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Sheboygan
City
City of Sheboygan
Downtown Sheboygan, with U.S. Bank Building in background
Seal
Nickname(s): Bratwurst Capital of the World,[1] The City of Cheese, Chairs, Children & Churches[2]
Location of Sheboygan in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Sheboygan Location within Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°45′0″N 87°43′30″W / 43.75000°N 87.72500°W / 43.75000; -87.72500Coordinates: 43°45′0″N 87°43′30″W / 43.75000°N 87.72500°W / 43.75000; -87.72500
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
Counties	Sheboygan
Settled	1780s
Incorporated (city)	1846
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	Common Council
• Mayor	Mike Vandersteen (NP)
• City Administrator	Darrell Hofland
• City Clerk	Meredith DeBruin
Area
• Total	14.11 sq mi (36.5 km2)
• Land	13.97 sq mi (36.2 km2)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	49,288
• Estimate (2016)[3]	48,686
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Codes	53081, 53082, 53083
Area codes	920
FIPS code	55-72975
Website	www.sheboyganwi.gov

Sheboygan is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States.^[4] The population was 49,288 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Sheboygan River, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Milwaukee and 64 mi (103 km) south of Green Bay.

History

Before its settlement by European Americans, the Sheboygan area was home to Native Americans, including members of the Potawatomi, Chippewa, Ottawa, Winnebago, and Menominee tribes.^{[5][self-published source]} In the Menominee language, the place is known as Sāpīwāēhekaneh, "at a hearing distance in the woods".^[6] Migrants from New York, Michigan, and New England were among the first white Americans to settle this area in the 1830s, though the French had been present in the region since the 17th century and had intermarried with local people. One 19th century settler remarked: "Nearly all the settlers were from the New England states and New York."^[7]Lumbering was the first major industry, as trees were harvested and shipped to eastern markets through the Great Lakes.

Although Sheboygan was officially founded in 1846,^[8] much of the town had been platted in 1836, when property investors laid out more than one thousand lots.^[9]

By 1849, a wave of liberal, middle-class immigration triggered by the revolutions of 1848 had made the community known for its German population. As Major William Williams wrote on June 26, 1849: "Arrived at Sheboigin [sic] on the Wisconsin side, a small town, population purhaps [sic] from 700 to 1000. This is a promising place. There are a great many best class of Germans settling around it. 'Tis all along this Lake so far quite an interesting country."^[10] Between 1840 and 1890, Protestant Dutch immigrants also settled in the area,^[11] as did Irish refugees fleeing the Great Famine.

In the spring of 1898, Sheboygan elected Fred C. Haack and August L. Mohr as aldermen, making them the first two Social Democratic Party candidates to be elected to public office in the United States. Haack had originally been elected in 1897 as a member of the Populist Party but joined the Social Democrats after they organized locally. Haack served as alderman for sixteen years before moving to Milwaukee and being elected as a Socialist alderman there. At the
1932 Socialist Party convention, Haack received recognition as the first Socialist officeholder in America.^[12][13]

In the early 20th century, many Catholic Slavs and Lithuanians immigrated to Sheboygan. In the late 20th century, Hmong refugees from Laos and Southeast Asia settled there, led by men who had collaborated with the CIA during the Secret War.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.11 square miles (36.54 km²), of which, 13.97 square miles (36.18 km²) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km²) is water.^[14] It is located at latitude 43°45' north, longitude 87°44' west.

Climate

Sheboygan has a warm-summer humid continental climate^[15] typical of Wisconsin. In spite of its position on Lake Michigan there are vast temperature differences between seasons, although it is somewhat moderated compared with areas further inland.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[18] of 2010, there were 49,288 people, 20,308 households, and 12,219 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,528.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,362.2/km²). There were 22,339 housing units at an average density of 1,599.1 per square mile (617.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.5% White, 1.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, 9.0% Asian, 3.6% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.9% of the population.

There were 20,308 households of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.8% were non-families. Of all households 33.4% were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.06.

The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

Hmong community

In 1976, the first three Hmong families settled in Sheboygan with the help of local refugee agencies such as the Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church. They were refugees from Laos. By 1990, the city had 2,000 residents of Hmong descent. By December 1999, there were around 5,000 Hmong and Hmong American residents in Sheboygan, 65% of whom were under the age of 18.^[19]

In 2006, the Sheboygan Hmong Memorial was installed in the lakefront Deland Park to honor Hmong military and civilian contributions to the Secret War in Laos (particularly from 1961-1975). The 2010 U.S. Census showed the number of Hmong citizens to be around 4,100 people, putting it fourth in Wisconsin for Hmong populations.^[20]

Government

Local government

Front monument sign of Sheboygan City Hall

Sheboygan has a Council - Manager form of government. The mayor is elected by general election for a term of four years, with no term limits and an official non-partisan position. The Common Council consists of 16 alderpersons representing the city's eight aldermanic districts with a council president and vice-president presiding over them. The City Administrator oversees the day-to-day administration of the city and is appointed by the Common Council.

