Manitowoc, Wisconsin

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Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Seal

Nickname: "The Port City, Manty"

Location of Manitowoc in
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin

Kevin M. Crawford(D)

- City

44.5 km²

- Land

43.7 km²

- Water

0.8 km²

Population

- City (2004)

34,053

- Metro

52,197

Time zone

CST (UTC-6)

- Summer (DST)

CDT (UTC-5)

Manitowoc (/ˈmæ nɪ tə ˌwɔk/) 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.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Notable businesses
4 Points of interest
5 Demographics
6 Religion
7 Media
- 7.1 Newspapers
- 7.2 Television & radio
8 Health and Education
9 Transportation
10 References
11 External links

[edit] History

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. Manitowoc is also one endpoint of the ferry route of the SS Badger, which connects the route of U.S. Route 10 to Ludington, Michigan.

Since the completion of Interstate 43 in the mid 1980's the local shopping economy of Manitowoc has suffered considerably. Since the late 1990's several new shopping centers have opened in the city, including the crown jewel the new Harbor Town Center shopping complex. The downtown area has also seen a resurgence, with several new resturants opening, and the recent announcment 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.

In addition, landing craft, tankers and submarines became the local contributions to U.S. efforts in World War II. Manitowoc is home to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and was the landing site of a piece of Sputnik IV on September 5, 1962.

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.

[edit] Geography

Capitol Civic Centre

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).

[edit] 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.

[edit] Points of interest

Rahr-West Art Museum

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.

Wisconsin Maritime Museum and USS Cobia

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. 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.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] Media

[edit] 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.
The LakerShopper—Local Business and Consumer oriented paper.

[edit] Television & 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

[edit] Health and Education

Holy Family Medical Center University Campus

Aurora Medical Center

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 over 1,400 students in grades 10-12.
Washington Junior High School with over 700 students in grades 7-9.
Wilson Junior High School with over 700 students in grades 7-9.
Jackson Elementary School with over 500 students in grades 1-6.
Riverview School with over 500 students in CESA 7 Headstart through Kindergarten.
Jefferson Elementary School with over 400 Students in grades 1-6.
Monroe Elementary School with over 350 students in grades 1-6.
Franklin Elementary School with over 350 students in grades 1-6.
Stangel Elementary School with over 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 over 400 students in grades 9-12. The WELS maintains Manitowoc Lutheran High School with over 350 students in grades 9-12.

The city has several colleges and universities within its limits including:

Silver Lake College a Catholic four year college with over 1,100 undergraduate and graduate students.
University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc a two year transitional University of Wisconsin College with over 600 undergraduate students.

[edit] Transportation

S.S. Badger

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 SS 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:

Interstate 43
U.S. Route 151 (including the eastern terminus)
U.S. Route 10
Wisconsin Highway 42

[edit] References

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.