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Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Nickname(s): FDL, Foot of the Lake, Fondy
Location within the state of Wisconsin.
Country	U.S.A.
State	Wisconsin
County	Fond du Lac
Area
• City	20.11 sq mi (52.08 km)
• Land	18.82 sq mi (48.74 km)
• Water	1.29 sq mi (3.34 km)  6.41%
Elevation	760 ft (230 m)
Population
• City	43,021
• Estimate	43,045
• Density	2,285.9/sq mi (882.6/km)
• Metro	100,070
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code	920
Website	www.fdl.wi.gov

Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, named as such because of its location at the bottom (south end) of Lake Winnebago. The population was 43,021 at the 2010 census.

The city forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Fond du Lac Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Fond du Lac County (2000 population: 97,296). Fond du Lac is the 342nd largest Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States. The Fond du Lac MSA and the Beaver Dam (city), Wisconsin Micropolitan Statistical Area, form the larger Fond du Lac-Beaver Dam Combined Statistical Area.

History

Native American tribes, primarily the Winnebagos but also the Potawatomi, Kickapoo, and Mascoutin lived or gathered in the area long before European explorers arrived. Although the identity of the first white man to explore the southern end of Lake Winnebago is uncertain, it was probably Claude-Jean Allouez, followed by French fur trappers.

James Doty, a federal judge for the western part of the Michigan Territory, thought that the land at the foot of Lake Winnebago might be a good location for a city, so he and his partners bought land in the area. In 1836, during the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, John Arndt proposed making Fond du Lac the new capital. The motion failed, and Doty convinced the legislature to choose Madison instead.

Colwert and Fanna Pier were the first white residents of the area. In 1835, the construction of the Military Ridge Road began. It passed through Fond du Lac, connecting the forts in Wisconsin and Fort Dearborn in Illinois. The first school in Fond du Lac was built in 1843. The first railroad came to the community in 1852. About 1856, the first English newspaper in Fond du Lac, the Fond du Lac Commonwealth, was founded. Logging and milling were primary industries in the late 1880s, with access to the lake as the engine of the industry.

Historic districts

Fond du Lac has 20 listings on the National Register of Historic Places, including four historic districts: the South Main Street Historic District, the North Main Street Historic District, the Linden Street Historic District, and the East Division Street-Sheboygan Street Historic District. Other listings include six houses, two octagon houses, two hotels, a church, a fire station, a train depot, an apartment building, a commercial building, and a prehistoric site. Most of the buildings listed in the register were a result of economic prosperity following the lumber industry boom in the Fox Valley and the newly rich building residences in the area.

Geography

Fond du Lac is located at 43°46′N 88°27′W / 43.767°N 88.450°W / 43.767; -88.450 (43.775, -88.445).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.11 square miles (52.08 km), of which, 18.82 square miles (48.74 km) is land and 1.29 square miles (3.34 km) is water.

Demographics

Fond du Lac is the larger principal city of the Fond du Lac-Beaver Dam CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Fond du Lac metropolitan area (Fond du Lac County) and the Beaver Dam micropolitan area (Dodge County), which had a combined population of 183,193 at the 2000 census.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 43,021 people, 17,942 households, and 10,395 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,285.9 inhabitants per square mile (882.6/km). There were 19,181 housing units at an average density of 1,019.2 per square mile (393.5/km). The racial makeup of the city was 90.6% White, 2.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 2.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.

There were 17,942 households of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.3% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.1% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 42,203 people, 16,638 households, and 10,282 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,501.3 people per square mile (965.9/km²). There were 17,519 housing units at an average density of 1,038.3 per square mile (401.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.59% White, 1.86% Black or African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 2.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,638 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% 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 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,113, and the median income for a family was $50,341. Males had a median income of $35,682 versus $22,492 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,996. About 4.6% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Fond du Lac is served by the Fond du Lac School District. Its schools include:

• Fond du Lac High School (Over 2,100 students in grades 9–12)
• Woodworth Middle School (Over 475 students in grades 6–8)
• Sabish Middle School (Over 500 students in grades 6–8)
• Theisen Middle School (Over 500 students in grades 6–8)
• Chegwin Elementary School (Over 350 students in grades K-5)
• Evans Elementary School (Over 325 students in grades K-5)
• Lakeshore Elementary School (Over 425 students in grades K-5)
• Parkside Elementary School (Over 250 students in grades K-5)
• Pier Elementary School (Over 425 students in grades K-5)
• Riverside Elementary School (Over 325 students in grades K-5)
• Roberts Elementary School (Over 425 students in grades K-5)
• Rosenow Elementary School (Over 425 students in grades K-5)
• Waters Elementary School (Over 450 students in grades K-5)

Goodrich High School was the public high school from 1922 to 2001. When Fond du Lac High School was built, the Goodrich building became Riverside Elementary school.

