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Kenosha, Wisconsin
Clockwise from top: Harbor Park, Kenosha North Pier Light overlooking Simmons Island Beach, Tram passing the Kenosha County Courthouse and Jail, Kenosha Harbor, Kenosha Civil War Museum
Official seal of Kenosha, Wisconsin
Seal
Official logo of Kenosha, Wisconsin
Logo
Nickname(s): 
K-Town
Motto(s): 
Charting a Better Course
Location of Kenosha in Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Location of Kenosha in Kenosha County, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin is located in Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin is located in the United States
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Location in the United States
Kenosha, Wisconsin is located in North America
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Location in North America
Country  United States
State  Wisconsin
County Kenosha
Settled Pike Creek, 1835
Incorporated Kenosha, February 8, 1850
Government
 • Type Municipality
Area
 • Total 28.45 sq mi (73.69 km2)
 • Land 28.36 sq mi (73.46 km2)
 • Water 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)
Elevation
604 ft (184 m)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total 100,052 Increase
 • Density 3,684.1/sq mi (1,360.46/km2)
Demonym(s) Kenoshan
Time zone UTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
53140–53144
Area code(s) 262
FIPS code 55-39225
GNIS feature ID 1567416
Commuter Rail Metra Logo without slogan.png
Website www.kenosha.org

Kenosha is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. As of 2022, its population is estimated to be 100,052, up from 99,986 at the 2020 census, which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha sits on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan and is the fourth-largest city to border it. Although closer to Milwaukee (about 40 miles) than to Chicago (about 66 miles), the United States Census Bureau considers Kenosha a Chicagoland satellite city.

Kenosha was once a center of industrial activity; it was home to large automotive factories which fueled its economy. Like other Rust Belt cities, Kenosha lost these factories in the late 20th century, causing it to gradually transition into a hub for the services-based economy of today, although the city did not experience massive population decline. In recent years, the city and surrounding county have benefited from increased job growth, although ongoing gentrification has caused an increase in housing and rental costs. It is home to the headquarters of the Fortune 1000 tool manufacturer Snap-on Inc., as well as the clothing company Jockey International. Kenosha is home to multiple educational institutions including the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, Carthage College, and Gateway Technical College. Residents of the city are called Kenoshans.

History

Early archaeological sites have been discovered in the Kenosha vicinity; the discoverer of two sites believes they antedate the Clovis culture, making them contemporaneous with the ice age. Paleo Indians settled in the area at least 13,500 years ago.

The Potawatomi originally named the area ginoozhe (also transcribed kenozia, kinoje) 'place of the pike'.

The early name by the Ojibwa Indians is reported as Masu-kinoja. This describes the place of spawning trout as "trout (pike) come all at same time". Thousands of fish were entering the rivers from Lake Michigan. Harvesting these fish provided food for the coming months.

The first white settlers, part of the Western Emigration Company, arrived in the early 1830s from Hannibal and Troy, New York, led by John Bullen, Jr., who sought to purchase enough land for a town. Thwarted in Milwaukee and Racine, the group arrived at Pike Creek on 6 June 1835, building log homes at first and, later, homes of frame, native stone, and brick. The first school and churches followed by 1835, with platting completed in 1836. As more settlers arrived and the first post office was established, the community was first known as Pike Creek in 1836. In the ensuing years, the area became an important Great Lakes shipping port, and in 1837, the village was renamed Southport, a name which lives on as a southeast-side neighborhood, park, and elementary school, and has been adopted by several businesses.

In 1850, another change brought the growing city (and later Kenosha County) its current title, an Anglicized version of the early name Kinoje.