Sheboygan's 1916-built City Hall building is currently under renovation until reopening in summer 2019, thus government offices are currently based in two buildings; the former Social Security Administration office across the street for face-to-face services (such as city clerk and building issues), with the rest of city government temporarily located in the former Sheboygan County Highway Department building next to Sheboygan Police headquarters (with meetings occurring at Mead Public Library and the chambers of the Sheboygan County board).^[21]

The Sheboygan Police Department is the law enforcement agency in the city. Civil and criminal law cases are heard in the Sheboygan County Circuit Court, with municipal citations for Sheboygan and Kohler handled through the city's municipal court within the police headquarters building.^[22] The Sheboygan Fire Department provides fire suppression and emergency medical services, operating out of five fire stations throughout the city.

State and federal representation

Sheboygan is represented in the Wisconsin State Assembly as part of both the 26th (Terry Katsma, R-Oostburg) and 27th (Tyler Vorpagel, R-Plymouth) districts, whose boundaries split the city along Geele Ave. from the west until 18th St., then Superior Ave. from 18th St. to Lake Michigan. The city is also represented in the State Senate as part of the 9th district (Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg).

Sheboygan is in the 6th congressional district of Wisconsin, which is represented by Republican congressperson Glenn Grothman.

Education

Mead Public Library

Sheboygan public schools are administered by the Sheboygan Area School District.

High schools

High schools within the city include:

• Sheboygan North High School


• Sheboygan South High School


• Sheboygan Area Lutheran High School


• Sheboygan County Christian High School


• George D. Warriner High School


• Étude High School


• Sheboygan Central High School

Since 1996, Sheboygan has had a high school program, Rockets for Schools,^[23] where students build and launch 8-and-20-foot-tall (2.4 and 6.1 m) rockets.

Colleges

• University of Wisconsin–Sheboygan


• Lakeland University


• 
  Lakeshore Technical College (satellite campus)

Transportation

Downtown 8th Street

Shoreline Metro transfer point

Alliant Energy's Edgewater Generation Station, a coal-fired power plant on the city's south side, with the city's wastewater treatment plant in the foreground

Roads

Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S. Route 141 was the primary north-south route into Sheboygan before Interstate 43 was built, and its former route is a major north-south route through the center of the city that is referred to as Calumet Drive coming into the city from the north, and South Business Drive/Sauk Trail Road from the south; between Superior and Georgia Avenues, the highway is known as 14th Street. Four-lane Highway 23 is the primary west route into the city, and leads into the city up to North 25th Street as a freeway. Other state highways in the city include Highway 42, Highway 28, which both run mostly along the former inner-city routing of U.S. 141. Secondary county highways include County LS to the north; Counties J, O, PP, and EE to the west; and County KK to the south.

For addressing purposes, the city's north-south zero point is Pennsylvania Avenue (increasing from 500 past that line in both directions), while west addressing zeroes out at the extreme eastern point of Superior Avenue at Lake Michigan (Sheboygan and Sheboygan County have no east addresses, and the little land existing northeast of that point stretches out the six '100 blocks' northward with xx50-xx90 numbers not otherwise used in most other addresses in Sheboygan).

Commuter bus transit

Shoreline Metro provides public bus transit throughout the city, as well as in Kohler and Sheboygan Falls. All routes depart from the Metro Center, more commonly known as the "Transfer Point" located in the downtown.

Jefferson Lines and Indian Trails serve Sheboygan at the Metro Center, providing transportation to Milwaukee (and an Amtrak Thruway connection to the Milwaukee Intermodal Station) and Green Bay.

Rail

Historically the city was connected to Milwaukee, Chicago and Green Bay via the Milwaukee Interurban Lines, the Chicago & North Western Railroad and the Milwaukee Road. These railroads' passenger services were abandoned during the mid-20th century but in 2008 the Wisconsin Department of Transportation proposed to reestablish passenger service to Milwaukee and Green Bay, though political complications in the 2010s have since mothballed rail expansion in Wisconsin.^[24]

Airport

Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport (KSBM), which is located three miles northwest of the city but there are no commercial airlines that fly into the airport.

Water

Sheboygan is bounded on the east by Lake Michigan. The city has no active port in the 21st century. Blue Harbor Resort is located on a peninsula between the lake and the Sheboygan River's last bend. This site was formerly used as the headquarters of the C. Reiss Coal Company (now a Koch Industries division). It was their base of operations for ships to load and unload coal for delivery along the peninsula.

The Sheboygan River passes through the city, but dams in Sheboygan Falls prevent navigation upriver. Tall-masted boats are confined to the river downstream of the Pennsylvania Avenue bridge. Commercial charter fishing boats dock near the mouth of the river.

Media

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The city's daily newspaper is Gannett's The Sheboygan Press, which has been published since 1907. The free papers The Sheboygan Sun and The Beacon are mailed weekly to area residents and feature classified ads and other local content, with the equivalent Gannett-owned Shoreline Chronicle door-delivered and with the Wednesday Press.

The city is served by television and radio stations in Green Bay and Milwaukee. A. C. Nielsen's television division places Sheboygan within the Milwaukee market, although Green Bay stations also report news, events, and weather warnings pertaining to Sheboygan and target the city with advertising.

