Racine, Wisconsin

Racine, Wisconsin
City
Flag
Nickname(s): The Belle City of the Lakes[1]
Location of Racine, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 42°43′34″N 87°48′21″W / 42.72611°N 87.80583°W / 42.72611; -87.80583Coordinates: 42°43′34″N 87°48′21″W / 42.72611°N 87.80583°W / 42.72611; -87.80583
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Racine
Government
• Mayor	John Dickert
Area[2]
• Total	18.68 sq mi (48.38 km2)
• Land	15.48 sq mi (40.09 km2)
• Water	3.20 sq mi (8.29 km2)
Elevation	618 ft (188 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	78,860
• Estimate (2012[4])	78,303
• Density	5,094.3/sq mi (1,966.9/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Codes	53401-53408[5]
Area code(s)	262
FIPS code	55-66000[6]
GNIS feature ID	1572015[7]
Website	www.cityofracine.org/

Racine (/ˈreɪsiːn/ RAY-seen, or /rəˈsiːn/ ruh-SEEN)^[8] is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River.^[9] As of the 2012 U.S. census, the city had a population of 78,303,^[10] making it the fifth-largest city in Wisconsin. Its median home price of $103,625^[11] makes it the least expensive city in Wisconsin to buy a home in.

Racine has long been a factory town with production of J. I. Case (heavy equipment), S. C. Johnson & Son (cleaning and chemical products), Dremel Corporation, Reliance Controls Corporation, Twin Disc, and Arthur B. Modine (Heat Exchangers). It is home to various immigrant communities. Racine was home to wagon maker Mitchell & Lewis Company in the 19th century. At the start of the 20th century the company began making motorcycles and automobiles as Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company. Racine was also home to the inventor of the InSinkErator, the first garbage disposal. Architects of the city included A. Arthur Guilbert and Edmund Bailey Funston. Malted milk balls were also developed in Racine.

Racine is also known for having one of the largest crime rates in all of Wisconsin.^[12]

History

On October 10, 1699, a fleet of eight canoes bearing a party of French explorers entered the mouth of Root River. These were the first Europeans known to visit what is now Racine County. They established a trading post in the area that eventually became a small settlement on Lake Michigan near where the Root River empties into Lake Michigan. "Racine" is French for "root".

In 1832, just after the Blackhawk War, the area surrounding Racine was settled by Yankees from upstate New York. In 1834 Captain Gilbert Knapp, USRM founded the settlement of Port Gilbert at the place where the Root River empties into Lake Michigan. The area was previously called Kipi Kawi and Chippecotton by the indigenous peoples, both names for the Root River. The name "Port Gilbert" was never really accepted, and in 1841 the community was incorporated as the village of Racine. After Wisconsin was admitted to the Union in 1848, the new legislature voted in August to incorporate Racine as a city.

In 1852, Racine College, an Episcopal college, was founded; it closed in 1933.^[13]

Also in 1852, Racine High School, the first public high school in Wisconsin, opened. The high school operated until 1926, when it was replaced by Park High School.^[14]

Before the Civil War, Racine was well known for its strong opposition to slavery, with many slaves escaping to freedom via the Underground Railroad passing through the city. In 1854 Joshua Glover, an escaped slave who had made a home in Racine, was arrested by federal marshals and jailed in Milwaukee. One hundred men from Racine, and ultimately 5,000 Wisconsinites, rallied and broke into the jail to free him. He was helped to escape to Canada. Glover's rescue gave rise to many legal complications and a great deal of litigation. This eventually led to the Wisconsin Supreme Court declaring the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 unconstitutional, and later, the Wisconsin State Legislature refusing to recognize the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Immigrant culture

Waves of immigrants, including Danes, Germans, and Czechs, began to settle in Racine between the Civil War and the First World War. African Americans started arriving in large numbers during World War I, as they did in other Midwestern industrial towns, and Mexicans migrated to Racine from roughly 1925 onward.