Between 1902 and 1988, Kenosha produced millions of automobiles and trucks under marques such as Jeffery, Rambler, Nash, Hudson, LaFayette, and American Motors Corporation (AMC). A prototype steam car was built in Kenosha by the Sullivan-Becker engineering firm in 1900. Two years later, the Thomas B. Jeffery Company, builders of the Sterling bicycle, began production of the Rambler runabout. In 1902, Rambler and Oldsmobile were the first cars to employ mass-production techniques. The 1902 Rambler was also the first automobile to use a steering wheel, rather than the then-common tiller-controlled steering. Auto executive Charles W. Nash purchased Jeffrey in 1916 and the new company became Nash Motors. In May 1954, Nash acquired Detroit-based Hudson and the new firm was named American Motors Corporation. A 47-acre (190,000 m2) west side park and an elementary school are named for Charles W. Nash.

Kenosha Harborpark
Harborpark

In partnership with French automaker Renault, AMC manufactured several models in Kenosha in the early 1980s, including the Alliance, which won the 1983 "Car of The Year" award from Motor Trend. Two decades earlier, AMC's 1963 Rambler Classic had also received the award. In 1987, Renault sold its controlling interest in AMC to Chrysler Corporation, which had already contracted with AMC for the production of its M-body midsized cars at the Kenosha plant. The AMC Lakefront plant (1960–88), a smaller facility, was demolished in 1990 (a chimney-demolition ceremony that June drew 10,000 spectators) and was redeveloped into upscale HarborPark. The area now hosts lakeside condominiums, a large recreational marina, numerous parks and promenades, sculptures, fountains, the Kenosha Public Museum, and the Civil War Museum, all of which are connected by the Kenosha Electric Railway streetcar system.

From the start of the 20th century through the 1930s, Italian, Irish, Polish, and German immigrants, many of them skilled craftsmen, made their way to the city and contributed to the city's construction, culture, architecture, music, and literature.

Kenosha has 21 locations and three districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Library Park, Third Avenue, and the Civic Center historic districts. The city has a Kenosha Landmarks Commission, and among the many local city-designated landmarks are the 1929 YMCA at 711 59th Place, the Manor House at 6536 Third Avenue, the John McCaffary House at 5732 13th Court, the St. Matthew Episcopal Church at 5900 Seventh Avenue, the Washington Park Clubhouse at 2205 Washington Road, and the Justin Weed House at 3509 Washington Road.

In June 1993, the city installed reproductions of the historic Sheridan LeGrande street lights that were specially designed for Kenosha by Westinghouse Electric in 1928; these can be seen on Sixth Avenue between 54th Street and 59th Place. A classic two-mile (3.2 km) downtown electric streetcar system was opened on June 17, 2000, and on September 22nd, 2014, the Kenosha city council approved a crosstown extension of the system incorporating the existing route between 48th and 61st Streets on both Sixth and Eighth Avenues.

Geography

Kenosha is in southeastern Wisconsin at 42°34′56″N 87°50′44″W / 42.58222°N 87.84556°W / 42.58222; -87.84556 (42.582220, -87.845624). It is bordered by Lake Michigan to the east, the Village of Somers to the north, the village of Bristol to the west, and the village of Pleasant Prairie to the south. Kenosha's passenger train station is the last stop on Chicago's Union Pacific North Metra Line and is almost halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.03 square miles (70.01 km2), of which, 26.93 square miles (69.75 km2) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km2) is water.

Climate

Kenosha has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm summers and cold winters. The record high is 105 °F (40 °C), set in July 2012. The record low is -31 °F (-35 °C) set in January 1985.

