Weyauwega ( , colloquially "Wega") is a city in

Waupaca County, Wisconsin Waupaca County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,812. The county seat is Waupaca. The county was created in 1851 and organized in 1853. It is named after the Waupaca River, a Menomi ...

, United States. The population was 1,796 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the Town of Weyauwega, though it is politically independent of the town. Small portions extend north into the adjacent Town of Royalton. The name "Weyauwega" is described by the Weyauwega Chamber of Commerce as potentially meaning "here we rest" in an indigenous language because the town's origin was a resting point between two rivers when Native Americans had to portage their canoes. Given the local indigenous culture is described as

Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...

, the language may be the

Menominee language Menominee , also spelled Menomini (In Menominee language: ) is an endangered Algonquian language spoken by the Menominee people of what is now northern Wisconsin in the United States. The federally recognized tribe has been working to encourage ...

. European

colonist A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

activity in the area began with a small building set up by fur traders, from which the town later grew.

History

Weyauwega has been host to the annual event Horse and Buggy Days since 1961. The event celebrates the past significance of the horse and buggy in the community. The event is presented by the Weyauwega Chamber of Commerce and features a parade, music and other activities. The Waupaca County Fair has been held in Weyauwega since 1874 at the Waupaca County Fairgrounds at the East end of the City of Weyauwega. In 1996 An 81-car freight train derailed causing a large fire and several explosions from the hazardous materials in the train cars, prompting an evacuation of the town for two weeks until the fires burned out.

Geography

Weyauwega is located at (44.322, -88.933). 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.

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 1,900 people, 746 households, and 473 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 815 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.4%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 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 1.3% 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 6.1% of the population. There were 746 households, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 38.2 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 23.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The sex demographics of the city were 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,806 people, 720 households, and 460 families living in the city. The

was 1,201.7 people per square mile (464.9/km²). There were 763 housing units at an average density of 507.7 per square mile (196.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.84%

, 0.39%

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 ...

, 0.22% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. 0.94% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 720 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,556, and the median income for a family was $42,067. Males had a median income of $32,073 versus $22,609 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 $16,755. About 3.8% of families and 6.5% 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 2.7% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Weyauwega is served by the Weyauwega-Fremont School District, which has an enrollment of about 963 students. The district has a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools, one in Weyauwega and another in nearby

Fremont, Wisconsin Fremont is a village in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. It is surrounded by Town of Fremont. The population was 691 at the 2020 census. Fremont has been referred to as the "White Bass Capital of the World." History This area is o ...

. St. Peter Lutheran School is a 3K-8 grade school 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 ...

in Weyauwega.

Transportation

Weyauwega is located on Wisconsin Highway 110.

U.S. Route 10 U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. Despite the "0" as the last digit in the number, US 10 is no longer a cross- ...

and

Wisconsin Highway 49 State Trunk Highway 49 (often called Highway 49, STH-49 or WIS 49) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs north–south in central and southeast Wisconsin from Wittenberg to Lomira. The highway was initially designated i ...

are located just south and west of the city. The

Yellowstone Trail The Yellowstone Trail was the first transcontinental automobile highway through the upper tier of states in the United States, established on May 23, 1912. It was an Auto trail, Auto Trail that ran from the Atlantic Ocean in Plymouth, Massachus ...

ran through the city, and its former route is denoted by signs through the downtown and northern portions of the city.

Notable people

* Albert V. Balch, Wisconsin State Representative * Lyman E. Barnes, U.S. Representative from Wisconsin * Benjamin P. Birdsall, U.S. Representative from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Robert Bloch Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime fiction, crime, psychological horror fiction, horror and Fantasy Fiction, fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and ...

, Author of the 1959 novel ''Psycho'' * Mark Block, Chief of Staff for the

Herman Cain 2012 presidential campaign The 2012 presidential campaign of Herman Cain, an American businessman and radio host, began shortly after the 2010 midterm elections. He ran for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States. Although he was frequent ...

* Eliada W. Brown, member of the

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 ...

George de Rue Meiklejohn George de Rue Meiklejohn (; August 26, 1857 – April 19, 1929) was an American politician who served as the fifth lieutenant governor of Nebraska under Governor John Milton Thayer and as a member of the United States House of Representatives for ...

, U.S. Representative from

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

* Sona (Hunter) Mehring, Founder of

CaringBridge CaringBridge Inc. is a charitable 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1997 which allows people facing various medical conditions and their family and friends to communicate. CaringBridge is headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota. Pur ...

* George S. Merry,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

State Representative * William E. Merry, South Dakota state legislator * Hallie H. Rowe, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

References

External links

Weyauwega Chamber of CommerceWeyauwega Public Library
*Sanborn fire insurance maps
1894190119091917
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Waupaca County, Wisconsin