Janesville

Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 65,615. The area that became Janesville was the site of a Ho-Chunk village named n poroporo (Round Rock) up to the time of Euro-American settlement. In 1835, Henry F. Janes, a native of Virginia who was a self-proclaimed woodsman and early city planner, arrived in what is now Rock County. He wanted to name the budding village "Blackhawk," after the famous Sauk leader, Chief Black Hawk, but was turned down by Post Office officials. After some discussion, it was settled that the town would be named after Janes himself and thus, in 1835, Janville was founded by old stock Yankee immigrants, descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. The completion of the Erie Canal caused a surge in New Englander immigration to what was then the Northwest Territory. Some of the key settlers hailed from the burned-over district of western New York State, (an area notable for being a part of the Christian revival movement known as the Second Great Awakening). Some of those in that revival movement were also active in the abolitionist and women's rights movements. One of the crowning moments in Tallman's life was when he convinced the up-and-coming Illinois Republican, Abraham Lincoln to speak in Janesville in 1859.

History

The area that became Janesville was the site of a Ho-Chunk village named n poroporo (Round Rock) up to the time of Euro-American settlement. New Englanders, and New England transplants from upstate New York, were the vast majority of Janesville's inhabitants during the first several decades of its history. After decades of grain farming, Janesville began to degrade. Farmers responded to this by planting tobacco, which became one of the most profitable and prolific crops grown in Wisconsin during the late 19th century. The Temperance movement was founded in Janesville in the late 1880s. Janesville is home to the Rock River Iron Works, which was built in 1844. It is also the home of the Janesville Dam, which is the first dam built in the U.S. during the Civil War. The town is located in Wisconsin's Rock River Valley, near the junction of the Wisconsin and Illinois rivers. It has a population of about 3,000 people, making it the second largest city in the state after Milwaukee. The city is located on the banks of the Rock Creek River, which runs through the center of the city. It was named after Henry F. Janes, a native of Virginia who was a self-proclaimed woodsman and early city planner. He wanted to name the budding village "Blackhawk," after the famous Sauk leader, Chief Black Hawk, but was turned down by Post Office officials. He settled in the area in 1835 and named the town after himself.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.76 square miles (90.03 km²) The city is at 5a / 5b in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. The climate is humid continental, but its location is in the transition from warm to warm summers in the eastern and northern part of the state. The city has an average temperature of °F (°C) to °C (°F to°F) in the summer. It has a humid continental climate, but surges in the outskirts without UHI are in the Dfb zone. It is located on the banks of the Rock River, which is a major river in the area. The area is divided by the Wisconsin River, and the city is on the shores of the Wisconsin Dells, which are also a major waterway. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city to have a population of 1,816,000 (1,715,000 in 2011). The city's area is 34.16 sq miles (88.47 km²), of which 0.6 sq mile (1.55km²) is water. The state of Wisconsin has a climate of Dfa (humid continental) to Dfb (humidity continental) for Köppen classification. It also has a warm summer, with average temperatures of  °C (°F) to °F (°C) and a dry winter, with a dry summer, and a wet winter, in the winter.

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, the population was 65,615. The median income for a household in the city was $55,914. Of the population age 25 and over, 93.1% were high school graduates or higher and 25.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. There are four Roman Catholic parishes in Janesville, all part of the Diocese of Madison. The city is also home to other Christian churches including Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist, and others. Janesville has a mosque, a municipal cemetery, a Roman Catholic cemetery, and a private cemetery. The YMCA was founded at Janesville in 1899 by John H. Nicholson and a Beloit man after they shared a hotel room after they had a shared a room with each other in Beloit. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of Janesville will reach 65,000 by the end of the next census in 2020. The population of the city is expected to grow to 70,000 in the next few years, according to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016-2020. It is estimated that the city will have a population of 63,500 by the year 2020. It has a population density of 1,920.8 inhabitants per square mile (741.6/km²) The city has a median age of 37.1 years, with 21.8% under the age of 18, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older.

Economy

From 1919 until 2008, Janesville was the site of the Janesville GM Assembly Plant. Janesville Mall redeveloped in the late 1990s, and in 1998 Pine Tree Plaza opened. In November 2006, a Walmart Supercenter and a Sam's Club opened after a period of controversy. As of 2015, the largest employers in the city were: Impact Confections, a candy maker; Blain's Farm and Fleet, a four-state retail chain; Woodman's Food Market, a regional supermarket chain that built its first store in Janesville. Swing'n'Slide, a maker of wood-and-plastic playground equipment; Hufcor (formerly Hough Shade Company), a manufacturer of room dividers that markets internationally; and Gray's Brewing, maker of boutique beers and soft drinks. The Parker Pen Company was founded inJanesville. At one time its factory was the largest writing instrument plant in the world. The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company was. founded in Janville in 1857 but moved to Milwaukee two years later. The former Janesville Oasis, known for Bessie, a large fiberglass cow at its entrance, began redevelopment in 2007; the anchor tenant is a Super Menards. The city is home to the U.S. Cellular Center, which opened in 1998. It is also the home of the Wisconsin State Fair, which began in 2000. It was the first state fair to be held in Wisconsin, and the first in the United States to open in Wisconsin.

