Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin | |
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City | |
Location of Wisconsin Rapids in Wood County, Wisconsin. |
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Coordinates: 44°23′12″N 89°49′23″W / 44.38667°N 89.82306°WCoordinates: 44°23′12″N 89°49′23″W / 44.38667°N 89.82306°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Wisconsin |
County | Wood |
Government | |
• Mayor | Zachary Vruwink |
Area | |
• City | 14.67 sq mi (38.00 km2) |
• Land | 13.82 sq mi (35.79 km2) |
• Water | 0.85 sq mi (2.20 km2) |
Elevation | 1,027 ft (313 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• City | 18,367 |
• Estimate (2016) | 17,887 |
• Density | 1,329.0/sq mi (513.1/km2) |
• Metro | 54,362 |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
Area code(s) | 715 & 534 |
FIPS code | 55-88200 |
GNIS feature ID | 1576906 |
Website | http://www.wirapids.org |
Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,367 at the 2010 census.
According to the 2010 census, the Wisconsin Rapids micropolitan area was home to 54,362 people. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Wood County (2000 population: 75,555).
Wisconsin Rapids is located at 44°23′12″N 89°49′23″W / 44.38667°N 89.82306°W (44.386805, -89.823078).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.67 square miles (38.00 km2), of which 13.82 square miles (35.79 km2) is land and 0.85 square miles (2.20 km2) is water.
The American Indians called the area "Ahdawagam", meaning "Two-sided Rapids". Although Europeans began to settle this area in the 1830s, Wisconsin Rapids has been known by this name only since 1920. Prior to that, the community was divided by the Wisconsin River, with the west side incorporated as Centralia and the east side as Grand Rapids. The two cities merged in 1900, with the entire community taking the name Grand Rapids. The name was changed in 1920 to avoid mail and other goods from being misdirected to the much better known Grand Rapids, Michigan.