Beloit, Wisconsin

History

Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836, and sent Horace White to find a suitable region of Wisconsin in which to settle. The level fields and the water power of Turtle Creek and "unlimited gravel" in the area around what is now Beloit fixed the site of the village and farms. White purchased the land. At the same time as the Colebrook settlers, six families from Bedford, New Hampshire, arrived and settled in the region. They said the Rock River Valley had a "New England look" that made them feel at home. The village was platted in 1838 and was planned with wide streets, building on the New England model.

Beloit was originally named New Albany (after Albany, Vermont) in 1837 by its founder, Caleb Blodgett. The name was changed to Beloit in 1838. The name was coined to be reminiscent of Detroit.

Beloit lays claim to such inventions as the speedometer, John Francis Appleby's twine binder, and Korn Kurls, which resemble Cheetos, and the original puffed cheese snack.

Railroad heritage

Beloit was served by the Milwaukee Road, and the Chicago & North Western Railroad (C&NW). In its 1980 bankruptcy, the Milwaukee Road disposed of the Southwestern Line. The Union Pacific, which took over the C&NW, operates in Beloit today over a remnant of the former Milwaukee Road, providing a rail connection to Fairbanks-Morse Engine manufacturing facility. The CPKC operates other trackage in Beloit. The city also had an electric interurban railroad.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 17.66 sqmi, of which 17.33 sqmi is land and 0.33 sqmi is water. Location: .

The city is adjacent to the Town of Beloit, Town of Turtle, and the Illinois municipality of South Beloit, and is also Wisconsin's southernmost city.

Most of Beloit's development is occurring on the east side, adjacent to Interstates 39/90 and Interstate 43, where the city annexed rural land for Beloit Gateway Industrial Park, as well as in the newly revitalized downtown along the Rock River.

Climate

|Jan record high F = 61 |Feb record high F = 69 |Mar record high F = 84 |Apr record high F = 92 |May record high F = 103 |Jun record high F = 104 |Jul record high F = 110 |Aug record high F = 102 |Sep record high F = 100 |Oct record high F = 89 |Nov record high F = 78 |Dec record high F = 67 |year record high F = 110

|Jan avg record high F = 48.7 |Feb avg record high F = 52.6 |Mar avg record high F = 67.6 |Apr avg record high F = 78.7 |May avg record high F = 86.3 |Jun avg record high F = 91.2 |Jul avg record high F = 92.0 |Aug avg record high F = 91.2 |Sep avg record high F = 88.3 |Oct avg record high F = 81.1 |Nov avg record high F = 65.9 |Dec avg record high F = 52.1 |year avg record high F = 94.1

|Jan avg record low F = -8.7 |Feb avg record low F = -3.6 |Mar avg record low F = 6.6 |Apr avg record low F = 23.8 |May avg record low F = 34.9 |Jun avg record low F = 45.4 |Jul avg record low F = 52.5 |Aug avg record low F = 51.5 |Sep avg record low F = 38.9 |Oct avg record low F = 27.3 |Nov avg record low F = 14.2 |Dec avg record low F = -0.8 |year avg record low F = -12.6

|Jan record low F = −29 |Feb record low F = -28 |Mar record low F = -13 |Apr record low F = 7 |May record low F = 26 |Jun record low F = 34 |Jul record low F = 42 |Aug record low F = 39 |Sep record low F = 23 |Oct record low F = 4 |Nov record low F = -12 |Dec record low F = −25 |year record low F = −29 | access-date = June 22, 2021 | archive-date = May 8, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210508190345/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=mkx | url-status = dead | access-date = June 22, 2021}}

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 36,657. The population density was 2,115.0 PD/sqmi. There were 15,068 housing units at an average density of 869.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 60.0% White, 14.5% Black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.4% from other races, and 11.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 21.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 36,966 people, 13,781 households, and 8,867 families residing in the city. The population density was 2128.2 PD/sqmi. There were 15,177 housing units at an average density of 873.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 68.9% White, 15.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 10.0% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.1% of the population.

There were 13,781 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16.

The median age in the city was 33.1 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

Economy

Industries with headquarters in Beloit include ABC Supply Company, Bio-Systems International, Broaster Company, Fairbanks-Morse Defense, Hendricks Holding Company, Murmac Paint Manufacturing, PlayMonster, and Regal Beloit.

Downtown Beloit is a dense cluster of mostly small shops and boutiques. The area has been recognized for increased investment and renewal since the 1990s. Downtown Beloit is one of two inaugural members of the Wisconsin Main Street designation. Upscale downtown condominiums and hotels were introduced after 2000 with the construction of the Hotel Hilton Apartments (2001), the Beloit Inn (now the Ironworks Hotel, 2003), Heritage View (2005), Phoenix Project (2013), Hotel Goodwin (2018), and the Wright & Wagner Lofts (2021).

