Kenosha, Wisconsin
—  City  —
Kenosha's Lakefront
Official seal of Kenosha, Wisconsin Seal
Location of Kenosha within Wisconsin
Coordinates: 42°34′56″N 87°50′44″W / 42.58222°N 87.84556°W / 42.58222; -87.84556Coordinates: 42°34′56″N 87°50′44″W / 42.58222°N 87.84556°W / 42.58222; -87.84556
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Kenosha
Settled	Pike, 1835
Incorporated	Kenosha, 1850
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Mayor	Keith G. Bosman[1]
Area
• Total	24.0 sq mi (62.1 km2)
• Land	23.8 sq mi (61.7 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	604 ft (184 m)
Population (2011)
• Total	99,218
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Code	53140, 53141, 53142, 53143, 53144
Area code(s)	262
FIPS code	55-39225[2]
GNIS feature ID	1567416[3]
Website	www.kenosha.org

Kenosha ( /kəˈnoʊʃə/) is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011,^[4] Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago, Milwaukee, and Green Bay. Kenosha lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, 35 miles (56 km) south of Milwaukee and 50 miles north of Chicago. Kenosha is part of the U.S. Census Bureau's Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.^[5] It is heavily tied to both the Milwaukee metropolitan area and the Chicago metropolitan area.

Geography[link]

Kenosha is located in the southeastern corner of Wisconsin at 42°34′56″N 87°50′44″W / 42.58222°N 87.84556°W / 42.58222; -87.84556 (42.582220, -87.845624).^[6]. Kenosha's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan. It is bordered by the Town of Somers to the north, Bristol to the west and the village of Pleasant Prairie to the south. Kenosha's passenger train station is the last stop on Chicago's Union Pacific North Metra Line and is conveniently located almost halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.0 square miles (62.1 km²), of which, 23.8 square miles (61.7 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.63%) is water.

Demographics[link]

Kenosha's population grew by 117 percent between 1940 and 2000. As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 90,352 people, 34,411 households, and 22,539 families residing in the city.

The population density was 3,795.1 people per square mile (1,465.1/km²). There were 36,004 housing units at an average density of 1,512.3 per square mile (583.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.64% White, 7.68% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.83% from other races and 2.38% from two or more races. 9.96% of the population were Hispanic or of any race. 25.5% were of German, 11.5% Italian, 7.1% Irish and 6.6% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 34,411 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them: 47.1% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.5% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population included 27.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

On October 10, 2008, the Wisconsin Department of Administration reported that Kenosha's population had grown by 6.2 percent since the 2000 census, and Kenosha County's population grew by 8.4 percent, a gain of 12,517 within that same period.^[8]

The state of Wisconsin passed legislation in 1999 that mandated each municipality to produce a comprehensive plan. Kenosha, however, has been creating comprehensive plans since 1925. The most recent Kenosha plan projects:

• an increase in industrial land by 268 percent, from 673 acres (2.72 km²) to 1,804 acres (7.30 km²), from 2000 to 2035.
• an additional 11,586 housing units by 2035.
• 14,830 jobs, up 34 percent from 2000.

History[link]

Pre-Clovis culture settlements were discovered in the greater Kenosha area in the late 20th century. These prehistoric settlements date approximately to the era of the Wisconsin glaciation.^[9] Paleo Indians first settled in the area at least 13,500 years ago.^[10]

The Potawatomi originally named the area gnozhé ("place of the pike").

The early name by the Ojibwa Indians is reported as Masu-kinoja. This describes the place of spawning trout as "Trout (Pike) come all at same time". There were thousands of fish entering the rivers from Lake Michigan. Harvesting these fish provided food for the coming months. There is also a town of Masu-kegan in Michigan.

The first white settlers were part of the Western Emigration Company. They arrived in the early 1830s from Hannibal and Troy, New York, led by John Bullen, Jr., who sought to purchase enough land for a town. Thwarted in Milwaukee and Racine, the group arrived at Pike Creek on 6 June 1835, building log and later frame homes. The first school and churches followed by 1835, with platting completed in 1836.^[11] As more settlers arrived and the first post office was established, the community was first known as Pike in 1836. In the ensuing years the area became an important Great Lakes shipping port, and the village was once again renamed, this time to Southport. (This is still the name of a southeast-side neighborhood, park, and elementary school, as well as several businesses).

In 1850, another change brought the growing city (and later Kenosha County) its current title, an Anglicized version of the early name Kinoje.^[12] Kenoshans often refer affectionately to their city as "K-Town" and "Keno" (the latter adopted by some local businesses).

Between 1902 and 1988, Kenosha produced millions of automobiles and trucks^[13] under marques such as Jeffery, Rambler, Nash, Hudson, LaFayette, and American Motors Corporation (AMC). A prototype steam car was built in Kenosha by the Sullivan-Becker engineering firm in 1900. Two years later the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, builders of the Sterling bicycle, began production of the Rambler runabout. In 1902 Rambler and Oldsmobile were the first cars to employ mass-production techniques. The 1902 Rambler was also the first automobile to incorporate a steering wheel, rather than use the then-common tiller-controlled steering. In 1916 Jeffery was purchased by auto executive Charles W. Nash and became Nash Motors. In May 1954, Nash acquired Detroit-based Hudson and the new firm was named American Motors Corporation. A 47-acre (190,000 m²) west side park and an elementary school are named for Charles W. Nash.^[14]

