West Bend

Washington County's earliest known inhabitants were pre-Columbian Mound Builders, who constructed effigy mounds in the area sometime between 650 CE and 1300 CE. The present-day city traces its origins to two communities that formed when the first White settlers arrived in the mid-1840s. The Wisconsin Territorial legislature created the Town of West Bend on January 20, 1846. In 1850, Washington County was bisected into eastern and western sections, creating Ozaukee County and Port Washington County. West Bend was the controversial decision to move Washington County's county seat to West Bend instead of Port Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,752; West Bend is the county seat of Washington County, Wisconsin, with Port Washington and Cedarburg as the other two county seats. The city is located on the Milwaukee River, which is a source of power for mills in the region. The town of Barton was founded in 1853, and by 1855, it had a population of over 1,000, making it larger than neighboring West Bend. In the early 1850s, Port Washington served as the controversial county seat, which was at the time the material for the material vied for West Bend's position. The current county seat is Port Washington, and West Bend became the new county seat after Port Washington was bisected into southern and eastern sections in 1850. The name West Bend has been used since the early 1900s, when it was first used to refer to the town.

History

Northeastern Washington County's earliest known inhabitants were pre-Columbian Mound Builders, who constructed effigy mounds in the area sometime between 650 CE and 1300 CE. In the early 19th century when the first White settlers arrived in Southeastern Wisconsin, the Potawatomi and Menominee Indians inhabited the land now occupied by the City of West Bend. Several dozen mounds survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Washington County "Island" Effigy Mound District, which includes the Lizard Mound County Park site in nearby Farmington. In 1850, Washington County was bisected into northern and southern counties, with Port Washington and Cedarburg serving as the county seats. In 1853, Port Washington became the county seat of the new Ozaukee County, and West Bend became the new county seat. When Washington County officials from West Bend arrived to collect county records, they were run out of the county records because they were not relevant to the county. The county seat moved to Port Washington, and the town of Barton moved to West Bend in 1855. The city was named after the West Bend River, which is a tributary of the Milwaukee River. The present-day city traces its origins to two communities that formed in the mid-1840s: West Bend and the now-defunct Village of Barton. At the time, the town included land that is now part of the city of West bend, as well as the neighboring towns of Barton, Farmington, Kewaskum, and Trenton.

Geography

West Bend is in the Kettle Moraine region, and its topography is varied. The glacial activity has formed many kettles and hills throughout the region. The average temperature in West Bend ranges from a high of 81 °F (27 °C) (July) to a low average temperature of 11 °C (January) The average annual rainfall is 31.4 in (800 mm) and the average annual snow measures 45.6 in (1,160 mm) The city has a total area of 14.72 square miles (38.12 km²), of which, 14.57 square mile (37.74 km²) is land and 0.15 square miles [0.39 km²] is water. West Bend is located in the Cascade Range. The city is located on the U.S.-Mexico border. It is located near the junction of the Columbia and Willamette rivers, which flow into the Willametal Rivers, which flows into the Columbia River. The town has a population of 1,788. It has a climate of mostly arid and semi-arid, with an average annual temperature of 81 °C (27 °F) and an average yearly rainfall of 31 mm (800 mm) (4.4 in) (7.2 inches) (1.4 inches) of rain. The area of West Bend has an average elevation of 14 square miles (37 km²) (2.2 sq mi) (3.0 mi).

Demographics

As of the census of 2020, there were 31,630 people, 12,769 households, and 8,250 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 94.77% White, 1.61% African American, 0.05% Native American,0.83%Asian,1.38% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population. The city's median age was 37 years, with 24.7% of residents under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender make-up of the town was 48.3 per cent male and 51.7 per cent female. There were 13,546 housing units at an average density of 929 per square mile (359.0/km²), with the city's average household size of 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the city has a population of 31.6 million people, up from 31.3 million in 2010. The population growth rate for the city since the 1990s has been 2.4 per cent, from 1.6 per cent in 1990 to 1.8 per year.

Economy

West Bend's economy has been historically based in manufacturing and financial services. The strong economy in West Bend in the 1930s led Ripley's Believe it or Not to claim that West Bend was the only city in the United States that did not enter the Great Depression. The Army National Guard operates an armory near the airport, at 125 Chopper Drive, West Bend. West Bend Mutual Insurance Company was founded in the city in 1894 and West Bend Savings Bank (now Westbury Bank) in 1926. The West Bend Aluminum Company (later the West Bend Company) was founded by Bernhardt C. Ziegler in 1911. In 1949, the printing company Serigraph, Inc. was founded and went on to employ people all over the world. The Gehl Company is also located in West bend. In 1996, Amity Leather, the world's largest manufacturer of leather billfolds, left the city and left in 2003. The City of West Bend is home to the U.S. Air Force base at West Bend Air Force Base, which is located on the shores of the Willamette River. The city is also the home of the Oregon Air National Guard, which has a base at the airport. The town is also home to Oregon State University, which was established in 1891 and is located in the town's downtown area. The University of Oregon has a chapter of the American College of Arts and Sciences, which opened in 1903. The university is located at the intersection of Oregon Avenue and Oregon Avenue.