Climate data for Kenosha, WI (1981-2010 normals, extremes 1944-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)
69
(21)
83
(28)
90
(32)
94
(34)
102
(39)
105
(41)
102
(39)
100
(38)
89
(32)
81
(27)
70
(21)
105
(41)
Average high °F (°C) 30.4
(−0.9)
33.7
(0.9)
42.8
(6.0)
52.8
(11.6)
62.7
(17.1)
73.3
(22.9)
79.3
(26.3)
78.1
(25.6)
71.0
(21.7)
59.7
(15.4)
47.1
(8.4)
34.3
(1.3)
55.4
(13.0)
Average low °F (°C) 16.4
(−8.7)
20.2
(−6.6)
28.2
(−2.1)
37.5
(3.1)
46.3
(7.9)
56.6
(13.7)
63.5
(17.5)
63.4
(17.4)
55.4
(13.0)
43.9
(6.6)
32.8
(0.4)
20.7
(−6.3)
40.4
(4.7)
Record low °F (°C) −31
(−35)
−23
(−31)
−9
(−23)
10
(−12)
26
(−3)
33
(1)
41
(5)
40
(4)
30
(−1)
20
(−7)
−5
(−21)
−29
(−34)
−31
(−35)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.76
(45)
1.39
(35)
2.57
(65)
3.77
(96)
3.94
(100)
3.63
(92)
3.63
(92)
4.05
(103)
3.47
(88)
2.99
(76)
2.82
(72)
2.12
(54)
36.14
(918)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 12.0
(30)
8.8
(22)
5.0
(13)
0.7
(1.8)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.1
(0.25)
1.0
(2.5)
8.2
(21)
35.8
(91)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 3,455
1860 3,990 15.5%
1870 4,309 8.0%
1880 4,039 −6.3%
1890 6,532 61.7%
1900 11,606 77.7%
1910 21,371 84.1%
1920 40,472 89.4%
1930 50,262 24.2%
1940 48,765 −3.0%
1950 54,368 11.5%
1960 67,899 24.9%
1970 78,805 16.1%
1980 77,685 −1.4%
1990 80,352 3.4%
2000 90,352 12.4%
2010 99,218 9.8%
2020 99,986 0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 census

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 99,986 people and 38,416 households residing in the city. The population density was 3,684.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,422.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 76.6% White, 10.7% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, and 7.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 17.9% of the population.

24.6% of residents were under the age of 18, 13.3% were above of the age of 65, and the gender makeup was 48.7% male and 51.3% female. 9.0% of residents were foreign born. 88.4% of residents possessed a high school education and 25.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher. The medium household income was $56,113, with 15.6% of residents living below the poverty line.

2019 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates


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Racial Makeup of Kenosha (2019)      White alone (79.29%)     Black alone (11.52%)     Native American alone (0.68%)     Asian alone (2.02%)     Pacific Islander alone (0.05%)     Some other race alone (2.81%)     Two or more races (3.63%)


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Racial Makeup of Kenosha treating Hispanics as a Racial Category (2019)
NH=Non-Hispanic      White NH (66.09%)     Black NH (10.98%)     Native American NH (0.53%)     Asian NH (1.97%)     Pacific Islander NH (0.03%)     Other race NH (0.21%)     Two or more races NH (2.36%)     Hispanic Any Race (17.83%)


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Racial Makeup of Hispanics in Kenosha (2019)      White alone (74.01%)     Black alone (3.04%)     Native American alone (0.83%)     Asian alone (0.29%)     Pacific Islander alone (0.10%)     Other race alone (14.61%)     Two or more races (7.13%)

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 99,218 people, 37,376 households, and 24,090 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,684.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,422.5/km2). There were 40,643 housing units at an average density of 1,509.2 per square mile (582.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 77.1% White, 10.0% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 6.8% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 16.3% of the population.

There were 37,376 households, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the city was 33.5 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 10.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

The 2010 census reported that 51 percent of Kenosha residents moved in from other cities and states. The Chamber of Commerce attributed this to the city's museums, lakeshore attractions, cultural and work opportunities, its public-school system, transportation amenities, and relatively lower costs-of-living.

The importance of manufacturing jobs in Kenosha continues to diminish with only 11.7 percent or 7,769 of the total workforce of 66,362 area residents involved, a decline of 22 percent since 1990 and much lower than the statewide percentage of 16.4 percent.

The biggest surge in Kenosha employment by percentage has been in the white-collar workforce. From 1990 to 2017, the percentage of Kenosha's workforce in business and professional services grew nearly fivefold from 3.2% of the workforce to 11%, while statewide the trend was slightly more than double. The growth has been both to due new office developments in the city, but also due to new suburban developments as Illinois workers seek more affordable housing.

