Two Rivers

Location of Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Intersection of Highway 42 and Highway 147.

City hall

Two Rivers Fire Department

Civil War Memorial Statue. City Hall and Hamilton Manufacturing in the background.

Civil War Memorial Statue plaque.

Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 12,639 at the 2000 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae^[1] (though other cities, such as Ithaca, New York, make the same claim).^[2] The city's advertising slogan is "Catch our friendly waves".

The city has a city manager-council form of government. The city manager is Greg Buckley, who has held the position since August, 1995.

Geography

Two Rivers is located at 44°9′17″N 87°34′35″W / 44.15472°N 87.57639°W / 44.15472; -87.57639 (44.154928, -87.57642)^[3].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.7 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (14.7 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (6.75%) is water.

Highways

• WIS 42 Northbound travels to Kewaunee, Wisconsin. South it continues into Manitowoc,Wisconsin.
• WIS 147 connects with Mishicot and Green Bay, Wisconsin via I-43 northbound.
• WIS 310 connects with US 10 towards Appleton westbound.

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 12,639 people, 5,221 households, and 3,414 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,230.1 people per square mile (860.7/km²). There were 5,547 housing units at an average density of 978.7/sq mi (377.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.74% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 0.44% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.35% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,221 households out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,701, and the median income for a family was $48,241. Males had a median income of $35,378 versus $23,605 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,908. About 4.2% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

Ice Cream Sundae

There is currently a heated debate between Ithaca, New York and Two Rivers over which city has the right to claim the title "birthplace of the ice cream sundae." When Ithaca mayor Carolyn K. Peterson proclaimed a day to celebrate her city as the birthplace of the sundae, she received postcards from Two Rivers' citizens reiterating that town's claim.^[5] Ithaca retaliated with an ad called "Got Proof?" in the Two Rivers newspaper.^[6]

Two Rivers' claim is based on the story of George Hallauer asking Edward C. Berners, the owner of Berners' Soda Fountain, to drizzle chocolate syrup over ice cream in 1881. Berners eventually did and wound up selling the treat for a nickel, originally only on Sundays, but later every day. According to this story, the spelling changed when a glass salesman ordered canoe-shaped dishes. When Berners died in 1939, the Chicago Tribune headlined his obituary "Man Who Made First Ice Cream Sundae Is Dead."^[7][8]

Education

Two Rivers High School

Two Rivers is served by Two Rivers High School, built in 2002 to replace the now-demolished Washington High School. The school's sports include swimming, football, track and field, baseball, soccer, and others. The school houses a photography darkroom, as well as a television broadcast room for hands-on experience. The high school's daily announcements are broadcast on television by students and are available for public viewing on the town's local channel. Larry Schlosser is the principal.

The middle school, L. B. Clarke, serves students in fifth through eighth grade. The school was named for Charleton Heston's father-in-law, who helped fund the school; both Heston and his wife Lydia have visited the school. Since the closing of C. C. Case Elementary School, there are only two remaining elementary schools, Koenig and Magee. Also serving the Two Rivers area are the parochial schools, St. John's Lutheran (WELS) and St. Peter the Fisherman (Roman Catholic).

Points of interest

The Historic Washington House

The Historic Washington House

• Lester Public Library provides book collections, programming, and the Internet.
• The Bernard Schwartz House, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is open to visitors as an overnight rental. It has periodic public tours.
• The Historic Washington House is free and open to the public. The old inn and saloon is now an ice cream parlor and museum operated by volunteers. It provides historical information about the area. The top floor houses a ballroom with a mural-painted ceiling and a stage for live performances. The ballroom also functions as a used book store.
• Point Beach State Forest and Park is accessible all year. Trails are available for hiking, biking, skiing, and enjoying the natural beauty. Campgrounds are also available. Visitors can access some of Lake Michigan's many beach fronts from the state park.
• Woodland Dunes Nature Center
• Rogers Street Fishing Village
• Point Beach Nuclear Plant is located just north of the city.

Media

Newspapers

• Herald Times Reporter—daily newspaper owned by Gannett Newspapers.
• Lakeshore Chronicle—printed on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Television and radio

Two Rivers is part of the Green Bay, Wisconsin television market, as well as the Sheboygan/Manitowoc Arbitron radio market. The city is home to WCUB-AM and WGBW-AM. Charter Communications provides cable service for the city.

See also: List of radio stations in Sheboygan/Manitowoc

Notable residents

• J. Frank Aldrich - former United States Representative from Illinois
• William Aldrich - U.S. Representative from Illinois
• Ken Anderson, better known as Mr. Kennedy – Professional wrestler
• Chad Cascadden - NFL player
• Lydia Clarke - widow of Charlton Heston, hails from Two Rivers. L.B. Clarke Middle School is named after her father. Clarke remains an honorary director of the Educational Horizons Foundation, a Two Rivers volunteer organization that supports the mission of the Two Rivers School District.
• Bryan Lee - blues guitarist
• Andrew Miller - Medal of Honor recipient
• Jim Schmitt - mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Thomas James Walsh - former U.S. Senator from Montana and nominee for the post of United States Attorney General under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

References

External links

• City of Two Rivers, Wisconsin website
• Manitowoc-Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce

• Two Rivers, Wisconsin is at coordinates 44°09′18″N 87°34′35″W / 44.154928°N 87.57642°W / 44.154928; -87.57642 (Two Rivers, Wisconsin)Coordinates: 44°09′18″N 87°34′35″W / 44.154928°N 87.57642°W / 44.154928; -87.57642 (Two Rivers, Wisconsin)

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