Recreation and tourism

West Bend has been branded the Geocaching Capital of the Midwest, boasting over 1,200 caches within a 10-mile radius of the city. The 1,000-mile National Ice Age Trail crosses through West Bend. A farmers' market is held in Downtown West Bend on Saturday mornings from May through October each year. Riverfest (formerly Seafood Fest) is held every year at Regner Park on the first weekend in June. West Bend is also home of the Museum of Wisconsin Art, an art museum dedicated to showing the works of Wisconsin artists. An annual "Cache Ba$h" has been sponsored by the West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce since 2008. A holiday light show, Enchantment in the Park, was moved to Regner park in West Bend in 2012 (previously it was hosted at the Washington County Fair Park). The event accepts donations to support local food pantries. A more recent annual event in Riverside Park is JazzFest. A paved riverwalk snakes through the city along the banks of the Milwaukee River. The Eisenbahn State Trail, a Rails to Trails project, has added another trail for walking, running, biking, and roller skating. The city is home to the Wisconsin State Fair, which runs from August through October. It is located five miles south of West Bend and has a 24,000 sq. ft. pavilion, Agricultural and Equestrian Complexes and theater entertainment areas. It also has a canoe launch, three softball fields with two concession stands, and a children's play area.

Government

The city is governed by the City Council, consisting of the mayor and eight aldermen. The mayor is the city's only elected official. The City Council is responsible for the running of the city. The city has a population of 2,000,000. It is the second-largest city in the state of New Jersey. The population of the state is 2,200,000; it is the third-largest in New Jersey after New Jersey and New York City. It also has the fourth-largest population in the country, behind New York and New Jersey, and the fifth-largest state in the United States, behind California and New Hampshire. It has one of the highest percentages of women in the city, with more than half of the population aged 20 or older. The average age of a City Council member is 40 years old; the average City Councilmember is 50 years old. The number of City Council members is 8.5. The Mayor is the mayor, with a term of office of five years. The Council is made up of eight members, with the mayor being the head of the council and the mayor's deputy. The council has a maximum term of four years, and a maximum of eight years of service. The maximum City Council term is eight years, but the mayor can only serve a single term. It was first elected to office in 1994, and has since been re-elected three times. The current City Council has a total of 12 members, including the mayor.

Education

The city is served by the West Bend School District. The public schools in the district include six elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools that share the same building. Pathways Charter School closed permanently on June 30, 2019. Post-secondary schools in West Bend include University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Washington County (UWM-WC) and Moraine Park Technical College. Rolf's Educational Center provides Head Start, Title I, and Early childhood education programs. There are also a number of Pre-K and K8 private schools inWest Bend. The district also operates an alternative school, West Bend Online Learning Academy. The city is home to the Wisconsin State Fair, which is one of the largest state fairs in the United States. The state fair runs from June to September. It is also home to Wisconsin State University, which runs from September to December. The town also hosts the Wisconsin High School for Girls, which was founded in the 1970s. The high school is located in the town's downtown area, near the Wisconsin-Wisconsin border. The school is part of the Wisconsin Technical College System, which offers a variety of programs for high school and college students. There is also a local high school for middle school and high school students, which has its own sports teams and mascot. The West Bend East and West Bend West high schools are housed in a single building. The schools share facilities, but are operated as independent schools. Each school has a sports team and mascot, as well as its own mascot.

Transportation

The West Bend Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) east of the central business district of West Bend. The city is served by US 45 as a freeway bypass west of Downtown, Wis 33, and Wis 144. The Washington County Commuter Express provides bus service to and from the city of Milwaukee. The options for public transportation within West Bend include the city and county taxi programs. The West Bend Police Department is based in the city's downtown area. The police department is part of the Washington County Sheriff's Department. The department is responsible for patrolling the area around the airport and the surrounding area. It is also responsible for the West Bend Fire Department, which is based near the airport. The fire department has been involved in the shooting death of a man in West Bend, Wisconsin in 2007. The man was shot and killed by police after he tried to rob a convenience store in the downtown area of the city. The suspect has been charged with armed robbery and attempted murder in connection with the shooting. The case is still under investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Wisconsin. The FBI is also investigating the shooting of two men in the town of Waukesha, Wisconsin, in 2009. The incident is believed to be related to the shooting deaths of two young men in 2008. The Wisconsin National Guard has been assigned to the city to investigate the incident. The Waukegan Police Department has been tasked with investigating the shootings.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in West Bend, Washington County, Wisconsin = 97. 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 30. 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 89. 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 West Bend = 3.4 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 4,864 individuals with a median age of 37.7 age the population grows by 5.89% in West Bend, Washington County, Wisconsin population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,133.7 residents per square mile of area (805.46/km²). There are average 2.33 people per household in the 12,643 households with an average household income of $54,602 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.90% of the available work force and has dropped -7.36% 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 13.38%. The number of physicians in West Bend per 100,000 population = 115.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in West Bend = 31.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 45.6 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 108. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 190. 82 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 10.9 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, 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 West Bend, Washington County, Wisconsin which are owned by the occupant = 58.52%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 30 years with median home cost = $178,790 and home appreciation of -2.55%. 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 $17.81 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 $5,748 per student. There are 16.4 students for each teacher in the school, 448 students for each Librarian and 421 students for each Counselor. 8.59% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 15.59% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.60% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).