Stoughton, Wisconsin
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| Stoughton, Wisconsin | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Dane |
| Area | |
| - Total | 4.1 sq mi (10.6 km²) |
| - Land | 4.0 sq mi (10.3 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²) |
| Elevation [1] | 876 ft (267 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 12,354 |
| - Density | 3,116.6/sq mi (1,203.3/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code(s) | 608 |
| FIPS code | 55-77675[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1574965[1] |
Stoughton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles southeast of the capital, Madison. As of 2004, it had a population of 12,692.[3]
Stoughton is known for its Norwegian heritage: It hosts a citywide celebration of Syttende Mai, the Norwegian constitution day, on the weekend closest to May 17, and its sister city is Gjøvik, Norway. Part of the city's celebration of its Norwegian heritage is the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers [1] dance group, sponsored by Stoughton High School.
In 2004 a Norwegian TV crew traveled to the Midwest to witness the modern manifestations of Norsky culture in the state. The team was affiliated with the Sogn og Fjordane branch of NRK, Norway’s public television network, but worked as free-lancers on this project. During their stay the team visited Stoughton, as well as Mount Horeb and Decorah, Iowa. In Stoughton the Norwegians focused on Jessica Lippart, then a bunad-clad member of the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers, as she danced and commented on the Norwegian-American cultural aspects of the area. The documentary Ja, de elsker (Yes, they love, a reference to the Norwegian national anthem) was aired on NRK1 on May 16, and May 17 2006, just in time for that year's Norwegian Constitution Day. The program was also shown on December 30 2006. [2]
Stoughton was founded in 1847 by Luke Stoughton, an Englishman from Vermont. Many Norwegian immigrants settled in the town from 1865 through the early 1900s.[4] The coffee break is said to have originated in Stoughton, when the immigrant men became employed en masse at T.G. Mandt's wagon factory, leaving their wives to fill the shortages at the tobacco warehouses, who agreed to work under the condition that they were allowed to go home every morning and afternoon to tend to chores and, of course, drink coffee. The city of Stoughton celebrates the coffee break every summer with the Stoughton Coffee Break Festival. [3]
The first weekend in December marks Stoughton's Victorian Holiday Weekend celebrating the city's wealth of beautifully preserved Victorian homes and commercial buildings. Events include a Victorian Holiday Ball featuring Period dances in a casual atmosphere, a production of the Nutcracker Ballet, carriage rides, a silent decorated fire truck parade, children's parade, and more.[4]
In 1919, Stoughton Wagon Company (Stoughton, Wisconsin) began putting custom wagon bodies on Model T chassis;[5] by 1929 Ford was by far the biggest seller of station wagons.
On August 18, 2005, an F3 tornado cut a 10-mile path across rural subdivisions and farms north of Stoughton, killing Harold Orlofske (54) and damaging hundreds of homes. In spite of the damage caused by the tornado, no federal disaster funding was approved for the area, leaving residents to cope as best they could.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (3.41%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 12,354 people, 4,734 households, and 3,185 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,116.6 people per square mile (1,204.5/km²). There were 4,890 housing units at an average density of 1,233.6/sq mi (476.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.66% White, 0.92% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.24% of the population. 32.0% were of German, 28.9% Norwegian, 8.5% Irish and 5.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 4,734 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,633, and the median income for a family was $58,543. Males had a median income of $37,956 versus $26,187 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,037. About 3.1% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
The current mayor of Stoughton is Helen Johnson. The City Council has 12 members, who serve three-year terms.
Stoughton has its own Local Cable channel called WSTO. WSTO broadcasts 24/7 on Charter Communications, on channel 12. WSTO also has a video website where they stream various programs, the site is located at www.wsto-online.com.
[edit] Notable people
- Russ Hellickson b. 1948
One of the country's top wrestlers in the 1970s, Russ Hellickson won the silver medal in freestyle wrestling (light-heavyweight class) at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He was the head wrestling coach at UW-Madison from the 1982 to 1986 and at Ohio State University from 1986 to 2006, and he has been a television commentator at six Olympics. He was a state champion for Stoughton High School in 1966.
- Bob Homme b. 1919 - d. 2000
The beloved children's television entertainer Bob Homme was the star on the long-lived Canadian television series The Friendly Giant. The show was broadcast for decades on CBC and was one of the most successful children's television series in Canada. He received the Order of Canada, the nation's highest official decoration.
- Andy Rein b. 1958
Andy Rein won the silver medal in freestyle wrestling (lightweight class) at the 1984 Summer Olympics. He was an NCAA champion (150-pound class) at UW-Madison in 1980 and the head wrestling coach there from 1987 to 1993. He was a state champion for Stoughton High School in 1975 and 1976.
[edit] References
- ^ a b US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau.
- ^ Stoughton Historical Society.
- ^ Georgano, G. N. Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886-1930. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)
[edit] External links
- City of Stoughton
- Stoughton Chamber of Commerce
- Stoughton Historical Society
- Stoughton Norwegian Dancers
- Stoughton Opera House
- Stoughton Public Library
- Stoughton Utilities
- WSTO Channel 12
- WSTO Videos
- Stoughton, Wisconsin is at coordinates Coordinates:
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