Platteville, Wisconsin
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| Platteville, Wisconsin | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| County | Grant |
| Government | |
| - City Manager | David Berner |
| Area | |
| - Land | 4.20 sq mi (10.9 km²) |
| Elevation | 991 ft (302 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 9,748 |
| - Density | 2,320/sq mi (895.8/km²) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 608 |
| Website: http://www.platteville.org/ | |
Platteville is a city in Grant County, Wisconsin, which is in the southwest corner of the state. The population was 9,989 at the 2000 census. A 2006 population estimate by the US Census reduced Platteville's population to 9,748.[1][2]
The city is home to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The school is known for its education, business, agricultural, and engineering colleges.
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[edit] History
Platteville was a small farming and fur trading community along the Platte River, from which the town got its name. In the 1800s, lead was discovered in the area and a mining boom took the area by storm. During this boom, both a teacher's college and a separate mining college were founded. These two colleges later merged and became University of Wisconsin-Platteville. The University of Wisconsin-Platteville specializes in engineering.
After the lead mines went dry, the two colleges and the surrounding farming community kept Platteville from becoming a ghost town. Today, Platteville is mainly a college town and slowly developing into a white-collar city. The white-collar growth is due the growing number of engineering firms that are locating to Platteville to take advantage of UW-P's strong engineering program.
In the 1980s, the Chicago Bears football team held training camp on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Platteville. This resulted in an infusion of tens of millions of dollars into the local economy each summer. The money stopped flowing after the Bears decided to hold training camp in Illinois.
In 2004, the University of Wisconsin System approved University of Wisconsin-Platteville to expand its student enrollment from 5,000 to 7,500. This expansion is expected to be a huge boom to Platteville.
Also in 2004, U.S. Highway 151 was upgraded to a limited-access superhighway and its new lanes now run further south of Platteville. Before the upgrade, US 151 cut closer to Platteville and, along the stretch that hugged Platteville, fast food restaurants sprang up and both Wal-Mart and K-Mart opened. However, Platteville has already made changes to incorporate in the new southern US 151 bypassing it. A brand-new hospital was built just north of US 151 and next to its off-ramps. There is also a Wal-Mart Supercenter near the northern end of the US 151 bypass. A Menards has recently opened next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
[edit] Culture
Like most small college towns, Platteville has two different lifestyles. During the fall, winter, and spring, Platteville is a bustling college town with what seems to residents to be an overflow of college students. During the summer, the town quiets down as most students leave the campus for summer jobs.
The main source of culture in Platteville is the Center for the Arts on University of Wisconsin-Platteville's campus. The Center sponsors a steady stream of professional touring events. These performances are extremely well attended by the town's residents.
One major summer attraction is featured at the UWP-Center for the Arts. The "Heartland Festival" is a semi-professional theatre festival that puts on four shows that play through out the summer. The cast is a combination of talented hired-in professionals and local residents. In last year's production of Sound of Music, the high school principal Dr. Jeffrey Jacobson played the role of Captain Van Trapp opposite professional Michelle Pickett of Milliken University as Maria.[3]
[edit] Geography
Platteville is located at (42.73707, -90.477501)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²).None of the area is covered with water.
Platteville is serviced by Wisconsin State Highways 80 & 81, as well as U.S. Highway 151. Originally, U.S. 151 went through the valley that made up the southern border of the city's limits, but with the completion of the four-lane limited-access superhighway, traffic has been routed on to the new highway, and as a result the highway now loops a bit more south of the city.
If you were to look at a street map of Platteville, you would find very few straight streets anywhere in it. This is because of the mining that happened in the 1800s. Underneath Platteville exists a honeycomb of abandoned old mines. City streets were built where the mines are not.
Platteville is located in the Coulee Region, and the city is situated in the rolling hills of Wisconsin.
[edit] The Big M
Platteville has the world's largest M, a claim that its Chamber of Commerce states is unchallenged. The M is a monogram for the former Wisconsin Mining School (now the University of Wisconsin-Platteville). The M is composed of rocks laid on a hill and is whitewashed (not painted) every year. The M can be seen many places in Platteville and sometimes in Iowa when not blocked by a building and weather is favorable toward visibility. A stairway leads up the right side of the M. It's a great picnicing area. The M is lit twice a year with oil lights by UW-Platteville students. It is an attraction Platteville citizens generally appreciate.[5]
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,312 households, and 1,692 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,376.4 people per square mile (918.3/km²). There were 3,482 housing units at an average density of 828.4/sq mi (320.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.15% White, 1.12% Black or African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 3,312 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% 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 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 14.4% under the age of 18, 41.3% from 18 to 24, 17.5% from 25 to 44, 14.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 119.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,742, and the median income for a family was $50,583. Males had a median income of $31,424 versus $21,896 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,858. About 4.6% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Platteville include:
- John Fiedler (1925-2005) voice actor and character actor in stage, film, television and radio, perhaps best remembered for two roles: the voice of Piglet in Disney's many Winnie the Pooh productions and the role of Mr. Peterson, nervous patient on The Bob Newhart Show.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.city-data.com/city/Platteville-Wisconsin.html
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=&geo_id=16000US5563250&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US55%7C16000US5563250&_street=&_county=platteville&_cityTown=platteville&_state=04000US55&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
- ^ http://www.uwplatt.edu/arts/heartland/
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Attractions. Platteville Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ O'Donnell, Michelle. "John Fiedler, 80, Stage Actor and Film Voice of Pooh's Piglet, Dies", New York Times, June 27, 2005. Accessed December 15, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Platteville, Wisconsin is at coordinates Coordinates:
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