In partnership with French automaker Renault, AMC manufactured several models in Kenosha in the early 1980s, including the Alliance, which won the 1983 “Car of The Year” award from Motor Trend magazine. Two decades earlier, AMC's 1963 Rambler Classic had also received the award. In 1987 Renault sold its controlling interest in AMC to Chrysler Corporation, which had already contracted with AMC for the production of its M-body mid-sized cars at the Kenosha plant. The AMC Lakefront plant (1960–88), a smaller facility, was demolished in 1990 (a chimney-demolition ceremony that June drew 10,000 spectators) and was redeveloped into upscale HarborPark,^[15] with its rambling lakeside condominiums, large recreational marina, water park and promenades, artworks, sculptures, fountains (including the 2007 Christopher Columbus fountain), the Kenosha Public Museum, which opened in 2000, and the Civil War Museum, which opened in 2008, all connected by the Kenosha Electric Railway streetcar system.

Harborpark

From the start of the 20th century through the 1930s, many Italian, Irish, Polish and German immigrants, many of them skilled craftsmen, made their way to the city and contributed to the city's construction, culture, architecture, music and literature.

Kenosha has 21 locations and three districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places^[16] including the Library Park, Third Avenue, and the Civic Center historic districts. The city has a Kenosha Landmarks Commission, and among the many local city-designated landmarks are the 1929 YMCA at 711 59th Place, the Manor House at 6536 Third Avenue, the John McCaffary House at 5732 13th Court, the St. Matthew Episcopal Church at 5900 Seventh Avenue, the Washington Park Clubhouse at 2205 Washington Road, and the Justin Weed House at 3509 Washington Road.

In June 1993, the city installed reproductions of the historic Sheridan LeGrande street lights that were specially designed for Kenosha by Westinghouse Electric in 1928; these can be seen on Sixth Avenue between 54th and 59th Streets. A classic two-mile (3 km) downtown electric streetcar system was opened on June 17, 2000.

Law and government[link]

Kenosha has a mayor, who is the chief executive, and a city administrator, who is the chief operating officer. The mayor is elected every four years. The city's Common Council consists of 17 aldermen from Kenosha's 17 districts (each district having two wards), elected for two-year terms in even-numbered years.

The mayor of Kenosha for four terms beginning in April 1992 was John Martin Antaramian, the longest-serving mayor in the city's history.^[17] In late 2006, Antaramian was awarded the Robert B. Bell, Sr. Best Public Partner Award for his advocacy towards quality real estate development.^[18] He was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,^[19] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Antaramian announced during 2007 that he would not seek reelection in 2008. Former alderman Keith Bosman was elected mayor for a four-year term in the April 2008 spring elections.

Economy[link]

Years ago a busy center of manufacturing, Kenosha is today considered a "bedroom community" within the Chicago-Milwaukee megalopolis, often attracting new residents from Illinois, which leads to Kenosha's frequent appellation as Chicago's northernmost suburb. With several area transportation options, many residents commute to their places of employment. According to county statistics, 49% of Kenosha's workforce commutes outside of Kenosha County to their positions. Many travel northward towards Milwaukee or south into the Chicago area.^[20] Kenosha does have some of its own employment, and is not a "typical" suburb; in fact, many locals consider neighboring communities Pleasant Prairie and Somers to be suburbs of Kenosha.

A June 2009 study by the Milken Institute ("North America's High-Tech Economy: The Geography of Knowledge-Based Industries") reported that Kenosha placed in the national top-50 high-tech economies.^[21] The Public Policy Forum reported that Kenosha's personal-income levels have been sharply rising;^[when?] the latest local gain stands at $30.3 million, in contrast to a personal-income drop of $434 million within other adjoining southeastern-Wisconsin communities (except for neighboring Walworth County, which had a $3.3 million gain in the latest statistics.)^{[citation needed]} The Kenosha Board of Realtors reported on March 24, 2010 that Kenosha-area home sales were outpacing the national home-sales trends for most of 2009 and into the new decade.

HarborPark overlooking Kenosha Harbor

Today, Kenosha's employment demographics are mainly white-collar. The city's largest employer is the multi-level educational system (this includes Kenosha Public Schools as well as UW-Parkside), and Kenosha's largest private employer is Abbott Laboratories in Abbott Park, Illinois which has recently purchased 400 acres (1.6 km²) within Kenosha County at Highways C at Interstate 94.^[22]

Business and industry[link]

Kenosha is the home city of three major colleges: (UW–Parkside, Gateway Technical College, and Carthage College) and a number of other college and university branch campuses. Since 1992 it has hosted the Michael E. DeBakey Heart Institute of the Kenosha Hospital & Medical Center, established in tribute to DeBakey’s pioneering efforts in cardiovascular surgery. Kenosha is also a busy retail and commercial center with a number of light industrial and distribution companies, nearly all located in business parks outside the city. Recently Abbott Laboratories, Kenosha's largest private employer, began to land-bank property near the southwest edge of the city, which may be the site of a new major campus of the large pharmaceutical firm.^[23]

In decades past, Kenosha also hosted a number of manufacturing firms, among them American Brass (later Outokumpu Copper/Outokumpu American Brass Company), Simmons Bedding Company, the Samuel Lowe publishing firm, Kenosha Full Fashioned Mills, Solar Lamp Company, Jockey International (originally "Cooper's Union Suit Company" until the 'Jockey' brief was developed in 1934), Snap-on, the MacWhyte Wire Rope Company, Dynamatic, Frost Company, G. LeBlanc, and American Motors Corporation. Most of these facilities have long since been cleared and the real-estate converted into parklands, high-end residential developments, commercial shopping districts, a school campus, or held in land-banking.^{[citation needed]}

A study released in January 2010 by the Dickman Company, Inc. of Milwaukee found that corporate vacancies within available Kenosha-area business spaces had decreased during 2009, making Greater Kenosha the only southeastern Wisconsin community with such an improvement.^{[citation needed]}

Snap-On Tools Inc.'s world headquarters are in Kenosha.

