Wisconsin's political history encompasses, on the one hand, Fighting Bob
La Follette and the Progressive movement; and on the other, Joe McCarthy,
the anti-communist "witch-hunter" of the 1950s. The first Socialist mayor of
a large city in the United States was Emil Seidel, elected mayor of
Milwaukee in 1910; another Socialist, Daniel Hoan, was mayor of Milwaukee
from 1916 to 1940.
History
In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet became Wisconsin's first European explorer.
The French controlled the area until 1763, when it was ceded to the British.
After the American Revolutionary War, Wisconsin was a part of the
U.S.Northwest Territory. It was then governed as part of Indiana Territory,
Illinois Territory, and Michigan Territory. Wisconsin Territory was
organized on July 3, 1836 and became the 30th state on May 29, 1848.
Law and Government
The capital is Madison and the largest city is Milwaukee.
Governors of Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Legislature
Wisconsin State Senate
Wisconsin State Assembly
Wisconsin Congressional Delegation
List of U.S. Senators from Wisconsin
Geography
It is bordered by Lake Superior and Michigan to the north, by Lake Michigan
to the east, by Illinois to the south, and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west.
Part of the state's boundaries includes the Mississippi River and St. Croix
River.
Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2003, Wisconsin's population was
estimated at 5,472,299 people.
The racial makeup of the state is:
88.9% White
5.7% Black
3.6% Hispanic or Latino
1.7% Asian
0.9% American Indian
1.6% from other races
1.2% belong to two or more races
The top 5 ancestry groups in Wisconsin are German (42.6%), Irish (10.9%),
Polish (9.3%), Norwegian (8.5%), English (6.5%)
The 5 largest religions in Wisconsin are Roman Catholic (28%), Lutheran
(22%), Methodist (7%), Baptist (6%), Christian (5%). 14% of the population
is nonreligious.
6.4% of Wisconsin's population were reported as under 5, 25.5% under 18, and
13.1% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.6% of the
population.
Important cities and villages
Cities and villages are incorporated urban areas in Wisconsin. Towns are
unincorporated minor civil divisions of counties.
Cities in Wisconsin with population of 50,000 or more as of 2000 include:
Milwaukee, pop. 596,125 (1,500,741 in metropolitan area)
Madison - pop. 208,856, state capital, flagship campus of University of
Wisconsin
Green Bay, pop. 102,263, home of Green Bay Packers football team
Kenosha, pop. 90,625, considered part of the greater "Chicagoland" area
Racine, pop. 81,703
Appleton, pop. 70,232
Waukesha, pop. 65,092
Oshkosh, pop. 63,325
Eau Claire, pop. 61,792
Janesville, pop. 60,294
West Allis, pop. 60,254
La Crosse, pop. 51,907
Other cities include:
Antigo, pop. 8,560
Baraboo, pop. 10,717, home of Circus World Museum
Beloit, pop. 35,821, home of Beloit College
Portage, pop. 9,728, birthplace of Frederick Jackson Turner, Zona Gale
Ripon birthplace of the Republican Party, 1854
Stevens Point, pop. 24,539, home of the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
(http://www.for-wild.org/wchf/), commemorating Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and
others
Superior, pop. 27,389
Waterloo, pop. 3,259, home to the headquarters of one of the world's largest
bicycle manufacturers, Trek Bicycle Corporation
Watertown site of the first kindergarten in the United States
Wausau, pop. 38,469
Wisconsin Dells, pop. 2,418 (approx. 4,000 including Lake Delton) popular
resort area, home of Tommy Bartlett's thrill shows
Education
Colleges and universities
Alverno College
Beloit College
Cardinal Stritch College
Carroll College
Carthage College
Concordia University Wisconsin
Edgewood College
Lakeland College
Lawrence University
Maranatha Baptist Bible College
Marian College of Fond du Lac
Marquette University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Mount Mary College
Mount Senario College
Nashotah House
Northland College
Ripon College
St. Norbert College
Silver Lake College
University of Wisconsin System
UW-Eau Claire
UW-Green Bay
UW-La Crosse
UW-Madison
UW-Milwaukee
UW-Oshkosh
UW-Parkside
UW-Platteville
UW-River Falls
UW-Stevens Point
UW-Stout
UW-Superior
UW-Whitewater
UW Colleges
Viterbo College
Wisconsin Lutheran College
Wisconsin School of Professional Psychology
Professional sports teams
Milwaukee Brewers, Major League Baseball
Milwaukee Bucks, National Basketball Association
Green Bay Packers, National Football League
Minor League Baseball Teams
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
Beloit Snappers
A-League Soccer
Milwaukee Wave United
Miscellaneous information
List of famous Wisconsinites
List of television stations in Wisconsin
List of Wisconsin state parks
Territory of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
