Antigo, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antigo, Wisconsin
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Northwestern Railroad Park
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Location of Antigo in Langlade County, Wisconsin
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 Antigo, Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
Antigo, Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Langlade |
| Founded | 1878 |
| Seat of Langlade County | 1880 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.51 sq mi (16.86 km2) |
| • Land | 6.46 sq mi (16.72 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.14 km2) 0.91% |
| Elevation | 1,500 ft (500 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,100 |
| • Density | 1,203.25/sq mi (464.58/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Zip Code |
54409
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| Area codes | 715 & 534 |
| FIPS code | 55-02250 |
| Website | www.antigo-city.org |
Antigo is a city in Langlade County, Wisconsin, United States. It is also the county seat, which means it's where the county government is located. In 2020, about 8,100 people lived there.
Antigo is known for its farming and lumber industries. It produces things like wood products, furniture, and other items made from trees.
Contents
History of Antigo
How Antigo Got Its Name
The name Antigo comes from the Ojibwe language. It means "summer balsam firs by the river." Early settlers wrote it down as "nequi-antigo-sebi." There's also another idea that the name comes from a phrase meaning "spring little-river," which is the name of a stream in Antigo called Spring Brook.
Early Settlers and Founding
The land where Antigo is now was originally home to the Menominee people. Later, Ojibwe and Potawatomi groups also moved into the area.
The first European-American settler in Langlade County was Willard Ackley. He arrived in 1853 and set up a trading post. He became good friends with the local Ojibwe community.
The city of Antigo was officially started in 1876 by Francis A. Deleglise and George Eckart. You can still see the log cabin where Deleglise lived at the Langlade County Historical Society Museum. Antigo became an official city in 1883.
Antigo's Industries Through the Years
In the early 1900s, Antigo was famous for its sawmills, which cut wood. Over time, the city's economy grew to include both industry and farming. Today, Antigo is known for potatoes, dairy products, fur, shoes, and metal products, along with its traditional lumber and wood industries.
Recent Achievements
In 2019, the Antigo Baseball team, called the Robins, won their first state championship. They had a great season with 21 wins and only 5 losses!
The Antigo post office opened in 1879 and is still in use today. It's even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Geography and Climate
Where Antigo is Located
Antigo is about 160 miles (257 km) northwest of Milwaukee. The city covers about 6.60 square miles (17.09 sq km), with most of it being land and a small part being water.
Antigo is on a high, flat area about 1,500 feet (457 m) above sea level. This flat land, along with good timber and fertile soil, attracted many people to settle here. The soil in Antigo is so special that the "Antigo silt loam soil" is the official state soil of Wisconsin.
Antigo's Climate
Antigo has a cool climate with four distinct seasons. It can get quite cold in winter, with temperatures often dropping below freezing. Summers are warm, with daily temperatures usually above 50 °F (10 °C) from May to September.
| Climate data for Antigo, Wisconsin | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 60 (16) |
59 (15) |
78 (26) |
90 (32) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
101 (38) |
99 (37) |
94 (34) |
87 (31) |
73 (23) |
59 (15) |
101 (38) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 20.2 (−6.6) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
35.5 (1.9) |
52.4 (11.3) |
66.6 (19.2) |
74.9 (23.8) |
79.0 (26.1) |
76.4 (24.7) |
66.5 (19.2) |
55.0 (12.8) |
38.3 (3.5) |
24.6 (−4.1) |
51.3 (10.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 9.8 (−12.3) |
15.1 (−9.4) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
41.4 (5.2) |
53.9 (12.2) |
62.6 (17.0) |
67.0 (19.4) |
64.9 (18.3) |
55.4 (13.0) |
44.4 (6.9) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
40.6 (4.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −0.7 (−18.2) |
4.1 (−15.5) |
16.9 (−8.4) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
41.2 (5.1) |
50.2 (10.1) |
54.9 (12.7) |
53.4 (11.9) |
44.3 (6.8) |
33.8 (1.0) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −39 (−39) |
−40 (−40) |
−23 (−31) |
−2 (−19) |
17 (−8) |
26 (−3) |
30 (−1) |
30 (−1) |
13 (−11) |
5 (−15) |
−14 (−26) |
−35 (−37) |
−40 (−40) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.87 (22) |
0.78 (20) |
1.64 (42) |
2.61 (66) |
3.01 (76) |
3.67 (93) |
3.96 (101) |
4.23 (107) |
4.02 (102) |
2.60 (66) |
2.07 (53) |
1.17 (30) |
30.63 (778) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 13.8 (35) |
9.1 (23) |
9.5 (24) |
4.1 (10) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.0 (2.5) |
7.3 (19) |
14.6 (37) |
59.9 (152) |
| Source: Midwestern Regional Climate Center | |||||||||||||
Population and People
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 4,424 | — | |
| 1900 | 5,145 | 16.3% | |
| 1910 | 7,196 | 39.9% | |
| 1920 | 8,451 | 17.4% | |
| 1930 | 8,610 | 1.9% | |
| 1940 | 9,495 | 10.3% | |
| 1950 | 9,902 | 4.3% | |
| 1960 | 9,691 | −2.1% | |
| 1970 | 9,005 | −7.1% | |
| 1980 | 8,653 | −3.9% | |
| 1990 | 8,276 | −4.4% | |
| 2000 | 8,560 | 3.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,234 | −3.8% | |
| 2020 | 8,100 | −1.6% | |
2020 Census Information
In 2020, Antigo had 8,100 people living in 3,694 households. Most of the people living in Antigo were White (95.2%). There were also small percentages of African American, Native American, and people of two or more races. About 2.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Arts and Culture
Langlade County Museum
The Langlade County Museum is a great place to learn about the history of Antigo and Langlade County. It's located in an old Carnegie library building from 1902. The museum has many historical items and records.
