Lancaster, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Lancaster is a city in and the county seat
of Grant County
, Wisconsin
, United States
. As of the 2000 census
, the population was 4,070.
. At Pleasant Ridge, one of the first African-American communities in Wisconsin was founded by the Shepard family in 1849 and settled in the 1850s. Lancaster was the home of the first governor of Wisconsin, Nelson Dewey
.
is strikingly different from that of the rest of the state.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 4,070 people, 1,706 households, and 1,079 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,441.1 people per square mile (557.2/km2). There were 1,799 housing units at an average density of 637.0 per square mile (246.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 99.24% White, 0.07% African American, 0.29% Asian, 0.10% from other races
, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 1,706 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples
living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% 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 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,723, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $30,683 versus $22,331 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $17,797. About 6.4% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
The Municipal Building (1922) is an example of Prairie School
early modern architecture, which has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The post office contains a Depression-era
mural, painted under the Works Progress Administration
program in the 1930s.
The stone and wood Patrick Kinney house (1951) in Lancaster was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
, one of 45 Wright structures in Wisconsin.
named Coach John Hoch "state coach of the year", and the Green Bay Packers/Wisconsin Football Coaches Association named him "prep football coach of the year". In 2003, he was inducted into the UW-River Falls Athletic Hall of Fame.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Grant County
Grant County, Wisconsin
Grant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the population was 4,070.
History
Major G.M. Price, a land speculator, laid out the town in 1837. He was persuaded to name it Lancaster by a relative who migrated from Lancaster, PennsylvaniaLancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. At Pleasant Ridge, one of the first African-American communities in Wisconsin was founded by the Shepard family in 1849 and settled in the 1850s. Lancaster was the home of the first governor of Wisconsin, Nelson Dewey
Nelson Dewey
Nelson Dewey was a politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin; he was the first Governor of Wisconsin, serving from 1848 until 1852.- Early life :...
.
Geography
Lancaster is located at 42.848505°N 90.710430°W (42.848505, -90.710430). Lancaster is located in the unglaciated "Driftless Area" of southwest Wisconsin whose topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
is strikingly different from that of the rest of the state.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 4,070 people, 1,706 households, and 1,079 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,441.1 people per square mile (557.2/km2). There were 1,799 housing units at an average density of 637.0 per square mile (246.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 99.24% White, 0.07% African American, 0.29% Asian, 0.10% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 1,706 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% 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 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,723, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $30,683 versus $22,331 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $17,797. About 6.4% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Lancaster Community School District is the public school district for the community.Architecture
Lancaster calls itself "The City of the Dome" after the octagonal glass and copper-clad dome of its courthouse building, which was designed by Armand Koch and built in 1905. In the spandrels of the courthouse dome are four allegorical murals painted by Franz Edward Rohrbeck.The Municipal Building (1922) is an example of Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
early modern architecture, which has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The post office contains a Depression-era
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
mural, painted under the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
program in the 1930s.
The stone and wood Patrick Kinney house (1951) in Lancaster was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, one of 45 Wright structures in Wisconsin.
High school athletics
Lancaster High's football team, the "Flying Arrows," has earned six state titles since 1993, five of them since 2000. In 2001 the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
named Coach John Hoch "state coach of the year", and the Green Bay Packers/Wisconsin Football Coaches Association named him "prep football coach of the year". In 2003, he was inducted into the UW-River Falls Athletic Hall of Fame.
Notable people
- George BarnettGeorge BarnettMajor General George Barnett was the 12th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He was Commandant during the U.S. involvement in World War I. He was born in Lancaster, Wisconsin and grew up in the small town of Boscobel, Wisconsin.-Early career:Barnett entered the U.S...
- Commandant of the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States... - Lisle BlackbournLisle BlackbournLisle "Liz" Blackbourn was an American football coach who was the third head coach of the Green Bay Packers. He coached the Packers from 1954 to 1957....
- NFL head coach - John Benton CallisJohn Benton CallisJohn Benton Callis was a postbellum U.S. Representative from Alabama and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
- U.S. Representative from AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland... - Hugh A. HarperHugh A. Harper-Biography:Harper was born on Christmas Eve of 1885 in Lancaster, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and served in the National Guard of the United States.-Political career:...
- Wisconsin State Assemblyman - Carson Abel RobertsCarson Abel RobertsCarson Abel Roberts was a Lieutenant General in the United States Marine Corps.-Biography:Roberts was born on September 4, 1905 in Lancaster, Wisconsin. He would graduate from high school in Madison, Wisconsin and obtain a B.D. in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Roberts would...
- U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General - Dave SchreinerDave SchreinerDavid Nathan "Dave" Schreiner was an American football player. He was a two-time All-American end at Wisconsin and a 1943 draft choice of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was killed in action as a Marine during the Battle of Okinawa. He was elected to the College Football Hall...
- member of the College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move... - William Simon U'Ren - Oregon politician