Arts and culture

The Lincoln-Tallman House, which models the Italian Villa-style architecture, is one of 34 sites on the Register. Abraham Lincoln slept there for two nights. The old Janesville Public Library, located at 64 S. Main Street, was designed by J.T. Jennings, and opened to the public in 1903. The Courthouse Hill Historic District was added in 1986. The Columbus Circle neighborhood became Janesville's tenth historic district in 2005. In 2008, the John H. Jones House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The library began in 1865 as a privately supported reading room for the Young Men's Library Association. It became a public library in 1884, and was housed in rented quarters. In 1968, a new library was built. In 1996, the library was renovated and renamed Hedberg Public Library. The public library is part of the Arrowhead Library System. It is described, in the NRHP Nominating Form, as "among the best Neoclassical Carnegie libraries in the state" The library is located in the historic district of Janesville, Wisconsin, which is home to the U.S. Army National Guard and the Wisconsin National Guard Auxiliary. It was built in 1903 with $30,000 from Andrew Carnegie and other donors, and $3,00 from the city. The South Main Street Historic District joined the list in 1990 and the Jefferson Avenue Historic District in 2006. The Frances Willard Schoolhouse, partially built by Josiah Willard and named after his daughter, Frances, was added to the Register in 1977.

Sports

In fall 2009, Janesville became home to the Janesville Jets, an expansion team in the North American Hockey League. The Janesville Cubs, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Chicago Cubs, was based in Janesville from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1953. They were called the Bears in 1946. The city also hosted the U.S. Open, which was won by the New Jersey Generals in 1988. The town's first high school football team was founded in 1913. It was named after the town of Janesville, Wisconsin, where it was located until the town was incorporated in 1914. The school's football team won the state championship in 1936 and 1937. It also won the national championship in 1937 and 1938. It hosted the World Series in 1939 and 1940, and the Winter Olympics in 1960. It won the Stanley Cup in 1961 and 1962. It played host to the NHL's New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers in the 1960s and '70s. It is the home of the National Hockey League's Rockford Nailers and the Rockford Ice Haulers, which played in the World Hockey League in the 1970s and 1980s. Janesville is the site of the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, which opened in 1989. It has been home to several professional sports teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers. It's also home to a number of minor league teams, such as the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Parks and recreation

Janesville is known as "Wisconsin's Park Place" Its 2,590-acre (10.5 km²) park system includes 64 improved parks, as well as boat launches, golf courses, and nature trails. Most of the hiking and biking trails in the city are connected to the Ice Age Trail, which will eventually connect to the Sugar River State Trail, north to Milton and Fort Atkinson and east to the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Janesville has a public, internationally themed botanical garden, Rotary Gardens, that was created from an abandoned sand pit. The city also has a nearly 500-acre greenbelt system to provide areas for surface water runoff and habitat for a diversity of plants and animals. The Rock Aqua Jays are the most successful water ski show team in the world with 62 total tournament victories including 19 U.S. National Championships. The team originated and regularly hosts the National Show Ski Championships, and was the host of the first ever World Water Ski Show championship, with teams competing from Australia, Belgium, Canada, and China. Traxler Park is also the site of the city's annual Fourth of July festivities, with a sports stadium used by the school system. It is considered the largest accessible/integrated playground in theWorld and the most accessible/Integrated playground. The CAMDEN Playground is considered to be the world's largest accessible play area, considered to have the highest level of accessibility and integration of playgrounds in the entire world.

Government

Janesville has had a city manager-council form of government since 1923. The city council consists of seven members, elected at large for two-year terms. Janesville is represented by Stephen Nass (R) and Janis Ringhand (D) in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Amy Loudenbeck and Debra Kolste in theWisconsin State Assembly. Bryan Steil represents the city in the United States House of Representatives, and Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin in the U.S. Senate. The mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin, has a term of office of two years and a maximum of four years, and the city has had two mayors since the 1970s, both of whom have been Republican. The current mayor is Republican Steve Israel, who has been mayor since 2007. He has served as mayor since 2008. The U.N. has designated Janesville as one of the most livable cities in the world, with a population of more than 1.2 million. It is the second-largest city in Wisconsin, after Madison, with 1.3 million people. It also has the third-largest population in the state, behind Madison and Waukesha, with 7,000 people each. It has the fourth-largest economy in the country, with $1.2 billion in sales and $2.3 billion in annual revenues. It was the first city to have a mayor-only government in the 1920s, and has been in the same position since the 1950s.

Education

The School District of Janesville has twelve elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and five charter schools. The Wisconsin School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been located in Janesville since 1849 and state-run since 1850. A two-year technical college, Blackhawk Technical College, is located midway between Janesville and Beloit. The University of Wisconsin Rock County is located on the southwest side of the city and is part of the University ofWisconsin System. The UW Rock County campus is located in the town of Rock County, which is about 40 miles from Janesville. The town has a population of about 3,000. It is home to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has been stationed in the area since the mid-1800s. It also has its own military base, which was built in the early 1900s and is located near the town's downtown area. It has a high school, a middle school, and two elementary schools. There are seven parochial elementary and middle schools and one high school. The school district also has a number of charter schools, which are open to the general public. The district's charter schools are: Janesville High School, Janesville Middle School, and Janesville Technical and Vocational High School. The high school has a junior high, high school and a middle/high school. There is also a community college, which offers a variety of programs for high school students.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Janesville, Iron County, Wisconsin = 72.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 55. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 80. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Janesville = 3.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 1,150 individuals with a median age of 37.4 age the population grows by 4.01% in Janesville, Iron County, Wisconsin population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,890.37 residents per square mile of area (729.87/km²). There are average 2.41 people per household in the 25,329 households with an average household income of $49,317 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -4.24% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 19.82%. The number of physicians in Janesville per 100,000 population = 167.8.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Janesville = 32.6 inches and the annual snowfall = 33 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 114. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 185. 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 10.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Janesville, Iron County, Wisconsin which are owned by the occupant = 64.11%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 36 years with median home cost = $119,590 and home appreciation of -4.10%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $20.73 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $5,956 per student. There are 14.2 students for each teacher in the school, 449 students for each Librarian and 406 students for each Counselor. 7.60% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.27% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.07% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).