Medford, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Medford, Wisconsin
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Downtown Medford viewed from across the Little Black River
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Location of Medford in Taylor County, Wisconsin.
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| Country | United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Taylor |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.52 sq mi (11.71 km2) |
| • Land | 4.49 sq mi (11.64 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,349 |
| • Density | 968.0/sq mi (373.7/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP codes |
54451
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| Area code(s) | 715 |
| FIPS code | 55-50425 |
Medford is a city in Wisconsin, United States. It is the main city and county seat of Taylor County, Wisconsin. In 2020, about 4,349 people lived there. Medford is mostly located within the area of the Town of Medford.
Contents
History of Medford
How Medford Began
Medford is built on land that once belonged to the Ojibwe people. The United States government gained this forest land in 1837 through a special agreement called the Treaty of St. Peters.
In 1864, the government decided to give away a large piece of this land. This was to help pay for building new railroads. The Wisconsin Central Railroad Company got this land. They built a railroad through the area in the 1870s.
Building the City
The railroad company and a local company that cut down trees worked together. They planned out the city of Medford in 1875. They sold pieces of land for twenty-five dollars each. The railroad named the new town after Medford, Massachusetts. This was the hometown of one of the railroad's important leaders.
Medford quickly became a busy place for sending wood. Within a year, over 1.5 million board feet of lumber was sent out by train. Soon, much of the forest was cut down to make way for farms.
Medford as County Seat
In 1875, the Wisconsin Legislature created Taylor County. They chose Medford to be the county seat. This meant Medford would be the main city where the county government offices were.
There was a disagreement about where to build the courthouse. But in the end, the Taylor County Courthouse was built on land given by the railroad company.
The Mink Capital
In the 1960s and 1970s, Medford had a special festival each year. It was called the Mink festival. The town was known as the "Mink capital of the world." Many farms in Taylor County raise mink. This makes the county a top producer of mink in North America.
Medford's Location and Weather
Where is Medford?
Medford is located at 45°8′16″N 90°20′42″W / 45.13778°N 90.34500°W.
The United States Census Bureau says the city covers about 4.52 square miles (11.71 km2) in total. Most of this area, about 4.49 square miles (11.63 km2), is land. Only a small part, about 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2), is water.
Medford's Climate
| Climate data for Medford, Wisconsin, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 52 (11) |
60 (16) |
78 (26) |
89 (32) |
101 (38) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
100 (38) |
99 (37) |
89 (32) |
73 (23) |
60 (16) |
104 (40) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 37.8 (3.2) |
44.1 (6.7) |
59.1 (15.1) |
74.7 (23.7) |
82.9 (28.3) |
87.3 (30.7) |
88.5 (31.4) |
87.9 (31.1) |
83.7 (28.7) |
74.6 (23.7) |
57.4 (14.1) |
42.7 (5.9) |
90.7 (32.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 20.6 (−6.3) |
25.8 (−3.4) |
38.1 (3.4) |
52.3 (11.3) |
65.8 (18.8) |
74.8 (23.8) |
78.8 (26.0) |
77.0 (25.0) |
69.2 (20.7) |
54.8 (12.7) |
38.7 (3.7) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
51.8 (11.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 11.4 (−11.4) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
41.5 (5.3) |
54.5 (12.5) |
64.0 (17.8) |
68.0 (20.0) |
66.2 (19.0) |
58.3 (14.6) |
44.7 (7.1) |
30.9 (−0.6) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
41.8 (5.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 2.3 (−16.5) |
5.6 (−14.7) |
17.9 (−7.8) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
43.3 (6.3) |
53.3 (11.8) |
57.2 (14.0) |
55.3 (12.9) |
47.3 (8.5) |
34.5 (1.4) |
23.0 (−5.0) |
10.3 (−12.1) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −19.1 (−28.4) |
−15.7 (−26.5) |
−5.3 (−20.7) |
16.0 (−8.9) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
39.1 (3.9) |
46.4 (8.0) |
43.6 (6.4) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
5.0 (−15.0) |
−11.6 (−24.2) |
−23.0 (−30.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −40 (−40) |
−45 (−43) |
−40 (−40) |
−4 (−20) |
16 (−9) |
22 (−6) |
34 (1) |
30 (−1) |
11 (−12) |
2 (−17) |
−19 (−28) |
−31 (−35) |
−45 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.09 (28) |
1.10 (28) |
1.67 (42) |
2.98 (76) |
3.68 (93) |
4.84 (123) |
4.02 (102) |
4.30 (109) |
3.90 (99) |
3.25 (83) |
1.94 (49) |
1.43 (36) |
34.20 (869) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.8 (33) |
13.9 (35) |
6.0 (15) |
4.0 (10) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.5 (1.3) |
4.5 (11) |
15.2 (39) |
57.0 (145) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.7 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 11.0 | 12.4 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 10.6 | 11.3 | 11.4 | 8.9 | 10.3 | 124.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 6.8 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 6.8 | 25.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People of Medford
How Many People Live Here?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 504 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,193 | 136.7% | |
| 1900 | 1,758 | 47.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,846 | 5.0% | |
| 1920 | 1,881 | 1.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,918 | 2.0% | |
| 1940 | 2,361 | 23.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,799 | 18.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,260 | 16.5% | |
| 1970 | 3,454 | 6.0% | |
| 1980 | 4,035 | 16.8% | |
| 1990 | 4,283 | 6.1% | |
| 2000 | 4,350 | 1.6% | |
| 2010 | 4,326 | −0.6% | |
| 2020 | 4,349 | 0.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2020, the population of Medford was 4,349 people. This means there were about 968.0 inhabitants per square mile (373.7/km2) people per square mile. There were also 2,163 homes in the city.