Tourism[link]

Tourism has a significant and growing impact on Kenosha's economy. According to the Kenosha Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2006 Kenosha-area tourism expenditures reached a record $222.5 million, which translated into approximately 5,220 full-time-job equivalents. During 2007, the Kenosha-area revenue from tourism rose to a record $224.6 million (or a 5,267 full-time-job equivalency) despite a 1.4% statewide tourism slowdown. Kenosha's tourism activity and revenue is now within the top 20% of all of Wisconsin's 72 counties. Surveys show that most visitors to Kenosha shop at nearby Pleasant Prairie's Prime Outlets strip mall, which contains factory outlets for a diverse mix of retailers, and stay at local hotels and motels, while the city's extensive Lake Michigan beaches and HarborPark facilities attract 36% of all tourists, and 34.1% use the municipal streetcar line.^{[citation needed]}

Kenosha-area tourism saw growth in 2008 despite the national economic downturn, bringing in a record $225.2 million, an increase of $600,000 over 2007 and a 147% increase since 1994. This placed Greater Kenosha in 14th place for tourism among Wisconsin's 72 counties in 2008. This is thought to be because of an increase in nearby, short vacations, or staycations, due to the economic downturn, with Kenosha attracting residents of the nearby Milwaukee and Chicago areas.

The opening of Kenosha's $15 million Civil War Museum in June 2008 was a major tourism-related event. Other attractions include the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, the Kenosha Public Museum, the Longaberger Basket Fest and the opening of a holiday-season Jelly Belly retail outlet.

2009 brought a number of new events to Kenosha, including the inaugural Wisconsin Marathon, which saw nearly 2,000 runners at the Lake Michigan shoreline on May 2. The second annual "A Salute to Freedom" from June 12 to June 14 celebrated the completion of the Civil War Museum, and the TREK Women’s Triathlon Series made its debut on July 12 at Prairie Springs Park.

Real estate and housing[link]

The number of households in Kenosha County increased by nearly 80% from 1990 to 2005,^[24] indicating the community is rapidly expanding to accommodate new businesses and employees in the Kenosha area.

Number of households:

• 1990: 47,029
• 2000: 56,057
• 2005: 58,715

2005 housing statistics:

• Total housing units: 67,568
• Owner occupied: 42,197
• Median value of homes: $167,500
• Renter occupied: 16,518
• Median rent paid: $722
• Rental vacancy rate: 11.1%

In March 2008, the Public Policy Forum reported that Kenosha's real-estate valuations rose by 7.6%, most likely as a result of heavy migration by Chicago professionals who have resettled in Kenosha.^{[citation needed]}

Transportation[link]

A Kenosha streetcar

Kenosha has been served by rail service to and from Chicago since May 19, 1855,^[25] when the predecessors to the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Milwaukee and Chicago Railway Company (originally the Illinois Parallel Railroad) and the original "Lake Shore Railroad" (later the Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago Railway) were officially joined with great ceremony just south of today's 52nd Street. Passenger service began on May 28, 1866, and it continues to the present day.

Kenosha has the only Metra station in Wisconsin, with nine inbound and nine outbound trains each weekday. Passenger ridership on the Kenosha line was up by a slight 0.06% in 2009, while elsewhere on the 11-route Metra system, passenger counts dropped by 5.2 percent. Not all Union Pacific/North Line trains terminate and originate in Kenosha. Most of them terminate at Waukegan, Illinois, to the south of Kenosha.^[26]

Since June 2000, a two-mile (3 km) streetcar line has served the downtown area and HarborPark, connecting the Metra station with downtown and several area parks. Kenosha is one of the smallest cities in America with any type of streetcar system today.^[27] In December 2005 the city council authorized a study on the expansion of streetcar service in order to connect the city's downtown with the uptown business districts flanking 63rd Street and 22nd Avenue.

In addition to a streetcar line, Kenosha has a city bus network that includes eight routes. Kenosha was the first city to color-code transit routes (with the Blue, Green, Red, and Orange Lines), and also the first city to use electric trolley buses in full transit service, both occurring on February 14, 1932.^[28]

Kenosha is served by two intercity bus systems. Wisconsin Coach Lines buses stop in front of the city's Metra station, connecting riders to Racine, Milwaukee, and the O'Hare International Airport in western Chicago, and difficult to get to by train.^{[dubious – discuss]} The Western Kenosha County Transit Route 1 stops at Southport Plaza, connecting riders to Twin Lakes.

By highway, Kenosha is served mainly by Interstate 94 which connects Chicago with Milwaukee, and thence west to the state capitol, Madison, Wisconsin.

