Platteville is a city in Grant County, in southwestern Wisconsin. The population was 9,989 at the 2000 census. According to a 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the population has grown to 10,297.[1] The city is home to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Geography
Platteville is located at 42°44′13″N 90°28′39″W / 42.73707°N 90.477501°W / 42.73707; -90.477501 (42.73707, -90.477501).[2] It is in the Coulee Region, in the rolling hills of southwestern Wisconsin.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km2).None of the area is covered with water.
Platteville is serviced by Wisconsin State Highways 80 and 81, as well as U.S. Highway 151. Originally, U.S. 151 went through the valley that made up the southern border of the city limits, but with the completion of the four-lane limited-access superhighway, traffic has been rerouted and now loops south of the city.
There are few straight streets in Platteville. As a result of the mining in the 1800s, a honeycomb of abandoned old mines, streets were located to avoid the mines.
Climate
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"Monthly Averages for Platteville, WI". MSN Weather. http://weather.msn.com/monthly_averages.aspx?wealocations=wc:USWI0550&q=Platteville%2c+WI+forecast:averagesm. Retrieved on 2009-03-18.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,312 households, and 1,692 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,376.4 people per square mile (918.3/km2). There were 3,482 housing units at an average density of 828.4/sq mi (320.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.15% White, 1.12% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The entrance to the Platteville Municipal Airport.
There were 3,312 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 41.3% from 18 to 24, 17.5% from 25 to 44, 14.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 119.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,742, and the median income for a family was $50,583. Males had a median income of $31,424 versus $21,896 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,858. About 4.6% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Platteville was a small farming and fur trading community along the Platte River, from which the town got its name. In the 1800s, when lead was discovered in the area, a mining boom took the area by storm. The Galena mining district, an area south of Platteville in Illinois, had been known to many for years.[4] Beginning in 1825, lead prices saw a dramatic boost and it was during this boom that a teachers' college and a mining college were founded.[5] These two colleges later merged to become the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, a school that specializes in engineering.
After the lead mines went dry, the two colleges and the surrounding farming community kept Platteville from becoming a ghost town. Today, Platteville is mainly a college town, with some development in the white-collar sector. That growth is a result of the increasing number of engineering firms locating in Platteville to take advantage of UW-P's engineering program.
In the 1980s, the Chicago Bears football team held training camp on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Platteville. This resulted in a substantial infusion of money into the local economy each summer. That money stopped flowing after the Bears decided to hold training camp in Illinois.
In 2004, the University of Wisconsin System gave its approval to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's plan to expand the student enrollment from 5,000 to 7,500.
In 2004, U.S. Highway 151 was upgraded to a limited-access highway whose lanes run further south of Platteville, bypassing the city. Prior to the upgrade, the highway exits were closer to Platteville, and along the stretch that hugged Platteville, fast food restaurants sprang up and both Walmart and K-Mart opened. Platteville has already made changes to adjust to the new southern US 151 bypass. A new hospital was built just north of US 151 and next to its off ramps. A Walmart Supercenter and a Menards have opened near the northern end of the US 151 bypass.
Education
The Platteville School District serves the Platteville area. Platteville High School is the area's public high school. Platteville High School's mascot is "the Hillmen."
Culture
The main source of culture in Platteville is the Center for the Arts on University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus, which sponsors a steady stream of well-attended professional touring events.
The "Heartland Festival", a semi-professional theater festival that produces four shows that run throughout the summer, is a summer attraction featured at the UWP-Center for the Arts. The casts are a combination of professionals and local residents.
The Big M
Main article:
Platte Mound M
Platte Mound M and Platteville water tower.
Platteville has the world's largest M, a claim that its Chamber of Commerce states is unchallenged. The M is a monogram for the former Wisconsin Mining School (now the University of Wisconsin-Platteville). The M is composed of rocks laid on a hill and is whitewashed (not painted) every year. The M can be seen many places in Platteville and sometimes in Iowa when not blocked by a building and weather is favorable toward visibility. A stairway leads up the right side of the M. Many people have picnics there. The M is lit twice a year with oil lights by UW-Platteville students. It is an attraction Platteville citizens generally appreciate.[6]
Notable residents
See also
Rountree Hall apartment complex (also the former Mining school)
References
- ^ Wisconsin Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Nesbit, Robert. Wisconsin A History. 2nd ed. The University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, 1989.
- ^ Nesbit, 96.
- ^ "Attractions". Platteville Chamber of Commerce. http://www.platteville.com/attract.htm#m. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
- ^ O'Donnell, Michelle. "John Fiedler, 80, Stage Actor and Film Voice of Pooh's Piglet, Dies", New York Times, June 27, 2005. Accessed December 15, 2007.
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/rowlapa99.shtml
External links
