Beloit, Wisconsin
Beloit is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located along the Rock River in southern Wisconsin, on the state border with Illinois. The population was 36,657 at the 2020 census. The Janesville–Beloit metropolitan statistical area, consisting solely of Rock County, has an estimated 165,000 residents.
History
Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836, and sent Horace White to find a suitable region of Wisconsin in which to settle. The level fields and the water power of Turtle Creek and "unlimited gravel" in the area around what is now Beloit fixed the site of the village and farms. White purchased the land. At the same time as the Colebrook settlers, six families from Bedford, New Hampshire, arrived and settled in the region. They said the Rock River Valley had a "New England look" that made them feel at home. The village was platted in 1838 and was planned with wide streets, building on the New England model.Beloit was originally named New Albany in 1837 by its founder, Caleb Blodgett. The name was changed to Beloit in 1838. The name was coined to be reminiscent of Detroit.
Beloit lays claim to such inventions as the speedometer, John Francis Appleby's twine binder, and Korn Kurls, which resemble Cheetos, and the original puffed cheese snack.
Railroad heritage
Beloit was served by the Milwaukee Road, and the Chicago & North Western Railroad. In its 1980 bankruptcy, the Milwaukee Road disposed of the Southwestern Line. The Union Pacific, which took over the C&NW, operates in Beloit today over a remnant of the former Milwaukee Road, providing a rail connection to Fairbanks-Morse Engine manufacturing facility. The CPKC operates other trackage in Beloit. The city also had an electric interurban railroad.Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of, of which is land and is water. Location:.The city is adjacent to the Town of Beloit, Town of Turtle, and the Illinois municipality of South Beloit, and is also Wisconsin's southernmost city.
Most of Beloit's development is occurring on the east side, adjacent to Interstates 39/90 and Interstate 43, where the city annexed rural land for Beloit Gateway Industrial Park, as well as in the newly revitalized downtown along the Rock River.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census of 2020, the population was 36,657. The population density was. There were 15,068 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 60.0% White, 14.5% Black or African American, 1.6% Asian, 1.0% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.4% from other races, and 11.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 21.3% Hispanic or Latino of any race.2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 36,966 people, 13,781 households, and 8,867 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 15,177 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 68.9% White, 15.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 10.0% from other races, and 4.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.1% of the population.There were 13,781 households, of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.6% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.16.
The median age in the city was 33.1 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 23.1% were from 45 to 64; 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
Economy
Industries with headquarters in Beloit include ABC Supply Company, Bio-Systems International, Broaster Company, Fairbanks-Morse Defense, Hendricks Holding Company, Murmac Paint Manufacturing, PlayMonster, and Regal Beloit.Downtown Beloit is a dense cluster of mostly small shops and boutiques. The area has been recognized for increased investment and renewal since the 1990s. Downtown Beloit is one of two inaugural members of the Wisconsin Main Street designation. Upscale downtown condominiums and hotels were introduced after 2000 with the construction of the Hotel Hilton Apartments, the Beloit Inn, Heritage View, Phoenix Project, Hotel Goodwin, and the Wright & Wagner Lofts.
From the 1990s to 2011, downtown Beloit received direct public and private investment totaling more than $75 million. In 2011, Beloit was a Great American Main Street Award winner. In 2012, Beloit was listed #17 on Travel and Leisures list of America's Greatest Mainstreets.
Arts and culture
- Beloit Art Center
- Beloit Civic Theatre
- Beloit Historical Society
- Beloit Janesville Symphony Orchestra
- The Castle Performing Arts Center
- Logan Museum of Anthropology
- Turtle Creek Chamber Orchestra
- Wright Museum of Art
- Beloit City Hall – this houses a mural portraying the history of Beloit, completed in 1985 by artist Martha Nessler Hayden.