By passenger train, Kenosha is also served by Amtrak's Hiawatha Line service (from the Sturtevant station in Racine County), with trains between Chicago and Milwaukee seven times daily. The Hiawatha serves commuters from Kenosha who work in either one of these two large cities.

In Kenosha County, numbered streets run east-west and numbered avenues north-south, with street numbering commencing with First Street on Kenosha County's northern border (County Trunk Highway KR) rather than at the city's center. ("Roads" are diagonal thoroughfares, "Courts" are short north-south avenues, and "Places" are short east-west streets.) The downtown area of Kenosha is located between 50th and 60th Streets. Avenue numbers increase as one heads west from the lakefront. This numbering system continues through all of Kenosha County, ending at 408th Avenue to the west at the Kenosha-Walworth County line, while north-south roads end at the Illinois state line at 128th Street.

Education[link]

Higher education[link]

Kenosha is home to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with over 5,000 students, Carthage College with over 2,000 students, and Gateway Technical College. Concordia University Wisconsin, Cardinal Stritch University, and National-Louis University all maintain Kenosha branch campuses. In 2009, Herzing University opened its new Kenosha campus.

Public schools[link]

The Kenosha Unified School District operates 24 public elementary schools, six middle schools, seven charter schools, and six major high schools:^[29] Mary D. Bradford High School, George Nelson Tremper High School, Indian Trail High School and Academy, Lakeview Tech Academy, Reuther Central High School and Harborside Academy, the latter a research school that uses the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model; it was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.^[30] 80% of Kenosha's fourth-graders score 'proficient' and 'advanced' gradings on reading tests, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress tests.^[31] According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Kenosha's 2008 public-school graduation rate of 84.1% was ahead of the national average.^[32]

Private schools[link]

Kenosha also has a number of parochial schools and independent academies, including St. Mary's Catholic School, St. Joseph's High School, Holy Rosary School, Bethany Lutheran School, Friedens Lutheran School, Christ Lutheran Academy, Kenosha Montessori School, Shoreland Lutheran High School, the Brompton Academy, the Christian Life School, and the LakeView Advanced Technology Center. At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, St. Mary's and Holy Rosary became the two campuses of All Saints Catholic School. Both campuses operate as the same school with the same principal. St. Marks and St. Joseph High School have also done the same, conjoining to become Saint Joseph Catholic Academy. K-6 grades at the lower campus, and 7-12 grades at the upper campus. These combinations are due to steep enrollment drops in the recent years. A number of professional schools are also located within the city.

Libraries[link]

The Kenosha Public Library, which is part of the Kenosha County Library System, operates in four locations throughout the city. Daniel H. Burnham designed the 1900 Beaux-Arts architectured Gilbert M. Simmons Library, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[33]

Media[link]

The primary newspaper of Kenosha County is the Kenosha News, a broadsheet with circulation of around 23,000 copies. The Happenings Magazine is an ad supported publication distributed at local businesses. A new media outlet has emerged that coveres Kenosha, Wisconsin Internet News.

Kenosha is within the Chicago and Milwaukee broadcast market and is considered as part of the Milwaukee television market by A.C. Nielsen. Arbitron classifies Kenosha within the Chicago market. Five major radio stations broadcast from Kenosha: News/Talk/Oldies WLIP (1050 AM), Gateway Technical College's WGTD (91.1 FM), a member station of the Wisconsin Public Radio News & Classical Music Network, rock WIIL (95.1 FM) and classic hits WWDV (96.9 FM), which simulcasts Chicago-based WDRV (97.1 FM). The Kenosha Convention and Visitors Bureau operates WPUR937 (1180 AM), a low-power tourist information station. Most of the AM and FM radio stations from Milwaukee and Chicago can be heard clearly in Kenosha.^[34]

WPXE (Channel 55), owned by ION Television, is Kenosha's only locally licensed television station. Its analog transmitter was based in northern Racine County, while the digital tower is in Milwaukee's tower farm site on the north side and the station's studios are just south of suburban Glendale, so it serves the entire Milwaukee television market.

Civic organizations[link]

There are several Civic Organizations that add to the rich benevolent spirit found in Kenosha. Such organizations contribute resources to various positive causes as well as knit the fabric of the community together:

Navy Club of the U.S.A., Free and Accepted Masons - Lodge 47, Rotary Club International, The Exchange Club, Local VFW and American Legion Posts, Kenosha Women's Club, Kenosha Streetcar Society, Danish Brotherhood Lodge #14.

Culture[link]

The Kenosha Public Museum.

Kenosha's three downtown museums, the Kenosha Public Museum, the Civil War Museum and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, are Smithsonian Institution affiliates.

Completed in 2001, the Kenosha Public Museum is located on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Its main exhibit is a prehistoric Woolly Mammoth skeleton uncovered in western Kenosha in 1992. The bones revealed new clues about ancient American history; cut-marks on the bones indicated that the animals were butchered by humans using stone tools. Carbon dating indicated their age to be 12,500 radiocarbon years years old or 14,500 calendar years old, one thousand radiocarbon years earlier than the previously-accepted presence of humans in the Americas. The museum also displays other Ice Age and fine-art exhibits.^[35]

The Kenosha History Center is within the 1917 City water treatment plant on Simmons Island adjoining the 1866 Kenosha Light Station, and showcases the history of Kenosha from the Indians and the first settlements to the present day. The 1906 Kenosha North Pier Light is also nearby.

