| Rhinelander, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Looking east at downtown Rhinelander | |
| Location of Rhinelander, Wisconsin | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Oneida |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.9 sq mi (20.4 km2) |
| • Land | 7.7 sq mi (20.0 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation[1] | 1,549 ft (472 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 7,735 |
| • Density | 1,002.5/sq mi (387.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| FIPS code | 55-67200[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1572231[1] |
Rhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County,[3] Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 7,735 at the 2000 census.
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Rhinelander is the home of the Hodag, a mythical creature that serves as mascot for the city and for Rhinelander High School and Northwoods Community Secondary School. Nicolet Area Technical College and Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport are located in the city. Crystal Lake Scout Reservation, a Boy Scout summer camp operated by the Samoset Council of the Boy Scouts of America is located north of the city, on Crystal Lake.
The area that eventually became the city of Rhinelander was originally called Pelican Rapids by early settlers for the stretch of rapids just above the convergence of the Wisconsin and Pelican Rivers. Around 1870, Anderson W. Brown of Stevens Point and Anson P. Vaughn traveled up the Wisconsin River in order to cruise timber for Brown's father, E. D. Brown. Upon arriving at the meeting point of the Wisconsin and Pelican Rivers at the site of John Curran's trading post, and seeing the high banks along the rapids and the excellent pine stands, Anderson Brown envisioned a mill town with a lumber mill powered by the waters of the Wisconsin River. Brown's vision would not come to fruition for some years, however after subsequent expeditions with others including his brother and Rhinelander's first mayor, Webster Brown, the brothers managed to convince their father and uncle to purchase the land from the federal government and build a town. In its charter, the city was named Rhinelander after Frederic W. Rhinelander of New York, who was president of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Road at the time. This was part of a bid by the Brown brothers to induce the railroad to extend a spur to the location to further their lumbering business. Ultimately, after over ten years of negotiations, the Brown family agreed to convey half their land holdings in the area to the railroad in exchange for a rail line to their future city. In 1882, the railroad line from present-day Monico to Rhinelander was completed, jump starting the development of Rhinelander as the commercial hub of the region.[4]
| WIS 47 runs south to Antigo, Wisconsin, and runs north to Woodruff. | |
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BUS US 8 serves the city of Rhinelander. |
| U.S. 8 eastbound US 8 to Crandon, Wisconsin. Westbound, US 8 routes to Prentice, Wisconsin. | |
| WIS 17 travels north to Eagle River, Wisconsin, and south to Merrill, Wisconsin and the route is on the east side of Rhinelander. |
Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (KRHI) serves the Rhinelander area with both commercial and general aviation services. The airport handles approximately 29,200 operations per year, with approximately 75% general aviation, 20% commercial air service, and 5% air taxi. The airport offers a 6,799-ft. runway with approved ILS, GPS, and VOR approaches (Runway 9-27) and a 5,201-ft. runway with an approved GPS approach (Runway 15-33). [5]
Rhinelander is located at (45.639515, -89.412086).[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20.4 km²), of which, 7.7 square miles (20.0 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (2.16%) is water.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 7,735 people, 3,214 households, and 1,860 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,002.5 people per square mile (386.9/km²). There were 3,430 housing units at an average density of 444.5 per square mile (171.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.83% White, 0.39% African American, 0.96% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population.
There were 3,214 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,622, and the median income for a family was $37,629. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $22,157 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,047. About 9.4% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2008, the city's population has risen to 8,135 people and has recently opened new businesses both downtown, and on the outskirts of the city. Such businesses include Briqs Soft Serve, Kohls, and an Arbys.
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