Fitchburg, Wisconsin

Fitchburg, Wisconsin
City
Fitchburg City Hall
Location of Fitchburg in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 43°0′23″N 89°25′53″W / 43.00639°N 89.43139°W / 43.00639; -89.43139Coordinates: 43°0′23″N 89°25′53″W / 43.00639°N 89.43139°W / 43.00639; -89.43139
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Dane
Government
• Mayor	Aaron Richardson[1]
Area [2]
• Total	35.16 sq mi (91.06 km2)
• Land	34.92 sq mi (90.44 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2)
Population  (2020)[3]
• Total	29,609
• Estimate  (2019)[6]	30,792
• Density	881.79/sq mi (340.46/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Zipcode	53711, 53719
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55-25950[5]
Website	fitchburgwi.gov

Fitchburg is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 29,609 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is a suburb of Madison and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Fitchburg consists of a mix of suburban neighborhoods closer to the border with the city of Madison, commercial and industrial properties, and more rural properties in the southern portion of the city. Despite its status as an incorporated city, some rural parts of Fitchburg still lack certain municipal services such as sewer, water, and natural gas.

History[]

Fitchburg was a town until its incorporation as a city on April 26, 1983. Dutch immigrant brothers Vroman are claimed to be the first permanent settlers of Greenfield, then changed to Fitchburg to avoid confusion with Greenfield, Milwaukee county. A significant number of Irish families settled in Fitchburg as well. As the city of Madison began to encroach upon the town of Fitchburg via annexation, the town pursued incorporation as a city to halt Madison's expansion into the town. The fight to allow incorporation ultimately went to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, which ruled that Fitchburg could incorporate as a city.^[7][8]

Former unincorporated communities[]

• Fitchburg Center
• Oak Hall

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.21 square miles (91.19 km²), of which, 34.97 square miles (90.57 km²) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km²) is water.^[9]

Climate[]

Demographics[]

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $50,433, and the median income for a family was $64,106. Males had a median income of $37,440 versus $27,974 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,317. About 5.0% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census[]

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 25,260 people, 9,955 households, and 6,238 families living in the city. The population density was 722.3 inhabitants per square mile (278.9/km²). There were 10,668 housing units at an average density of 305.1 per square mile (117.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.2% White, 10.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.9% Asian, 8.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2% of the population.

There were 9,955 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 32.9 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 7.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

Government[]

Nevin Springs Fish and Wildlife Area is still open today^[12] as a fish hatchery.^[13]

Aaron Richardson is the Mayor of Fitchburg, first elected in 2019 and re-elected to a three year term in 2020. Fitchburg is represented by Mark Pocan (D) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Mark F. Miller (D) and Jon Erpenbach (D) represent Fitchburg in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Jimmy Anderson (D) and Sondy Pope-Roberts (D) represent Fitchburg in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

City services[]

Fitchburg is served by the Fitchburg Police Department and Fitchburg Fire Department. Emergency medical services are provided by the Fitch-Rona EMS district, which also serves the neighboring city and town of Verona. Various portions of Fitchburg are served by municipal sewer, water and natural gas utilities.

Notable people[]

• Jimmy P. Anderson, Wisconsin State Assembly, lives in Fitchburg.^[14]
• Ada Deer, Native American advocate, scholar, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior, lives in Fitchburg.^[15]
• Frances Huntley-Cooper, Former Mayor, lives in Fitchburg.^[16]
• Elizabeth McCoy (microbiologist), Microbiologist and Professor, lived in Fitchburg.^[17]
• Roscoe Mitchell, Saxophonist and composer, lives in Fitchburg.^[18]
• Homer A. Stone, Wisconsin State Assembly and farmer, was born in Fitchburg.^[19]

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fitchburg, Wisconsin.

External links[]

• City of Fitchburg