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Racine is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, along Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River*. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 81,855. It is the county seat of Racine County.

Geography

Racine is located at (42.726052, -87.805873).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.4 km² (18.7 mi²). 40.2 km² (15.5 mi²) of it is land and 8.1 km² (3.1 mi²) of it (16.76%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 81,855 people, 31,449 households, and 20,410 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,033.7/km² (5,267.6/mi²). There were 33,414 housing units at an average density of 830.2/km² (2,150.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.91% White, 20.32% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 7.14% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.95% of the population.

There were 31,449 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

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 age 65 or over.

Government

The government of the City of Racine is divided into executive and legislative branches. The mayor is the chief executive, elected by general election for a term of four years. The mayor appoints commissioners and other officials who oversee the various departments, subject to Common Council approval. The current mayor is Gary Becker. In addition to the mayor, Racine's other citywide elected official is the Municipal Judge. The City Council is the legislative branch and 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. The council takes official action through the passage of ordinances and resolutions.

History

In 1832 just after the Blackhawk War the area surrounding Racine was settled by Yankees from upstate New York, looking for new horizons for their entrepreneurial urges.

Gilbert Knapp, a Lake boat captain in 1834, 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. (The word "racine" means "root" in French). After Wisconsin statehood was granted in 1848, the new legislature voted in August to incorporate Racine as a city.

Before the American Civil War, Racine was well known for its strong opposition to slavery. Many slaves escaping to freedom via the underground railroad passed through the city. In 1854 Joshua Glover, an escaped slave who had made a home in Racine, was arrested by federal marshals and taken to a jail 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 lead 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.

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 started migrating to Racine from roughly 1925 onward.

Unitarians from New England initially dominated Racine's religious life, as they did in other parts of the Upper Midwest before 1880. Racine's Emmaus Lutheran Church is the oldest Danish Lutheran Church in North America, founded on August 22, 1851. Emmaus Lutheran, originally part of the American Lutheran Church (ALC), merged with the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) in 1988, to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Commercial background

Racine was a factory town almost from the very beginning. The first industry in Racine County included the manufacture of Fanning mills, machines that separated wheat grain from chaff. Racine also had its share of captains of industry, including J. I. Case (heavy equipment), S.C. Johnson (cleaning and chemical products), Secor, and many others.

In 1887, malted milk was invented by William Horlick in Racine. The garbage disposal was invented in 1927 by architect John Hammes of Racine. He founded the company In-Sink-Erator in Racine, which still produces millions of garbage disposers a year. In addition, Racine is the home of Johnson Wax, with its headquarters designed in 1936 by Frank Lloyd Wright, who also designed the Wingspread Conference Center and many residences in Racine. The city is also home to the Dremel corporation as well as Twin Disc.

Racine claims to be the largest North American settlement of Danes outside of Greenland. It is therefore no surprise that Racine is particularly known for its Danish pastries, especially kringle. * The O&H Danish Bakery, founded there in 1949, has been featured on Food Network.

Trivia

Landmarks

Other notable people from Racine

External links

Cities in Wisconsin | Racine County, Wisconsin | Racine, Wisconsin

Racine (Wisconsin) | Racine (Wisconsin)

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Racine, Wisconsin".

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