River Falls,

Wisconsin

River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix

counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It
is adjacent to the Town of River Falls in
Pierce County and the Town of
Kinnickinnic in St. Croix County. River Falls
is the most populous city in Pierce county.
The population was 15,000 at the 2010
census, with 11,851 residing in Pierce
County, and 3,149 in St. Croix County. It is
part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul
metropolitan area and is about 30 miles
(48 km) east of the center of that region.[5]
 River Falls
City

River Falls City Hall[1]

Location of River Falls in Pierce County

and St. Croix County, Wisconsin.

River Falls

L ti ithi
 Location within
the state of
Wisconsin
Coordinates: 44°51′31″N 92°37′30″W

Country United States

State Wisconsin

County Pierce and St. Croix

Government

 • Type Mayor – Council

 • Mayor Dan Toland

Area[2]

 • Total 4.54 sq mi (11.76 km2)

 • Land 4.32 sq mi (11.18 km2)

 • Water 0.22 sq mi (0.58 km2)

Population (2010)[3]

• Total 15 000
   Total 15,000

 • Estimate (2016)[4] 15,339

 • Density 3,553.16/sq mi
(1,371.75/km2)

Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)

 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)

Area code(s) 715 & 534

FIPS code 55-68275

Website http://www.rfcity.org

South Hall, on the University of Wisconsin-River Falls

campus, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
River Falls is the home of the University of
Wisconsin–River Falls.

History
The city's first settlers were Joel Foster
and his indentured servant, Dick, in the
year 1848.[6] The original village was
started as the village of Kinnickinnic in
1854 by brothers Nathaniel N. and Oliver S.
Powell who were from St. Lawrence
County, New York. At the time, the town
and village were also known as
"Greenwood" but this was changed, as
another Greenwood, Wisconsin already
existed.[7] The present name is for the
rapids on the Kinnickinnic River.[8]

Geography
River Falls is located at 44°51′31″N
92°37′30″W (44.858701, -92.625097).[9]

According to the United States Census

Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.60
square miles (17.09 km2), of which, 6.52
square miles (16.89 km2) is land and 0.08
square miles (0.21 km2) is water.[10]

River Falls lies on the banks of the

Kinnickinnic River, a class one trout
stream. The South Fork of the Kinnickinnic
River runs through the city, dividing the
campus of the University of Wisconsin-
River Falls into two sections.

Demographics

Kinnickinnic River, downtown River Falls.

Outline map of River Falls
Census Pop. %±
1860 272 —
1870 741 172.4%
1880 1,499 102.3%
1890 1,783 18.9%
1900 2,008 12.6%
1910 1,991 −0.8%
1920 2,273 14.2%
1930 2,363 4.0%
1940 2,806 18.7%
1950 3,877 38.2%
1960 4,857 25.3%
1970 7,238 49.0%
1980 9,019 24.6%
1990 10,610 17.6%
 2000 12,560 18.4%
2010 15,000 19.4%
Est. 2016 15,339 [4] 2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

2000 census

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were

12,560 people, 4,269 households, and
2,335 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,524.0 people per
square mile (973.8/km²). There were 4,346
housing units at an average density of
873.2 per square mile (336.9/km²). The
racial makeup of the city was 96.57%
White, 0.53% Black or African American,
0.36% Native American, 1.02% Asian,
0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other
races, and 1.12% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95%
of the population.

There were 4,269 households out of which

29.1% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 42.7% were married
couples living together, 9.1% had a female
householder with no husband present, and
45.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all
households were made up of individuals
and 9.1% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.44 and the average
family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was spread out

with 17.9% under the age of 18, 35.1%
from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 14.6%
from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years
of age or older. The median age was 24
years. For every 100 females there were
83.5 males. For every 100 females age 18
and over, there were 80.1 males.

The median income for a household in the

city was $41,184, and the median income
for a family was $60,253. Males had a
median income of $36,275 versus $27,345
for females. The per capita income for the
city was $17,667. About 4.4% of families
and 14.9% of the population were below
the poverty line, including 6.6% of those
under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or
over.

2010 census

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were

15,000 people, 5,150 households, and
2,812 families residing in the city. The
population density was 2,300.6 inhabitants
per square mile (888.3/km2). There were
5,449 housing units at an average density
of 835.7 per square mile (322.7/km2). The
racial makeup of the city was 94.8% White,
1.2% African American, 0.4% Native
American, 1.5% Asian, 0.5% from other
races, and 1.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8%
of the population.

There were 5,150 households of which

28.2% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 40.6% were married
couples living together, 9.9% had a female
householder with no husband present,
4.1% had a male householder with no wife
present, and 45.4% were non-families.
27.1% of all households were made up of
individuals and 8.4% had someone living
alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.42 and
the average family size was 2.89.

The median age in the city was 24.2 years.

17.2% of residents were under the age of
18; 34.5% were between the ages of 18
and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 17% were
from 45 to 64; and 8.2% were 65 years of
age or older. The gender makeup of the
city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

Education
School District of River Falls operates
public schools. River Falls High School is
the area's public high school.
River Falls is home to the University of
Wisconsin-River Falls and a branch of the
Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Recreation
The Kinnickinnic River, which flows
through the heart of the city and its
downtown business district, is a popular
recreational attraction in River Falls for fly
fishers and kayakers.