Infrastructure

Transportation

According to Walk Score, Kenosha is a largely "car dependent" city, with an overall walk score of 45/100 and has "minimal biking infrastructure", with an overall bike score of 49/100, though its downtown central business district has much higher scores, 84/100 and 72/100 respectively.

20050916 53 Kenosha, WI (12603354643)
Kenosha Metra station platform

Major highways

I-41 / I-94 / US 41 – Milwaukee, Chicago
WIS 50
WIS 31 (Green Bay Road)
WIS 32 (Sheridan Road)
WIS 158
WIS 165

Railroad

Kenosha has been served by rail service to and from Chicago since May 19, 1855, when the predecessors to the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Milwaukee and Chicago Railway Company (originally the Illinois Parallel Railroad) and the original "Lake Shore Railroad" (later the Green Bay, Milwaukee and Chicago Railway) were officially joined with great ceremony just south of today's 52nd Street.

Mass transit

Kenosha has the only Metra station in Wisconsin, with nine inbound and nine outbound trains each weekday. Passenger ridership on the Kenosha line was up by a slight 0.06% in 2009, while elsewhere on the 11-route Metra system, passenger counts dropped by 5.2 percent. Not all Union Pacific/North Line trains terminate and originate in Kenosha; most terminate at Waukegan, Illinois, to the south of Kenosha.

Since June 2000, a 2-mile (3.2 km) streetcar line has served the downtown area and HarborPark, connecting the Metra station with downtown and several area parks. Kenosha is one of the smallest cities in America with any type of streetcar system today.

In addition to its streetcar line, Kenosha has a city bus network with eight routes. Kenosha was the first city to color-code transit routes (with the Blue, Green, Red, and Orange Lines), and also the first city to use electric trolley buses in full transit service, both occurring on February 14, 1932.

Kenosha Regional Airport (KENW) serves the city and surrounding communities. The city is located approximately 52 miles north of O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL and 33 miles south of General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee.

Public safety

The Kenosha Police Department is responsible for the law enforcement in Kenosha since 1850, and is housed in the Kenosha Public Safety building. The Kenosha County Courthouse and Jail were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The jail and a separate facility, the Kenosha County Detention Center (KCDC), are operated by the sheriff's department. The Kenosha Correctional Center, a minimum security state prison, is also located in Kenosha and is under the operation of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

In August 2020, during the Kenosha unrest, a probation and parole building utilized by the Division of Community Corrections was burned down by rioters.

Culture

Kenosha's three downtown museums, the Kenosha Public Museum, the Civil War Museum and the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, are Smithsonian Institution affiliates.

Completed in 2001, the Kenosha Public Museum is on the Lake Michigan shoreline. Its main exhibit is a prehistoric woolly mammoth skeleton uncovered in western Kenosha in 1992. Cut-marks on its bones indicate that the animals were butchered by humans using stone tools. Carbon dating indicates their age to be 12,500 radiocarbon years old or 14,500 calendar years old, one thousand radiocarbon years earlier than the previously-accepted presence of humans in the Americas. The museum also displays other ice age and fine art exhibits.

The Kenosha History Center is in the 1917 city water treatment plant on Simmons Island adjoining the 1866 Kenosha Light Station. It showcases the history of Kenosha from the time of Native American settlements and the first European settlements to the present day. The 1906 Kenosha North Pier Light is nearby.

Kenosha's 59,000-square-foot (5,500 m2) Civil War Museum opened on June 13, 2008. The main exhibit, "The Fiery Trial", opened September 15, 2008. It is a 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) exhibit offering an interactive experience of the role of six Midwestern states before, during, and after the American Civil War.

The Dinosaur Discovery Museum, designated a federal repository, opened in August 2006 in the historic Old Post Office adjoining the 56th Street streetcar line at Tenth Avenue, and includes an on-site paleontology laboratory operated through the Carthage College Institute of Paleontology.

