Fitchburg, Wisconsin

Fitchburg, Wisconsin
City
Fitchburg City Hall
Location of Fitchburg in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 43°0′23″N 89°25′53″W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Dane
Area
• Total	35.16 sq mi (91.06 km2)
• Land	34.92 sq mi (90.44 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2)
Population  (2010)
• Total	25,260
• Estimate  (2018)	30,170
• Density	863.97/sq mi (333.59/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Zipcode	53711, 53719
Area code	608
FIPS code	55-25950
Website	fitchburgwi.gov

Fitchburg is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,260 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is a suburb of Madison and is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Fitchburg consists of a mix of suburban neighborhoods closer to the border with the city of Madison, commercial and industrial properties, and more rural properties in the southern portion of the city. Despite its status as an incorporated city, some rural parts of Fitchburg still lack certain municipal services such as sewer, water, and natural gas.

History

Fitchburg was a town until its incorporation as a city on April 26, 1983. As the city of Madison began to encroach upon the town of Fitchburg via annexation, the town pursued incorporation as a city to halt Madison's expansion into the town. The fight to allow incorporation ultimately went to the Wisconsin State Supreme Court, which ruled that Fitchburg could incorporate as a city.

Former unincorporated communities

• Fitchburg Center
• Oak Hall

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.21 square miles (91.19 km²), of which, 34.97 square miles (90.57 km²) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1990	15,648		—
2000	20,501		31.0%
2010	25,260		23.2%
2018 (est.)	30,170		19.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $50,433, and the median income for a family was $64,106. Males had a median income of $37,440 versus $27,974 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,317. About 5.0% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 25,260 people, 9,955 households, and 6,238 families living in the city. The population density was 722.3 inhabitants per square mile (278.9/km²). There were 10,668 housing units at an average density of 305.1 per square mile (117.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.2% White, 10.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.9% Asian, 8.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2% of the population.

There were 9,955 households of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 32.9 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 7.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

Government

Nevin Springs Fish and Wildlife Area is still open today as a fish hatchery.

Fitchburg is represented by Mark Pocan (D) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Mark F. Miller (D) and Jon Erpenbach (D) represent Fitchburg in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Jimmy Anderson (D) and Sondy Pope-Roberts (D) represent Fitchburg in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

City services

Fitchburg is served by the Fitchburg Police Department and Fitchburg Fire Department. Emergency medical services are provided by the Fitch-Rona EMS district, which also serves the neighboring city and town of Verona. Various portions of Fitchburg are served by municipal sewer, water and natural gas utilities.

Notable people

• Homer A. Stone, Wisconsin State Assembly and farmer, was born in Fitchburg.

External links

• City of Fitchburg