Private secondary schools in Fond du Lac include: Winnebago Lutheran Academy, a Lutheran (WELS) high school; St. Mary Springs High School, a Catholic high school; Fond du Lac Christian School, an interdenominational K-12 school; and Trinity Baptist School, a Baptist K-12 school.

St. Mary's Springs Academy also operates an elementary school and middle school, which were formerly named Fond du Lac Area Catholic Education System (FACES). Fond du Lac also has four Lutheran primary schools.

Fond du Lac is the home of three colleges: Marian University, a private Catholic four-year university; the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac, a two-year campus in the University of Wisconsin Colleges; and Moraine Park Technical College, a two-year technical college in the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Media

Newspapers

• The Reporter—Daily newspaper, owned by Gannett Newspapers
• Action Advertiser—Free newspaper printed on Wednesdays and Sundays, also owned by Gannett.

Radio

• KFIZ - One of the oldest radio stations in Wisconsin, broadcasts out of Fond du Lac. KFIZ first went on the air in 1922 when Oscar Huelsman turned on the transmitter. Branded as News-Talk 1450 KFIZ.

• WFON - Sister station to KFIZ. Hot AC format. Branded as K107.1.

Television

• WIWN - A television station (virtual channel 68, physical channel 5) carrying WeatherNation TV; currently transmits from Milwaukee rather than its city of license in order to receive market-wide coverage (although Fond du Lac is part of the Green Bay television market).

Religion

42.7% of Fond du Lac residents do not affiliate with any religion.

Fond du Lac's population is about one-third Roman Catholic. In 2000 the six Catholic parishes of St. Mary, St. Joseph, Sacred Heart, St. Louis, St. Patrick and St. Peter merged into a single entity called Holy Family Catholic Community. St. Louis Catholic Church burned down in 2007 and the building was demolished. The St. Patrick and St. Joseph churches closed, while Sacred Heart, St. Mary, and St. Peter remain open.

The mother house of the Sisters of Saint Agnes is located in Fond du Lac. The order operates Agnesian HealthCare and St. Agnes Hospital in the city.

Fond du Lac is the episcopal see of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac. St. Paul's Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese.

Fond du Lac also has a synagogue, Temple Beth Israel. Although Jewish people first came to Fond du Lac in the late 19th century, the first synagogue was not established until 1914.

Business and industry

The largest employer in Fond du Lac is Mercury Marine, a division of the Brunswick Corporation. Mercury Marine, which has its world headquarters in Fond du Lac, is the largest maker of outboard motors in the world, employing approximately 2,500 people in its factory and offices. Other industry includes Giddings & Lewis, a manufacturer of machine tools, owned by the Fives Group; Brenner Tank, a builder of transport tankers; Chicago Tube & Iron, a division of Olympic Steel; Saputo Cheese; and J. F. Ahern, a mechanical and fire protection company.

Fond du Lac is also home to an AC Nielsen data gathering center. Other businesses includes Charter Communications and an office of Wellpoint, which operates as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Fond du Lac has one hospital, St. Agnes Hospital.

Shopping

The main retail district includes Forest Mall which includes a Kohl's and a Younkers, but no longer a J. C. Penney or a Sears, which are now vacant. Other retailers in Fond du Lac include a Shopko, a Walmart and a Target. Fond du Lac is also home to a Mills Fleet Farm and a Menards as well.

Culture

Fond du Lac is the county seat of Fond du Lac County and the site of the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds. The Fond du Lac County Fair takes place annually in late July.

Fond du Lac is also host to Walleye Weekend, an annual summer festival centered around the Mercury Marine National Walleye Fishing Tournament. Walleye Weekend, usually hosted on the second weekend in June is a "Free Family Fun Festival" held in Lakeside Park on the south shore of Lake Winnebago. Despite being billed as a "Free Family Fun Festival", it has been criticized for being little more than a drunk fest with food, litter, obscenities, and music thrown in.