The Kenosha Transit Carhouse at 724 54th Street, which houses Kenosha's historic fleet of PCC streetcars, is occasionally open for guided tours.

Red light
Lighthouse overlooking beach on Simmons Island

A Maritime Museum has been created within the restored 1866 Southport Light and Lighthouse Keeper's cottage on Simmons Island.

Music

Summer band performances are traditionally put on by the Kenosha American Legion Band (renamed the Kenosha Concert Band in 1963 and now called the Kenosha Pops Concert Band). Since 1988 the concerts have been at Kenosha's Sesquicentennial Bandshell in Pennoyer Park.

The Kenosha Lakeshore Youth Philharmonic offers an intensive orchestral experience to middle school and high school musicians.

Kenosha Unified School District offers a touring summer marching band program for students at all school-band-age levels. Continental Band, American Band, and Rambler Band offer opportunities for novice and intermediate musicians. These bands perform in parades and concert events throughout the summer in southern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. The Band of the Black Watch brings together musicians from all of Kenosha's high schools. It performs on an annual trip to varying locations, which have included Disney World and Toronto.

Since 1974, KUSD high schools have staged Ye Olde Englishe Christmasse Feaste featuring the Madrigal Singers, a premium a cappella ensemble, along with jesters, fencers, jugglers and actors, in a dinner theater recreation of an authentic Renaissance manor house. Founded by Kurt Chalgren, the show typically runs four performances in the second weekend of December.

Southeast Wisconsin Performing Arts (SEWPA) sponsors the Opera à la Carte evening concert series featuring middle school, high school and college singers.

The Music of the Stars radio program, heard worldwide over WLIP, has originated from Kenosha since 1992.

The Kenosha Symphony Orchestra presents concerts in the acoustically-correct Reuther Central Auditorium (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) at Walter Reuther Central High School in downtown Kenosha. Film composer and orchestrator Lucien Cailliet, orchestrator for The Ten Commandments, was the KSO conductor until 1960.

Since 2002, the outdoor Peanut Butter and Jam Concert Series has been held every Thursday in July and August at Veterans Memorial Park.

Lincoln Park Live! concerts began in 2005 on the Lincoln Park lawns near the Warren Taylor Memorial Gardens.

A number of outdoor jazz events are offered throughout the summer months, most often at Veterans' Memorial Park and the historic Kemper Center.

Bands that have originated in Kenosha include the Pat Crawford Big Band, the Jazz Wave, the Parkside Reunion Big Band, Reminiscing (defunct), Electric Hellfire Club, Lazarus A.D., Jungle Rot, Product of Hate, and PATH.

Religion

Kenosha has dozens of churches, two synagogues, and is home to the American Albanian Islamic Center of Wisconsin. Of the Christian churches, 14 are Lutheran, 13 are Roman Catholic, and 12 are Baptist; other Christian denominations with churches include Anglican, Episcopal, Seventh-day Adventists, Churches of Christ, Methodism, African Methodist Episcopal, Apostolic, Eastern Orthodox, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, and Presbyterianism.

Recreation

Parks

Kenosha has eight miles (13 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline frontage, nearly all of which is public. The city has 74 municipal parks, totaling 781.52 acres (3.1627 km2).

Kenosha's Washington Park includes the oldest operating velodrome in the United States (opened in 1927) at Washington Bowl. The Kenosha Velodrome Association sponsors American Track Cycling sanctioned races and training sessions at the "Bowl" throughout the summer. Races are held on Tuesday evenings from mid-May through August. Free seating is available on the inside of the track, and on important race days concessions are available.

Petrifying Springs Park, which flanks the Pike River, was developed in the 1930s on the northwestern edge of the city. It is named for its artesian mineral water. Over ten miles (16 km) of trails wind through the wooded park, which also contains an 18-hole golf course.

Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum has three historic buildings and several trails for hiking.

