Stevens Point, Wisconsin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Nickname: "Gateway to the Pineries"
Location of Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Location of Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 44°31′23″N, 89°33′37″W
County Portage
Mayor Gary Wescott
Area  
 - City 42.0 km²
 - Land 39.7 km²
 - Water 2.4 km²
Population  
 - City (2000) 24,551
 - Density 619.2/km²
 - Metro 48,123
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Website: www.stevenspoint.com

Stevens Point, Portage County, is located in central Wisconsin. It is the largest city and the county seat. As of the 2000 US Federal Census the population was 24,551 persons. The city was incorporated in 1858.

Stevens Point was named after its founder, George Stevens, who ran several saloons on what is today known as "The Square". Loggers on the Wisconsin River found this a convenient stopping point, as the river bends slightly and one could tell from far upstream whether Stevens' point was open for business.

(A local legend also claims that Stevens Point is a bastardization of "Stevens Pint", a reference to Stevens' alleged practice of serving whiskey by the pint.)

The city is home to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP), a small university with almost 10,000 students known for its graduate and undergraduate natural resource degrees, forestry, paper science, biology, and teaching degrees. The university also has strong programs in the arts, communications, and sciences. An MBA program is also available.

Together with surrounding communities, the Stevens Point micropolitan area was, according to the 2000 census, home to 48,123 people. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Stevens Point Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Portage County (2000 population: 67,182).

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.1 km² (16.2 mi²). 39.7 km² (15.3 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (5.61%) is water.

It is surrounded by several smaller villages and towns, including Plover, Whiting, Custer, Park Ridge and the Town of Hull. On average, the temperature ranges from 80° to 20° Fahrenheit. All four seasons can be distinctly observed, with snow falling most heavily in December and January and temperatures rising to their average summer levels of about 70° in July and August.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 24,551 people, 9,305 households, and 4,652 families residing in the city. The population density was 619.2/km² (1,603.2/mi²). There were 9,749 housing units at an average density of 245.9/km² (636.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.53% White, 0.47% African American, 0.46% Native American, 4.78% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 9,305 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.2% under the age of 18, 30.8% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,178, and the median income for a family was $53,176. Males had a median income of $37,894 versus $28,114 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,510.

[edit] Education

Stevens Point is home to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, established in 1894 as the Stevens Point Normal School. The university currently enrolls approximately 8700 students in both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It boasts a student-to-faculty ratio of 20:1, and has highest percentage of undergraduate courses taught by regular faculty in the entire UW System. It is consistently named one of the top Public Midwestern Universities-Master's in U.S. News and World Report’s College Rankings.

Other educational institutions include Mid-State Technical College, Stevens Point Area Public School District and Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools. High Schools include Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) and Pacelli High School.

[edit] Civic Features

Major businesses in the area include Stora Enso North America paper mill, Sentry Insurance, The Noel Group (travel and insurance), Skyward (software design), Sunrise Medical, Delta Dental (insurance), Lands' End, Associated Bank, and the Stevens Point Brewery.

Additional points of interest would include:

Stevens Point and its surrounding communities are developing into a regional destination for hotels, shopping, and restaurants. The city is located along the Wisconsin River, at the intersection of Interstate Highway 39 and US Highway 10. Stevens Point is a midway point for affluent tourists heading to Wisconsin's North Woods from large cites such as Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago. Major retailers are moving into the area, large hotels are being built, and many restaurants are pouring into the Stevens Point area.

Stevens Point is located in the geographic center of Wisconsin, making it a popular destination for state conventions and state youth sporting events including soccer and hockey. The hospitality industry is rapidly growing in Stevens Point with the addition or remodel of over 500 hotel rooms since 2004.

The area has 20 developed parks, a 26-mile bicycle and jogging trail (The Green Circle Trail) which surrounds and winds through the city, an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones designed golf course, a premier country club, public and private elementary/high school systems, a community theatre group (cwACT), a children's museum, many small businesses (including the locally famous Belts' Soft Serve), churches of various denominations, and a group of museums run by the Portage County Historical Society, including the Beth Israel Congregation Museum, located in the former synagogue (the synagogue has been defunct since 1985). City-wide events range from the Fourth of July Riverfront Rendezvous to the Portage County Cultural Festival.

The downtown area was designated a "Wisconsin Main Street Community" and offers unique specialty shops, a wide variety of restaurants, an enclosed shopping mall, and many offices. The city and county offices are located downtown as well as a major bank regional headquarters and two major insurance companies. The downtown also offers a vibrant nightlife on "The Square" which is very popular with the college students.

The city is served by two airports. Commercial service is available through Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA) which is located midway between Stevens Point and Wausau. This airport is served by three major airlines. General aviation, air cargo, and charter flights utilize the Stevens Point Municipal Airport (STE).

[edit] Ghostly Lore

Stevens Point has a rich history of supernatural occurrences, and has played host to a variety of myths, urban legends and macabre stories of ghosts, bleeding tombstones, and other anomalous phenomena. In fact, several books have chronicled the spirit-infested city's darker history. The Wisconsin Road Guide to Haunted Locations, by authors Terry Fisk and Chad Lewis, dedicates 12 of its pages to Stevens Point, while the nationally distributed Weird Wisconsin, by Linda Godfrey and Richard Hendricks, offers a more colorful, offbeat approach to the city's stranger side.

If you are interested in seeking a thrill or in an old-fashioned ghost hunt, there's no need to go far. Several purportedly haunted bridges exist in the city, including the Black Bridge near the Stora Enso paper mill, the Bloody Bride Bridge on Highway 66 near Jordan Park, and the Red Bridge over the Wisconsin River on Walkush Road.

The city has no shortage of haunted cemeteries either. The ghost of a traitorous American Civil War deserter named Calvin Blood is said to haunt "Blood Cemetery" off West River Drive, while spirits in general infest the St. Peter Cemetery near Bukolt Park.

Other legends involve a legless ghost referred to only as Old Swenson that has been seen on County Road II, while others involve the ghosts of boy scouts murdered or killed tragically in the central Wisconsin wilderness (Boy Scout Lane).

[edit] Books detailing the city's ghostly history

[edit] External links

 
Stevens Point, Wisconsin		 Flag of Wisconsin
Surrounding municipalities
(over 10,000)

Plover‡
(less than 10,000)

Hull* | Park Ridge‡ | Stockton* | Plover* | Whiting‡
Portage County
*town ‡village
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/t/e/Stevens_Point%2C_Wisconsin_0d5e.html"