newspaper, ''City Pages'' is a free weekly newspaper. TV Stations WSAW-TV 7/ CBS/ CW+, WAOW-TV 9/ ABC, WJFW-TV 12/ NBC, WZAW-LD 33/ Fox, WTPX-TV 46/ Ion


Transportation


Airports

* AUW – Wausau Downtown Airport The airport serves general aviation aircraft, charter flights and seaplane operations. * CWA – Central Wisconsin Airport The airport has commercial flights with American Eagle and Delta Connection.


Public transit

Metro Ride provides local bus service. For intercity bus service Wausau is served by Lamers Bus Lines providing once daily trips from Wausau to
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
via Appleton and Coach USA/Van Galder with a daily trip to Janesville via Madison. Until 1971, Wausau was served by intercity passenger trains at Wausau station.


Roads and highways

Major roads in Wausau are: Grand Avenue, North 6th St/North 5th St(one-way pair), East and West Bridge St, West Thomas St, 1st Ave/3rd Ave (one-way pair), Stewart Ave, 17th Ave, Merrill Ave, 28th Ave, and East Wausau Ave. The Wausau street grid is set up with numbered "Streets" on the east side and numbered "Avenues" on the west side of the city. The Wisconsin River divides the city between East and West. Grand Avenue turns into North 6th Street when travelling north into the downtown area. Business 51 is a major route designation that runs through the city mostly along the original route of US 51 before the freeway bypass was constructed in the 1960s. Entering from the south along Grand Ave, north to downtown then splitting into one-way streets; northbound follows 6th St, McIndoe St, N. 1st St, and Scott St to the Wisconsin River; and southbound from the Wisconsin River along Washington St, 1st St, and Forest St back to Grand Ave. Once on the west side of the river, Scott St becomes Stewart Ave. Business 51 turns north off of Stewart Ave onto the one-way 1st Avenue north to W. Union Avenue westerly for two blocks then north out of town along Merrill Ave (southbound from Merrill Ave along 3rd Avenue, then East on Stewart Ave to the Wisconsin River).


