City Profile

Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	833 feet above sea level, Lattitude - North 43° 10 min. Longitude - West 88° 43 min.
Total population . . . . . . . . . .	22,973 (city count, not including surrounding villages
Population Mix . . . . . . . . . . .	48.4% Male, 51.6% Female
Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Hispanic 4.9%, Black .3%, Others 1.6%, White 93.2%
County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .	Dodge and Jefferson Counties
City Operation . . . . . . . . . . . .	Mayor, Alderpersons; elected positions with term limits
City Clerk, Deputy Clerk, full time positions
Fire Protection: 25 Full-time, 22 Paid On Call, 14 vehicles
Fire Rating: 3
Police Protection: 38 Sworn Officers, 54 Total Personnel

Community
When you come to Watertown you’ll sense Community Spirit all around. For generations residents of Watertown have tended to the little things that make life great. They planned well for the future as is evidenced in our commercial, worship and public buildings. As you drive through the community you’ll notice pride in ownership as well as pride in rental dwellings. Neighborhood watch groups get to know each other and strive to maintain a peaceful existence.

We operate our community by using a mayoral/aldermanic form of local government. Those elected officials listen to the needs of residents as well as the business community. Department heads are well informed and work quickly to respond to community needs. Volunteers are always needed for committee work, to fully operate all the community projects.

Because of the efforts of the officials, employees and citizens, we enjoy a high quality of life. Our police officers and fire fighters are personable and stay in touch with the people. They operate out of new, state of the art quarters in our recently expanded Municipal Building in the heart of the city. Our locally owned hospital and numerous medical clinics add much to our daily lives. The city library, senior /community center and park department truly help to round out services and recreational opportunities for all age groups.

With all of the basics covered, residents feel protected and confident in their lives. They can focus on their families, operating businesses and volunteering in the community.

Volunteer effort is a big part of what makes us such a solid community. People are willing to turn out to help complete projects from simple river front plantings to more complicated tasks like “Chamberland”, a play area at Riverside Park. Area groups and individuals serve the daily meal mobile program as well as Bread and Roses Dinner, a weekly free meal to anyone in need. Volunteers help to operate childrens programs, promote the library, the Historical Society and senior programs just to name a few.

Riverfest, an annual four day festival at Riverside Park is completely based on volunteer effort. It attracts over 35,000 people to Watertown during its run and creates a “get-away-from-it all” atmosphere within the community.

One of the most highly successful volunteer projects has been the creation of the Watertown Community Foundation. From the beginning, the foundation has gained tax exempt status and has played a leadership role in a host of community activities, including Brandt/Quirk Park development, Watertown Senior and Community Center expansion, River City Ice Center, Chamberland park equipment, new fire truck fund, Riverfest, Watertown High School technology fund and a host of others.





Heritage
In 1836, the first white settler, Timothy Johnson, came exploring the Rock River Valley. At a marked spot near the bridge on highway 26 south, he claimed 1,000 acres after recognizing the value of the rapids and the spring of good water nearby. In six years, a town government was established and by 1849 Watertown, (formerly known as Johnson’s Rapids), had become a village. In 1853, just seventeen years after Johnson first settled, Watertown had become a city and adopted a charter. Two years later, it had become the second largest city in Wisconsin with a population of 8,512.

In 1854 John Richards (with his wife Eliza) from Massachusetts was completing their new eight-sided home. Today it is known as “Octagon House” one of Wisconsin’s most popular landmarks. This 57-room home, featuring a long spiral staircase and an ingenious cistern system that provided then non-existent running water, soon became the object of admiration throughout the area.

A short time later in 1856, German immigrant Margarethe Schurz, helped make Watertown history in another way. She began what is now the foundation of the American educational system – the first kindergarten. She had brought this German idea of education with her from Europe. The schoolhouse in which she first taught her pupils stands restored as a historical landmark within the city.

Her husband Carl Schurz was interested in politics and became a well known statesman and served as a foreign ambassador under President Lincoln. The Schurz family relocated to the east coast but their legacy lives on here.

The kindergarten building was saved from demolition in the late 1950’s and is now located on the grounds of the Octagon House. In addition to the guided tours, the Watertown Historical Society occasionally hosts concerts and recitals for public entertainment, making use of both historic buildings.

Other components of Watertown history include its major role in Wisconsin railroad development and the famous local practice of the goose noodling that began in the 1850’s. This is the art of force-feeding geese “noodles” made of meal that resulted in rapid weight gain, and subsequently, large livers. The delicacy, pate de fois gras, was made from the liver, and “Watertown Goose” achieved a spot on restaurant menus across the nation for many years.

Watertown’s “Viehmarkt,” another tradition arising from the newly-arrived Germans, was an open-air market at which produce, livestock, and crafts were sold in the city business district. Today, Viehmarkt is known as Fair Day Farmers Market and is held weekly attracting city residents as well as area farmers.

A drive through the city will reveal a wide assortment of architectural styles in the churches, public buildings and private residences that we enjoy everyday. The charm of yesteryear is well preserved in present day Watertown.