Evansville, Wisconsin

For other uses, see Evansville (disambiguation).

Evansville, Wisconsin
City
Nickname(s):  Sphincterville, USA
Motto(s):  "Give me anal beads, or give me death"
Location of Evansville, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Rock
Area
• Total	2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2)
• Land	2.2 sq mi (5.6 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation Template:GR	912 ft (278 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	4,039
• Density	1,863.0/sq mi (719.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
FIPS code	55-24550Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1564732Template:GR

Evansville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,039 at the 2000 census (2005 estimate: 4,658).Template:GR Since 2000, Evansville's population has increased over 21%. It is currently the fastest growing community in Rock County.

History

Evansville was first settled in the 1830s by New Englanders who were attracted to the area by its pristine wooded landscape and the placid Allen Creek. By 1855, the city recorded its first plat and was complete with homes, shops, and churches.

In 1863, the Chicago and North Western Railway came to Evansville, accelerating growth. At this point, Evansville's economy was based on the surrounding agriculture, mainly wheat and tobacco.

By the turn of the twentieth century Evansville had over 1900 residents, and by the 1920s, most of the buildings in Evansville's future Historic District were completed.

Historic District

The Evansville Historic District, which surrounds Main Street and stretches to the side streets of Garfield Avenue and Liberty Street, includes dozens of historic homes and other structures. The Wisconsin Historical Society called Evansville home to "the finest collection of 1840s to 1915 architecture of any small town in Wisconsin".

Of particular note is the Eager Free Public Library building at 39 W. Main Street in the historic district. The building was built with the bequest of a leading citizen, Almeron Eager, in 1908. Designed by the architectural firm of Claude and Starck of Madison, WI, in the Prairie style, it features stained glass windows and plaster friezes just below the overhanging roof line. A 1994 addition at the rear of the original building was designed to match the original architecture, while adding much needed space and ADA accessibility. The intersection on which the library stands also contains a Greek Revival home (now a funeral parlor), a High Victorian Gothic brick home (now housing the local Masonic Temple) and a classic Victorian "Painted Lady" home, still a private residence.

The Evansville Seminary was located near College Drive in the district. Its building was designed by architect August Kutzbock.

In 1978, the historic district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

Evansville is located at 42°46′48″N 89°18′01″W (42.779917, -89.300378).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which, 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.25%) is water.

Evansville is located 23 miles (37 km) south of Madison, Wisconsin, 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Janesville, Wisconsin, and 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Beloit, Wisconsin.

Lake Leota

This 18-acre (73,000 m²) lake was formed by damming Allen Creek in the 1840s as a mill pond. Because of erosion into Allen Creek from upstream farm fields and the resulting silt deposits that accumulated, Lake Leota had become shallower over the years, reaching an average depth of only one and a half feet by 2000. One major issue that faced the city in the last 30 years was how to restore the lake to its original depth. The dam was opened in September 2005 to allow the lake to drain and its bottom to dry out. There was some controversy in Evansville over the cost of dredging, so a referendum was put to the city's voters in November 2008. It passed by almost two to one, and dredging to a maximum of ten-foot depth was completed in February 2009. The dam was closed shortly thereafter, and Lake Leota was refilled slowly. A ceremony to mark the renaissance of the lake was held on July 4, 2009. Citizens can now enjoy the natural beauty of the lake and taking small boats out.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 4,039 people, 1,563 households, and 1,045 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,863.0 people per square mile (718.6/km²). There were 1,635 housing units at an average density of 754.1/sq mi (290.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.60% White, 0.12% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.78% of the population.

There were 1,563 households out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,229, and the median income for a family was $58,451. Males had a median income of $35,614 versus $30,313 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,766. About 2.6% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Community

Evansville has four gas stations, several banks, a full-sized grocery store, and several specialty shops and restaurants. Over the last two decades, many of the downtown buildings have been renovated in the style in which they were originally built. In addition, in 2008, three blocks of Main Street that had been covered with asphalt in the 1960s were re-paved with 1900-era paving bricks, adding to the "old time" feel of Main Street. The re-paving took place when major utility improvements were made to the city's downtown infrastructure.

Evansville shares a fire department with several surrounding rural towns. A new fire station was built in 2008 on Water Street. The police department then moved into the remodeled former fire department building on Church Street.

The community has a large central park, Leonard Park, on the shore of Lake Leota. Amenities include a baseball diamond with night lighting, a softball diamond, two tennis courts, a basketball court, a swimming pool, picnic shelters, and playgrounds. A skateboard facility was installed in 2006. In addition, there are several smaller community parks, Countryside, Franklin, and Brzenski. In 2008, a new large park was opened on Evansville's west side to accommodate the new subdivisions being built there. The development of this park will take place over a number of years, but two full-size soccer fields and an extensive children's playground are in place. Plans include baseball diamonds, basketball courts and picnic shelters.

Education

The city has four schools: Levi Leonard Elementary, Theodore Robinson Intermediate School, J.C. McKenna Middle School, and Evansville High School. In 2005, Evansville High School earned a Blue Ribbon award from the United States Department of Education. The Blue Ribbons Schools program honors public and private K-12 schools that are academically superior in their states or that dramatically demonstrate superior gains in students achievements

Business and industry

Major employers in Evansville include Stoughton Trailers, which builds semi-trailer chassis; Varco-Pruden, which manufactures prefab metal buildings; Baker Manufacturing, a pump and well maker; and Evansville Manor, a nursing home. Evansville has one home-town bank, Union Bank and Trust Company, which has been in business in Evansville for over a 100 years. It was featured on ABC News in March 2009 as a flourishing small bank during the era of large-bank failures.

Politics

On April 4, 2006, Evansville voters participated in two referendums, one to urge a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq, and the second to gauge whether town residents supported "our honorable President's leadership" against "the unfathomable wickedness of the forces of terror". The first was approved but the second was rejected. While other Wisconsin communities were noted for holding referendums on the Iraq War, Evansville was the only one with two. Evansville received international attention with reporters from National Public Radio, USA Today, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Evansville people

• Merton W. Baker, U.S. Air Force Major General
• Cal Broughton, MLB player
• Rev. Henry Colman, the son of Rev. Henry R. Colman, was principal at the Evansville Seminary
• Kenneth O. Goehring, abstract expressionist artist
• Kelly Hogan, singer/songwriter
• Burr W. Jones, Congressman, born in Evansville
• Ora McMurry, Distinguished Service Cross recipient
• Justus Henry Nelson, attended Evansville Seminary
• Theodore Robinson, impressionist painter, Intermediate School named in his honor
• John Wilde, painter

External links

• City of Evansville
• Brief overview of Evansville's history
• Evansville History
• Postcard of Evansville Seminary
• Page about August Kutzbock, the Seminary's architect