Kenosha's 59,000-square-foot (5,500 m²) Civil War Museum opened on June 13, 2008. The main exhibit, "The Fiery Trial", opened September 15, 2008. It is a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m²) exhibit offering an interactive experience of the role of six Midwestern states before, during and after the American Civil War.^[36]

The Dinosaur Discovery Museum, designated a federal repository, opened in August 2006 in the historic Old Post Office adjoining the 56th Street streetcar line at Tenth Avenue, and includes an on-site paleontology laboratory operated through the Carthage College Institute of Paleontology.^[37]

The Kenosha Transit Carhouse at 724 54th Street, which houses Kenosha's historic fleet of PCC streetcars, is occasionally open for guided tours.

A Maritime Museum is being developed within the restored 1866 Southport Light and Lighthouse Keeper's cottage on Simmons Island. A Children's Museum is also planned for the upper two floors of the Orpheum Building on Sixth Avenue at 59th Street, currently occupied by the Heim's Downtown Toy Store and Scoop's Ice Cream. No formal timetable has been provided.

Music[link]

Summer band performances have existed in Kenosha for over 80 years^{[citation needed]}, traditionally put on by the Kenosha American Legion Band (renamed the Kenosha Concert Band in 1963 and now the Kenosha Pops Concert Band.) Since 1988 the concerts have been at Kenosha's Sesquicentennial Bandshell in Pennoyer Park each Wednesday from mid-June to early August.

The Kenosha Lakeshore Youth Philharmonic offers an intensive orchestral experience to middle school and high school musicians.

Kenosha Unified School District offers a touring summer marching band program for students at all school-band-age levels. Continental Band and Rambler Band offer opportunities for novice and intermediate musicians whereas the Band of the Black Watch is the jewel of the high school bands program, bringing together musicians from all of Kenosha's high schools. These bands perform in various parades and concert events throughout the summer locally within Southern Wisconsin and North Eastern Illinois and the Band of the Black Watch performs on an annual trip to varying locations which have included Disney World and Toronto.

Southeast Wisconsin Performing Arts (SEWPA) sponsors the Opera à la Carte evening concert series featuring middle school, high school and college singers.

The Music of the Stars radio program, heard worldwide, has originated from Kenosha since 1992.

The Kenosha Symphony Orchestra presents concerts in the acoustically correct Reuther Central Auditorium (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) at Walter Reuther Central High School in downtown Kenosha. Film composer and orchestrator Lucien Cailliet, orchestrator for The Ten Commandments, was the KSO conductor until 1960.

Since 2002, the outdoor Peanut Butter and Jam Concert Series^[38] has been held every Wednesday in August at Veterans Memorial Park.

Lincoln Park Live! concerts began in 2005 on the Lincoln Park lawns near the Warren Taylor Memorial Gardens.

A number of outdoor jazz events are offered throughout the summer months, most often at Veterans Memorial Park and the historic Kemper Center.

The CYO (Catholic Youth Organization) Emerald Knights Band of Kenosha, which includes students from all schools and backgrounds, was formed on Thursday, March 23, 1939 and since 2008 has sponsored the Great Lakes Band Championships, an offshoot of the former Kenosha Music Round-Up, with its origins in the early years of World War II. By the end of summer 2008, the Emerald Knights had competed with countless talented bands all over the midwest through the Mid-America Competing Band Directors Association (MACBDA).

The Electric Hellfire Club, an industrial metal band, originated in Kenosha in the early 1990s.

Korey Cooper—keys, rhythm guitar, and background vocals for the rock band Skillet—is originally from Kenosha.

Lazarus A.D., a thrash metal band on Metal Blade Records, is from Kenosha and frequently plays shows when in town.

Jungle Rot, a death metal band on Victory Records, formed in Kenosha.

Path, a death metal band on Crash Records is from Kenosha

Jeff Waluch, Audio Mixer, Tour Manager for Eddie Money, Geoff Tyson, and scores of recording artists from the 1970s to present.

Recreation[link]

Parks[link]

Kenosha is ringed by an emerald necklace of recreational city and county parks, and has eight miles (29 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline frontage, nearly all of which is public. The city has 74 municipal parks, totaling 781.52 acres (3.1627 km²).^[39]

Kenosha's Washington Park includes the oldest operating velodrome in the United States (1927) at Washington Bowl. The Kenosha Velodrome Association sponsors American Track Cycling sanctioned races as well as training sessions at the "bowl" throughout the summer. Races are held on Tuesday evenings beginning in mid-May and continuing through August. Free seating is available on the inside of the track, and on important race days concessions are available.

Petrifying Springs Park flanks the Pike River and was developed in the 1930s on the northwestern edge of the city, and is named for its artesian mineral water. Over ten miles (16 km) of trails wind through the wooded park, which also features an 18-hole golf course.

Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum has three historic buildings and several trails for hiking.

Library Park is home to a statue of Abraham Lincoln by Charles Henry Niehaus as well as a statue called Winged Victory by Daniel Burnham.^[40]

Kenosha has been a Tree City USA since 1982.

Golf[link]

Kenosha has a number of golf courses.^[41] Petrifying Springs Golf Course was named the "No. 1 Sporty Course in Wisconsin".^[42] The Washington Park Golf Course was dedicated on February 18, 1922, and its 1937 English-cottage clubhouse is a city landmark.^[43] Most recently there have been new private courses such as Strawberry Creek, designed by Rick Jacobson.

