Burlington, Wisconsin
| Burlington | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Burlington | |
Downtown Burlington
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| Nickname(s): Chocolate City, U.S.A. | |
| Motto: The town with Tall Tales | |
 Location of Burlington within Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates: 42°40′40″N 88°16′41″W / 42.67778°N 88.27806°WCoordinates: 42°40′40″N 88°16′41″W / 42.67778°N 88.27806°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Racine, Walworth |
| Incorporated (village) | 1886 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1900 |
| Named for | Burlington, Vermont |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Mayor | Jeannie Hefty |
| • Administrator | Carina Walters |
| • Common Council | 8 aldermen from 4 districts |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.73 sq mi (20.02 km2) |
| • Land | 7.50 sq mi (19.42 km2) |
| • Water | 0.23 sq mi (0.60 km2) 2.98% |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 10,464 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 10,508 |
| • Density | 1,395.2/sq mi (538.7/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 53105 |
| Area code(s) | 262 |
| Website | www.burlington-wi.gov |
Burlington is a city in Racine and Walworth counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, with the majority of the city located in Racine County. The population of the portion of the city inside Racine County was 10,464 as of the 2010 census.
Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the area, Native American mounds were constructed near the present location of Burlington. For example, around 1830, a small Potawatomi village stood in what is now the Town of Burlington, though it wasn't larger than the present-day city.
The earliest certain European presence in what is now Burlington was in the fall of 1799, when a group of French explorers and missionaries led by Francis Morgan de Vereceones made a portage from the Root River to the Fox River, reaching the Fox at approximately Burlington's present location.
The first European settlers in Burlington were Moses Smith (the son of a Revolutionary War veteran) and William Whiting. Smith and Whiting had been in the area previously, making a so-called "jackknife claim" to the land (carving their names and the date on trees in the vicinity) on December 15, 1835. The men then left the encampment and returned with Lemuel Smith (Moses' brother) as well as Benjamin Perce, another member of the group. The four men searched for arable land and built a cabin on the east side of the Fox River (on what is now Wehmhoff-Jucker Park.) Other settlers arrived in the spring and summer of 1836, mostly from New England; they named their settlement Foxville. That year, the residents of Foxville unanimously decided to change their settlement's name to "Burlington" after the city Burlington, Vermont; the Foxville name continued to be used, however, until that name was officially changed on July 15, 1839.
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