Most people in Medford are White (92.3%). Other groups include Asian, Black or African American, and Native American. About 4.6% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
A Look at 2010 Data
In 2010, there were 4,326 people living in Medford. There were 1,982 households, which are groups of people living together. About 26% of these households had children under 18.
The average age in Medford was 43 years old. About 22.2% of residents were under 18. And 21.7% were 65 years old or older. The city had slightly more females (52.5%) than males (47.5%).
Fun and Recreation in Medford
Medford City Park
Medford City Park is the city's main park. It was started in 1890 and is 100 acres (0.40 km2) big. In 1979, a big project began to improve the park.
Today, the park has many cool things to do. There's an outdoor swimming pool and a wading pool for kids. You can find playground equipment, picnic areas, and barbecue spots. There are also courts for tennis, volleyball, and basketball. The park has two softball fields and a skatepark. The "River Walk" is a path along the Black River.
Grahl Park
Grahl Park is 7 acres (0.028 km2) in size. It is part of a neighborhood and has paths for people to walk in from nearby areas. This park has a Little League baseball field. It also has a basketball court, restrooms, a park shelter, and playground equipment.
Pine Line Trail
The Pine Line Trail starts in Medford. This trail is a path for walking, biking, and other activities. It used to be a railroad line. The trail is over 26 miles (42 km) long and goes all the way to Prentice.
Curling Club
The Medford Curling Club is a place where people play curling. Curling is a sport played on ice. The club has four sheets of ice for games. It also has a changing room and a warm area.
Golf Courses
Medford has two golf courses for people who enjoy playing golf. These are the Tee-Hi Golf Course and the Black River Golf Club.
Getting Around Medford
Main Roads
Medford is connected by important state highways:
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WIS 13 goes north to Prentice, Wisconsin and south to Stetsonville, Wisconsin. |
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WIS 64 goes east to Merrill, Wisconsin and west to Gilman, Wisconsin. |
Taylor County Airport
Medford has its own airport, called the Taylor County Airport (KMDZ). It is about three miles southeast of the city. The airport is mainly used for small planes and air taxis. It has two runways for planes to land and take off.
Media in Medford
Medford has its own radio stations and a newspaper.
Radio Stations
- WIGM AM 1490, which plays sports talk radio.
- WKEB FM 99.3, which plays Adult hits music.
Newspaper
- The local newspaper is called the Star News.
Education in Medford
Medford has several schools for students of all ages.
Elementary and Middle Schools
- Medford Area Elementary School is a public school for students from pre-kindergarten to 4th grade.
- Medford Area Middle School is a public school for students in grades 5 through 8.
- Holy Rosary Catholic School is a Catholic school for students from pre-kindergarten to 6th grade.
- Immanuel Lutheran School is a Lutheran school for students from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade.
High School
- Medford Area Senior High School is the public high school. It serves students in grades 9 through 12.
College Education
- Northcentral Technical College has a West Campus in Medford. This college offers programs for students after high school.
Notable People from Medford
- Father Michael Jerome Cypher, a missionary priest.
- Michelle Curran, a United States Air Force officer and pilot.
- Jeane Dixon, a famous psychic and astrologer.
- John Gamper, a Wisconsin politician.
- Levi Withee Gibson, a Wisconsin politician.
- Anthony J. Opachen, a Wisconsin politician.
- John K. Parish, a Wisconsin politician and judge.
- Jack Perkins, an actor.
- Erny Pinckert, a football player.
- Zachary Rhyner, who received the Air Force Cross award.
- Steve Russ, a linebacker for the Denver Broncos football team.
- Joe "Pep" Simek, who helped start Tombstone Pizza. He also founded Pep's Pizza.
- Scott Suder, a Wisconsin politician.
- Clinton Textor, a Wisconsin politician.
- Elias L. Urquhart, a Wisconsin politician.
Images for kids
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Sign on WIS 13
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Business District
See also
In Spanish: Medford (Wisconsin) para niños
