Whitewater, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Whitewater, Wisconsin
City
Main Street, downtown Whitewater
Location of Whitewater in Walworth County and Jefferson County, Wisconsin.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Counties	Walworth, Jefferson
Government
• Type	Common Council
Area
• Total	9.14 sq mi (23.67 km2)
• Land	8.84 sq mi (22.89 km2)
• Water	0.30 sq mi (0.77 km2)
Elevation	823 ft (251 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,889
• Density	1,684.95/sq mi (650.58/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Zip Code	53190
Area code(s)	262
FIPS code	55-86925
GNIS feature ID	1576690

Whitewater is a city located in Walworth and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 14,390, which includes 11,150 in Walworth County and 3,240 in Jefferson County.

History

Whitewater was founded at the confluence of Whitewater Creek and Spring Brook, and named for the white sand in their beds. A gristmill was built on Whitewater creek, the resulting pond now called Lake Cravath. The town grew quickly when the first railroad line in Wisconsin passed through in 1853, but struggled when the two largest employers left town.

Whitewater was a New England settlement. The original founders of Whitewater consisted entirely of settlers from New England. These people were "Yankees", that is to say they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. They were part of a wave of New England farmers who headed west into what was then the wilds of the Northwest Territory during the early 1800s. Most of them arrived as a result of the completion of the Erie Canal. When they arrived in what is now Whitewater there was nothing but dense virgin forest and wild prairie, the New Englanders laid out farms, constructed roads, erected government buildings and established post routes. They brought with them many of their Yankee New England values, such as a passion for education, establishing many schools as well as staunch support for abolitionism. They were mostly members of the Congregationalist Church though some were Episcopalian. Due to the second Great Awakening some of them had converted to Methodism before moving to what is now Whitewater. Whitewater, like much of Wisconsin, would be culturally very continuous with early New England culture for most of its early history.

Geography

Whitewater is located at 42°50′6″N 88°44′10″W / 42.83500°N 88.73611°W / 42.83500; -88.73611 (42.834950, -88.736119).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.06 square miles (23.47 km²), of which, 8.76 square miles (22.69 km²) is land and 0.30 square miles (0.78 km²) is water. Most of the city lies in Walworth County.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,390 people, 4,766 households, and 1,781 families living in the city. The population density was 1,642.7 inhabitants per square mile (634.3/km²). There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of 583.7 per square mile (225.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.0% White, 3.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.5% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.5% of the population.

There were 4,766 households, of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.2% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 62.6% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the city was 21.9 years. 11.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 53.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 14.7% were from 25 to 44; 11.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

Culture

Lake Cravath has a newly developed lakefront.

Annual events in Whitewater include "Freeze Fest" in January, the Bridal Fair, Farm Toy Show in February, Maxwell Street Day and the 4th of July Celebration in July. Adding to these annual events are the Minneica Water Ski Shows Saturday evenings on Whitewater Lake. Departing from the Highway 12 crossing of the Ice Age Trail, group biking tours depart several times a week from the area. September through April, Young Auditorium at the university features world-class entertainment.

Religion

Whitewater has several places of worship:

• Anchor Bible Church
• Community of St. Patrick Catholic Church
• Congregational United Church of Christ
• First English Lutheran Church
• First United Methodist Church
• Kettle Moraine Baptist Church
• Living Word Fellowship
• St. Luke's Episcopal Church
• Whitewater Bible Church
• Whitewater Islamic center
• Crosspoint Community Church
• Hope Ministries

Recreation

Education

Whitewater is served by the Whitewater Unified School District (WWUSD), which has five schools and one university in the city:

• Lakeview Elementary School
• Lincoln Elementary School
• Washington Elementary School
• Whitewater Middle School (WMS)
• Whitewater High School (WHS)
• University of Wisconsin–Whitewater

Kettle Moraine Baptist Academy, which serves students in grades kindergarten through 12, is also located in the city.

Notable people

Images for kids

• 

  Welcome sign on WIS 59

See also

In Spanish: Whitewater (Wisconsin) para niños