An annual fall festival is also held in September, called Fondue Fest. The festival was first held in September 2007 when a collaboration project between The Melting Pot and Brenner Tank created and set the Guinness World Record for the world's largest fondue set. The festival has been held since.

Fond du Lac is home to a children's Museum, which plays host to variety of rotating kid-centric exibits.

Fond du Lac is also the location of The Little Farmer, which hosts tours, apple and pumpkin picking in the fall, and also hayrides.

Parks

The largest park in Fond du Lac, Lakeside Park contains more than 400 acres (1.6 km) of open recreational space on the south end of Lake Winnebago. Year-round activities include a whitetail deer exhibit. Summer activities include flower displays, boating, picnics, and weddings within the park's picturesque landscape. From April 15 to October 15, the Lakeside Park Lighthouse, built in 1933, and its observation tower are open. Visitors can take rides on a miniature train and an antique carousel. The park also contains four jungle gyms and a petting zoo. A steam locomotive stands at the Main Street entrance to the park, donated by the Soo Line in 1955. Lakeside Park hosts a holiday event featuring a "dancing lights" display, decorations and music.

Buttermilk Creek Park is a large, grassy, hilly park containing an amphitheater, two jungle gyms, and a sledding hill.

Other parks include: Taylor Park and Pool, Butzen (Danbury) Park, Jefferson Park, Fairgrounds Park and Pool, and Playmore Park.

Lottery winnings and the "Miracle Mile"

In the 1990s, several grocery and convenience stores on a stretch of South Main Street in Fond du Lac sold large winning Wisconsin Lottery tickets, resulting in that part of Main Street being dubbed "The Miracle Mile." The first ticket, sold by Sentry Grocery Store (now closed), was for over $100 million and was won on July 7, 1993, by then Sabish Junior High (now middle school) English teacher, Les Robbins, and his then-fiancee, Colleen DeVries.

On August 5, 2006, Ma and Pa's Grocery Express, which is in the heart of the Miracle Mile, sold the only winning Powerball ticket for $209 million. The ticket was claimed on September 22, 2006 by 100 factory workers from Sargento Cheese in Plymouth, Wisconsin.

Transportation

Airports

• Fond du Lac County Airport

Rail

The Canadian National now operates the only railroad in Fond du Lac. Fond du Lac was the headquarters of the Wisconsin Central Railroad until 2001. It was part of the Soo Line until 1987.

Mass Transit

Fond du Lac Area Transit is the local public transit operator in the city. The first public transit in Fond du Lac was a privately owned streetcar service in the 1880s; it converted to busses from 1944 to 1967. After several private operators, the bus system ceased operations in 1967. The current city-owned transit system began operations in 1973.

Roads and highways

	U.S. 41 Northbound, US 41 routes to Oshkosh. Southbound, US 41 routes to Milwaukee via Lomira. US 41 is a freeway bypassing Fond du Lac on the west side with 5 interchanges serving the area. The interchanges are at US 151, Hickory St, Hwy D Military Rd, Wis 23 Johnson St, and Hwy OO Winnebago St. The interchange for Wis 175 Main St was removed when the new US 151 Bypass was built.
	U.S. 151 Southbound, routes to Waupun, Beaver Dam and Madison. Northbound, routes to Chilton and Manitowoc. Formerly running through the city, the highway was bypassed to the southeast of Fond du Lac in the mid-2000s via a grade-access expressway.
	WIS 23 travels west to Wisconsin Dells via Ripon, and east to Sheboygan via Plymouth.
	WIS 175 travels south near US 41 and consists of most of the route US 41 took before the construction of the US 41 freeway.
	US 45 travels north to Oshkosh, Wisconsin along the lakeshore, and south to West Bend via Eden and Kewaskum.

