Chetek is a city in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census. The
city is located partially within the Town of Chetek.
Geography
Chetek is located at 45°19′7″N, 91°39′16″W (45.318656,
-91.65447)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 7.9 km² (3.1 mi²). 6.1 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is
land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (22.88%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 2,180 people, 939 households, and 568 families residing in
the city. The population density was 358.2/km² (925.7/mi²). There were 1,052 housing
units at an average density of 172.8/km² (446.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.62% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 939 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were
non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from
45 to 64, and 25.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,270, and the median income for a family was $40,114. Males had a median
income of $28,375 versus $18,906 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$17,922. About 9.0% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
The original inhabitants of the area were the Ojibway Indians, who referred to the area by their name for pelican, which is
zhede (g). This was translated into various spellings such as Sheetak, Shetak, Shetuk, Chetack, until the first United States
Post Office was opened in 1872. The spelling was then standardized to be “Chetek”.
Other notable dates in history happened in 1872:
• The Omaha Railroad began service to Chetek
• The Knapp-Stout logging camp was established
• The first schoolhouse was built. It was of log construction.
Additional important dates:
1881 – Medical care available
1882 - The Chetek Alert began publication, a newspaper still serving the area
1891 - Became a city
1903 – Telephone service introduced
1904 – Fire Department began
Notable residents
- [Chuck] a.k.a. The Roadrunner
External links
Coordinates:
45.318656° N 91.65447°
W
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