From the 1990s to 2011, downtown Beloit received direct public and private investment totaling more than $75 million. In 2011, Beloit was a Great American Main Street Award winner. In 2012, Beloit was listed #17 on Travel and Leisures list of America's Greatest Mainstreets.

Arts and culture

• Beloit Art Center
• Beloit Civic Theatre
• Beloit Historical Society
• Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra
• The Castle Performing Arts Center
• Logan Museum of Anthropology
• Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra
• Wright Museum of Art
• Beloit City Hall – this houses a mural portraying the history of Beloit, completed in 1985 by artist Martha Nessler Hayden.

Historic buildings

Beloit's 1889 Water Tower Place began demolition in 1935, which was halted because of the cost. A historic pump station is nearby. The Fairbanks Flats were built in 1917 to house the rush of African Americans moving to the area from the Southern United States. Pearsons Hall of Science was designed by the architectural firm Burnham and Root for Beloit College as a science center. The Lathrop-Munn Cobblestone House was originally built for politician John Hackett. The Castle at 501 Prospect was built as First Presbyterian Church in 1902; it now operates as a Performing Arts Center and Music School.

Festivals

Beloit's main festivals include the Beloit International Film Festival and Beloit's Winterfest, which includes an indoor playland, ice skating, ice sculpting and toboggan races.

Baseball

Beloit is home to the Beloit Sky Carp, a professional minor league baseball team that play in the Midwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Sky Carp play their games at ABC Supply Stadium. From 1982 to 2021, they played at Harry C. Pohlman Field.

Government

Beloit is represented by Mark Spreitzer and Stephen Nass in the Wisconsin State Senate, Clinton Anderson and Ellen Schutt in the Wisconsin State Assembly, Bryan Steil in the United States House of Representatives, and Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin in the United States Senate.

Beloit has a council-manager system of government, with seven council members, each elected for two-year terms. Four members are elected in even years and three in odd years. City council elections are held annually in April. The city council establishes policies for the city and appoints a city manager to implement those policies. The current city manager, Jerry Gabrielatos, started on February 20, 2023.

Education

The School District of Beloit serves 5,923 students across six primary schools, two intermediate schools, and one high school, offering alternative programming and charter school options. Beloit Memorial High School is the city’s public high school. While most of Beloit falls within the Beloit School District, some areas are served by the Beloit Turner School District. and The district also operates its own charter school, The Lincoln Academy, which serves students from grades K4 through 12.

Beloit College, a private liberal arts college with undergraduate enrollment around 1,300, is in the city, with the main campus adjacent to downtown. The campus has a number of prehistoric Native American mounds. Blackhawk Technical College, a public technical school, has a campus in downtown Beloit.

Beloit has a public library that was part of the Arrowhead Library System which merged with Lakeshores Library System in 2023 to form Prairie Lakes Library System.

Media

Beloit's main newspaper is The Beloit Daily News, a daily (published Monday through Friday) paper owned by Adams Publishing Group, LLC, and serving the Wisconsin/Illinois stateline area. The Janesville Gazette, also owned by Adams Publishing Group, also serves Beloit.

Beloit is a part of the Madison television market, but due to its proximity to Rockford, stations from Rockford also serve the city and report on local stories and information (weather, school closings, etc.) relating to Beloit.

Radio stations broadcasting to Beloit include '90s hits WBEL (1380 AM), which is licensed to South Beloit, Illinois and operates studios in Janesville, classic country WGEZ (1490 AM) and variety WBCR (103.5 FM), owned by the Board of Trustees of Beloit College. Radio stations from Janesville, Madison and Rockford are also receivable.

Transportation

The Beloit Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation. Four regular routes provide service from Monday through Saturday. In collaboration with the Janesville Transit System, BTS operates an express route between the two cities.

Beloit Airport is a small public-use general aviation airport within the city. It offers hangars for storing aircraft, gliders, and sky diving. Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport is a public airport north of Beloit in Rock County. Formerly known as Rock County Airport, it is owned and operated by the Rock County government. The airport has no scheduled commercial passenger service. Dane County Regional Airport and Rockford International Airport are the closest airports to Beloit that offer scheduled airline service.

Van Galder offers express bus service via its South Beloit stop to Downtown Madison, Chicago O'Hare Airport and Chicago Union Station as well as intermediate stops in Janesville and Rockford, this service runs approximately 14 buses a day in either direction 365 days a year.

