West Bend is the county seat of Washington County, Wisconsin, USA, in southeast Wisconsin. At the 2010 census, the population was 31,078.
Video West Bend, Wisconsin
History
Prior to the arrival of European settlers in southeastern Wisconsin, Potawatomi and Indian Menominee inhabited the land now occupied by the city of West Bend.
In 1845, the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature authorized the construction of a road to connect Fond du Lac and Milwaukee. Byron Kilbourn, one of the highway commissioners, and Jasper Vliet, a surveyor, are tasked with determining which route to take and identifying a good halfway point for travelers. The path they choose now is Route 45 US and the rest stop is West Bend now. Because many people use resting places, it evolves into a popular area. The Milwaukee River that flows through the city eventually plays a major role in the city's history. That's because of the western bend in a river called West Bend. Rivers also generate enough energy to see the power of grinding and gristmill. Early buildings include the Catholic Church of the Holy Angels, built in 1852 at the corner of Hickory and 7th. In 1866 the building was converted into a school, and a new church was built in Elm and 7 under the direction of Reverend Johann Baptist Reindl (1827-1891); the building is now Trinity Lutheran Church. The train arrived in 1873, bringing with it more settlers and industrialization. At this time, West Bend saw accelerated growth, and by 1885 the city was officially a combined Wisconsin community.
Barton Village
In 1845 early settler Barton Salisbury, while conducting a survey of trips to the Milwaukee River, discovered the rapids he believed would be a good resource for sawmills. He built a wooden hut on the west side of the river and Barton village was born. On November 1, 1961, the city of West Bend annexed Barton Village.
April 4, 1981 tornado
The West Bend tornado on April 4, 1981 struck the city killing three people, and injured more than 100 others. There is a monument in a park near the Green Tree Elementary School.
Library controversy
In 2009, a controversy came after local couples complained to the West Bend Community Memorial Library about the existence of "sexually explicit books" and "books for teenagers about homosexuality" in the young adult part of the library. A petition asks the library to label the books identified as explicit, move them to the mature section of the library, install the Internet content filter on the library computer, and "adopt a policy to achieve balance in the choice of view (both affirm and oppose) that the library bringing quite controversial issues in the West Bend community (ie homosexuality), in particular, we ask for religious and/or ex-gay based books that affirm traditional heterosexual perspectives added to the library. "
The West Bend General Council refused to re-appoint four guardians of the library whose terms had expired. A board member complained that the library council was blocking the complaint, while others asserted that the librarians did not serve the public interest "with their ideology." Council action was widely criticized, and local residents were unsuccessful in trying to get the election canceled. After a public hearing on the petition in June 2009, the library council voted to reject restrictions on young adult access to books in the library.
Four Wisconsin people who are members of the Christian Civil Liberties Union filed claims against the West Bend library, asking for $ 30,000 each for "emotional distress," and Francesca Lia Block's "Be Be Bop" book burned or destroyed. "
Historical site
The Washington County Historical Society operates four different museums located in West Bend. Buildings and sites deemed historic by official bodies include:
- Old Courthouse Museum
- Old Sheriff's Residence and Jail
- West Bend Company/Regal Warehouse Museum
- Pastor Rehrl's Rectory at St. John's Historic Site Agnes
- St. Church of Peter
Downtown West Bend has a cinema that was originally opened in 1929. The theater was last renovated in 1992 to accommodate a total of three movie screens. The theater is closed and listed for sale in January 2012, with purchases taking place in May 2012. The theater has not been reopened for any purpose.
Maps West Bend, Wisconsin
Geography
According to the US Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ââ14.72 square miles (38.12 km 2 ), where, 14.57 square miles (37.74 km < soup>) is ground and 0.15 square miles (0.39 km 2 ) is water.
West Bend is in the Kettle Moraine region, and its topography varies. Glacial activity has formed many kettles and hills throughout the region.
Climate
The average temperature in West Bend ranges from a high of 81Ã, à ° F (July) to a low average temperature of 11Ã, à ° F (January). Record high and low temperatures are 107 à ° F and -30 à ° F respectively. The average annual rainfall is 31.4 inches. Average annual snow measuring 45.6 inches.
Demographics
At the 2010 census, there were 31,078 people, 12,769 households, and 8,250 families living in the city. Population density was 2,133.0 inhabitants per square mile (823.6/km 2 ). There are 13,546 housing units with an average density of 929.7 per square mile (359.0/km 2 ). City's racial makeup is 94.8% White, 1.0% African American, 0.4% Native Americans, 0.8% Asian, 1.4% of other races, and 1.7% of two or more races. Hispanic or Latin of any race 3.9% of the population.
There were 12,769 households where 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 10.0% had unmarried female households present, 4.4% had homes ladder men without wife, and 35.4% not family. 29.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.
The average age in town is 37 years. 24.7% of the population is under 18 years of age; 7.4% between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.9% are 25 to 44; 24.3% are from 45 to 64; and 14.6% are 65 years old or older. The urban gender structure is 48.3% male and 51.7% female.