Cycling[link]

Kenosha is home to the Food Folks and Spokes criterium racing event, a part of the International Cycling Classic known as "SuperWeek" in which cyclists from all over the world compete in various types of cycling events. Kenosha is home to the Washington Park Velodrome. The Washington Park Velodrome is the longest operating 333 meter track, opening in 1927.

Sport[link]

The city was the home town of the Kenosha Cardinals, a semi pro football team between 1937 and 1941^[44] who played at Lake Front Stadium which was located at the intersection of 58th Street and Third Avenue.

Notable Kenoshans[link]

On June 7, 1990 a Chicago Tribune feature article ("The Kenosha Connection") marveled at the large number of Kenoshans in the arts and sciences.^[45]

Rankings[link]

Kenosha has received high rankings in several "Best-of" national surveys of American communities in recent years.

• In its 2005 survey of United States communities, Money listed Kenosha as 94th on its list of "Best Places to Live".^[46]
• The April 1997 Readers Digest ranked Kenosha in second place within its list of "Best Places to Raise a Family"^[47]
• Worldwide ERC rates Kenosha among the "Best Cities for Relocating Families" in the 500,000 to 250,000 metro population category.^[48]
• In 2005, the Milken Institute rated Kenosha as the 86th among the largest 200 metro areas in the United States in its "Best Performing Cities" list^[49]
• In May 2006, Inc. Magazine ranked Kenosha #45 on its "Hottest Midsize Cities" list.^[50]

Sister cities[link]

Kenosha's four sister cities are:

• Cosenza, Italy (since 1979)^[51]
• Douai, France (since 1981))^[51]
• Quezon City, Philippines (since 1986)^[51]
• Wolfenbüttel, Germany (since 1970))^[51]

In popular culture[link]

Kenosha has been the setting or filming location for a number of magazine ads and television commercials, and several motion pictures including The Betsy, The Last Great Ride, Dead Air, Fever Lake, Time-Men, The Smokers, For Keeps?, RKO 281 (the film’s subject, Orson Welles was born in Kenosha), The Paint Job, and in a lighthouse scene in Scary Movie 3. Was mentioned in Stephen King's book Carrie (pg. 15), 3 letters were from Kenosha that Mrs White received.

• Kenosha was the name of John Candy's character's band, "The Kenosha Kickers", in Home Alone.
• In the beginning of the rock band Weezer's music video "Buddy Holly", Al from Happy Days announces they are "Kenosha, Wisconsin's own Weezer".
• Kenosha is the home of the chaplain in Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22.
• A "Kenosha Kid" is mentioned in Thomas Pynchon's novel Gravity's Rainbow.
• Youngsters from That '70s Show went to Kenosha to see Star Wars and to disco.
• In The Fairly OddParents it described another Timmy Turner from Kenosha, Wisconsin.
• In Supernatural, the main characters Sam and Dean visit Kenosha to solve a case in the episode "Weekend at Bobby's"
• Home to Al Molinaro (Happy Days), Daniel J. Travanti (Hill Street Blues)
• Fictional television character Samantha Spade from Without a Trace claimed to have grown up in Kenosha prior to joining the FBI.
• In the movie Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio's character was going to Kenosha to work with his uncle.
• In Season 2, episode 2 of "The Golden Girls" The girls meet 3 guys from Kenosha, one of which is named John, and Rose says, "I know a John from Kenosha."
• In the 2011 black comedy The Guard, Don Cheadle's character, the FBI Agent Wendell Everett, is revealed to having grown up in Kenosha, Wisconsin during the film. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guard_2011/trailers/11151515/)
• The 2008 Jeffery Deaver novel "The Bodies Left Behind" is based in Kenosha

Neighborhoods of Kenosha[link]

• Aurora
• Truesdell
• Allendale
• Downtown
• Uptown
• North Side
• Forest Park
• Sunnyside
• Highland Park
• Highview
• Earleen State Park

Gallery[link]

• 

  6th Ave Downtown Kenosha with the old Orpheum Theatre

• Kenoshahospitalkenosha.jpg

  Kenosha Hospital & Medical Center

• Mayerdrugskenosha.jpg

  Former Mayer Drugs building. Sign still on the roof. Downtown Kenosha.

• Traintrackskenosha.jpg

  Union Pacific Railroad (Formerly C&NW) along with deserted tracks travel thru the center of Kenosha.

• Beach2kenosha.jpg

  Simmons Island Beach, with the Kenosha Pierhead Lighthouse in the distance.

• Trainstationkenosha.jpg

  Kenosha Metra Station Entrance

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Dudley, Kathryn Marie (1994). The End of the Line: Lost Jobs, New Lives in Postindustrial America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-16908-1. 

