Sauk Prairie is the nickname for the twin villages of Sauk City and Prairie du Sac, located on the west bank of the Wisconsin River in southeastern Sauk County, Wisconsin, approximately 13 miles south of Baraboo, and 18 miles northwest of metropolitan Madison, where U.S. Highway 12 crosses the Wisconsin River. According to the 2000 census, the combined population of the two communities is 6,340.
Whereas the union of the two municipalities has been proposed in the past, it has thus far been unsuccessful, primarily as a result of historical preservation. Still, the name is in common use for area businesses and service organizations (e.g., the local newspapers, the Sauk Prairie Star and the Sauk Prairie Eagle,[1] and the Sauk Prairie Memorial Hospital and Clinics,[2] as well as for a number of joint municipal services, including the Sauk Prairie Police Department,[3] Sauk Prairie School District,[4] Sauk Prairie Airport,[5] and the Sauk Prairie Area Chamber of Commerce.[6] The villages maintain separate libraries and fire departments.