Notable people

* W. W. Albers, Wisconsin State Senator * John Altenburgh,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
/
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
musician and composer * Frank E. Bachhuber, lawyer, businessman, and politician * Chris Bangle, Chief of Design at
BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...
Auto Group (grew up in Wausau) * Marcus H. Barnum, Wisconsin State Representative, businessman, and lawyer * Wayne R. Bassett Sr. (1915–1988), Minnesota state legislator and librarian, Bassett moved to Wausau and was the head librarian of the Marathon County Library * Matthew Beebe, Wisconsin State Representative and businessman * Rudy Bell,
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 * William Belter, Wisconsin State Representative * Warren Bernhardt,
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, pop, and classical pianist * Claire B. Bird,
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 ...
state senator * Jake Blum,
North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
State Representative * Gerald J. Boileau, US congressman * Emil Breitkreutz, Olympic medalist, head coach of the USC Trojans men's basketball team * Win Brockmeyer, football coach * Neal Brown, politician, lawyer, businessman and writer * Rachel Campos-Duffy, American television personality and conservative activist * John C. Clarke, Wisconsin State Representative * Gloria Coates, musical composer * Frank Cramer, Biologist, educator and author * Lee Crooks, voice actor * Charles F. Crosby, Minnesota and Wisconsin legislator, lawyer * Robert W. Dean, Wisconsin jurist and legislator * Jim DeLisle, NFL player * Jeff Dellenbach, NFL player for the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots,
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
, and
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
* Sean Duffy, former member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from Wisconsin; former reality TV star on ''The Real World'' * Henry Ellenbecker, Wisconsin State Representative * Orville Fehlhaber, Wisconsin State Representative * Bill Fischer, MLB pitcher and coach * Ellsworth K. Gaulke, Wisconsin educator, businessman, and politician * Paul Gebert, Sr., Wisconsin State Representative and businesspeople * Rod Grams, former member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
and
senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
for
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 ...
(as a local news anchor in the late 1970s) * Dave Heaton, Wisconsin State Representative * Benjamin W. Heineman, former CEO of Chicago and North Western Railway, founder and CEO of Northwest Industries * Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player,
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
,
University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
Athletic Director 1969–1987 and actor * Charles Hoeflinger, Wisconsin State Representative * Michael W. Hoover, Presiding Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals * Victoria Houston, author * Jalen Johnson, NBA player for the
Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...
* Justin L. Johnson, member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from California (1943–1957) * William A. Kasten, Wisconsin State Representative * John Azor Kellogg, U.S. military leader and Wisconsin politician * William P. Kozlovsky, U.S. Coast Guard admiral * Edward C. Kretlow, Wisconsin State Representative * Dave Krieg,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player *
Tony Kubek Anthony Christopher Kubek (born October 12, 1935) is an American former professional baseball player and television sportscaster, broadcaster. During his nine-year playing career with the New York Yankees, Kubek played in six World Series in the ...
, baseball player and television broadcaster (lived in Wausau in the 1970s and early 1980s) * Debi Laszewski, IFBB professional bodybuilder * John E. Leahy, Wisconsin State Senator * Liberace, pianist/entertainer (lived and worked in Wausau in the 1950s) * Greg Liter, NFL player * Paul A. Luedtke,
Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...
man * Barbara K. MacDonald, musician, half of the duo Timbuk 3 * Sue R. Magnuson, Wisconsin State Representative * Mike Manley, Olympic athlete,
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 * Nicole Manske, host of '' NASCAR Now'' and '' The Speed Report'' * Herbert H. Manson, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin * Rufus P. Manson, Wisconsin State Representative * Dave Marcis, retired
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
driver * August F. Marquardt, Wisconsin State Representative * Herman Marth, Wisconsin State Representative * Marissa Mayer, CEO of
Yahoo! Yahoo (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web portal that provides the search engine Yahoo Search and related services including My Yahoo, Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, y!entertainment, yahoo!life, and its a ...
* Edward F. McClain, Wisconsin State Representative * Myron Hawley McCord, governor of Arizona Territory * John McCutcheon,
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
singer * John L. McEwen, Wisconsin State Representative * Burton Millard, Wisconsin State Representative * Henry Miller, Wisconsin State Representative and jurist * Herman Miller * Walter D. McIndoe, congressman * Gerald Morris, author * Thomas T. Moulton, five-time
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
winner in sound recording * Otto Mueller, politician and businessman * William H. Mylrea, Wisconsin Attorney General * Burton Natarus, Chicago City Council member and lawyer * David Obey, member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from Wisconsin from 1969 to 2011 * Jim Otto, football player,
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
* Shirley Palesh, baseball player * Jim Pekol, musician * B. G. Plumer, legislator and businessman * Daniel L. Plumer, mayor of Wausau, legislator * Fred Prehn, Wisconsin State Representative * Scott Resnick, Wisconsin politician * Bartholomew Ringle, Wisconsin State Representative * John Ringle, mayor of Wausau, legislator * Oscar Ringle, Wisconsin State Representative * John H. Robinson, mayor of Wausau, legislator * Sue Rohan, Wisconsin State Representative * Marvin B. Rosenberry, Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Angus B. Rothwell, Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin * Johnny Schmitz, baseball player * Mark Seidl, Wisconsin Court of Appeals judge * Willis C. Silverthorn, Wisconsin politician * Leann Slaby, actress, '' Survivor: Vanuatu'' contestant * Brad Soderberg, basketball coach * Ed Sparr, NFL player * Michael Stackpole, science fiction author * Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023 * Alexander Stewart, member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
and lumber baron * Patrick Thomas Stone, United States District Court judge * Jerome A. Sudut,
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 * Ray Szmanda, radio and television personality/spokesperson * Claude Taugher, Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Cross recipient; NFL player * Tom Wiesner, Nevada politician and businessman * Lyman Wellington Thayer, Wisconsin State Senator * Arthur H. Treutel, Wisconsin State Representative * Mary Williams Walsh, journalist * George Werheim, Wisconsin State Representative * Milt Wilson, professional football player * Chris Wimmer, NASCAR driver *
Scott Wimmer Scott Allan Wimmer (born January 26, 1976) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He has a total of six wins in the Xfinity Series. His brother Chris Wimmer competed in the Busch Series. Wimmer co-owns State Park Speedway in ...
, NASCAR driver * Dean Witter, U.S. businessman and founder of Dean Witter & Company investment house * Cyrus C. Yawkey, businessman * Charles Zarnke, Wisconsin politician * Brad Zweck, Wisconsin State Representative


References


External links


City of WausauWausau Regional Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Marathon County, Wisconsin County seats in Wisconsin