Notable residents

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Other

• Jeanne Bice, television personality, founder of Quaker Factory clothing line
• Brigid Bazlen, actress
• Jonathon Brandmeier, Chicago radio personality on WGN-AM
• Edward L. Doheny, oil tycoon
• Jeanna Giese, first person known to have been successfully treated for rabies without receiving a vaccine
• King Camp Gillette, inventor of the safety razor and founder of The Gillette Company
• Don Gorske, Big Mac enthusiast
• Gordon Hammes, professor
• Christian Patterson, artist
• Pablo Ervin Schmitz Simon, Roman Catholic bishop
• Darold Treffert, psychiatrist

References

1. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
3. "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
4. "Dictionary of Wisconsin History". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
5. Clorissa Swingen (Spring 1988). "Fond du Lac: Links to our Past". Retrieved 2007-03-20.
6. Mentzer, Michael (199). Fond du Lac County: Gift of the Glacier. Fond du Lac, WI USA: Fond du Lac County Historical Society. p. 212. ISBN 0-9631213-0-8.
7. Barden, Cindy (1998). Foot of the Lake: An Early History of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Fond du Lac, WI USA: Fond du Lac Public Library Board of Trustees. p. 64. ASIN B0006E82KA.
8. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/archstories/early_roads/military_roads.asp
9. http://www.fdlpl.org/sites/default/files/upload/file/History%20by%20the%20Lake.pdf
10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
11. .
12. METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.
13. MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.
14. COMBINED STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENT CORE BASED STATISTICAL AREAS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Accessed 2008-08-01.
15. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
16. http://www.fonddulac.k12.wi.us/
17. http://www.wlavikings.org/index.html
18. http://www.smshs.com/
19. http://www.fonddulacchristianschool.com/
20. http://www.tbschool.org/
21. http://www.smsacademy.org/about.cfm?subpage=329030
22. http://www.faithlutheranfdl.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180007759&sec_id=180003194
23. http://webpages.charter.net/luthermemorial/school.html
24. http://www.redeemerfdl.org/
25. http://www.stpetersfdl.net/
26. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Religion Data
27. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Religion Data
28. The Sadoff Family of Fond du Lac
29. http://www.mercurymarine.com/about/sustainability/
30. http://archive.fdlreporter.com/article/20140116/FON0101/301160322/UPDATE-JCPenney-close-Fond-du-Lac
31. http://www.fdlreporter.com/story/news/local/2014/08/06/fond-du-lac-sears-store-close/13691129/
32. http://www.fdlfest.com/walleye-weekend-family-festival-fond-du-lac-wi
33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLoi-Tnjugg
34. http://www.cmfdl.org/
35. http://www.mytlf.com/
36. The Annual "Dancing Trees" Christmas Light Show in Fond du Lac
37. ^ http://www.fdl.wi.gov/departments.iml?DeptID=30&DeptPage=50
38. Juzwiak, Rich (2011-06-13). "QVC's Jeanne Bice Dead at 71". TV Guide. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
39. Pablo Ervin Schmitz Simon

External links

• City of Fond du Lac
• Fond du Lac Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Early Fond du Lac County People and Places
• Sanborn fire insurance maps: 1884 1892 1898 1902 1908 1915
• "Fond du Lac" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.

v t e Municipalities and communities of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States
County seat: Fond du Lac
Cities	Fond du Lac Ripon Waupun‡
Villages	Brandon Campbellsport Eden Fairwater Kewaskum‡ Mount Calvary North Fond du Lac Oakfield Rosendale St. Cloud
Towns	Alto Ashford Auburn Byron Calumet Eden Eldorado Empire Fond du Lac Forest Friendship Lamartine Marshfield Metomen Oakfield Osceola Ripon Rosendale Springvale Taycheedah Waupun
CDPs	Alto St. Peter Taycheedah Van Dyne
Other communities	Arcade Acres Armstrong Artesia Beach Ashford Banner Byron Calumet Harbor Calumetville‡ Calvary Chinatown Dexter Dotyville Dundee Eldorado Elmore Garnet Graham Corners Hamilton Highland Park Hopokoekau Beach Johnsburg Ladoga Lamartine Laudolff Beach Linden Beach Luco Malone Marblehead Marytown Metomen Minawa Beach New Fane New Prospect Oak Center Peebles Pipe Pukwana Beach Rogersville Rosendale Center Silica South Byron St. Joe Waucousta Welling Beach West Rosendale Wilmoore Heights Winnebago Heights Winnebago Park Woodhull
Former communities	Ceresco New Cassel Reeds Corners
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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