Notable people

• Thomas Ryum Amlie, U.S. Representative
• Clinton Anderson, Wisconsin State Representative
• Marcia Anderson, U. S. Army Major General
• Roy Chapman Andrews, adventurer and naturalist
• Fred Ascani, U.S. Air Force Major General
• Alan E. Ashcraft, Jr., Illinois State Representative
• Clinton Babbitt, U.S. Representative
• George B. Belting, Wisconsin State Representative
• James A. Blaisdell, founder of the Claremont Colleges
• Jim Breton, MLB player
• Jason W. Briggs, leader in development of Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• James A. Brittan, Wisconsin State Representative
• Tony Brizzolara, MLB player
• Richard Burdge, Wisconsin State Senator
• Jackson J. Bushnell, educator
• Jim Caldwell, Beloit Memorial High School alumnus, former head coach of NFL's Detroit Lions
• Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, geologist
• Franklin Clarke, professional football player for Dallas Cowboys (1960–1967) and Cleveland Browns (1957–1959)
• Ward Connell, NFL player
• Lawrence E. Cunningham, Wisconsin State Senator
• Horatio N. Davis, Wisconsin State Senator
• Delmar DeLong, Wisconsin State Representative
• Burger M. Engebretson, Wisconsin State Representative
• John E. Erickson, NBA executive
• Betty Everett, rock and jazz singer ("The Shoop Shoop Song")
• Edward A. Everett, Wisconsin State Representative
• Dorr Felt, inventor of comptometer
• Edwin G. Fifield, Wisconsin State Representative
• Lucius G. Fisher, state representative and businessman
• Bill Flannigan, NFL player
• Patsy Gharrity, MLB player
• Danny Gokey, American Idol contestant, choir director at a Beloit church
• Bernie Graham, professional baseball player
• John Hackett, businessman and politician
• Jim Hall, professional boxer
• Edward F. Hansen, Wisconsin State Representative
• William O. Hansen, Wisconsin State Representative
• Bill Hanzlik, NBA player and coach
• Jonathan Harr, journalist and author of A Civil Action
• Ken Hendricks, founder of ABC Supply, listed on the Forbes 400
• William H. Hurlbut, Wisconsin State Representative
• Gary Johnson, elected majority leader of Wisconsin Assembly in 1980 and 1983
• Jerry Kenney, baseball player for New York Yankees (1967, 1969–1972) and Cleveland Indians (1973)
• John Baxter Kinne, Medal of Honor recipient
• Stephanie Klett, television personality, Miss Wisconsin 1992
• Gene Knutson, NFL player
• Richard LaPiere, sociologist at Stanford University
• Eugene Lee, Tony Award-winning set designer (Wicked, Saturday Night Live)
• Wallace Leschinsky, Wisconsin State Representative
• Alonzo J. Mathison, Wisconsin State Representative
• Max Maxfield, Wyoming Secretary of State
• Juan Conway McNabb (John Conway McNabb), Roman Catholic bishop, missionary in Peru
• Sereno Merrill, Wisconsin State Representative
• Elmer Miller, MLB player
• Tommy Mills, head coach of Creighton Bluejays, Georgetown Hoyas and Arkansas State Indians football teams; Creighton and Arkansas State men's basketball, Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball
• Orsen N. Nielsen, U.S. diplomat
• David Noggle, Wisconsin State Representative, Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Idaho Territory
• Russ Oltz, NFL player
• Terell Parks, professional basketball player
• Danica Patrick, Indy Car & NASCAR auto racing driver and model
• George Perring, MLB player
• Samuel L. Plummer, Wisconsin State Representative
• Alan S. Robertson, Wisconsin State Representative
• Robert P. Robinson, Wisconsin State Senator
• Judy Robson, former majority leader, Wisconsin Senate
• David Roth, opera director
• Jane Sherman, actress, writer, composer, dancer with The Rockettes
• Richard Shoemaker, Wisconsin State Senator
• Tracy Silverman, violinist
• Mark Simonson, font designer
• Erastus G. Smith, Wisconsin State Representative
• Simon Smith, Wisconsin State Representative
• Robert C. Strong, U.S. diplomat
• William Barstow Strong, former president of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
• Tyree Talton, NFL player
• Rusty Tillman, NFL player and assistant coach, XFL head coach
• S. J. Todd, Wisconsin State Senator
• Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck, education professional
• Allen F. Warden, Wisconsin State Representative
• Arthur Pratt Warner, aviator and inventor
• Kyle Weaver, professional basketball player for Oklahoma City Thunder
• Floyd E. Wheeler, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer
• John D. Wickhem, Justice of Wisconsin Supreme Court
• Albert J. Winegar, Wisconsin State Representative
• Delaphine Grace Wyckoff, microbiologist and educator
• Zip Zabel, MLB player
• Robin Zander, musician (Cheap Trick)

References

References

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