Janesville, Wisconsin
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Photo of downtown Janesville looking south on Main Street |
Janesville is a city in
Wisconsin. It is the
county seat of
Rock County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 59,498. The city is located in the center of the county and of four
towns,
Town of Janesville,
Harmony,
La Prairie, and
Rock.
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Location of Janesville, Wisconsin |
Janesville is located at (42.68411, -89.016654).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 72.8
km² (28.1
mi²). 71.3 km² (27.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (2.10%) is water. Janesville is divided by the
Rock River, which crosses through downtown.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 59,498 people, 23,894 households, and 15,746 families residing in the city. The
population density was 834.1/km² (2,160.6/mi²). There were 25,083 housing units at an average density of 351.7/km² (910.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.27%
White, 1.26%
Black or
African American, 0.25%
Native American, 0.96%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 1.02% from
other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. 2.64% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 23,894 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were
married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.4% 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 2.45 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,961, and the median income for a family was $55,133. Males had a median income of $40,910 versus $26,423 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $22,224. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
The 1857 Lincoln-Tallman House, which models the Italian Villa-style architecture, is one of twenty sites on the
National Register of Historic Places. Abe Lincoln slept there for one night. The Columbus Circle neighborhood became Janesville's tenth historic district in 2005. The former Janesville Public Library [
1] [
2], a
Carnegie library built in 1902, was designed by
J.T.W. Jennings.
Janesville operates its own bus system called JTS (Janesville Transit System), which also connects with Beloit. The Van Galder Bus Company operates a regional bus between
Madison and either downtown
Chicago or
Chicago O'Hare Airport.
The
Janesville Gazette, owned by Bliss Communications, is one of two daily newspapers in
Rock County, Wisconsin (the
Beloit Daily News being the other), and serves a regional market stretching into
Walworth County. Community Shoppers publiches the bi-weekly Janesville Messenger.
Janesville has a public, internationally themed botanical garden,
Rotary Gardens, that is open during the summer months to the public for free (donations accepted) and is home to numerous weddings and group gatherings.
Traxler Park is home to the
Rock Aqua Jays, a
waterski team which has been U.S. national champion 15 times.
Janesville is home to the
Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport.
The
Wisconsin School for the Visually Handicapped has been located in Janesville since 1850. A two-year technical college,
Blackhawk Technical College, is located halfway between Janesville and Beloit; Blackhawk also offers degree programs through
Upper Iowa University. A two-year community college, the
University of Wisconsin-Rock County, is located on the southwest side of Janesville, part of the
University of Wisconsin System. The
Guide Language Center is located downtown and offers over 10 foreign languages.
Janesville's largest employer is the
Janesville Assembly plant of
General Motors, followed by the successful
hazardous materials equipment distributor Lab Safety Supply. A Simmons Beautyrest factory and other automobile-related businesses round out the major employers. The non-profit Mercy Health System has a multi-county market extending into Illinois.
Blain's Farm and Fleet, a three-state retail chain, has headquarters and a distribution center in Janesville.
The
Parker Pen Company was founded in Janesville; at one time its Main Street factory was the largest writing instrument plant in the world. The company later purchased
Manpower, Inc., but eventually sold the pen business to
Gillette, and no longer operates in Janesville.
The Janesville Mall opened in 1973, marking the emergence of Janesville as a regional shopping destination. National chains established themselves at the Mall or in
big box development closer to
Interstate 90, with many businesses deserting the downtown. The Mall redeveloped in the late 1990s, and in 1998, the Pine Tree Plaza opened. In 2006, construction of a
Super Wal-Mart and a
Sam's Club began construction after a period of controversy, followed by a major big box development slated for 2007 in a hotel and retail area near I-90 and Highway 26, the former Janesville Oasis, known for a fiberglass
cow at its entrance. Chains represented range from
Shopko and
Menards to
Staples and
Best Buy.
The
Seventh Day Baptist General Conference has their offices in Janesville.
*
Carrie Jacobs-Bond,
songwriter, born in Janesville in 1862
*
James H. Budd,
California governor, 1895-1899
*
Bob Carr, Congressman from
Michigan 1975-1981, 1983-1995
*
John Henry Comstock, entomologist
*
Russ Feingold,
U.S. Senator 1993-present
*
Stan Fox, race car driver, eight time starter of the
Indianapolis 500*
Tucker Fredricks,
speedskater*
Ken Hendricks,
Forbes 400 businessman (roofing supplies)
*
Travis Kvapil,
NASCAR driver
*
David W. Márquez,
Alaska attorney general*
George S. Parker, founder of the
Parker Pen Company*
Steve Preston, Administrator-nominee of the
Small Business Administration*
Paul Ryan,
Congressman 1993-present
*
Mike Sheridan, Representative to
Wisconsin State Assembly 2004-present
*
Ella Wheeler Wilcox, poet
*
Frances Willard, educator and activist (raised and first taught here)
*
Daniel Hale Williams,
African-American surgeon and
heart surgery pioneer, raised and first employed here
*
Mistie Williams, basketball player in the
WNBA* In 1994, a
white buffalo dubbed
Miracle was born at a Janesville family farm. The white buffalo is a sacred figure of Sioux prophecy and a symbol of hope, renewal and harmony. Miracle lived until 2004.
* In 1992, confrontation-journalist
Geraldo Rivera was arrested for battery in Janesville. He was attending a
Ku Klux Klan rally with his entourage, made rude comments ("Neat outfits you have on") until he got prodded by Neo-Nazi John R. McLaughlin. He then punched McLaughlin in the nose. Geraldo proclaimed to the camera, "A professional nightmare had come true. I had become part of the story." The show ended with a cross-burning in the background. [
3] The incident was a rarity attended mainly by non-residents[
4], and there has been no notable Klan activity since.
*The location of a related cross burning in 1992 is now "Peace Park" with a playground and a
peace pole, said to be the world's tallest at 52 feet[
5].
*Janesville was the site of the first
Wisconsin State Fair in 1851.
*A tree in downtown Courthouse Park was the site of a
lynch mob who hanged a convicted murderer in 1859, an incident which prompted Wisconsin to ban
capital punishment. [
6] (
PDF)
*The
Gideon Bible organization was founded at the Janesville
YMCA in 1899 by Janesville resident John H. Nicholson and a
Beloit man after they shared a
Boscobel hotel room. [
7]
*In 2001, the website
ePodunk.com rated Janesville as one of the top ten cities on the
ePodunk Home Towns Index.
*In 2006,
Wisconsin Public Television and the
Wisconsin Historical Society produced a television history of Janesville as the first of a series called
Wisconsin Hometown Stories [
8].
 |
A photo of Joseph A. Craig High School's gym during a game with crosstown rival George S. Parker High School |
*
Joseph A. Craig High School*
George S. Parker High School*
Janesville's Past: A digital resource of Hedberg (Janesville) Public Library resources, presented by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center.
*
City of Janesville*
Rotary Gardens*
Janesville Gazette