On the bluffs of the Kinnickinnic River is

Glen Park, a 41-acre park established in
1898. The park has playgrounds, a
swimming pool, soccer fields, a softball
diamond, basketball courts, horseshoe
pits, a gazebo, and several miles of
walking trails.[13] The Glen Park Pool was
built in 1937 and renovated for its 75th
anniversary in 2012.[14] Glen Park's
Swinging Bridge offers a view of the South
Fork rapids as it enters the Kinnickinnic
River. The bridge, a replica of one designed
by the Minneapolis Bridge Company and
constructed in 1925, is a suspension
bridge that spans the South Fork Rapids at
the site of the former Cascade Mill and
Dam. Below the bridge are fishing and
picnic spots.[15]

Hoffman Park, located northeast of

downtown River Falls, is a 53-acre (21 ha)
facility that contains baseball fields, a
nine-hole disc golf course, a campsite, a
skate park, volleyball courts, and the Tri-
Angels Playground.[16] The playground was
named after Amara, Sophie, and Cecilia
Schaffhausen, who were murdered by their
father, Aaron Schaffhausen. The
playground, accessible to handicapped
children and built with designs referring to
the three girls, opened in 2015.[17] It was
constructed at a cost of $550,000 by
volunteers.[18]

Another attraction is The Falls Theater, a

movie theater.
Notable people
Notable people
Aldrich Hazen Ames, C.I.A. counter-
intelligence officer and analyst;
convicted in 1994 of spying for the
Soviet Union and Russia
Abraham D. Andrews, Wisconsin State
Senate
Lynn H. Ashley, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Jule Berndt, Wisconsin State
Assembly
William Berndt, Wisconsin State
Senate
Ellsworth Burnett, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Karyn Bye, Olympic Gold Medal athlete
George W. Chinnock, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Anna Dodge, actress
Michael P. Early, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Sheila Harsdorf, Wisconsin State
Senate
Nils Pederson Haugen, (1849–1931)
U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
Jay R. Hinckley, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Robert P. Knowles, Wisconsin State
Senate
Warren P. Knowles, Governor of
Wisconsin
Maria Lamb, Olympic athlete and
national champion speedskater
Doug Lloyd, NFL player
Freeman Lord, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Landon Lueck, reality TV star and
professional cyclist
Mark Neumann, U.S. Representative
Frank Nye, U.S. Representative from
Minnesota
Francis Paul Prucha, Roman Catholic
priest and educator
Heidi "Frankie" Rayder, fashion model
Missy Rayder, fashion model
Dick Ritger, former professional ten-
pin bowler and bowling coach;
member of the PBA and USBC Halls of
Fame
George B. Skogmo, Wisconsin State
Senate
David F. Swensen, Chief Investment
Officer of the Yale University
endowment
Horace Adolphus Taylor, Wisconsin
State Senate
 Kenneth S. White, Wisconsin State
Senate
Stanley York, Wisconsin State
Assembly
Shannon Zimmerman, businessman

References
1. River Falls City Hall , Frisbie Architects,
Accessed July 20, 2009.
2. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files" . United
States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 14,
2017.
3. "American FactFinder" . United States
Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
4. "Population and Housing Unit
Estimates" . Retrieved June 9, 2017.
5. "Maps and Lodging ." University of
Wisconsin-River Falls. Retrieved on January
24, 2017.
6. River Falls Wisconsin .
Piercecountywi.com. Retrieved 2012-07-07.
7. Easton, August B. History of Saint Croix
Valley, p. 485.
8. Chicago and North Western Railway
Company (1908). A History of the Origin of
the Place Names Connected with the
Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St.
Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways .
p. 189.
9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and
1990" . United States Census Bureau. 2011-
02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
10. "US Gazetteer files 2010" . United
States Census Bureau. Archived from the
original on 2012-01-24. Retrieved
2012-11-18.
11. "Census of Population and Housing" .
Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "American FactFinder" . United States
Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
13. "Visit Planning - Entertainment &
Recreation" . River Falls Chamber of
Commerce. Archived from the original on
October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 23,
2013.
14. "Hospital supports historic park pool" .
River Falls Journal. June 12, 2012. Archived
from the original on 29 October 2013.
Retrieved October 23, 2013.
15. Smith, Margaret. "River Falls, Wisconsin
- The Swinging Bridge at Glen Park" .
Heritage Initiative. Retrieved 23 October
2013.
16. "Hoffman Park ". River Falls. Retrieved
January 24, 2017.
17. Rupnow, Chuck (2015-08-05). "Mom
gets her first look at playground honoring
her three slain daughters" . Leader-
Telegram. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
18. Slavik, Rachel (June 27, 2015).
"Volunteers Build Memorial Playground For
River Falls Sisters" . WCCO-TV (CBS
Minnesota). Retrieved January 24, 2017.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related
to River Falls, Wisconsin.

City of River Falls

River Falls Chamber of Commerce
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=River_Falls,_Wisconsin&oldid=826213179"

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