Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia : O : OS : OSH : Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Oshkosh is a city located where the Fox River enters Lake Winnebago in Winnebago County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 62,916. The city is located adjacent to and partially within the Town of Oshkosh.
History
Oshkosh was named for Menominee Chief Oshkosh, whose name means "claw"[link]. Oshkosh was incorporated as a city in 1853. While fur trade brought the first European settlers to this area as early as 1818, the establishment and growth of the lumber industry fueled the development of Oshkosh. The structures which now make up the city's historic areas are a result of the capital and materials generated by the lumber and associated wood manufacturing industries.When Oshkosh was formally incorporated in 1853, it had already been designated the county seat and had a population of nearly 2,800. The lumber industry was well established as entrepreneurs took advantage of navigable waterways to provide access to both northern pineries and markets. The 1859 arrival of rail transportation provided an important opportunity to meet the demands of a larger and rapidly growing construction market. By 1870, Oshkosh had become third largest city in the state with a population of over 12,000.
In addition to providing capital and materials for construction of buildings now considered historic, the lumber industry was associated with entrepreneurs and businessmen who made significant contributions to the community, politics and philanthropic organizations. Availability of materials and capital, along with the devastating downtown fires in the mid 1870's created opportunities for architects to produce a range of well designed buildings for residential, commercial, civic and religious use. At the early turn of the century Oshkosh was home of the Oshkosh Brewing CO. The Oshkosh Brewing Company coined the phrase "By Gosh It's Good." Chief Oshkosh became a national beer.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 63.2 km² (24.4 mi²). 61.2 km² (23.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.0 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (3.20%) is water.
Sites of interest
Oshkosh is probably best known for OshKosh B'Gosh, a manufacturer of overalls and children's clothing founded in Oshkosh in 1895. Originally a small-town manufacturer of adult work clothing, it has become best known for its children's lines. The original children's overalls, dating from the early twentieth century, were intended to help children dress like their fathers. According to the company, sales increased dramatically when Miles Kimball, an Oshkosh-based mail-order catalog, featured a pair of the overalls in its national catalog. As a result, OshKosh B'Gosh began to sell their products through department stores and expanded their children's line. Despite the name, OshKosh B'Gosh overalls are no longer made in Oshkosh, though the company maintains corporate offices there.Oshkosh is also the home of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, "The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration" held by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. ("EAA"). AirVenture is the world's largest airshow, and during AirVenture, air traffic at Wittman Regional Airport exceeds that of any other airport in the world. EAA is a non-profit member organization, particularly dedicated to home-built aircraft, restored aircraft, and the new class of light-sport aircraft.
Oshkosh is home to Oshkosh Truck, one of the world's leading manufacturers of emergency, utility and military vehicles, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the third-largest university in the state. During the 4th of July there is a large festival/carnival known as Sawdust Days at Menominee Park. Menominee park also contains the Public Zoo and "Little Oshkosh" which is a community built kids playground. There are two well known chocolate companies located in Oshkosh; Hughes and Oaks. In downtown Oshkosh is the Grand Opera House where local acting groups present their plays and musicals. Also located downtown is the Sundial, and new Leach Amphitheatre. Oshkosh is also home to the [Winnebago Mental Health Institute].
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 62,916 people, 24,082 households, and 13,654 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,028.0/km² (2,662.2/mi²). There were 25,420 housing units at an average density of 415.3/km² (1,075.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.73% White, 2.19% Black or African American, 0.52% Native American, 3.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 24,082 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% 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 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 18.1% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $37,636, and the median income for a family was $48,843. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $24,154 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,964. About 5.2% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Primarly Catholic Christians, Oshkosh also has some populations of Muslims, Jews and Hindus.
Points of interest
- Paine Art Center and Gardens
- University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
- EAA AirVenture Museum
- [Oshkosh Public Museum]
- Hughes Homemade Chocolates
- Oaks Chocolates
- Menominee Park
- [Grand Opera House]
- [Sawdust Days]
- [Waterfest]
External links
- [City of Oshkosh]
- [Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau]
- [Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper]
- [Oshkosh West High School newspaper]
- [Oshkosh and Winnebago County, Wisconsin - Atlases and Histories]: A digital resource documenting the history of this area, from the Oshkosh Public Library and presented by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center.
| |
|
|---|---|
| Surrounding municipalities (under 10,000) | |
|
Algoma* |
Black Wolf * |
Nekimi* |
Omro° |
Omro* Oshkosh* | Vinland* | Winneconne‡ | Winneconne* | |
| Winnebago County | |
| *town ‡village °city | |
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.