Whitewater is a city located in

Walworth Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the ...

and Jefferson counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. Located near the southern portion of the

Kettle Moraine State Forest The Kettle Moraine State Forest is a state forest in southeastern Wisconsin. The chief feature of the reserve is the Kettle Moraine, a highly glaciated area. The area contains very hilly terrain and glacial landforms, such as kettles, k ...

, Whitewater is the home of the

University of Wisconsin–Whitewater The University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (UW–Whitewater or UWW) is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System. As of Fall 2024, the university offers 47 undergraduate majors ...

. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 14,889.

History

Whitewater was founded at the confluence of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook, and named for the white sand in their beds.History of Whitewater
A

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

was built on Whitewater creek, the resulting pond now called

Cravath Lake Cravath Lake is a freshwater lake located near the center of Whitewater, Wisconsin, Whitewater, Wisconsin. History Cravath Lake was created in the mid-1850s at the intersection point of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook to power a gristmill that ...

. The town grew quickly when the first

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

line in Wisconsin passed through in 1853, but struggled when the two largest employers left town. Whitewater was originally founded entirely by settlers who arrived there from

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. These people were "

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Their various meanings depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, the Northeastern United Stat ...

s", that is to say they were descended from the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

who settled New England in the 1600s. They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion 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, ...

. When they arrived in what is now Whitewater, then nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie, the New Englanders laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their

New England values, such as staunch support for abolitionism and a passion for education, establishing many schools as well. They were mostly members of the

Congregationalist Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

though some were

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

. Due to the

second Great Awakening The Second Great Awakening was a Protestant religious revival during the late 18th to early 19th century in the United States. It spread religion through revivals and emotional preaching and sparked a number of reform movements. Revivals were a k ...

some of them had converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

before moving to what is now Whitewater. Whitewater, like much of

, would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture for most of its early history. Unlike much of Wisconsin, Walworth County was notable for not being heavily

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

, Whitewater had almost no

German-Americans German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

at a time when the state as a whole was receiving many.Wisconsin Votes: An Electoral History, Volume 3 by Robert Booth Fowler pg. 11-12 Whitewater in particular and Walworth County in general were also heavily anti-slavery, and the abolitionist movement was popular amongst the

descended portion of the population in the area. In the late 1800s immigrant families primarily from

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

settled in Whitewater, as well as smaller amounts of immigrants from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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. Most of the city lies in Walworth County.

Climate

Demographics

In recent years, Whitewater has seen the arrival of around 800-1000 immigrants, mostly from Nicaragua. In a 2024 letter to the Biden administration, the city’s police chief and city manager requested more federal resources to assist in handling the influx. Former President Trump and conservative media outlets highlighted the situation in Whitewater as an example of a city negatively impacted by lax immigration laws.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 14,889 people, 4,767 households, and 1,806 families living in the city. The population density was . The racial makeup of the city was 78.8% White, 4.2% African American, 0.5% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 7.2% from other races, and 6.4% from two or more races. There were 4,767 households, of which 19.9% had one or more people under the age of 18 living with them, and 25.5% had one or more people 60 years or older living in them, with 9.9% having someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 21.6 years. 10.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 57.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 71.5% were 15 to 44 years old. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% male and 49.1% female.

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 14,390 people, 4,766 households, and 1,781 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 5,113 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.0%

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 ...

, 3.5%

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, 1.9% 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 ...

, 4.5% from other races, and 1.8% 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 9.5% of the population. There were 4,766 households, of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.2% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 62.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 21.9 years. 11.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 53.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.7% were from 25 to 44; 11.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 13,437 people, 4,132 households, and 1,685 families living in the city. The

was 1,923.5 people per square mile (742.2/km²). There were 4,340 housing units at an average density of 621.3 per square mile (239.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.25%

, 2.34%

, 0.27% Native American, 1.47% Asian, 0.01%

, 2.48% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 6.50% of the population. There were 4,132 households, out of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.5% were

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 59.2% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 12.5% under the age of 18, 53.2% from 18 to 24, 15.7% from 25 to 44, 9.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,600, and the median income for a family was $48,185. Males had a median income of $33,078 versus $22,431 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 $13,965. About 10.6% of families and 27.4% 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 17.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over. (Note: information in this paragraph is still from the 2000 census.)

Arts and culture

Annual events in Whitewater include "Freeze Fest" in January, the Bridal Fair, Farm Toy Show in February, Maxwell Street Day and the 4th of July celebration in July. The Minneiska Water Ski Shows perform in the summer on Whitewater Lake. Departing from the Highway 12 crossing of the

Ice Age Trail The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail stretching in the state of Wisconsin in the United States. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by private and public agencies including the Ice ...

