Rhinelander, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rhinelander, Wisconsin
City
Looking east at downtown Rhinelander with view of the Oneida County Courthouse dome
Location of Rhinelander in Oneida County, Wisconsin
Rhinelander, Wisconsin Location in Wisconsin Show map of Wisconsin Rhinelander, Wisconsin Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Oneida
Area
• Total	8.68 sq mi (22.47 km2)
• Land	8.42 sq mi (21.82 km2)
• Water	0.25 sq mi (0.65 km2)
Elevation	1,549 ft (472 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,285
• Density	983.6/sq mi (379.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Zip Code	54501
Area code(s)	715 & 534
FIPS code	55-67200
GNIS feature ID	1572231

Rhinelander is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,285 at the 2020 census.

History

The area that eventually became the city of Rhinelander was originally called Pelican Rapids by early settlers, named for the stretch of rapids just above the convergence of the Wisconsin and Pelican Rivers. Around 1870, Anderson W. Brown of Stevens Point and Anson P. Vaughn traveled up the Wisconsin River to cruise timber for Brown's father, E. D. Brown. Upon arriving at the meeting point of the Wisconsin and Pelican Rivers at the site of John Curran's trading post, and seeing the high banks along the rapids and the excellent pine stands, Anderson Brown envisioned a mill town with a lumber mill powered by the waters of the Wisconsin River. Brown's vision did not come to fruition for some years, but after subsequent expeditions with others, including his brother and Rhinelander's first mayor, Webster Brown, the brothers managed to convince their father and uncle to purchase the land from the federal government and build a town.

In its charter, the city was named Rhinelander after Frederic W. Rhinelander of New York, who was president of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway at the time. This was part of a bid by the Brown brothers to induce the railroad to extend a spur to the location to further their lumbering business. Ultimately, after over ten years of negotiations, the Brown family agreed to convey half their land holdings in the area to the railroad in exchange for a rail line to their future city. In 1882, the railroad line from present-day Monico to Rhinelander was completed, jump-starting the development of Rhinelander as the commercial hub of the region.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.61 square miles (22.30 km²), of which, 8.34 square miles (21.60 km²) are land and 0.27 sq mi (0.70 km²) is covered by water.

Climate

Rhinelander has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb). Because of its location, it is prone to Arctic cold snaps, and without the western Föhn winds its winter average is lower than other places in the US at 45 °N even at high elevations. Summers tend to be cooler with some degree of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan influence. Precipitation is still relatively distributed but not as much as other humid climates in the country.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 8,285. The population density was 983.6 inhabitants per square mile (379.8/km²). There were 4,123 housing units at an average density of 489.5 per square mile (189.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.8% White, 1.6% Native American, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 7,798 people, 3,545 households, and 1,876 families resided in the city. The population density was 935.0 inhabitants per square mile (361.0/km²). The 3,981 housing units averaged 477.3 per square mile (184.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.2% White, 1.0% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.3% of the population.

Of the 3,545 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.1% were not families. About 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% 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 40 years; 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

Economy

Rhinelander is a commercial, industrial, and recreation hub for the Northwoods area of Wisconsin. Because of the forests, lakes, and trails in the area, it is both a summer and winter vacation destination. It has a paper mill and a hospital.

The Rhinelander area has numerous vacation destinations, offering fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, ATVing, mountain biking and hiking, hunting, golfing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and bird watching. It also serves as a main shopping and lodging area for the Northwoods. A popular summer tourist destination is the Pioneer Park Historical Complex, which is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend and features many interactive displays and spaces to explore Rhinelander's rich history.

Arts and culture

A modern statue of the hodag on display in front of the Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce

Rhinelander is the home of the hodag, a folkloric green and white creature said to stalk the local woods. The hodag serves as mascot for the city and for Rhinelander High School and Northwoods Community Secondary School.

• The Rhinelander Flea Market is held every Wednesday between Labor Day and Memorial Day by the ice arena.
• An arts and cultural center is in the former Federal Building downtown.
• Rhinelander is home to the Hodag Country Festival, a country music festival.
• Northwoods Pride Festival
• Oneida County Fair
• Oktoberfest

Museums

• ArtStart Art Museum
• CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Museum
• Logging Museum
• Rhinelander Historical Society Museum
• Rhinelander School Museum

Parks and recreation

• Hodag Park
• Pioneer Park
• Shepard Park
• West Side Park

Golf

• Northwood Golf Course
• Rhinelander Country Club

Education

• The Rhinelander School District serves the area.
• Zion Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K-8 school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Rhinelander.
• The Lake Julia campus of Nicolet Area Technical College is located just outside Rhinelander.
• A University of Wisconsin program, School of the Arts at Rhinelander, took place every summer for 52 years, ending in 2015.

Media

Rhinelander is home to NBC affiliate WJFW-TV. In addition to serving Rhinelander, WJFW-TV also serves the Wausau area. Conversely, Wausau's area stations, including CBS affiliate WSAW-TV and ABC affiliate WAOW, also serve Rhinelander. WXPR, a public radio station at 91.7 FM, is based in Rhinelander.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

	U.S. 8 runs eastbound to Crandon, Wisconsin. Westbound, US 8 routes to Prentice, Wisconsin.
	WIS 17 travels north to Eagle River, Wisconsin and south to Merrill, Wisconsin. This route is on the eastern side of Rhinelander.
	WIS 47 runs north to Woodruff, Wisconsin and runs south to Antigo, Wisconsin.

Airport

Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (KRHI) serves Rhinelander and the surrounding Oneida County communities with both scheduled commercial jet service and general aviation services. Located two miles west of the city, the airport handles about 24,958 operations per year, with around 88% general aviation, 6% scheduled commercial air service, and 6% air taxi. The airport has a 6,800-ft concrete primary runway with approved ILS, GPS and VOR/DME approaches (runway 9-27) and a 5,201-ft asphalt crosswind runway with approved GPS approaches (runway 15-33). In addition, the Rhinelander VORTAC (RHI) navigational facility is located on the field.

Notable people

Images for kids

• 

  Looking east at the sign for Rhinelander on US 8

• 

  City hall

• 

  Former Federal Building, now ArtStart Gallery

• 

  Fire department

• 

  Post office

• 

  Public library

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  Oneida County Courthouse

See also

In Spanish: Rhinelander para niños