Lancaster, Wisconsin

Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Wisconsin, United States.[5] The population was 3,907 at the 2020 census.[3]

Lancaster, Wisconsin
City
Lancaster, Wisconsin City Hall in Lancaster in 2021
Lancaster, Wisconsin City Hall in Lancaster in 2021
Nickname: 
City of the Dome
Location of Lancaster in Grant County, Wisconsin.
Location of Lancaster in Grant County, Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 42°50′55″N 90°42′38″W
Country United States
State Wisconsin
CountyGrant
Named forLancaster, Pennsylvania
Area
[1]
 • Total3.01 sq mi (7.80 km2)
 • Land3.01 sq mi (7.80 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
1,099 ft (335 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total3,907
 • Density1,298.9/sq mi (501.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
53813
Area code608
FIPS code55-42250[4]
GNIS feature ID1567823[2]
WebsiteCity of Lancaster official website

History

Lancaster originated as a planned community to serve as the county seat for Grant County. Anticipating the county's establishment in 1836, Major Glendower M. Price, a Cassville merchant and land speculator, purchased the site of Lancaster for its central location in the county. Major Price platted the town on a compass-aligned grid in 1837, reserving a large central square for the new county government. He was persuaded to name the city Lancaster by a relative who migrated from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[6] Maj. Price and Daniel Banfill contracted to construct the first county courthouse, which stood on the square from 1838–1851. A second courthouse was constructed in 1852–1853 and enlarged in 1865.[7] The present, third courthouse was constructed on the site in 1902.[8]

Pleasant Ridge, one of the first African-American communities in Wisconsin, was founded just outside Lancaster by the Shepard family in 1849 and settled in the 1850s. Lancaster was the home of the first governor of Wisconsin, Nelson Dewey.

Geography

Lancaster is located at 42°50′55″N 90°42′38″W (42.848505, −90.710430).[9] Lancaster is located in the unglaciated "Driftless Area" of southwest Wisconsin whose topography is strikingly different from that of the rest of the state.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.01 square miles (7.80 km2), all of it land.[10]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18801,069—
18901,54344.3%
19002,40355.7%
19102,329−3.1%
19202,4856.7%
19302,432−2.1%
19402,96321.8%
19503,26610.2%
19603,70313.4%
19703,7561.4%
19804,0768.5%
19904,1922.8%
20004,070−2.9%
20103,868−5.0%
20203,9071.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,[3] the population was 3,907. The population density was 1,298.9 inhabitants per square mile (501.5/km2). There were 1,800 housing units at an average density of 598.4 per square mile (231.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.4% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the census[12] of 2010, there were 3,868 people, 1,659 households, and 1,037 families living in the city. The population density was 1,272.4 inhabitants per square mile (491.3/km2). There were 1,805 housing units at an average density of 593.8 per square mile (229.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.3% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population.

There were 1,659 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the city was 41.2 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 19.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 4,070 people, 1,706 households, and 1,079 families living in the city. The population density was 1,441.1 people per square mile (557.2/km2). There were 1,799 housing units at an average density of 637.0 per square mile (246.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 99.24% White, 0.07% African American, 0.29% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.

There were 1,706 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,723, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $30,683 versus $22,331 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,797. About 6.4% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
Lancaster Post Office, April 2016

Airports

Lancaster Municipal Airport (73C) serves the city and surrounding communities.

Major highways
  • U.S. Route 61 ("Madison Street"), passes north–south through the center of the city.
  • Highway 29, bypasses the city to the east.
  • County Trunk Highway A, passes east–west through the center of the city.

Education

Lancaster Community School District is the public school district for the community. The town also has a Catholic school.

Architecture
The Lancaster Municipal Building, April 2016

Lancaster calls itself "The City of the Dome" after the octagonal glass and copper-clad dome of its courthouse, which was designed by Armand Koch and built in 1905. In the spandrels of the courthouse dome are four allegorical murals painted by Franz Edward Rohrbeck.

Grant County, Wisconsin Courthouse

The Municipal Building (1922) is an example of Prairie School early modern architecture, which, like the courthouse, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The L. J. Arthur House, noted for its architecture, is also listed on the National Register.

The Lancaster Post Office contains a Depression-era mural, painted under the Works Progress Administration program in 1940.

The stone and wood Patrick and Margaret Kinney House in Lancaster was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of 45 Wright structures in Wisconsin.

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "2020 Decennial Census: Lancaster city, Wisconsin". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  6. Butterfield, Consul Willshire (1881). History of Grant County, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Co. pp. 640–641. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  7. Butterfield 1881, p. 515.
  8. "126 W Maple St Property Record". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 1, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  10. "2020 Gazetteer Files". census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
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