Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

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Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Location within the state of Wisconsin.
Location within the state of Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 44°48′53″N 91°29′34″W / 44.81472, -91.49278
Country U.S.A.
State Wisconsin
County Fond du Lac
Area
 - City 18.2 sq mi (47.1 km²)
 - Land 16.9 sq mi (43.7 km²)
 - Water 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²)  7.31%
Population (2000)
 - City 42,203
 - Density 2,501.3/sq mi (965.9/km²)
 - Metro 57,479
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s) 920
Website: www.ci.fond-du-lac.wi.us
Lakeside Park entrance
Lakeside Park entrance
Agnesian HealthCare
Agnesian HealthCare

Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for Bottom of the Lake (other translations have included Foot of the Lake [1] or Farthest End of the Lake [2]), for it is located at the bottom (south end) of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census. The city is contiguous to the Town of Fond du Lac, although a small portion borders other adjacent towns.

Together with surrounding communities, the Fond du Lac metropolitan area was, according to the 2000 census, home to 57,479 people. The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Fond du Lac County (2000 population: 97,296), and which, when combined with the 'Beaver Dam (city), WI Micropolitan Statistical Area', form the larger 'Fond du Lac-Beaver Dam, WI Combined Statistical Area'. It was named the safest metropolitan area in the United States in the 2006 edition of City Crime Rankings by Morgan Quitno Press. [3]

Contents

[edit] Education

Fond du Lac has four high schools: Fond du Lac High School, a public high school that replaced Goodrich High School in 2001; St. Mary Springs High School, a private Catholic high school; Winnebago Lutheran Academy, a private Lutheran (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) school; and the Fond du Lac Christian School, a private Christian school.

Fond du Lac is the home of three colleges: Marian University, a private Catholic four year university; the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac, a two year college in the University of Wisconsin System; and Moraine Park Technical College, a two year technical college in the Wisconsin Technical College System.

[edit] Religion

Fond du Lac's population is predominately Roman Catholic[4], at one time having seven Catholic Churches in the city and surrounding area. Since then, the Catholic community has created a focal point called the Holy Family Catholic Church. Two churches, St. Patrick's and St. Louis have been closed and a new worship center has been built on nearby County Roads T and K. Sacred Heart remains open.

The future of St. Patrick's is still uncertain. On Monday March 19th, 2007, nearby Walgreens workers reported smoke and St. Louis church was discovered to be on fire. By the end of the night, the south spire and the entire roof of the sanctuary had collapsed. Images and several video clips of the fire can be viewed at http://www.trackfourdesign.com/church_fire.asp. The church building has now been demolished and is the home of Attitude Sports.

Fond du Lac is the episcopal see of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac. St. Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese.

The mother house of the Sisters of Saint Agnes is located in Fond du Lac. They operate Agnesian HealthCare and St Agnes Hospital in the city.

[edit] Notable businesses

  • Mercury Marine, a division of the Brunswick Corporation, and the largest maker of outboard motors in the world.
  • Brenner Tank Company, maker of aluminum and stainless steel tanker trailers.
  • Giddings and Lewis, a CNC machine tool manufacturer.
  • The Wisconsin division of Wellpoint, operating as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has a national Call Center and office in Fond du Lac.
  • Forest Mall, a division of Simon Malls.
  • ACNielsen, a division of The Nielsen Company.
  • Wells Mfg., L.P., a UCI Inc. company which manufactures automotive engine management components and has been located in Fond du lac, WI for over 100 years.
  • Charter Communications, which has a regional call center and operations base for the northeastern part of their Wisconsin service area located in Fond du Lac.

[edit] Culture

Fond du Lac is the county seat for Fond du Lac County and the site of the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds. The Fond du Lac County Fair takes place annually in late July.

Fond du Lac is also host to Walleye Weekend, an annual summer festival, which is centered around the Mercury Marine National Walleye Fishing Tournament. Walleye Weekend, usually hosted on the second weekend in June is a "Free Family Fun Festival" held in beautiful Lakeside Park on the south shore of Lake Winnebago.

Events include:

  • 5 Mile Walleye Run
  • 2 Mile Mini-Walleye Run
  • Mile Run for Children
  • 1/4 Mile Run for Children
  • 5 Mile Walk
  • 3 Mile Family Walk
  • Family Fun land
  • Youth Soccer tournament
  • Adult Softball and Volleyball
  • All Ages 3 v. 3 Basketball Tournament
  • The World's Largest Walleye Fish Fry
  • Strongest Man Competition
  • Battle of the Bands Competition
  • 4 Stages of Live Music (Featuring The Little River Band in 2007.)

Fond du Lac is the hometown of the fictional Daniel Plainview in the film There Will Be Blood.

[edit] Parks

Lakeside Park contains over 400 acres (1.6 km²) of open recreational space on the south end of Lake Winnebago. Year-round activities include a whitetail deer exhibit. Summer activities include flower displays, boating, picnics, and weddings within the park's picturesque landscape. From April 15 to October 15, the Lakeside Park Light House and its observation tower are open (weather permitting). Visitors can take rides on a miniature train and an antique carousel. Lakeside Park hosts a holiday event filled with Christmas lights, decorations and music.

Buttermilk Park is a large, grassy, hilly park. It contains an amphitheater and a sledding hill.

[edit] Lottery winnings and the "Miracle Mile"

In the 1990s, several grocery and convenience stores on a stretch of South Main Street in Fond du Lac sold large winning Wisconsin Lottery tickets, resulting in that part of Main Street being dubbed "The Miracle Mile."

On August 5, 2006, Ma and Pa's Grocery Express, which is in the heart of the Miracle Mile, sold the only winning Powerball ticket for $209 million. The ticket was claimed on September 22, 2006 by 100 cheese factory workers; all but one chose the cash option. Sargento Cheese is located in Plymouth, Wisconsin and many of the factory workers live in the tiny community of St. Cloud, Wisconsin. Another group of Sargento employees also won a $10,000 prize in August 2007.

[edit] Geography

Fond du Lac is located at 43°46′30″N, 88°26′41″W (43.775139, -88.444907)[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.2 square miles (47.1 km²), of which, 16.9 square miles (43.7 km²) of it is land and 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) of it (7.31%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 42,203 people, 16,638 households, and 10,282 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,501.3 people per square mile (965.9/km²). There were 17,519 housing units at an average density of 1,038.3/sq mi (401.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.59% White, 1.86% Black or African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 2.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,638 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,113, and the median income for a family was $50,341. Males had a median income of $35,682 versus $22,492 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,996. About 4.6% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

See also: Category:People from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

[edit] References

  1. ^ Clorissa Swingen (Spring 1988). Fond du Lac: Links to our Past. Retrieved on 2007-03-20.
  2. ^ Fond du Lac genealogy
  3. ^ "Fond du Lac Named Nation's Safest Metropolitan Area in 2006", Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  4. ^ Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Religion Data
  5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  6. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

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