Marathon County, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marathon County
U.S. county
Marathon County Courthouse in Wausau
Location within the U.S. state of Wisconsin
Wisconsin's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Founded	1850
Named for	Marathon, Greece
Seat	Wausau
Largest city	Wausau
Area
• Total	1,576 sq mi (4,080 km2)
• Land	1,545 sq mi (4,000 km2)
• Water	31 sq mi (80 km2)  2.0%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	138,013
• Estimate  (2023)	138,612
• Density	89.3/sq mi (34.5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

Wisconsin 1866 US land Office

Marathon County Fairgrounds

Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013. Its county seat is Wausau. It was founded in 1850, created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the upper Michigan peninsula. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.

Marathon County comprises the Wausau, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau–Stevens Point–Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,576 square miles (4,080 km²), of which 1,545 square miles (4,000 km²) is land and 31 square miles (80 km²) (2.0%) is water. It is the largest county in Wisconsin by land area and fourth-largest by total area.

Marker located at the 45×90 point near Rietbrock

The Marathon County Park Commission has posted a geographical marker that identifies the spot (45°N, 90°W) of the exact center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere, meaning that it is a quarter of the way around the world from the Prime Meridian and halfway from the Equator to the North Pole.

Major highways

• Interstate 39
• US Highway 51
• Wisconsin Highway 13
• Wisconsin Highway 29
• Wisconsin Highway 34
• Wisconsin Highway 49
• Wisconsin Highway 52
• Wisconsin Highway 97
• Wisconsin Highway 98
• Wisconsin Highway 107
• Wisconsin Highway 153

Railroads

• Canadian National
• Watco

Buses

• Metro Ride
• List of intercity bus stops in Wisconsin

Airports

• KAUW - Wausau Downtown Airport
• KCWA - Central Wisconsin Airport

Adjacent counties

Natural wildlife refuges

• Mead Wildlife Area

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 138,013. The population density was 89.3 people per square mile (34.5 people/km²). There were 59,828 housing units at an average density of 38.7 units per square mile (14.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% White, 6.2% Asian, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% from other races, and 4.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 3.2% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Marathon County

Libraries

The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) has its headquarters in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin. Eight branch libraries have been established in the cities of Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon City, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, and Stratford.

Recreation

County parks

Snowmobile trails

There are over 884 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Marathon County maintained by 29 area snowmobile clubs.

Communities

County sign on Wisconsin Highway 13

Cities

• Abbotsford (mostly in Clark County)
• Colby (mostly in Clark County)
• Marshfield (mostly in Wood County)
• Mosinee
• Schofield
• Wausau (county seat)

Villages

Towns

Census-designated places

• Knowlton
• Rib Mountain

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns/neighborhoods

• Callon
• Staadts
• Stettin
• Ziegler

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Marathon para niños