Ladysmith is a city in Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,932 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rusk County.[4] It is the former location of Mount Senario College, which closed in 2002 due to significant debt. For the 2006-2007 school year, part of the former campus was operated as Concordia Preparatory School, a private Christian high school. That institution also faced financial problems and closed. Silver Lake College of Manitowoc, Wisconsin will be offering courses at Mount Senario, renamed "Mount Senario Education Center", beginning September, 2009.[5] A tornado hit Ladysmith on Labor Day in 2002.
Geography
Ladysmith is located at 45°27′50″N 91°6′0″W / 45.46389°N 91.1°W / 45.46389; -91.1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²), of which, 3.9 square miles (10.1 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (8.67%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 3,932 people, 1,570 households, and 916 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,008.9 people per square mile (389.3/km²). There were 1,660 housing units at an average density of 425.9/sq mi (164.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.31% White, 1.48% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.
There were 1,570 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.6% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 13.4% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,274, and the median income for a family was $40,526. Males had a median income of $26,725 versus $20,826 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,499. About 7.2% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
History
The city was founded at the intersection of the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo Line) with the Flambeau River in 1885, as "Flambeau Falls" after the Ojibwa name for the area Gakaabikijiwanan ("of cliffed rapids"). Robert Corbett, a logging and lumbering entrepreneur, held the dominant influence on city in its early years, first renamed as "Corbett", then to "Warner" in 1891, and then to the present name on July 1, 1900, after the bride of Charles R. Smith, head of the Menasha Wooden Ware Co.
2002 tornado
On September 2, 2002, a tornado rated at F3 strength destroyed much of Ladysmith's downtown area. The tornado touched down approximately at 4:20 pm CDT about one and one half miles (2 km) west southwest of downtown Ladysmith. The tornado was initially ranked an F0, but strengthened to an F2 at the intersection of highways 8 and 27 on the west side of town. The tornado further intensified to F3 just east of the railroad tracks near the Baptist church, and proceeded to tear up the downtown business area. The tornado remained at F3 strength for about a mile, before weakening to a F1 as it exited the east side of town.
The tornado remained on the ground for about 15 miles (25 km) and moved at about 30 mph (50 km/h). The tornado was one quarter of a mile wide (400 m) at its widest point. It finally lifted off around 4:50 pm CDT, about two miles south of the village of Ingram. Overall damage was estimated at $20 million (USD).
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