Historic buildings
Festivals
Beloit's main festivals include the Beloit International Film Festival and Beloit's Winterfest, which includes an indoor playland, ice skating, ice sculpting and toboggan races.Baseball
Beloit is home to the Beloit Sky Carp, a professional minor league baseball team that play in the Midwest League and is the High-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. The Sky Carp play their games at ABC Supply Stadium. From 1982 to 2021, they played at Harry C. Pohlman Field.Government
Beloit is represented by Mark Spreitzer and Stephen Nass in the Wisconsin State Senate, Clinton Anderson and Ellen Schutt in the Wisconsin State Assembly, Bryan Steil in the United States House of Representatives, and Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin in the United States Senate.Beloit has a council-manager system of government, with seven council members, each elected for two-year terms. Four members are elected in even years and three in odd years. City council elections are held annually in April. The city council establishes policies for the city and appoints a city manager to implement those policies. The current city manager, Jerry Gabrielatos, started on February 20, 2023.
Education
The School District of Beloit serves 5,923 students across six primary schools, two intermediate schools, and one high school, offering alternative programming and charter school options. Beloit Memorial High School is the city’s public high school. While most of Beloit falls within the Beloit School District, some areas are served by the Beloit Turner School District. and The district also operates its own charter school, The Lincoln Academy, which serves students from grades K4 through 12.Beloit College, a private liberal arts college with undergraduate enrollment around 1,300, is in the city, with the main campus adjacent to downtown. The campus has a number of prehistoric Native American mounds. Blackhawk Technical College, a public technical school, has a campus in downtown Beloit.
Beloit has a public library that was part of the Arrowhead Library System which merged with Lakeshores Library System in 2023 to form Prairie Lakes Library System.
Media
Beloit's main newspaper is The Beloit Daily News, a daily paper owned by Adams Publishing Group, LLC, and serving the Wisconsin/Illinois stateline area. The Janesville Gazette, also owned by Adams Publishing Group, also serves Beloit.Beloit is a part of the Madison television market, but due to its proximity to Rockford, stations from Rockford also serve the city and report on local stories and information relating to Beloit.
Radio stations broadcasting to Beloit include '90s hits WBEL, which is licensed to South Beloit, Illinois and operates studios in Janesville, classic country WGEZ and variety WBCR, owned by the Board of Trustees of Beloit College. Radio stations from Janesville, Madison and Rockford are also receivable.
Transportation
The Beloit Transit System is the primary provider of mass transportation. Four regular routes provide service from Monday through Saturday. In collaboration with the Janesville Transit System, BTS operates an express route between the two cities.| Image:I-90.svg|center|25px | Interstate 90 Westbound routes to Janesville and Madison. Eastbound routes to Rockford, Illinois. This is a full interstate grade freeway that runs on the east side of the city, although the I-90 is overall a west–east interstate the section in Beloit runs north–south. |
| Image:I-39.svg|center|25px | Interstate 39 runs entirely concurrently with Interstate 90 through the city of Beloit. |
| Image:I-43.svg|center|25px | Interstate 43 terminates at I-90/39 in Beloit, it routes Northbound to Milwaukee |
| Image:US 51.svg|center|25px | U.S. Route 51 runs through the center and partly the south side of the city. Northbound routes to Janesville, Madison, and Wausau. Southbound routes to South Beloit, Illinois and Rockford. |
Beloit Airport is a small public-use general aviation airport within the city. It offers hangars for storing aircraft, gliders, and sky diving. Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport is a public airport north of Beloit in Rock County. Formerly known as Rock County Airport, it is owned and operated by the Rock County government. The airport has no scheduled commercial passenger service. Dane County Regional Airport and Rockford International Airport are the closest airports to Beloit that offer scheduled airline service.
Van Galder offers express bus service via its South Beloit stop to Downtown Madison, Chicago O'Hare Airport and Chicago Union Station as well as intermediate stops in Janesville and Rockford, this service runs approximately 14 buses a day in either direction 365 days a year.