Economy
Although many West Bend residents currently work in neighboring communities, the city's economy is historically based in manufacturing and financial services. The West Bend Mutual Insurance Company was founded in 1894 and the West Bend Savings Bank (now Westbury Bank) in 1926. The West Bend Aluminum Company (later West Bend Company) was founded in 1911 by Bernhardt C. Ziegler, and remained in the West Bend until 2003. Ziegler has previously established securities brokerage firm BC Ziegler & amp; Co. in 1902. In 1915 Robert H. Rolfs founded Amity Leather in downtown West Bend, which eventually became the world's largest maker of leather billfolds. Amity Leather left town in 1996. A strong economy in West Bend in the 1930s caused Ripley's Believe it or Not to claim that West Bend was the only city in the United States that did not enter the Great Depression.. In 1949, the printing company Serigraph, Inc. founded in a garage in West Bend and then hired people around the world. The Gehl Company is also located in West Bend.
Military
The Garda National Army operates an arsenal near the airport, at 125 Chopper Drive, West Bend.
Recreation and tourism â ⬠<â â¬
A paved river runs around the city along the banks of the Milwaukee River. The Eisenbahn State Trail, a Rails to Trails project, has added other trails for walking, running, biking, and skating. The 1,000 mile National Ice Age Trail trail crosses over West Bend. West Bend also has more than 1,200 hectares of parks and green spaces.
To the north of the city center is Regner Park, which offers forested areas for hiking, baseball diamonds, community pools with beaches, fishing ponds, and some softball and soccer ball fields. On the southeast side of the city is Quaas Creek Park, home to the "Doc" Gonring Athletic Roman Complex and Quaas Creek Trail. These facilities include beautiful bike/pedestrian lanes, canoe launches, three softball fields with two standing concessions, and a children's play area. Lac Lawrann Conservancy, offers 137-acre nature reserve and 5 miles of track.
A farmer's market is held in Downtown West Bend on Saturday morning from May to October each year. The market is one of the largest in Southeastern Wisconsin. It includes entertainment from various sources and offers more than 65 vendors, selling products, fruits, meat, eggs, maple syrup, bread, spices, soaps, herbal products, fast food and more. It's listed as a favorite farmer's market in Vogue magazine.
Entertainment on Thursday nights in summer is provided by Music on Main. The roads in Downtown West Bend are closed to traffic and different bands take the stage at Old Settler's Park every week. One local restaurant is appointed weekly to provide food and drinks to purchase.
Maxwell Street Days and German Fest are two summer events held in downtown. Riverfest (formerly Seafood Fest) is held annually at Regner Park on the first weekend in June. The more recent annual event at Riverside Park is JazzFest.
West Bend has been labeled "Geocaching Capital of the Midwest (TM)," boasting more than 1,200 caches within a 10 mile radius of the city. The annual "Ba $ h" Cache has been sponsored by the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce since 2008.
The holiday light show, Enchantment at the Park, was moved to Regner Park in West Bend in 2012 (previously guided at the Washington County Fair Park). The event received donations to support local food stalls. The event also includes an opportunity to visit Santa and skate in the pond at Regner Park.
West Bend is also home to the Wisconsin Art Museum, an art museum dedicated to showcasing works by Wisconsin artists.
The Washington County Conference and Conference Center is located five miles south of the city. Many events are held throughout the year, including the Washington County Fair. The facility was built in 1999 and has a 24,000 square foot pavilion, Agriculture and Equestrian Complex and a theater entertainment area.
Government
The city is governed by the City Council, made up of mayors and eight alderpersons.
Education
The city is served by the West Bend School District. Public schools in the district include six elementary schools, two secondary schools, and two secondary schools.
A public charter school (Pathways) was created, which will serve 7-10 grades in the 2014-2015 school year. Schools will continue to add grade levels every year to become schools that serve grades 7-12, beginning with school year 2016-2017.
Two high schools, West Bend East and West Bend West, are housed in one building. Schools share facilities, but are operated as independent schools. Each school has its own sports team and mascot.
Rolf's Educational Center provides Head Start, Title I, and Early Childhood Education programs.
The district also operates an alternative school, West Bend Online Learning Academy.
The post-secondary schools in West Bend include the University of Wisconsin-Washington County (UWWC) and Moraine Park Technical College.
There are also a number of private schools in West Bend. Good Shepherd Lutheran School is a Pre-K and K-8 Christian School of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Trinity Lutheran School is a Pre-K and K-8 Christian school of the Lutheran Evangelical Synod.
Media
West Bend has a country music station, WMBZ (92.5 FM) and the classic hit station, WIBD (1470 AM). The West Bend City official newspaper is West Bend Daily News . The West Bend Booster is a family-owned independent newspaper that covers the area and has offices in West Bend.
Transportation
West Bend Municipal Airport is a government-owned airport and located in a town located three nautical miles (6 km) east of West Bend's central business district.
Options for public transport in West Bend include city and district taxi programs. The Washington County Commuter Express provides bus services to and from the city of Milwaukee.
Famous people
Twin Cities
- Aisho (Japanese)
- Heppenheim (Germany)
- Pazardzhik (Bulgaria)
References
External links
- West Bend City
- Sanborn's fire insurance map: 1884 1892 1900 1910 1919
Source of the article : Wikipedia