External links[link]

	Chicago portal
	Wisconsin portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kenosha, Wisconsin

• Kenosha Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
• City of Kenosha Municipal website
• Kenosha Area Business Alliance
• The Daily Kenoshan News
• Kenosha Streetcar Society
• Kenosha Public Library
• Kenosha Unified School District

v t e Municipalities and communities of Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States County seat: Kenosha City Kenosha Villages Bristol Genoa City‡ Paddock Lake Pleasant Prairie Silver Lake Twin Lakes Towns Brighton Paris Randall Salem Somers Wheatland CDPs Camp Lake Lake Shangrila Lily Lake Powers Lake‡ Wilmot Unincorporated communities Bassett Benet Lake Brighton Central Park Chapin Fox River Kellogg's Corners Klondike Liberty Corners New Munster Paris Salem Salem Oaks Slades Corners Somers Trevor Voltz Lake Ghost town Aurora Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Chicago metropolitan area Major city Chicago Cities (over 30,000 in 2010) Aurora, Illinois · Berwyn, Illinois · Calumet City, Illinois · Chicago Heights, Illinois · Crystal Lake, Illinois · DeKalb, Illinois · Des Plaines, Illinois · Elgin, Illinois · Elmhurst, Illinois · Evanston, Illinois · Gary, Indiana · Hammond, Indiana · Joliet, Illinois · Kenosha, Wisconsin · Naperville, Illinois · North Chicago, Illinois · Park Ridge, Illinois · Portage, Indiana · St. Charles, Illinois · Valparaiso, Indiana · Waukegan, Illinois · Wheaton, Illinois Towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2010) Addison, Illinois · Algonquin, Illinois · Arlington Heights, Illinois · Bartlett, Illinois · Bolingbrook, Illinois · Buffalo Grove, Illinois · Carol Stream, Illinois · Carpentersville, Illinois · Cicero, Illinois · Downers Grove, Illinois · Elk Grove Village, Illinois · Glendale Heights, Illinois · Glenview, Illinois · Gurnee, Illinois · Hanover Park, Illinois · Hoffman Estates, Illinois · Lombard, Illinois · Merrillville, Indiana · Mount Prospect, Illinois · Mundelein, Illinois · Northbrook, Illinois · Oak Lawn, Illinois · Oak Park, Illinois · Orland Park, Illinois · Oswego, Illinois · Palatine, Illinois · Plainfield, Illinois · Romeoville, Illinois · Schaumburg, Illinois · Skokie, Illinois · Streamwood, Illinois · Tinley Park, Illinois · Wheeling, Illinois · Woodridge, Illinois Counties Cook County, Illinois · DeKalb County, Illinois · DuPage County, Illinois · Grundy County, Illinois · Jasper County, Indiana · Kane County, Illinois · Kendall County, Illinois · Kenosha County, Wisconsin · Lake County, Illinois · Lake County, Indiana · McHenry County, Illinois · Newton County, Indiana · Porter County, Indiana · Will County, Illinois Regions Great Lakes · Northern Illinois · Northern Indiana Sub-regions Chicago Southland · Eastern Ridges and Lowlands · Fox Valley (Illinois) · Golden Corridor · Illinois Technology and Research Corridor · North Shore (Chicago) · Northwest Indiana Illinois · United States

v t e  State of Wisconsin Madison (capital) Topics History Governors Delegations Sports People Geography Demographics Economy Visitor Attractions Regions Apostle Islands Central Plain Chippewa Valley Door Peninsula Driftless Area Eastern Ridges and Lowlands Fox River Valley Great River Road Lake Superior Lowland Northern Highland Western Upland Major metropolitan areas (pop. over 500,000) Chicago metropolitan area Madison metropolitan area Milwaukee metropolitan area Twin Cities metropolitan area Largest cities (pop. over 50,000) Appleton Eau Claire Green Bay Janesville Kenosha La Crosse Madison Milwaukee Oshkosh Racine Waukesha West Allis Smaller cities (pop. 15,000 to 50,000) Beaver Dam Beloit Brookfield Cudahy De Pere Fitchburg Fond du Lac Franklin Greenfield Hudson Manitowoc Marshfield Menasha Mequon Middleton Muskego Neenah New Berlin Oak Creek Onalaska Sheboygan South Milwaukee Stevens Point Sun Prairie Superior Watertown Wausau Wauwatosa West Bend Wisconsin Rapids Largest villages (pop. over 15,000) Allouez Ashwaubenon Caledonia Germantown Menomonee Falls Mount Pleasant Pleasant Prairie Counties Adams Ashland Barron Bayfield Brown Buffalo Burnett Calumet Chippewa Clark Columbia Crawford Dane Dodge Door Douglas Dunn Eau Claire Florence Fond du Lac Forest Grant Green Green Lake Iowa Iron Jackson Jefferson Juneau Kenosha Kewaunee La Crosse Lafayette Langlade Lincoln Manitowoc Marathon Marinette Marquette Menominee Milwaukee Monroe Oconto Oneida Outagamie Ozaukee Pepin Pierce Polk Portage Price Racine Richland Rock Rusk Sauk Sawyer Shawano Sheboygan St. Croix Taylor Trempealeau Vernon Vilas Walworth Washburn Washington Waukesha Waupaca Waushara Winnebago Wood

