Tomah, Wisconsin

Tomah
City
Downtown Tomah
Tomah Location within the state of Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°59′6″N 90°30′14″W / 43.98500°N 90.50389°W / 43.98500; -90.50389Coordinates: 43°59′6″N 90°30′14″W / 43.98500°N 90.50389°W / 43.98500; -90.50389
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Monroe
Government
• Mayor	John Rusch
Area[1]
• Total	7.86 sq mi (20.36 km2)
• Land	7.46 sq mi (19.32 km2)
• Water	0.40 sq mi (1.04 km2)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	9,093
• Estimate (2012[3])	9,294
• Density	1,218.9/sq mi (470.6/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	54660
Area code(s)	608
Website	http://www.tomahonline.com/

Tomah is a city in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. As of July 1, 2011, it had a population of 9,093. The city is located partially within the Town of Tomah.

History

Tomah was founded by Robert E. Gillette in 1855 and incorporated as a city in 1883.^[4] Tomah is named for Thomas Carron (ca. 1752–1818), the second son of Thomas Carron (ca. 1700–1780), a trader at Green Bay that had integrated into the Menominee tribe. The Menominees pronounced the name Tomah or Tomau and he became known as Chief Tomah. Tomah was adopted as the name for the settlement in Monroe County on the unsubstantiated belief that Chief Tomah had once held a tribal gathering in the area.^[5]

Geography

Tomah is located at 43°59′6″N 90°30′14″W / 43.98500°N 90.50389°W / 43.98500; -90.50389 (43.985089, -90.503922).^[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.86 square miles (20.36 km²), of which, 7.46 square miles (19.32 km²) is land and 0.40 square miles (1.04 km²) is water.^[1]

Demographics

Post office

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 9,093 people, 3,900 households, and 2,194 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,218.9 inhabitants per square mile (470.6 /km²). There were 4,196 housing units at an average density of 562.5 per square mile (217.2 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.9% White, 2.6% African American, 1.7% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0% of the population.

There were 3,900 households of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.7% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 38 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 8,419 people, 3,451 households, and 2,098 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,148.2 people per square mile (443.5/km²). There were 3,706 housing units at an average density of 505.4 per square mile (195.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.95% White, 1.03% Black or African American, 1.65% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,451 households out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,986, and the median income for a family was $42,881. Males had a median income of $31,612 versus $21,377 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,409. About 8.4% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Tomah is a regional transportation hub because of its location where Interstate 90 and Interstate 94 diverge, with Interstate 90 continuing west to La Crosse, Wisconsin and Interstate 94 heading north to Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the Twin Cities.

Tomah is served by an Amtrak Station on the Empire Builder route.

Bloyer Field Airport is located 1 mile east of Tomah.

Education

The Tomah Area School District has nine public schools: seven elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school.

Health and medical

Four health care facilities are located in Tomah: Tomah Memorial Hospital, a Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Lake Tomah Clinic of Franciscan Skemp Mayo Health System, and the Tomah Clinic of Gundersen Lutheran.^[8]

Notable people

• Adelbert Bleekman, Wisconsin State Senator
• Herbert Eugene Bolton, Spanish borderlands scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and first director of the Bancroft Library, graduated from Tomah High School. Born on a farm between Wilton and Tomah, 20 July 1870.
• Glenn L. Henry, lawyer and member of the Wisconsin State Assembly^[9]
• William Washington Howes, first Assistant Postmaster General of the United States.
• Kyle Kenyon, lawyer and legislator^[10]
• Frank King, Creator of the comic strip Gasoline Alley, grew up in Tomah.
• Frank Augustus Miller, builder of the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, United States.
• Lewis T. Mittness, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• Arthur Claude Ruge, engineer
• John E. Sheridan, Illustrator, creator of numerous Saturday Evening Post covers, was born in Tomah.
• Ed Thompson, Mayor of Tomah 2000-2002 and 2008-2010, Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate 2002, State Senate Candidate 2010.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tomah, Wisconsin.

• Tomah, Wisconsin
• Tomah Area School District
• Tomah Public Library
• Tomah Memorial Hospital

• v t e Municipalities and communities of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States County seat: Sparta Cities Sparta Tomah Villages Cashton Kendall Melvina Norwalk Oakdale Warrens Wilton Wyeville Towns Adrian Angelo Byron Clifton Glendale Grant Greenfield Jefferson La Grange Lafayette Leon Lincoln Little Falls New Lyme Oakdale Portland Ridgeville Scott Sheldon Sparta Tomah Wellington Wells Wilton CDPs Cataract Tunnel City Unincorporated communities Angelo Clifton Farmers Valley Four Corners Glendale Jacksonville Kirby Leon Norway Ridge Oil City Portland Raymore St. Mary's Scotts Junction Shennington Spring Bank Park Valley Junction