Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is the
county seat of
Manitowoc County,
Wisconsin. The city is located on
Lake Michigan at the mouth of the
Manitowoc River. According to the
2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053 people.
In
1847, the first wooden sailing vessel was crafted in the area, a modest precursor to the
shipbuilding industry which produced
schooners and
clippers used for
fishing and
trading in the
Great Lakes and beyond the
St. Lawrence Seaway.
The Manitowoc Company that is based in the town grew out of the shipbuilding industry and is a diversified manufacturer with interests in the construction, shipbuilding and food service industries. Manitowoc is also one endpoint of the ferry route of the
SS Badger, which connects the route of
U.S. Route 10 to
Ludington, MichiganIn addition,
landing craft,
tankers and
submarines became the local contributions to U.S. efforts in
World War II. Manitowoc is home to the
Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and was the landing site of a piece of
Sputnik IV on
September 5,
1962.
The mayor of Manitowoc is Kevin Crawford, a
Democrat, serving his 6th term since being elected in 1989. The city is also served by a 10 member common council.
The
Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity have their mother house in Manitowoc.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.5
km² (17.2
mi²). 43.7 km² (16.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.86%) is water.
The city is located at 044º 5' 47" N 087º 40' 30" W, on
Lake Michigan at the mouth of the
Manitowoc River.
The nearest other cities are
Green Bay, 35 minutes away,
Sheboygan 25 minutes away,
Appleton 60 minutes away, and
Milwaukee 90 minutes away. Together with
Two Rivers and the surrounding
towns, the Manitowoc
micropolitan area was, according to the 2000 census, home to 52,197 people. The city forms the core of the
United States Census Bureau's Manitowoc
Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Manitowoc County (2000 population: 82,887).
Since the 1930's, the northern terminus of
U.S. Highway 151 is located in Manitowoc.
*The
Rahr-West Art Museum is housed in an 19th century mansion near downtown Manitowoc. Donated by the Rahr family in 1941 for use as a community civic art center, it has been since expanded numerous times. The Museum currently houses art ranging from the 15th-21st centuries, with paintings, sculptures, and a preserved Victorian home in its possession.
|
Wisconsin Maritime Museum |
*The
Wisconsin Maritime Museum was founded in 1970 as the Manitowoc Submarine Memorial Association, and has since grown to be one of the largest nautical museums in the country; it has recently been granted affiliation status with the Smithsonian. It has over 60,000 sq. feet of interactive and standing exhibits exploring maritime history with a particular emphasis on the
Great Lakes. Perhaps the Museum's crown jewel however is the World War Two era
USS Cobia, an authentic combat submarine. There are daily tours of the vessel, which is moored in Manitowoc's harbor, allowing visitors a look at Manitowoc's role in the war and building 28 submarines for the U.S. Navy.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 34,053 people, 14,235 households, and 8,811 families residing in the city. The
population density was 779.4/km² (2,018.8/mi²). There were 15,007 housing units at an average density of 343.5/km² (889.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.13%
White, 0.59%
Black or
African American, 0.55%
Native American, 3.77%
Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander, 0.90% from
other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 2.52% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 14,235 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were
married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,203, and the median income for a family was $47,635. Males had a median income of $35,176 versus $22,918 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $19,954. About 5.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Newspapers
Herald Times Reporter—Daily Newspaper Owned by
Gannett Newspapers.
Lakeshore Chronicle—Printed on Sundays and Wednesdays only.
Lakeshore Opinion—Local free op-ed paper.
The LakerShopper—Local Business and Consumer oriented paper.
Television & radio
Manitowoc is part of the
Green Bay, Wisconsin Television market, although it is not uncommon for residents to receive stations from the
Milwaukee, Wisconsin television market, especially
WTMJ-TV. At the current time no television stations broadcast out of Manitowoc, however
WGBA-TV has a local bureau in the city, and
WFRV-TV has a special content agreement with the Herald Times Reporter.
Manitowoc is also a part of the Sheboygan/Manitowoc
Arbitron radio market.
''See also:
List of radio stations in Sheboygan/ManitowocThe Manitowoc area is served by two main medical groups:
*
Holy Family Memorial Medical Center with 3 main care campuses, including two
emergency rooms and one trauma center, and over two dozen clinics in the county.
*
Aurora Health Care with 1 main campus, and several dozen health clinics throughout the county.
The city of Manitowoc has a unified public school district in the
Manitowoc Public School District which includes
*
Lincoln High School with over 1,400 students in grades 10-12.
*Washington Junior High School with over 700 students in grades 7-9.
*Wilson Junior High School with over 700 students in grades 7-9.
*Jackson Elementary School with over 500 students in grades 1-6.
*Riverview School with over 500 students in CESA 7 Headstart through Kindergarten.
*Jefferson Elementary School with over 400 Students in grades 1-6.
*Monroe Elementary School with over 350 students in grades 1-6.
*Franklin Elementary School with over 350 students in grades 1-6.
*Stangel Elementary School with over 350 students in grades 1-6.
*Madison Elementary School with nearly 250 students in grades 1-6.
The St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish also maintains three
Catholic PK-8 schools in the city, while also managing
Roncalli High School with over 400 students in grades 9-12. The
WELS maintains
Manitowoc Lutheran High School with over 350 students in grades 9-12.
The city has several colleges and universities within its limits including:
*
Silver Lake College a
Catholic four year college with over 1,100 undergraduate and graduate students.
*
University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc a two year transitional
University of Wisconsin College with over 600 undergraduate students.
Public Transportation in the city been provided by Maritime Metro Transit since 1978, covering both Manitowoc and
Two Rivers, Wisconsin. MMT currently has a fleet of 12 buses serving over 40 stops on 8 routes.
Commercial, charter, and cargo air transportation is available through the Manitowoc County Airport.
Manitowoc is the western port for the
SS Badger ferry, that crosses
Lake Michigan over to
Ludington, Michigan.
The
Manitowoc Mariners Trail is currently being rebuilt, offering several bike paths throughout the county along Lake Michigan and rural areas.
Several major highways serve the city including:
*
Interstate 43*
U.S. Route 141*
U.S. Route 151*
U.S. Route 10*
Manitowoc, Wisconsin*
Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter newspaper*
The Home Front: Manitowoc County in World War II : The Home Front: Manitowoc County in WWII presents photographic images, oral histories, published sources, artifacts, and other resources which document the county's home front and wartime experiences from 1939 to 1947.
*
Manitowoc Local History Collection : Explore the history of Manitowoc and surrounding communities through more than 1,400 searchable images dating from the late 19th century through 1995. Most of the images were taken between 1890 and 1930. Peruse these images when you are doing historical or genealogical research, school assignments, business or civic presentations, or just for the fun of it! Electronic texts in this collection include:
Plumb, Ralph Gordon. A History of Manitowoc County, 1904,
History of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin: Volume I, 1912 and
History of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin: Volume II, 1912.