Unitarians from New England initially dominated Racine's religious life. Racine's Emmaus Lutheran Church, the oldest Danish Lutheran Church in North America, was founded on August 22, 1851. Originally a founding member of the Danish American Lutheran Church, it has subsequently been a member of the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (UDELCA), the American Lutheran Church (ALC), and, since 1988, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). There was also a large Catholic movement to the city, opening up churches for their own ethnicity, such as St. Stanislaus (Polish), St. Rose (Irish), Holy Name (German), St. Patrick (Irish), Sacred Heart (Italian), St. Joseph (German), St. Mary (German), Holy Trinity (Slovak), St. Casimir (Lithuanian), and others. As years passed, populations moved and St. Stanislaus, Holy Name, Holy Trinity, St. Rose, and St. Casimir merged in 1998, forming St. Richard. With new waves of people arriving, older parishes received a boost from the Hispanic community, which formed Cristo Rey, re-energizing St. Patrick's into the strong Catholic community of today.

Racine has the largest North American settlement of Danes outside of Greenland.^{[citation needed]} The city is particularly known for its Danish pastries, especially kringle. Several local bakeries have been featured on the Food Network^[15][16] including O & H Bakery and Bendtsen's Bakery.

Industry

Racine was a factory town almost from the very beginning. The first industry in Racine County included the manufacture of fanning mills, machines that separate wheat grain from chaff. Racine also had its share of captains of industry, including J. I. Case (heavy equipment), S. C. Johnson & Son (cleaning and chemical products), and Arthur B. Modine (Heat Exchangers). Racine's harbor was central to the shipping industry in Wisconsin in the late 19th century. Racine was also an early car manufacturing center. One of the world's first automobiles was built there in 1871 or 1872 by Dr. J. W. Cathcart,^[17] as was the Pennington Victoria tricycle,^[18] the Mitchell,^[19] and the Case.^[20]

In 1887, malted milk was invented in Racine by English immigrant William Horlick, and Horlicks remains a global brand. The garbage disposal was invented in 1927 by architect John Hammes of Racine, who founded the company InSinkErator, which still produces millions of garbage disposers every year. Racine is also the home of S.C. Johnson & Son, whose headquarters was designed in 1936 by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright also designed the Wingspread Conference Center and several homes and other buildings in Racine. The city is also home to the Dremel Corporation, Reliance Controls Corporation and Twin Disc.

Historic districts and buildings

Racine includes the Old Main Street Historic District. Historic buildings in Racine include the Badger Building, Racine Elks Club, Lodge No. 252, St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Young Men's Christian Association Building, Chauncey Hall House, Eli R. Cooley House, George Murray House, Hansen House, Racine College, McClurg Building, First Presbyterian Church, Memorial Hall, Racine Depot, United Laymen Bible Student Tabernacle, Chauncey Hall Building, Thomas P. Hardy House, and Horlick Field. The area is home to several National Register of Historic Places listed structures: National Register of Historic Places listings in Racine County, Wisconsin. The city is also home to Regency Mall.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built the Johnson Wax Headquarters building in Racine. The building was and still is considered a marvel of design innovation, despite its many practical annoyances such as leaks. Wright urged then-president Hib Johnson to build the structure outside of Racine, a city Wright thought of as "backwater." Johnson refused to have the Johnson Wax Headquarters sited anywhere other than Racine, and in a compromise Wright built it in Racine, but without windows.^{[citation needed]}

Cultural notes

The city is known for its large prom celebration, at which students from all the high schools in the city participate in an after prom party. This was featured on the radio show This American Life in Episode #186 "Prom", which originally aired on June 8, 2001;^[21] Racine's prom tradition was also the subject of the 2006 documentary The World's Best Prom.

