Editing Independence, Wisconsin

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Independence, Wisconsin
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Independence City Hall and library.jpg
|image_size               = 250px
|image_caption            = Independence City Hall and Public Library
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = File:Trempealeau County Wisconsin Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Independence Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Independence in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin.
|pushpin_map              = Wisconsin#USA
|pushpin_label            = Independence
|pushpin_relief           = yes

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Wisconsin}}
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Wisconsin|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Trempealeau County, Wisconsin|Trempealeau]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_55.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 10.93
|area_land_km2            = 10.78
|area_water_km2           = 0.14
|area_total_sq_mi         = 4.22
|area_land_sq_mi          = 4.16
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.06

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_total         = 1498
|population_density_sq_mi = 359.8
|population_density_km2   = 138.9
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020-census-5536800" />
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|pop_est_footnotes        =

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|elevation_m              = 238
|elevation_ft             = 781
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|21|30|N|91|25|20|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = 
|postal_code              = 
|area_code                = [[Area codes 715 and 534|715 & 534]]  
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 55-36800<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1583429<ref name="GR3" />
|website                  = {{URL|http://www.independencewi.org}}
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Independence''' is a city in [[Trempealeau County, Wisconsin]], United States. The population was 1,498 at the 2020 census.<ref name="2020-census-5536800" /> It is located at the confluence of Elk Creek and the [[Trempealeau River]].

==History==
Unless otherwise noted, the history below is taken from a local historical album published for the city's centennial in 1976.{{sfn|Gamroth|1976}}

Independence is in the Town of Burnside, which corresponds with one of the [[Township (U.S.)|townships]] created under the [[Land Ordinance of 1785]]. Shortly after the naming of Burnside in 1863, settlers from Europe and the Eastern United States began arriving in significant numbers.
[[File:Independence, Wisconsin (1900).jpg|thumb|left|Looking east on Washington Street, 1900]]

The city of Independence owes its existence to a railroad and a man named David M. Kelly. Running almost parallel to the Trempealeau River is the [[Green Bay and Western Railroad]], which is part of a line originally intended to run from [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]] to [[Wabasha, Minnesota]]. Kelly was an enthusiastic promoter of building a depot for the new line in Burnside.

After much disagreement and dispute over its location, Green Bay and Lake Pepin (as the company was then known) agreed to build a depot if $5,000 could be raised by the residents to finance construction. The money was raised, and Kelly bought the land for the depot in 1876. He founded a village on the land and named it Independence in honor of the nation's centennial of independence. The village was incorporated in 1885 and became a city in 1942.

Independence has outlived the depot that was once at its heart. The line began at Green Bay but eventually reached [[Winona, Minnesota]] instead of Wabasha. Passenger service was never very profitable. Under the inexorable pressure of the automobile, passenger service ended in 1949, but freight trains still use the line today.

==Geography==
[[File:Elk Creek and Trempealeau River confluence.jpg|thumb|right|Elk Creek and [[Trempealeau River]] [[confluence]]]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|4.22|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which, {{convert|4.16|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.06|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="gaz2020">{{cite web|title=2020 Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.2020.html |website=census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref> It is within the [[Driftless Zone]] of the [[Midwest]].

Just upstream from the intersection between Elk Creek and the Trempealeau is the dam impounding Bugle Lake. The present dam was built in 1935 as part of the [[Works Progress Administration]]. It replaced an earlier dam that had been built by a resident named W.S. Newton.{{sfn|Gamroth|1976|p=35}}  It later broke and flooded all of Arcadia, Wisconsin in 2011. Bugle Lake has peaceful canoeing, and a small park covers the island in the lake.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 365
|1890= 382
|1900= 630
|1910= 664
|1920= 805
|1930= 866
|1940= 1036
|1950= 1088
|1960= 954
|1970= 1036
|1980= 1180
|1990= 1041
|2000= 1244
|2010= 1336
|2020= 1498
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===
As of the [[2020 United States census|census of 2020]],<ref name="2020-census-5536800">{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census: Independence city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5536800&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=5 July 2022}}</ref> the population was 1,498. The [[population density]] was {{convert|359.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 681 housing units at an average density of {{convert|163.6|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 68.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.8% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.0% [[Black (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 17.4% from [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|other races]], and 10.9% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 32.3% [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race.

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-18}}</ref> of 2010, there were 1,336 people, 606 households, and 352 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1052.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 676 housing units at an average density of {{convert|532.3|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 88.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.1% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 9.9% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 1.0% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 12.9% of the population.

There were 606 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.9% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% 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 2.74.

The median age in the city was 37.7 years. 22.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 25% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 1,244 people, 581 households, and 317 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 978.8 people per square mile (378.2/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 619 housing units at an average density of 487.0 per square mile (188.2/km<sup>2</sup>). The racial makeup of the city was 98.47% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.16% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.16% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.88% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.32% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.61% of the population.

There were 581 households, out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.4% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 22.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,389, and the median income for a family was $41,691. Males had a median income of $26,389 versus $21,065 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $15,977. About 6.2% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 18.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Independence schools.jpg|Independence schools
Independence, Wisconsin.jpg|Independence from the air
Independence Church SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church.jpg|Independence Church SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church
Independence Dam at Bugle Lake.jpg|Bugle Lake dam
Bugle Lake.jpg|Bugle Lake
</gallery>

==Notable people==
* [[Grover L. Broadfoot]], chief justice of the [[Wisconsin Supreme Court]]<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book,' Biographical Sketch of Grover Broadfoot, pg. 7</ref>
* [[Leo Ferdinand Dworschak]], [[Roman Catholic]] Bishop of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Fargo]]<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdwor.html Leo Ferdinand Dworschak]</ref>
* [[George H. Markham]], Wisconsin State Representative<ref>'Wisconsin Blue Book 1879,' Biographical Sketch of George H. Markham, pg. 505</ref>
* [[William H. Markham]], Wisconsin State Senator<ref>[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;view=text;rgn=main;didno=uw-whs-osh00bt William H. Markham Papers, 1933-1948]</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of cities in Wisconsin]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Gamroth |editor-first=Clarence J. |title=Historical Album, 100 Years, Independence, Wisc |location=Independence, Wisconsin |publisher=City of Independence |year=1976 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|Independence, Wisconsin}}
* [http://www.independencewi.org Independence, Wisconsin website]
* Sanborn fire insurance maps: [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/5923 1894] [http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/maps/id/5925 1914]

{{Trempealeau County, Wisconsin}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Cities in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin]]