Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 13,661 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County.

The city's name originated because of its location on the Chippewa River, which is named after the Ojibwa Native Americans. Chippewa is an alternative rendition of Ojibwa.

Chippewa Falls is the birthplace of Seymour Cray, known as the "father of supercomputing", and the headquarters for the original Cray Research. It is also the home of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, the Heyde Center for the Arts, a showcase venue for artists and performers, Irvine Park, and the annual Northern Wisconsin State Fair. Chippewa Falls is also 15 miles from the annual four-day music festivals Country Fest and Rock Fest.

History
Chippewa Falls was originally a lumber town that became a railroad town, even though the main railroad line of the 1870s went through Eau Claire, about 10 miles to the south. In 1870, the West Wisconsin Railway built a line from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Milwaukee through the area at Eau Claire. Following this, the Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls Railway established a line running from Eau Claire to Chippewa Falls. In 1880, the CF&W was joined by the Wisconsin and Minnesota Railway pushing its way west from Abbotsford. This was followed in 1881 by the Chippewa Falls & Northern Railroad, which built a line north from Chippewa Falls to Bloomer, eventually being extended to Superior.

Around 1700, French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur discovered the Chippewa Spring near the river. Politician Thaddeus C. Pound founded the Chippewa Springs Health Club in 1887 and at one point oversaw the company that bottled the water for sale. A Spring House was built over the original spring in 1893 and remains today, across from the modern water bottling plant on Park Ave.

Geography
Chippewa Falls is located at 44.9341, -91.3932.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.92 sqmi, of which 11.37 sqmi is land and 0.55 sqmi is water.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 13,661 people, 5,896 households, and 3,275 families residing in the city. The population density was 1201.5 PD/sqmi. There were 6,304 housing units at an average density of 554.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.1% White, 1.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 5,896 households of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.5% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 38 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.7% male and 49.3% female.

2000 census
At the 2000 census, there were 12,925 people, 5,638 households and 3,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,191.2 per square mile (459.9/km2). There were 5,905 housing units at an average density of 544.2 per square mile (210.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.62% White, 0.30% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.

There were 5,638 households of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.4% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.4% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.89.

Age distribution was 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median household income was $32,744, and the median family income was $43,519. Males had a median income of $32,016 versus $22,655 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,366. About 8.7% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
As of 2011, the largest employers in the city were:

Education
The Chippewa Falls Area School District (CFSD) serves the city of Chippewa Falls. It has two high schools: Chippewa Falls Senior High and Chippewa Falls Alternate High School; two middle schools: Chippewa Falls Middle School, and Chippewa Falls Alternate Middle School; and six elementary schools: Parkview, Hillcrest, Southview, Stillson, Halmstad, and Jim Falls Elementary.

In addition there are several parochial schools: McDonell Central Catholic High School, Notre Dame Middle School, Holy Ghost, St. Charles, and St. Peter Elementary Schools, all of which are part of the McDonell Area Catholic Schools (MACS).

The original McDonell High School building, sitting at a prominent location above downtown Chippewa Falls, is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places. The structure was built in 1907 and, after the school moved to a more suburban location, it sat abandoned for a number of years until it was taken over by the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association and converted into the Heyde Center for the Arts in 2000.

Notable people

 * Edward Ackley - member of the Wisconsin State Senate
 * Moose Baxter - John Morris Baxter, former Major League Baseball player
 * Howard W. Cameron - member of the Wisconsin State Senate
 * Irving J. Carr - U.S. Army Major General
 * Chad Cascadden - National Football League linebacker for New York Jets and New England Patriots 1995-99
 * Richard H. Cosgriff - Medal of Honor recipient
 * Wilder W. Crane, Jr. - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Seymour Cray (1925–1996) - electrical engineer and supercomputer architect who founded Cray Research
 * Art Crews - professional wrestler, now Jail Captain with Chippewa County Sheriff's Department
 * Nate DeLong - National Basketball Association player
 * Charles E. "Gus" Dorais (1891–1954) - quarterback and kicker for the University of Notre Dame; inducted in College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954; head coach of Detroit Lions from 1943-1947
 * Gene Ellenson - professional football player in 1946
 * Horace Ellis - Medal of Honor recipient
 * George Clay Ginty - Union Army general
 * Thomas Eugene Grady - Justice of the Washington Supreme Court
 * Gary Grant, member of the Washington House of Representatives
 * Leo Richard Hamilton - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Judy Henske - singer and songwriter, “Queen of the Beatniks”; songs about Chippewa roots include "The Ballad of Seymour Cray"
 * Thomas S. Hogan - Montana Secretary of State
 * John J. Jenkins - U.S. Representative
 * William F. Kirk (1877–1927) - nationally syndicated columnist, poet, songwriter, humorist and baseball writer
 * Henry Laycock - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Terry Moulton - a politician and member of the Wisconsin State Senate
 * James J. LeCleir - U.S. Air Force Major General
 * Dick Leinenkugel - a politician and businessman with Leinenkugels. Served as the Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce under governor Jim Doyle.
 * Howard "Guitar" Luedtke - blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and musician who tours with his band, Howard "Guitar" Luedtke & Blue Max
 * Hector McRae - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Charles E. Mower - United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
 * Arthur L. Padrutt - member of the Wisconsin State Senate
 * Bruce Peloquin - member of the Wisconsin State Senate
 * Bradley Phillips - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Thaddeus C. Pound - U.S. Representative, grandfather of poet Ezra Pound
 * Ingolf E. Rasmus - lawyer and member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Marvin J. Roshell - member of the Wisconsin State Senate
 * Chuck Schafer - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Dennis B. Sullivan - U.S. Air Force Brigadier General
 * Tom Sykora - elected to Wisconsin State Assembly in 1994 and served until retirement in 2003
 * John W. Thomas - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Donald F. Turner - lawyer and economist, Assistant Attorney General in charge of USDOJ's Antitrust Division under President Lyndon Baines Johnson
 * Joe Vavra - player for Los Angeles Dodgers, coach for Minnesota Twins; enshrined in Chi-Hi Athletic Hall of Fame on August 27, 2010
 * Eddy Waller (1889 – 1977) - actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1929 and 1963
 * Alexander Wiley - served four terms in the United States Senate for the state of Wisconsin from 1939 to 1963
 * Terry A. Willkom - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Cadwallader Jackson Wiltse - member of the Wisconsin State Assembly