, group biking tours depart several times a week from the area. September through April, Young Auditorium at the university hosts entertainment.

Parks and recreation

There are five community parks in Whitewater: Cravath Lakefront Park, Moraine View Park, Starin Park, Trippe Lake Park, and Whitewater Creek Nature Area. Effigy Mounds Preserve is an archeological park. An aquatic and fitness center is located in Whitewater.

Government

Whitewater Wisconsin Municipal Building City Hall

Whitewater has a council-manager form of government. The city manager is Cameron Clapper. The Whitewater Common Council is made up of one member from each of the five districts and two members-at-large.

Education

Whitewater is served by the Whitewater Unified School District (WWUSD), which has five schools and one university in the city: * Lakeview Elementary School * Lincoln Elementary School * Washington Elementary School * Whitewater Middle School (WMS) * Whitewater High School (WHS) *

Kettle Moraine Baptist Academy, which serves students in grades kindergarten through 12, is also located in the city.

Notable people

Stephen Ambrose Stephen Edward Ambrose (January 10, 1936 – October 13, 2002) was an American historian, academic, and author, most noted for his books on World War II and his biographies of U.S. presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon. He was a long ...

, author, historian * George Awsumb, architect * James C. Bartholf, Wisconsin politician and newspaper editor * Zadoc P. Beach, Wisconsin politician * Marvin H. Bovee, Wisconsin politician * Edwin Coe, newspaper editor and politician'Wisconsin Blue Book 1887,' Biographical Sketch of Edwin Coe, pg. 512 * Charles Coleman, Wisconsin politician *

Edward S. Curtis Edward Sheriff Curtis (February 19, 1868 – October 19, 1952; sometimes given as Edward Sherriff Curtis) was an American photographer and ethnologist whose work focused on the American West and Native American people. Sometimes referred to a ...

, photographer, director, actor, cinematographer * Frank A. Dudley, New York state legislator and lawyer *

Jeffrey Foucault Jeffrey Foucault (born January 26, 1976) is an American songwriter and record producer from Whitewater, Wisconsin, United States, whose work marries the influence of American country, blues, rock 'n' roll, and folk music. He has released seven ...

, recording artist *

Eva Kinney Griffith Eva Kinney Griffith Miller (, Kinney; after first marriage, Griffith; after second marriage, Miller; November 8, 1852 – 1918) was an American journalist, temperance activist, novelist, newspaper editor, and journal publisher. Griffith was lec ...

, journalist, temperance activist * Ben Heller, Major League baseball player * George W. Hull, Wisconsin politician *

Jeff Jagodzinski Jeff Jagodzinski (born October 12, 1963) is an American football coach and former player. He was previously the offensive coordinator at Georgia State University.Doug RobersonJeff Jagodzinski agrees to become Georgia State's offensive coordinato ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a 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 Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

assistant coach, former head coach of the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

* Dale Markham,

player * Benjamin McCready, painter *

Stephen Nass Stephen L. Nass (born October 7, 1952) is an American Republican politician from Whitewater, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 11th Senate district since 2015. He previously served 24 years in the Wisconsin S ...

, Wisconsin politician *

Eddie O'Donnell Edward Francis O'Donnell (April 30, 1887 – November 26, 1920) was an American racing driver. He gained fame competing for the Duesenberg team. Racing career O'Donnell started his career as a riding mechanic for Duesenberg racing driver Eddi ...

Indy car IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis 5 ...

driver * Leon Pescheret, fine artist, designer, printmaker *

Elaine Roe Second Lieutenant Elaine A. Roe was an officer in the United States Army during World War II. She was awarded the Silver Star for her actions during Operation Shingle The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign (World War II), It ...

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

officer, one of the first four women to be awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

* Edward J. Roethe, Wisconsin legislator * Henry Edgar Roethe, Wisconsin legislator * Byron Storm, Wisconsin legislator *

Eric Studesville Eric Studesville (born May 29, 1967) is an American football coach who is the associate head coach and running backs coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Studesville is known as the former run game coordinator fo ...

assistant coach * Eleazer Wakeley, Justice of the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

Supreme Court * Jerome Anthony Watrous (1840–1922), author, newspaper writer, Republican politician, and lt. colonel * Thompson Weeks, Wisconsin politician * Samuel A. White, Wisconsin politician

References

External links

City of Whitewater
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Cities in Walworth County, Wisconsin