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Medford, Wisconsin
City
Wisconsin Highway 13 in Medford
Wisconsin Highway 13 in Medford
Location of Medford in Taylor County, Wisconsin.
Location of Medford in Taylor County, Wisconsin.
Medford, Wisconsin is located in Wisconsin
Medford, Wisconsin
Medford, Wisconsin
Location in Wisconsin
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
 (2010)
 • Total 4,326
 • Estimate 
(2019)
4,282
 • Density 953.04/sq mi (367.95/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
54451
Area code(s) 715
FIPS code 55-50425

Medford is a city in Taylor County, in north-central Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,326 at the 2010 census. The city is located mostly within the boundaries of the Town of Medford. It is the county seat of Taylor County.

History

Medford was named after Medford, Massachusetts in 1875, the hometown of a railroad official. The Wisconsin central railroad determined the site of the courthouse. In 1875 an election was held, to choose between two offered sites.

Geography

Medford is located at 45°8′16″N 90°20′42″W / 45.13778°N 90.34500°W / 45.13778; -90.34500 (45.137994, −90.345227.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.54 square miles (11.76 km2), of which, 4.51 square miles (11.68 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water. There are over 4,000 people in the city of Medford.

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2019 (est.) 4,282 −1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,326 people, 1,982 households, and 1,094 families residing in the city. The population density was 959.2 inhabitants per square mile (370.3/km2). There were 2,127 housing units at an average density of 471.6 per square mile (182.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 1,982 households, of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.8% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.79.

The median age in the city was 43 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 21.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

Recreation

Medford City Park

Medford City Park, the city’s principal community park, was established in 1890 and consists of 100 acres (0.40 km2). An extensive redevelopment program for the park was initiated in 1979. Equipment and facilities include an outdoor swimming pool, with dressing area and wading pool, playground equipment, four park shelters, two restroom facilities, one tennis court, four volleyball courts, one basketball court, two softball fields, a concession stand, nine recreation vehicle camping facilities, a skatepark, the "River Walk" which parallels the Black River for the majority of its way through the city, and picnic and barbecue areas along the walkway. The 19-acre (77,000 m2) Medford millpond has been periodically dredged of sedimentation in an effort to improve fish habitat in the pond.

Grahl Park

Grahl Park consists of 7 acres (0.028 km2) and is designed as an integral part of a residential subdivision and has pedestrian access points to surrounding neighborhoods from the west, north, and east. It has a Little League baseball field, basketball court, restroom facilities, park shelter, and playground equipment.

Pine Line Trail

The southern trailhead of Wisconsin's Pine Line Trail, lies within Medford. The Pine Line Trail is an unpaved, multi-use rail-trail extending just over 26 miles (42 km) to Prentice.

Curling Club

The Medford Curling Club is located on the south side of the city. The Mixed National Championships were most recently held here in 2009. There are four sheets of ice, a changing room, and a warming area inside.

Golf courses

The city has two golf courses, the Tee-Hi Golf Course and the Black River Golf Club.

Transportation

Major highways

WIS 13.svg
WIS 13 travels north to Prentice, Wisconsin and south to Stetsonville, Wisconsin.
WIS 64.svg
WIS 64 travels east to Merrill, Wisconsin and west to Gilman, Wisconsin.

Airport

  • KMDZ – Taylor County

Medford is served by the Taylor County Airport (KMDZ). It is located approximately three miles southeast of Medford. The airport handles approximately 7,000 operations per year, with roughly 93% general aviation and 7% air taxi. The airport has two asphalt runways; a 6,000-foot runway with approved GPS approaches (Runway 9–27) and a 4,435-foot crosswind runway, also with GPS approaches, (Runway 16–34).

Education

Primary

  • Medford Area Elementary School, public school serving grades PK-4
  • Medford Area Middle School, public school serving grades 5–8
  • Holy Rosary Catholic School, Catholic school serving grades PK-6
  • Immanuel Lutheran School, Lutheran school serving grades PK-8

Secondary

  • Medford Area Senior High School, public school serving grades 9–12

Post-secondary

  • Northcentral Technical College West Campus

Notable people

  • Michelle Curran, United States Air Force officer and pilot
  • Jeane Dixon, psychic, prophet and astrologer
  • John Gamper, Wisconsin politician
  • Levi Withee Gibson, Wisconsin politician
  • Ryan Goessl, international choral conductor and soloist
  • Anthony J. Opachen, Wisconsin politician
  • John K. Parish, Wisconsin politician and jurist
  • Jack Perkins, actor
  • Erny Pinckert, football player
  • Zachary Rhyner, Air Force Cross recipient
  • Steve Russ, Denver Broncos linebacker
  • Joe "Pep" Simek, co-founder of Tombstone Pizza and founder of Pep's Pizza
  • Scott Suder, Wisconsin politician
  • Clinton Textor, Wisconsin politician
  • Elias L. Urquhart, Wisconsin politician

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Medford (Wisconsin) para niños

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