Library Park is home to a statue of Abraham Lincoln by Charles Henry Niehaus as well as a veterans-memorial statue ("Winged Victory") by the Italian sculptor Decco.

Kenosha has been a Tree City USA since 1982.

Golf

Kenosha has a number of golf courses. Petrifying Springs Golf Course was named the "No. 1 Sporty Course in Wisconsin". The Washington Park Golf Course was dedicated on February 18, 1922, and its 1937 English-cottage clubhouse is a city landmark. Most recently, new private courses have opened, including Strawberry Creek.

Cycling

Kenosha was home to the Food Folks and Spokes criterium racing event, a part of the International Cycling Classic known as "SuperWeek" in which cyclists from all over the world compete in various types of cycling events. Kenosha is home to the Washington Park Velodrome, the longest-operating 333-meter track; it opened in 1927.

Sport

It is believed that in 1924 Kenosha was the home of the short lived Kenosha Maroons, an early National Football League team that dissolved after going 0-4-1.

The city was the home of the Kenosha Cardinals, a semi-professional football team between 1937 and 1941 which played at Lake Front Stadium at 58th Street and Third Avenue.

The Kenosha Cougars are a semi-professional football that plays home games at Ameche Field.

The Kenosha Kingfish, a baseball team in the Northwoods League, played its first game at historic Simmons Field on May 31, 2014 with a sold-out crowd of 3,218 fans, and in 2015 won their first championship.

The Kenosha Yacht Club was established in 1912.

Rankings

  • In 2005 Money listed Kenosha as 94th on its list of "Best Places to Live".
  • In 2005, the Milken Institute rated Kenosha 86th among the largest 200 metro areas in the United States in its "Best Performing Cities" list;
  • In May 2006, Inc. Magazine ranked Kenosha #45 on its "Hottest Midsize Cities" list;
  • Worldwide ERC in 2006 included Kenosha among its "Best Cities for Relocating Families" list in the 500,000 to 250,000 metro population category.

Sister cities

Kenosha's four sister cities are:

Neighborhoods of Kenosha

Economy

Kenosha Harborpark 2
Harbor Park and the surrounding residential area. Nearly 90% of Kenosha's lakefront is dedicated to public use and is a major contributor to the city's economy.

Kenosha was at one time a hub of manufacturing, and is now a bedroom community because of the ease of access to the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor. According to county statistics, 49% of Kenosha's workforce commutes outside of Kenosha County to their positions. Many travel northward towards Milwaukee or south into the Chicago area. A 2016 study found that Kenosha's "out-commuters most likely work for positions in healthcare, manufacturing, professional/scientific and technical services. The majority of occupations included management, business/financial, and office/administrative support position", and 73 percent of out-commuters have a bachelor's degree or a higher level of education. During the 2010s and into the 2020s, Kenosha (and Wisconsin as a whole) saw large influxes of Illinois residents moving to the city due to cheaper housing costs and lower taxes.

Snap-on Tools world headquarters and Jockey International corporate headquarters are in Kenosha. Kenosha has a number of light industrial and distribution companies in outlying business parks. Amazon, Rustoleum, Uline, Associated Wholesale Grocers, and others have warehouses and distribution centers located in Kenosha. In 2022, Square Roots farm opened a fully indoor hydroponic facility within refurbished shipping containers in Kenosha. It is expected to be able to grow 2.4 million packages of fresh produce annually for distribution to the surrounding Chicago and Milwaukee metro areas.

Tourists spent an estimated $196.6 million in Kenosha County in 2015, with the county ranking fourth in the state in tourist money generated.

Downtown Kenosha sits along the Lake Michigan lakefront. In recent years, organizations such as Downtown Kenosha Inc. (DKI) manage the day-to-day economic development efforts, business support and promotional activities for the district. Downtown Kenosha is home to the Kenosha HarborMarket, a European-style farmer's market held mid-May through mid-October on 2nd Ave bisected by the 56th Street boulevard streetcar line. It hosts stalls with local food products and artisan creations. In addition, the downtown area has a collection of over 50 restaurants, bars, breweries, and shops of various kinds. Frank's Diner, which has been an attraction in downtown Kenosha since 1926, is the oldest diner in the United States and has been featured twice on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, once in 2007 and again in 2021. Residential developments have also provided added condominiums and apartments.