In recent years, Racine has experienced a decrease in population rate largely because of its being surrounded by neighboring suburbs, such as Mount Pleasant that have absorbed much of the population growth. As late as 1970, Racine was the third largest city in Wisconsin.

Racine received an award the U.S. Conference of Mayors on June 20, 2011 for having the best tasting city water in America.

Geography

Racine is located at 42°43′34″N 87°48′21″W / 42.72611°N 87.80583°W / 42.72611; -87.80583 (42.726052, -87.805873).^[22]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.68 square miles (48.38 km²), of which, 15.48 square miles (40.09 km²) is land and 3.20 square miles (8.29 km²) is water.^[2]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	5,107		—
1860	7,822		53.2%
1870	9,880		26.3%
1880	16,031		62.3%
1890	21,014		31.1%
1900	29,102		38.5%
1910	38,002		30.6%
1920	58,593		54.2%
1930	67,542		15.3%
1940	67,195		−0.5%
1950	71,193		5.9%
1960	89,144		25.2%
1970	95,162		6.8%
1980	85,725		−9.9%
1990	84,298		−1.7%
2000	81,855		−2.9%
2010	78,860		−3.7%
Est. 2012	78,303		−0.7%

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $37,164, and the median income for a family was $45,150. Males had a median income of $35,079 versus $24,279 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,705. About 10.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those aged 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 78,860 people, 30,530 households, and 19,222 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,094.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,966.9 /km²). There were 33,887 housing units at an average density of 2,189.1 per square mile (845.2 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.8% White, 22.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 10.3% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.7% of the population.

There were 30,530 households of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were married couples living together, 20.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.0% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the city was 33 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.8% were from 45 to 64; and 10.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

Government

Racine has a mayor-council form of government. The mayor is the chief executive, elected for a term of four years. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the departments, subject to Common Council approval.

Racine's other citywide elected official is the Municipal Judge. The city council, the legislative branch, is made up of 15 aldermen, one elected from each district in the city. The council enacts local ordinances and approves the city budget. Government priorities and activities are established in a budget ordinance usually adopted each November.

Racine is represented by Paul Ryan (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Robert Wirch (D) and John Lehman (D) represent Racine in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Tom Weatherston (R), Peter Barca (D), and Cory Mason (D) represent Racine in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

• Fire Protection/Ambulance Service from the City of Racine Fire Department
• Police Service from the Racine Police Department and Racine County Sheriff

Education

Public schools

Racine's public schools are administered by the Racine Unified School District, which oversees 21 elementary schools, eight middle schools, and six high schools with a combined student enrollment of around 21,000.

Higher education

• University of Wisconsin–Parkside is located two miles (3.2 km) south of Racine in Kenosha. Because of its location, the two cities fought over naming the university. Because it was located in Kenosha, that city wanted it named the University of Wisconsin–Kenosha; Racine wanted to name it the University of Wisconsin–Racine. To accommodate both cities, the university was named for its location near Petrifying Springs Park in Kenosha County.^{[citation needed]}
• Gateway Technical College

Transportation

Mass transit is provided by the Belle Urban System or "BUS" for short. ^[23]

Notable buildings

• Wind Point Lighthouse – Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• S.C. Johnson and Son Administration Building and Research Tower – Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Racine Zoological Gardens
• Historic Horlick Field - Home to the Racine Belles of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and, currently, the Racine Raiders of the North American Football League (NAFL).
• Thomas P. Hardy House - Frank Lloyd Wright house listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Hansen House - listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• McClurg Building
• St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Chapel, Guildhall, and Rectory - listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church - listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• Young Men's Christian Association Building - listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• The Prairie School, a small independent school in Wind Point, designed in a Frank Lloyd Wright style, with many interesting hallways and a recently built athletic center that overlooks the surrounding neighborhoods
• Racine Civic Centre - a complex located on Lake Michigan consisting of Festival Park and Memorial Hall - listed on the National Register of Historic Places
• 245 Main Street - Constructed in in 1858 as an office for Racine's first railroad, 245 Main Street has also housed a bank, library, court, Turkish bath, theatre, hotel, and restaurant.^[24]

