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| Marathon County, Wisconsin | |
 Marathon County Courthouse in Wausau
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 Location in the state of Wisconsin | |
 Wisconsin's location in the U.S. | |
| Founded | 1850 |
|---|---|
| Named for | Marathon, Greece |
| Seat | Wausau |
| Largest city | Wausau |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
1,576 sq mi (4,082 km²) 1,545 sq mi (4,002 km²) 31 sq mi (80 km²), 2.0% |
| Population - (2020) - Density |
138,013 |
| Congressional district | 7th |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website | www.co.marathon.wi.us |
Wisconsin 1866 US land Office
Marathon County Fairgrounds
Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013.[1] Marathon County's seat is Wausau.[2] It was founded in 1850,[2] created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the county stretched to the northern border with the upper Michigan peninsula. It is named after the battlefield at Marathon, Greece.[3]
Marathon County comprises the Wausau, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Wausau-Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids, WI Combined Statistical Area.
Geography[]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,576 square miles (4,080 km2), of which 1,545 square miles (4,000 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (2.0%) is water.[4] It is the largest county in Wisconsin by land area and fourth-largest by total area.
Marker located at the 45×90 point near Rietbrock
The Marathon County Park Commission has posted a geographical marker[5] that identifies the spot (45°N, 90°W) of the exact center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere, meaning that it is a quarter of the way around the world from the Prime Meridian and halfway from the Equator to the North Pole.
Major highways[]
Interstate 39- US Highway 51
- Wisconsin Highway 13
- Wisconsin Highway 29
- Wisconsin Highway 34
- Wisconsin Highway 49
- Wisconsin Highway 52
- Wisconsin Highway 97
- Wisconsin Highway 107
- Wisconsin Highway 153
Airports[]
- KAUW - Wausau Downtown Airport
- KCWA - Central Wisconsin Airport
Adjacent counties[]
- Lincoln County - north
- Langlade County - northeast
- Shawano County - east
- Waupaca County - southeast
- Portage County - south
- Wood County - south
- Clark County - west
- Taylor County - northwest
Natural wildlife refuges[]
- Mead Wildlife Area
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 508 | ||
| 1860 | 2,892 | 469.3% | |
| 1870 | 5,885 | 103.5% | |
| 1880 | 17,121 | 190.9% | |
| 1890 | 30,369 | 77.4% | |
| 1900 | 43,256 | 42.4% | |
| 1910 | 55,054 | 27.3% | |
| 1920 | 65,259 | 18.5% | |
| 1930 | 70,629 | 8.2% | |
| 1940 | 75,915 | 7.5% | |
| 1950 | 80,337 | 5.8% | |
| 1960 | 88,874 | 10.6% | |
| 1970 | 97,457 | 9.7% | |
| 1980 | 111,270 | 14.2% | |
| 1990 | 115,400 | 3.7% | |
| 2000 | 125,834 | 9.0% | |
| 2010 | 134,063 | 6.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8] 1990–2000[9] 2010–2020[1] | |||
  2000 Census Age Pyramid for Marathon County |
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 125,834 people, 47,702 households, and 33,868 families residing in the county. The population density was 81 people per square mile (31/km2). There were 50,360 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile (13/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.84% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.35% Native American, 4.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 52.6% were of German and 13.6% Polish ancestry. 92.9% spoke English, 3.4% Hmong, 1.1% German and 1.1% Spanish as their first language.
There were 47,702 households, out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.90% were married couples living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.80% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.50% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.40 males.
Libraries[]
The Marathon County Public Library (MCPL) has its headquarters in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin. Eight branch libraries have been established in the cities of Athens, Edgar, Hatley, Marathon City, Mosinee, Rothschild, Spencer, and Stratford.
Recreation[]
County parks[]
- Amco County Park
- Big Eau Pleine County Park
- Big Rapids County Park
- Bluegill Bay County Park
- Cherokee County Park
- Courthouse Square
- D.C. Everest County Park
- Dells of the Eau Claire County Park
- Duane L. Corbin Shooting Range Park
- Library Park
- Marathon Park
- Mission Lake County Park
- Mountain-Bay State Park Trail
- Reitbrock Geographical Marker
- Rib Falls County Park
- Sunny Vale County Park
Snowmobile trails[]
There are over 884 miles of groomed snowmobile trails in Marathon County maintained by 29 area snowmobile clubs. [11]
Communities[]
County sign on Wisconsin Highway 13
Cities[]
- Abbotsford (mostly in Clark County)
- Colby (mostly in Clark County)
- Marshfield (mostly in Wood County)
- Mosinee
- Schofield
- Wausau (county seat)
Villages[]
- Athens
- Birnamwood (mostly in Shawano County)
- Dorchester (mostly in Clark County)
- Edgar
- Elderon
- Fenwood
- Hatley
- Kronenwetter