Nielsen Audio places Sheboygan and Sheboygan County within one radio market, and several stations serve the area. Midwest Communications owns four stations within the county, including talk station WHBL (1330, with a translator station at 101.5 FM serving Sheboygan, Kohler and Sheboygan Falls); country station WBFM (93.7); CHR/Top 40 WXER (104.5 from Plymouth, with a translator at 96.1 FM in Sheboygan); and active rock Sheboygan Falls-licensed WHBZ (106.5). Fox Sports Radio affiliate WCLB (950) also serves the city, along with the Sheboygan Area School District's WSHS (91.7), a member of the Wisconsin Public Radio Ideas Network, and Plymouth's WGXI (1420), a standards station.

Various religious stations originating from Milwaukee and north of Green Bay and a translator for Kiel's WSTM (91.3), and NOAA Weather Radio station WWG91 broadcast from several towers in the city. WYVM acts as a full-power relay of Suring's WRVN (102.7), which has a religious teaching format.

The city is served by Spectrum and AT&T U-verse, with public-access television cable TV programming provided to both systems from "WSCS". The city at one time had a television station, WPVS-LP, which went off the air following the digital switchover.^[25]

Hospitals

Aurora Sheboygan Medical Center

• Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center


• St. Nicholas Hospital

In the early 2020s, Aurora Health Care will open a replacement hospital for Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center on Union Avenue east of I-43 on Kohler village land north of the Acuity Insurance campus otherwise inaccessible from Kohler proper itself without going through Sheboygan.^[26]

Recreation

This public beach on Lake Michigan is located north and east of downtown Sheboygan.

Trails

The city has one trail along the Highway 23 corridor leading to the Old Plank Road Trail to the west of Sheboygan that uses dedicated paths and bike lanes. A 2013 project created a north-south trail using the former Chicago & Northwestern Railroad right-of-way, with future expansion planned. A 2016 project added a trail along the Taylor Drive corridor, and improvements to the south to allow connection to the Ozaukee Interurban Trail are proposed for a future date.

Bratwurst Days

Sheboygan County is well known for its bratwurst.^[27] The Sheboygan Jaycees sponsor Bratwurst Days, an annual fund-raising festival that includes the Johnsonville World Bratwurst Eating Championship.^[28][29]

Dairyland Surf Classic

Sheboygan hosts the annual Dairyland Surf Classic, the largest lake surfing competition in the world.^[30][31]

Space

Sheboygan is the site of a proposed new spaceport called Spaceport Sheboygan.^[32]

Music

• 
  The Chordettes, 1950s female group


• 
  Morbid Saint, thrash metal band

Points of interest

• Above & Beyond Children's Museum


• Blue Harbor Resort


• Bookworm Gardens


• Ellwood H. May Environmental Park


• General King Park^[33]
  


• John Michael Kohler Arts Center

King Park Pavilion

• Mead Public Library


• 
  Plaza 8 (defunct)


• Sheboygan County Historical Museum


• Sheboygan Hmong Memorial


• Sheboygan Indian Mound Park


• Sheboygan Municipal Auditorium and Armory


• Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts

In April 1894, the schooner Lottie Cooper wrecked just off Sheboygan in a gale.^[34] The wreckage was found buried in the harbor during the construction of the Harbor Centre Marina and is now on display in DeLand Park, on Sheboygan's lakefront. The free display is the only one of its kind on the Great Lakes.^[35]

Sister cities

Sheboygan's sister cities are:

• 
  Esslingen am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg, Germany


• 
  Tsubame, Niigata, Japan

Sheboygan has student exchanges with both cities.^[36]

Recognition

• Sheboygan was recognized by Reader's Digest as "The Best Place to Raise a Family" in the United States in 1997.^[37]
  


• In its Park Roads ad, Allstate Insurance mentions "Park Avenue in Sheboygan, Wisconsin", although the scene shown is actually the intersection of 2nd Avenue & Moncton Street in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, using staged street signs.^[38]
  

Notable natives and residents

Images

• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Wreck of the Lottie Cooper
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  8th Street Sheboygan, probably in the 1870s, featuring a man on a dead horse^[46]

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Sheboygan Post Office, a registered historic place (RHP)
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Garton Toy Factory, a RHP
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Jung Carriage Building, a RHP
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Sheboygan Theater, a RHP
  

  
  

  
  


• 
  

  

  
  

  
  

  Downtown Sheboygan
  

  
  

  
  

See also

• 
  Sheboygan Red Skins, an early professional basketball franchise of the NBA
  


• The Creature That Ate Sheboygan

References

Further reading

• 
  Legacies of Firefighting: A History of the Sheboygan Fire Department, 1846–1998. Sheboygan, Wis.: Sheboygan Fire Department History Book Committee, 1998.


• 
  Sheboygan. Charleston, S.C: Arcadia Pub, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

Wikisource has the text of the 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article Sheboygan.

• City of Sheboygan


• Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce


• Sanborn fire insurance maps: 1884 1887 1891 1903