Racine County Insane Asylum

The Racine County Insane Asylum was established in 1889.^[25] The asylum was destroyed in a fire in 1904 that was widely covered in the national press.^[26][27] The asylum was rebuilt after the fire, and a home for the county poor was added to the facility in 1918.^[28] The institution was also known as the Gatliff Asylum and was served by the Gatliff stop on the railroad.^[29][30] Gatliff was named after Nelson Gatliff (1813–1898),^[31] an early pioneer in Racine County that owned extensive farmland.^[32] The facility was also used as a tuberculosis sanatorium.^[33] Later it was known as High Ridge Hospitals^[34] and High Ridge Health Care Center of Racine County.^[35] It was razed circa 1980. The site is now a retail development known as High Ridge Centre, with only the old pond remaining from the former asylum.^[36]

Media

Racine is served by the daily newspaper The Journal Times,^[37] which is the namesake (but not current owner) of radio station WRJN (1400). The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel formerly published a Racine-specific page on Thursdays and a Racine County section on Sundays, but dropped those in a series of downsizings that began in 2007. The Insider News covers issues specific to the African-American community. Racinenews.org^[38] offers web-based coverage for Racine, as did news website Racinepost.com^[39] before they decided to shut down.^[40] In March 2010, Wisconsin Internet News.^[41] was created, as another news source for the Racine/Kenosha area. The city has one television station owned by Weigel Broadcasting, WMLW-TV (Channel 49), an independent station which airs syndicated product, and had its analog transmitter just north of the Milwaukee County line in Oak Creek. For all intents and purposes the station serves all of southeastern Wisconsin, with the station offices located in West Allis and the station's current transmitter is located on the Weigel tower in Milwaukee's Lincoln Park. WMLW airs a Saturday morning public affairs program called Racine & Me, which is produced and hosted by CBS 58 Anchor Jessica Tighe and is devoted to topics of interest to Racine residents.

Radio stations serving the area are adult contemporary WEZY-FM (92.1) and urban contemporary WKKV-FM (100.7). WEZY specifically targets Racine and Kenosha and is locally-owned, while WKKV is a station owned by Clear Channel Communications that, although licensed to Racine and having a transmitter in north-central Racine County, is targeted towards Milwaukee audiences and has its offices in Greenfield. Sturtevant-licensed WDDW-FM (104.7) broadcasts a traditional Mexican music format targeting the metro area's Mexican-American population.

Sister cities

Racine has six sister cities:^[42][43]

• Aalborg, Denmark^[44]
• Bluefields, Nicaragua
• Fortaleza, Brazil
• Montélimar, France
• Ōiso, Japan
• Zapotlanejo, Mexico

Notable people from Racine

See also

• New Holland Agriculture

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Racine, Wisconsin.

Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article Racine.

• Racine and Racine County History site
• Racine City Government
• Racine.WI.Net
• Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Racine History site -- lots of early 1900s postcards
• Racine Public Library
• Historic Photos of Racine Area (High Resolution) and Vintage Post Card Collection
•  Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914). "Racine, Wis.". The New Student's Reference Work. Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co. 

v t e Municipalities and communities of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States County seat: Racine Cities Burlington‡ Racine Villages Caledonia Elmwood Park Mount Pleasant North Bay Rochester Sturtevant Union Grove Waterford Wind Point Towns Burlington Dover Norway Raymond Waterford Yorkville CDPs Bohners Lake Browns Lake Eagle Lake Tichigan Wind Lake Unincorporated communities Beaumont Buena Park Caldwell Cedar Park Eagle Lake Manor Ives Grove Kansasville Kneeland North Cape Raymond Rosewood Sylvania Union Church Yorkville Ghost towns DeNoon Muskego Settlement Raymond Center Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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