State of Wisconsin
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): Badger State; America's Dairyland
Motto(s): Forward
Official language(s)	De jure: None De facto: English
Demonym	Wisconsinite
Capital	Madison
Largest city	Milwaukee
Largest metro area	Milwaukee metropolitan area
Area	Ranked 23rd in the U.S.
- Total	65,497.82 sq mi (169,639 km2)
- Width	260 miles (420 km)
- Length	310 miles (500 km)
- % water	17
- Latitude	42° 37′ N to 47° 05′ N
- Longitude	86° 46′ W to 92° 53′ W
Population	Ranked 20th in the U.S.
- Total	5,711,767 (2011 est)[1]
- Density	105/sq mi  (40.6/km2) Ranked 23rd in the U.S.
- Median household income	$47,220 (15th)
Elevation
- Highest point	Timms Hill[2][3] 1,951 ft (595 m)
- Mean	1,050 ft  (320 m)
- Lowest point	Lake Michigan[2][3] 579 ft (176 m)
Before statehood	Wisconsin Territory
Admission to Union	May 29, 1848 (30th)
Governor	Scott Walker (R)
Lieutenant Governor	Rebecca Kleefisch (R)
Legislature	Wisconsin Legislature
- Upper house	Senate
- Lower house	State Assembly
U.S. Senators	Herb Kohl (D) Ron Johnson (R)
U.S. House delegation	5 Republicans, 3 Democrats (list)
Time zone	Central: UTC -6/-5
Abbreviations	WI Wis. US-WI
Website	www.wisconsin.gov

Wisconsin (ⁱ/wɨsˈkɒnsɨn/) is a US state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin is the 23rd most extensive and the 20th most populous of the 50 United States. Wisconsin's capital is Madison, and its largest city is Milwaukee. The state is divided into 72 counties.

Etymology[link]

The word Wisconsin originates from the name given to the Wisconsin River by one of the Algonquian speaking American Indian groups living in the region at the time of European contact.^[4] French explorer Jacques Marquette was the first European to reach the Wisconsin River and record its name, arriving in 1673 and calling the river Meskousing in his journal.^[5] This spelling was later corrupted to Ouisconsin by other French explorers, and over time this version became the French name for both the Wisconsin River and the surrounding lands. English speakers anglicized the spelling to its modern form when they began to arrive in greater numbers during the early 19th century. The current spelling was made official by the legislature of Wisconsin Territory in 1845.^[6]

Throughout the course of its many variations, the Algonquian word for Wisconsin and its original meaning have both grown obscure. Interpretations may vary, but most implicate the river and the red sandstone that line its banks. One leading theory holds that the name originated from the Miami word Meskonsing, meaning "it lies red," a reference to the setting of the Wisconsin River as it flows by the reddish sandstone of the Wisconsin Dells.^[7] Numerous other theories have also been widely publicized, including claims that name originated from one of a variety of Ojibwa words meaning "red stone place," "gathering of the waters," or "great rock."^[8]

History[link]

Wisconsin in 1718, Guillaume de L'Isle map, approximate state area highlighted.

Wisconsin has been home to a wide variety of cultures over the past twelve thousand years. The first people arrived around 10000 BCE during the Wisconsin Glaciation. These early inhabitants, called Paleo-Indians, hunted now-extinct ice age animals exemplified by the Boaz mastodon, a prehistoric mastodon skeleton unearthed along with spear points in southwest Wisconsin.^[9] After the ice age ended around 8000 BCE, people in the subsequent Archaic period lived by hunting, fishing, and gathering food from wild plants. Agricultural societies emerged gradually over the Woodland period between 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. Toward the end of this period, Wisconsin was the heartland of the "Effigy Mound culture," which built thousands of animal-shaped mounds across the landscape.^[10] Later, between 1000 and 1500 CE, the Mississippian and Oneota cultures built substantial settlements including the fortified village at Aztalan in southeast Wisconsin.^[11] The Oneota may be the ancestors of the modern Ioway and Ho-Chunk tribes, who shared the Wisconsin region with the Menominee at the time of European contact.^[12] Other American Indian groups living in Wisconsin when Europeans first settled included the Ojibwa, Sauk, Fox, Kickapoo, and Pottawatomie, who migrated to Wisconsin from the east between 1500 and 1700.^[13]

Jean Nicolet, depicted in a 1910 painting by Frank Rohrbeck, was probably the first European to explore Wisconsin. The mural is located in the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay.

The first European to visit what became Wisconsin was probably the French explorer Jean Nicolet. He canoed west from Georgian Bay through the Great Lakes in 1634, and it is traditionally assumed that he came ashore near Green Bay at Red Banks.^[14] Pierre Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers visited Green Bay again in 1654–1666 and Chequamegon Bay in 1659–1660, where they traded for fur with local American Indians.^[15] In 1673, Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet became the first to record a journey on the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway all the way to the Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien.^[16] Frenchmen like Nicholas Perrot continued to ply the fur trade across Wisconsin through the 17th and 18th centuries, but the French made no permanent settlements in Wisconsin before Great Britain won control of the region following the French and Indian War in 1763. Even so, French traders continued to work in the region after the war, and some, beginning with Charles de Langlade in 1764, now settled in Wisconsin permanently rather than returning to British-controlled Canada.^[17]

Wisconsin became a territorial possession of the United States in 1783 after the American Revolutionary War. However, the British remained in de facto control until after the War of 1812, which finally established an American presence in the area.^[18] Under American control, the economy of the territory shifted from fur trading to lead mining. The prospect of easy mineral wealth drew immigrants from throughout the U.S. and Europe to the lead deposits located at Mineral Point, Wisconsin and nearby areas. Some miners found shelter in the holes they had dug and earned the nickname "badgers," leading to Wisconsin's identity as the "Badger State."^[19] The sudden influx of white miners prompted tension with the local Native American population. The Winnebago War of 1827 and the Black Hawk War of 1832 led to the forced removal of American Indians from most parts of the state.^[20] Following these conflicts, Wisconsin Territory was organized in 1836. Continued white settlement led to statehood in 1848.