Portage

Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was named for the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway, which was recognized by Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet during their discovery of a route to the Mississippi River in 1673. As a portage, this community developed as a center of commerce and trade; later, a canal was constructed to facilitate this trade. The buildings now in the city's downtown were once part of a bustling, urban commercial center serving a large region across north central Wisconsin. In 1828, the federal government recognized the strategic economic importance of The Portage and built Fort Winnebago at the Fox River end. The community incorporated as Portage City in 1854. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census making it the largest city in Columbia County. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes the city of Madison and the towns of Wauona and Waukesha, as well as parts of Manitowoc and Wausau. It has a total area of 9.2 square miles (24.2 km²), which is land and 080 sq miles (2 km) water. The first access to the city was the first to Swan Lake and Silver Lake, which is the location of the town at the split of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. It was also the first city to access the Wisconsin River, which gives it access to two navigable waters. In the early 19th century Portage was primarily populated by Métis. The town's slogan is "Where the North Begins".

History

Portage emerged at this place because of its unique position along the one and a half mile strip of marshy floodplain between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. By the end of the 17th century, the Fox-Wisconsin waterway, linked at The Portage, served as the major fur trade thoroughfare between Green Bay and Prairie du Chien. In the early 19th century Portage was primarily populated by Métis. After 15 years of controversy, Winnebago settlement (now Portage) won the county seat in 1851. The community incorporated as Portage City in 1854. The buildings now in the city's downtown were once part of a bustling, urban commercial center serving a large region across north central Wisconsin. The city's business district lies along a hill that overlooks the Portage Canal. It was not until the 1780s and 1790s that traders built their posts and warehouses at each end of The Portages. In 1828, the federal government recognized the strategic economic importance of ThePortage and built Fort Winne bago at the Fox River end. The town was named after the portage, which was a natural "portage" for Native American tribes and later European traders and settlers. It is located on the banks of the Wisconsin River, which is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It has a population of about 2,000. The Portaging Canal was built in the early 1900s to facilitate the railroads' arrival.

Geography

Portage lies in the Wisconsin River valley. The city is surrounded by prairies and grasslands. The location of the town at the split of the Wisconsin and Fox river is what gives it the name "Portage", which means carrying a boat of its cargo between two navigable waters. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.62 square miles (24.92 km²) The city has two commercial areas. One is the downtown historic district, which features several small boutique shops and restaurants; the other is the Northridge commercial area that features big box stores. In the summer of 2007, the Portage Canal was cleaned up and now features a bike path that runs alongside part of it. The northern side of the city thus looks different from the central city, with the organized grid street system giving way to a more suburban streetscape with a lower housing density. In addition to the rivers, theCity has access to Swan Lake and Silver Lake. Historical landmarks of the City include the Museum at the Portages, the Indian Agency house, and the Surgeons Quarters. The City of Portage is located in Columbia County, Wisconsin, which is home to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and the College of Medicine and Dentistry. It is located on the banks of the Fox River, which runs through the heart of the downtown area. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Portage has a population of 2,788.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,324 people, 4,060 households, and 2,349 families living in the city. There were 4,493 housing units at an average density of 509.4 per square mile (196.7/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 90.9% White, 5.0% African American, 0.9%. Native American,0.8% Asian, 0,7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0%. The city's median income was $35,815, and the median income for a family was $44,804. The per capita income for theCity was $18,039. About 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8. of those age 65 or over. The city has a population of 9,728, with 3,970 housing units, and a median age of 37.2 years. The average household size was 2.27, with the average family size of 2.90. The median age for a resident of the City was 37 years, with 23.3% under the age of 18, and 31.7% between the ages of 18 and 24. The City has a median income of $33,158, compared to $23,478 for males and $24,838 for females.

Education

Portage has three elementary schools: John Muir, Woodridge, and Rusch. Three rural elementary schools serve three of the towns in Columbia County: Lewiston, Fort Winnebago, and Caledonia. There are also two private schools: St. John's Lutheran and St. Mary's Catholic Schools. The Madison Area Technical College, also has a campus located in Portage.The Portage scheme of support for children with special educational needs was developed in the city. The Portage Community School District is based in the town of Portage, Wisconsin. The school district is part of the Wisconsin Department of Education. The district has a budget of $1.2 billion for the 2013-2014 school year. It is the largest school district in the state, with a population of 1.6 million people. It also has the largest enrollment of any district in Wisconsin, surpassing the previous record high set in the 1970s and 1980s, with 1.7 million students. It has three high schools: Portage High School, Wayne E. Bartels Middle School, and Woodridge High School. The high school was recently upgraded to a larger building, with the older high school building now housing the Wayne E Bartels middle school. The elementary schools are located in the towns of Woodridge and Lewiston. The middle school is in the small town of Rusch, and the elementary schools in Lewiston are in the rural town of Caledonian. The town has a total of six elementary schools, including two rural schools.

Infrastructure

Three interstate highways, Interstate 94, Interstate 90, and Interstate 39 run past Portage, giving the city a 30-minute commute to Madison. The city lies only a few hours from Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis/ Saint Paul, Minnesota. Amtrak's Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle or Portland stops there in each direction every day. Portage Municipal Airport (C47) serves the city and surrounding communities. Wisconsin Department of Corrections operates the Columbia Correctional Institution in Portage. It is also home to the Portage High School, which was founded in 1883. The Portage School District was established in 1887. It was the first high school in the state of Wisconsin. It has been the site of the Wisconsin High School for more than 50 years. It also has the Wisconsin State Prison for the criminally insane, which opened in 1894. The prison is located in the town of Portage and has a maximum security prison for inmates. It closed in 1998. The Correctional Institution of Wisconsin is located near the city's downtown area and is known as the "Portage Correctional Center" It is the only prison of its kind in the U.S., and is home to a prison system that has been in operation since the early 1900s. The state prison system has a total of 12,000 inmates, including 1,000 women and 2,000 men. It opened in 1924. It houses the state's first women's prison, which has been open since 1926. It holds a maximum-security prison for women.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Portage, Columbia County, Wisconsin = 72.2. 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 37. 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 99. 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 Portage = 3.2 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 4,609 individuals with a median age of 36.7 age the population grows by 1.09% in Portage, Columbia County, Wisconsin population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,167.51 residents per square mile of area (450.80/km²). There are average 2.24 people per household in the 3,907 households with an average household income of $41,554 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.30% of the available work force and has dropped -2.14% 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 28.42%. The number of physicians in Portage per 100,000 population = 107.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Portage = 32.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 37.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 109. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 185. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 7.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, 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 Portage, Columbia County, Wisconsin which are owned by the occupant = 55.02%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 52 years with median home cost = $134,740 and home appreciation of -1.10%. 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 $16.20 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 $5,665 per student. There are 14.6 students for each teacher in the school, 593 students for each Librarian and 356 students for each Counselor. 6.75% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 9.86% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.83% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).