Horse Racing History
Antigo has a long and interesting history with horse racing, going back over 100 years. Races were held at the Langlade County Fairgrounds as early as the 1890s.
A special mural in Antigo shows how important horse racing still is to the area. Groups like the Antigo Trotting Association used to hold harness horse races regularly.
Antigo is also known as the hometown of many famous horse trainers. One of the most well-known is D. Wayne Lukas. He grew up in Antigo and is now in the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame! He has won many big races, including 14 Triple Crown races.
Parks and Recreation
Clara R McKenna Aquatic Center
The Clara R McKenna Aquatic Center opened in 2005. It's next to Antigo High School and has both a fun recreation pool and a lap pool for swimming. It's open all year round for everyone in the Antigo area.
Langlade County Fairgrounds
The Langlade County Fairgrounds in Antigo has a large building that becomes an indoor ice rink in winter. During other seasons, it's used for activities like 4-H events. The fairgrounds also have a racetrack that was once used for horse racing. Today, it's used for exciting off-road, stock car racing, and demolition derbies in the summer. There are also barns for livestock and a grandstand for watching events.
Education
Public Schools
Public schools in Antigo are managed by the Antigo Unified School District. The city has several public schools:
- East Elementary School
- North Elementary School
- West Elementary School
- Antigo Middle School
- Antigo High School
The Antigo High School's soccer team has been very successful recently, with an impressive record of 40 wins and only 5 losses in the last three seasons!
Private Schools
Besides public schools, Antigo also has two private schools for students from kindergarten through eighth grade:
- Peace Lutheran School (part of Peace Lutheran Church)
- All Saints Catholic School (part of St. John's Catholic Church)
Transportation
Major Roads
The main highways that go through Antigo are U.S. 45, WIS 52, and WIS 64. These roads help people travel to and from the city.
Airport
Langlade County Airport is the local airport in Antigo. For bigger flights, the closest commercial airport is the Central Wisconsin Airport, which is about 50 minutes away in Mosinee.
Notable People
- Clayton Bailey, sculptor
- James A. Barker, Wisconsin state senator
- Justin Berg, Chicago Cubs pitcher
- James Bradley, son of John Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys: A True Story of Courage
- John Bradley, Navy corpsman who took part in the Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
- Walter D. Cavers, Wisconsin state representative
- James Randall Durfee, U.S. federal court judge
- Clair Finch, Wisconsin state representative and lawyer
- Charles Gowan, former Antigo mayor
- Daniel Hartl, geneticist
- Jon Hohman, professional football player
- Paul E. Knapp, U.S. Air Force major general, Wisconsin state adjutant general
- George W. Latta, Wisconsin state representative
- Alfred J. Lauby, Wisconsin state representative
- D. Wayne Lukas, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame horse trainer
- Thomas Lynch, U.S. Representative
- Francis J. McCormick, NFL player
- Elmer Addison Morse, U.S. Representative
- Thomas D. Ourada, Wisconsin state representative
- Joe Piskula, Nashville Predators defenseman
- Burt W. Rynders, Wisconsin state representative and mayor of Antigo
- Ray Szmanda, radio and television personality/spokesperson
- Margaret Turnbull, astronomer, graduate of Antigo High School
- James M. Vande Hey, U.S. Air Force general
- Clair H. Voss, presiding judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals
- Clarence E. Wagner, mayor of Long Beach, California
- Eli Waste, Wisconsin state representative
- Sarah Waukau, Wisconsin state representative
See also
In Spanish: Antigo (Wisconsin) para niños