Near downtown, the Kenosha Public Museum System includes the main Kenosha Public Museum, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum in association with Carthage College and the Smithsonian, and the Kenosha Civil War Museum. On Simmons Island, the Kenosha History Center and adjacent Maritime Museum offer memorabilia from the city's nautical past.

In February 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced $10 million in state funding toward the proposed Kenosha STEM Innovation Center within the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood (KIN), which is a currently planned 60,000 sq. ft. building to be constructed on the empty 107 acre site of the former Chrysler factory. It will serve as a multi-purpose building dedicated to education, workforce development, and entrepreneurial opportunities. In December 2020, the city announced a plan for the KIN. In July 2021, the federal government awarded Kenosha $4.9 million in federal CARES Act funds toward the neighborhood, and in November, Mayor John Antaramian announced that Lakeview Technology Academy would relocate to the KIN. In March 2022, Evers officially announced $15 million in funding toward the KIN, which is expected to take 8-10 years to be fully completed and will include the collaboration of UW-Parkside, Carthage College, Gateway Technical College, and Herzing University.

Sports

The city's oldest sporting club, the Kenosha Yacht Club, was established in 1912.

Kenosha was home to the short lived Kenosha Maroons NFL franchise in 1924. They folded after going 0–4–1. It was also the home of the Kenosha Cardinals, a semi-professional football team between 1937 and 1941 which played at Lake Front Stadium at 58th Street and Third Avenue. Today, Kenosha is home to one semi-professional football team formed in 2007, the Kenosha Cougars. They play in the Northern Lights Football League (NLFL). The Bradford High School Red Devils won a state football championship in 2011.

Several baseball teams have played at Simmons Field on the city's south side, including the Kenosha Comets, charter members of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who played in the league from 1943 to 1951. Kenosha was also home to the Frontier League's Kenosha Mammoths in 2003, and the Single-A Kenosha Twins from 1984 to 1992. It is currently home to the Kenosha Kingfish, a collegiate baseball team in the Northwoods League, which played its first game on May 31, 2014, and in 2015 won their first championship. In 2020, it was also home to the K-Town Bobbers, featured in a 26-game "Kenosha Series" against the Kenosha Kingfish in July 2020 as part of the NWL “Pod” system of play adopted for 2020.

In 2022, Kenosha became the home of the Kenosha United F.C. Premier Arena Soccer League. They play their home games in nearby Sturtevant, Wisconsin.

Education

Public schools

The Kenosha Unified School District operates 23 public elementary schools, five middle schools, seven charter schools, and six high schools: Mary D. Bradford High School, George Nelson Tremper High School, Indian Trail High School and Academy, LakeView Technology Academy, Reuther Central High School, and Harborside Academy, the latter a research school that uses the Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound model; it was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Private schools

Kenosha's private schools include St. Joseph Catholic Academy, All Saints Catholic School, Bethany Lutheran School, Friedens Lutheran School, Christ Lutheran Academy, Kenosha Montessori School, Shoreland Lutheran High School, and Christian Life School. At the beginning of the 2011–2012 school year, St. Mary's and Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii schools became campuses of All Saints Catholic School. Both campuses operate as the same school with the same principal. St. Mark's and St. Joseph High School have also conjoined into Saint Joseph Catholic Academy.

Higher education

Kenosha is home to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with over 4,000 students, Carthage College with over 2,500 students, and the Kenosha campus of Gateway Technical College.

Concordia University Wisconsin, Cardinal Stritch University, National-Louis University, and Herzing University maintain campuses in Kenosha. Journey Ministry College, a cohort of SUM Bible College and Seminary, was established in 2011.

Notable people

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kenosha para niños

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