- Maine
- Marathon City
- Rothschild
- Spencer
- Stratford
- Unity (partly in Clark County)
- Weston
Towns[]
- Bergen
- Berlin
- Bern
- Bevent
- Brighton
- Cassel
- Cleveland
- Day
- Easton
- Eau Pleine
- Elderon
- Emmet
- Frankfort
- Franzen
- Green Valley
- Guenther
- Halsey
- Hamburg
- Harrison
- Hewitt
- Holton
- Hull
- Johnson
- Knowlton
- Marathon
- McMillan
- Mosinee
- Norrie
- Plover
- Reid
- Rib Falls
- Rib Mountain
- Rietbrock
- Ringle
- Spencer
- Stettin
- Texas
- Wausau
- Weston
- Wien
Census-designated places[]
- Knowlton
- Rib Mountain
Unincorporated communities[]
- Ashley
- Bradley
- Cherokee
- Corinth
- Dancy
- Emmerich
- Evergreen
- Gad (partial)
- Galloway
- Glandon
- Granite Heights
- Halder
- Hamburg
- Hogarty
- Holt
- Johnson
- Kalinke
- Little Chicago
- Little Eau Claire
- Little Rose
- Mann
- March Rapids
- McMillan
- Milan
- Moon
- Mount View
- Naugart
- Norrie
- Nutterville
- Pike Lake
- Poniatowski
- Rangeline
- Rib Falls
- Ringle
- Rocky Corners
- Rozellville
- Schnappsville
- Snell
- Shantytown
- Sunset
- Swan
- Taegesville
- Weber
- Wien
- Wuertsburg
Ghost towns/neighborhoods[]
- Callon
- Staadts
- Stettin
- Ziegler
Politics[]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 44,624 | 58.14% | 30,808 | 40.14% | 1,319 | 1.72% |
| 2016 | 39,014 | 56.12% | 26,481 | 38.09% | 4,023 | 5.79% |
| 2012 | 36,617 | 52.41% | 32,363 | 46.32% | 882 | 1.26% |
| 2008 | 30,345 | 44.66% | 36,367 | 53.53% | 1,228 | 1.81% |
| 2004 | 36,394 | 53.47% | 30,899 | 45.40% | 766 | 1.13% |
| 2000 | 28,883 | 49.48% | 26,546 | 45.48% | 2,945 | 5.05% |
| 1996 | 19,874 | 38.63% | 24,012 | 46.67% | 7,563 | 14.70% |
| 1992 | 20,948 | 36.51% | 21,482 | 37.44% | 14,948 | 26.05% |
| 1988 | 24,482 | 49.44% | 24,658 | 49.79% | 381 | 0.77% |
| 1984 | 27,080 | 55.64% | 20,128 | 41.36% | 1,462 | 3.00% |
| 1980 | 25,868 | 48.34% | 23,281 | 43.50% | 4,365 | 8.16% |
| 1976 | 21,898 | 45.62% | 24,934 | 51.94% | 1,169 | 2.44% |
| 1972 | 21,454 | 51.28% | 18,500 | 44.22% | 1,885 | 4.51% |
| 1968 | 16,907 | 44.40% | 18,063 | 47.43% | 3,111 | 8.17% |
| 1964 | 12,766 | 34.11% | 24,603 | 65.74% | 57 | 0.15% |
| 1960 | 21,880 | 54.67% | 18,145 | 45.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 22,586 | 59.36% | 15,301 | 40.21% | 164 | 0.43% |
| 1952 | 20,702 | 58.52% | 14,541 | 41.11% | 130 | 0.37% |
| 1948 | 11,494 | 40.93% | 15,898 | 56.62% | 687 | 2.45% |
| 1944 | 15,782 | 53.54% | 13,192 | 44.75% | 503 | 1.71% |
| 1940 | 15,264 | 51.80% | 13,724 | 46.57% | 481 | 1.63% |
| 1936 | 7,328 | 27.06% | 17,898 | 66.10% | 1,850 | 6.83% |
| 1932 | 6,210 | 25.24% | 17,744 | 72.13% | 647 | 2.63% |
| 1928 | 10,127 | 48.02% | 10,675 | 50.61% | 289 | 1.37% |
| 1924 | 5,577 | 29.22% | 1,109 | 5.81% | 12,402 | 64.97% |
| 1920 | 11,356 | 65.53% | 2,133 | 12.31% | 3,840 | 22.16% |
| 1916 | 5,838 | 57.03% | 3,677 | 35.92% | 722 | 7.05% |
| 1912 | 3,033 | 33.20% | 4,043 | 44.26% | 2,059 | 22.54% |
| 1908 | 5,258 | 50.62% | 4,722 | 45.46% | 408 | 3.93% |
| 1904 | 6,144 | 63.24% | 3,225 | 33.19% | 347 | 3.57% |
| 1900 | 4,717 | 54.32% | 3,768 | 43.40% | 198 | 2.28% |
| 1896 | 3,958 | 49.62% | 3,829 | 48.00% | 190 | 2.38% |
| 1892 | 1,959 | 33.04% | 3,791 | 63.94% | 179 | 3.02% |
See also[]
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Marathon County, Wisconsin
References[]
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/55073.html.
- ^ a b "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx.
- ^ "Here's How Iron Got Its Name". The Rhinelander Daily News: p. 2. June 16, 1932. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/909510/wisconsin_county_names/.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_55.txt.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/wi190090.txt.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov.
- ^ "Marathon County Parks, Recreation, Forestry Department". http://www.co.marathon.wi.us/Departments/ParksRecreationForestry/RecreationOpportunities/Snowmobiling.aspx.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS.
External links[]
 |
Wikisource has the text of an 1879 American Cyclopædia article about Marathon County, Wisconsin. |
- Marathon County
- Libraries and Schools in Marathon and Lincoln Counties - Digital collection of historic images and texts on schools and libraries in Marathon and Lincoln Counties
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Taylor County | Lincoln County | Langlade County |
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| Clark County | 
|
Shawano County | ||
   Marathon County, Wisconsin | ||||
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| Wood County and Portage County | Waupaca County |
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|---|---|
| Surrounding municipalities (under 10,000) | |
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Cameron* | Hewitt‡ | Lincoln* | McMillan* | Spencer‡ | Marshfield* | Spencer* | |
| Counties | |
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Marathon | Wood | |
| *town ‡village |
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| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Marathon County, Wisconsin. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |