Manitowoc (/ˈmæ.nɪ.to.ˌwak/) 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, and over 50,000 people in the surrounding communities.
History
In 1820 Matthew Stanley was the first to settle in the area with his wife. 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. In addition, landing craft, tankers and
submarines became the local contributions to U.S. efforts in World War II. Manitowoc was the landing site of a piece of Sputnik IV on
September 5, 1962.
Manitowoc is home to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and is one endpoint of
the ferry route of the SS Badger, which connects the route of U.S. Route 10 to Ludington, Michigan.
The mayor of Manitowoc is Kevin Crawford, a Democrat, serving his
6th term since being elected in 1989. The city also has a 10 member common council.
Since the late 1990s several new shopping centers have opened in the city, mostly on the south west side of the city along
Interstate 43, including the new Harbor Town Center
shopping complex. The downtown area has also seen a resurgence, with several new restaurants opening, and the recent announcement
of new $100,000+ condominiums on the Manitowoc river, along with a completion of the riverwalk trail. The bulk of the
redevelopment in the city has been undertaken by the public/private partnership the Manitowoc County
Economic Development Corporation.
Geography
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).
Notable businesses
- 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.
- The city is also the world headquarters of Lakeside Foods Company.
- Burger Boat Company, the oldest custom yacht builder in America [1] is located in Manitowoc and produces 2-3 yachts per year.
Points of interest
- 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.
- 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 similar to those built in Manitowoc during the war. 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.
Demographics
As of the census2 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.
Religion
The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity have their mother
house in Manitowoc.
In 2005 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay merged several
Catholic parishes in the city into one parish, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, with a 4-person pastoral team lead by
Father Dan Felton. In a 2005 article about the merger in the Herald Times Reporter the paper reported that the city has roughly
22,000 Roman Catholics.
Father Dan Felton of Manitowoc
Media
Newspapers
- Herald Times Reporter—Daily Newspaper Owned by Gannett Newspapers.
- Lakeshore Chronicle—Printed on Sundays and Wednesdays only.
- The Local Opinion—Local free op-ed paper.
Television and 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/Manitowoc
Health and education
Holy Family Medical Center University Campus
The 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, a state of the art Cancer Care Center run in partnership
with the University of Wisconsin, 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 more than 1,400 students in grades
10-12.
- Washington Junior High School with more than 700 students in grades 7-9.
- Wilson Junior High School with more than 700 students in grades 7-9.
- Jackson Elementary School with more than 500 students in grades 1-6.
- Riverview School with more than 500 students in CESA 7 Headstart through Kindergarten.
- Jefferson Elementary School with more than 400 Students in grades 1-6.
- Monroe Elementary School with more than 350 students in grades 1-6.
- Franklin Elementary School with more than 350 students in grades 1-6.
- Stangel Elementary School with more than 350 students in grades 1-6.
- Madison Elementary School with nearly 250 students in grades 1-6.
The city recently announced the creation of an alternative high school for
students having trouble within the traditional school structure. Opening in 2007, the school will have 3 teachers and
approximately 45 freshmen and sophomores. [1].
The St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Parish also maintains three Catholic PK-8 schools in the
city, while also managing Roncalli High School with more than 400
students in grades 9-12. The WELS maintains Manitowoc Lutheran High School with more than 350 students in grades 9-12.
The city has two colleges and universities within its limits, including:
Transportation
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 S.S. Badger ferry, that crosses
Lake Michigan to Ludington, Michigan. The
ferry ride is part of the route of U.S. Route 10.
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:
References
- ^ http://www.nautica.it/superyacht/509/burger/113eng.htm
- 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.
External links
Coordinates:
44.096461° N 87.675002°
W
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