Beaver Dam, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beaver Dam
City
Left to right, from top: Downtown Beaver Dam, Family Ice Arena, Lake Front Home, Downtown Watertower, Riverview Park, and the Dodge County Historical Society
Location of Beaver Dam in Dodge County, Wisconsin
Beaver Dam Location in Wisconsin Show map of Wisconsin Beaver Dam Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States of America
State	Wisconsin
County	Dodge County
Settled	1852
Area
• City	8.70 sq mi (22.52 km2)
• Land	7.31 sq mi (18.94 km2)
• Water	1.38 sq mi (3.59 km2)  16.89%
Elevation	879 ft (268 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	16,708
• Density	2,242.99/sq mi (866.07/km2)
• Metro	88,489
Time zone	Central
ZIP code	53916
Area code(s)	920
FIPS code	55-05900
GNIS feature ID	1561457

Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. In 2020, about 16,708 people lived there. This makes it the largest city in Dodge County. Beaver Dam is also a main city in the larger Milwaukee area. The city is right next to the Town of Beaver Dam.

History of Beaver Dam

Beaver Dam was first settled in 1841 by Thomas Mackie and Joseph Goetschius. By 1843, nearly 100 people lived there. The city got its name from an old beaver dam in a stream that flowed into the Beaver Dam River. The area was also called Okwaanim by the Chippewa people, which means "beaver dam."

The community officially became a city on March 18, 1856. In the same year, the Milwaukee Railroad arrived. This helped the city grow even more.

During World War II, Beaver Dam had a special camp in the summer of 1944. It was a prisoner of war camp called Camp Beaver Dam. About 300 German prisoners were held there in tents. Today, the Wayland Academy field house stands where the camp used to be.

Geography and Climate

Drumlins near Beaver Dam city and lake, Wisconsin. Drumlins are small, oval-shaped hills made by glaciers.

Beaver Dam is located at 43°27′35″N 88°50′9″W / 43.45972°N 88.83583°W / 43.45972; -88.83583. The city covers about 8.70 square miles (22.52 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, and about 1.38 square miles (3.59 square kilometers) is water.

Beaver Dam has a climate with warm summers. It gets a good amount of snow each year. Since 1996, the city has received an average of 63.5 inches (161 cm) of snow annually. The winter of 2007–2008 was the snowiest on record, with 119.7 inches (304 cm) of snow.

People of Beaver Dam

2020 Census Information

In 2020, Beaver Dam had a population of 16,708 people. The city had about 2,284.7 people per square mile. Most of the people living in Beaver Dam, about 85.0%, were White. Other groups included 1.7% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, and 0.3% Native American. About 4.7% were from other races, and 7.3% were from two or more races. About 11.5% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

2010 Census Information

Williams Free Library

In 2010, there were 16,214 people living in Beaver Dam. There were 6,819 households, with about 30.6% of them having children under 18. About 43.1% of households were married couples. The average age in the city was 37.7 years old. About 25.1% of the people were under 18, and 16.1% were 65 or older.

Education in Beaver Dam

The Beaver Dam Unified School District provides public education for the area.

Elementary Schools

Moraine Park Technical College campus in Beaver Dam

Water tower in Beaver Dam

Beaver Dam has five public elementary schools for students from K to 5th grade. These are Jefferson, Lincoln, Prairie View, Washington, and Wilson Elementary.

There are also two private elementary schools. These are St. Katharine Drexel (for Pre-K to 8th grade) and St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran (for K to 8th grade).

Middle School

Beaver Dam Middle School is the public middle school. It teaches students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades.

High Schools

Beaver Dam High School is the public high school. Their mascot is the Golden Beaver. There is also an alternative school called the Don Smith Learning Academy. It is also part of the Beaver Dam Unified School District.

Beaver Dam High School

The city is also home to Wayland Academy, which is a private school.

Wayland Hall

Colleges

The Beaver Dam campus of Moraine Park Technical College is located in the city.

The Beaver Dam Municipal Building

Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre

Healthcare

Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam is a hospital with 163 beds. The city has doctors who provide primary care.

Gallery

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  Dodge County Historical Society

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  Beaver Dam Family Center and Ice Arena

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  Old Hickory Golf Club

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  Wayland Academy flag and gathering area

Events in Beaver Dam

Many fun events happen in Beaver Dam every year:

January:

• Cabin Fever Fest – 4th Sunday

March:

• Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast – 1st Sunday

April:

• Rotary Casino Night – 1st Saturday
• Beaver Dam Area Orchestra Annual Spring Concert – 3rd Saturday

May:

• Race Into Summer Festival – Sunday of Memorial Day weekend
• Memorial Day Parade – Memorial Day

June:

• Taste of Wisconsin (beer & cheese tasting) – Saturday before Father's Day
• Swan City Classic Car Show – Father's Day

July:

• Lake Days / Swan Park Craft Fair – 2nd weekend

August:

• Corn Roast – 1st Thursday
• Dodge County Fair – 3rd Wednesday through the following Sunday

October

• Fall Downtown Fest

November:

• Midwest Cream Cheese Competition – Saturday of opening of deer hunting
• Economic Update Luncheon – 3rd Wednesday

December:

• Christmas Parade – 1st Saturday

Famous People from Beaver Dam

Sports Stars

Business Leaders

Artists and Scientists

See also

In Spanish: Beaver Dam (Wisconsin) para niños