Nekoosa, Wisconsin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Nekoosa, Wisconsin Nakrusa
City
Looking west in downtown Nekoosa
Location of Nekoosa in Wood County, Wisconsin.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Wood
Area
• Total	3.40 sq mi (8.81 km²)
• Land	3.39 sq mi (8.79 km²)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.03 km²)
Elevation	951 ft (290 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	2,580
• Estimate (2019)	2,422
• Density	713.82/sq mi (275.61/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	54457
Area code(s)	715 & 534
FIPS code	55-55875
GNIS feature ID	1570148

Nekoosa is a city located in Wood County, Wisconsin, in the United States. About 2,580 people lived there in 2010. The city's name comes from the Ho-Chunk word "Nįįkuusra" or "Nakrusa," which means "running water." This name perfectly describes the area, which has many rapids.

History of Nekoosa
- Early Settlement and Name Change
- Lumber Industry and River Power
Geography
Population Facts
- Nekoosa's People in 2010
Economy
Education
Notable People
Images for kids
See also

History of Nekoosa

Early Settlement and Name Change

The area around Nekoosa was once known as Point Basse. This name came from the "low point" along the Wisconsin River. There were five rapids in this area, which the Chippewa Indians called "Nekoosa," meaning "swift water." They often camped on a high spot called Swallow Rock, which overlooked these rapids.

An important place in Point Basse was Wakeley's tavern. It was a popular stop for people traveling by river and for lumberjacks floating logs downstream. This tavern helped the settlement grow. Later, the name of the settlement was changed from Point Basse to Nekoosa.

Lumber Industry and River Power

Nekoosa became a very important town during the time when lumber was a big business. Logs were floated down the river from the northern forests to markets along the Mississippi River.

In 1831, Daniel Whitney built the very first sawmill on the Wisconsin River right here at Whitney's Rapids. This made Nekoosa the birthplace of Wood County. The river's power was used to run these sawmills. Over time, many more power facilities were built along the Wisconsin River, making it one of the hardest-working rivers in the world.

Geography

Nekoosa is located at 44°19′09″N 89°54′00″W / 44.319081°N 89.899937°W / 44.319081; -89.899937.

The city covers a total area of about 3.39 square miles (8.79 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 3.38 square miles (8.75 square kilometers), is land. A small part, about 0.01 square miles (0.03 square kilometers), is water.

Wis-73 crossing the Wisconsin River into Nekoosa

Population Facts

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	745	—
1910	1,570	110.7%
1920	1,639	4.4%
1930	2,005	22.3%
1940	2,212	10.3%
1950	2,352	6.3%
1960	2,515	6.9%
1970	2,409	−4.2%
1980	2,519	4.6%
1990	2,557	1.5%
2000	2,590	1.3%
2010	2,580	−0.4%
2019 (est.)	2,422	−6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

Nekoosa's People in 2010

In 2010, there were 2,580 people living in Nekoosa. These people lived in 1,065 households, and 688 of these were families. The city had about 763 people per square mile (295 people per square kilometer). There were also 1,135 housing units, which are homes or apartments.

Most of the people in Nekoosa were White (93.3%). There were also smaller groups of African American (0.8%), Native American (1.4%), and Asian (0.5%) residents. About 1.8% of the population was from other races, and 2.2% were from two or more races. About 3.4% of the people identified as Hispanic or Latino.

In terms of households, 33.1% had children under 18 living with them. About 46.4% were married couples. Some households were led by a female without a husband (13.4%) or a male without a wife (4.8%). About 30.2% of all households were made up of people living alone.

The average age in Nekoosa was 39.4 years old. About 26.5% of residents were under 18, and 18.1% were 65 or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (47.8%) and females (52.2%).

Economy

Nekoosa paper mill

For a long time, the main industry in Nekoosa has been making paper. The Nekoosa Paper Company started in 1893 and built a paper mill on the Wisconsin River. In 1908, it joined with another paper company to form the Nekoosa Edwards Paper Company, often called NEPCO.

Later, NEPCO merged with the Great Northern Paper Company in 1970, creating the Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation (GNN). In 1990, a company called Georgia-Pacific bought GNN. Then, in 2001, the mill was sold to a Canadian paper company called Domtar.

The Nekoosa mill was special because it had a very advanced paper machine. This machine was first shown at a big exhibition in 1893. In 1923, it was moved to another mill nearby.