Fitchburg, Wisconsin

Fitchburg is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 29,609 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb south of Madison and is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Fitchburg consists of a mix of suburban neighborhoods closer to the border with Madison, commercial and industrial properties, and rural properties in the south.

Fitchburg, Wisconsin
City
Fitchburg City Hall
Location of Fitchburg in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 43°0′23″N 89°25′53″W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Dane
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Julia Arata-Fratta
• City Administrator	Chad Brecklin [7]
Area
• Total	35.16 sq mi (91.06 km2)
• Land	34.92 sq mi (90.44 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	29,609
• Density	881.79/sq mi (340.46/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Zipcode	53711, 53719
Area code	608
FIPS code	55-25950
Website	fitchburgwi.gov

History

Fitchburg was a town until its incorporation as a city on April 26, 1983. Immigrant brothers Vroman from the Netherlands are claimed to be the first permanent settlers of Greenfield, then changed to Fitchburg to avoid confusion with Greenfield, Milwaukee County. A significant number of Irish families settled in Fitchburg as well. As the city of Madison began to encroach upon the town of Fitchburg via annexation, the town pursued incorporation as a city to halt Madison's expansion into the town. The fight to allow incorporation ultimately went to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which ruled that Fitchburg could incorporate as a city.

Former unincorporated communities absorbed by Fitchburg include Fitchburg Center and Oak Hall.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.21 square miles (91.19 km²), of which, 34.97 square miles (90.57 km²) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km²) is water.

Climate

Fitchburg Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     93     −10 −12     93     −5 −11     73     5 −7     152     19 1     109     23 7     184     28 15     84     27 18     104     25 17     75     22 11     100     16 4     61     6 −1     72     −4 −12 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.7     14 10     3.7     23 12     2.9     41 19     6     66 34     4.3     73 45     7.2     82 59     3.3     81 64     4.1     77 63     3     72 52     3.9     61 39     2.4     43 30     2.8     25 10 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1990	15,648		—
2000	20,501		31.0%
2010	25,260		23.2%
2020	29,609		17.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of 2021, the median income for a household in the city was $78,218, and the median income for a family was $105,506. Among earners age 16 and up, males had a median income of $52,563 versus $43,133 for females. The per capita income for the city was $50,001. About 8.6% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 25,260 people, 9,955 households, and 6,238 families living in the city. The population density was 722.3 inhabitants per square mile (278.9/km²). There were 10,668 housing units at an average density of 305.1 per square mile (117.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 72.2% White, 10.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.9% Asian, 8.8% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.2% of the population.

There were 9,955 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 32.9 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 7.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

Government

Nevin Springs Fish and Wildlife Area is still open today as a fish hatchery.

Julia Arata-Fratta is the mayor of Fitchburg, first elected to a three-year term in 2023. Fitchburg is represented by Mark Pocan (D) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Melissa Agard (D) and Dianne Hesselbein (D) represent Fitchburg in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Jimmy Anderson (D) and Mike Bare (D) represent Fitchburg in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Fitchburg is served by the Fitchburg Police Department and Fitchburg Fire Department. Emergency medical services are provided by the Fitch-Rona EMS district, which also serves the neighboring city and town of Verona. Various portions of Fitchburg are served by municipal sewer, water and natural gas utilities.

Transportation

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 14
• U.S. Highway 18
• U.S. Highway 151

Railroads

Historically, Fitchburg was served by the Illinois Central Railroad and two branches of the Chicago and North Western railroad. Both the Illinois Central line and the westernmost of the two CNW lines have been replaced by rail trails that carry the Badger State Trail and Military Ridge State Trail respectively. The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad serves Fitchburg via the Reedsburg Subdivision which connects the city to Evansville to the south and Reedsburg to the north via Madison.

Public Transit

Fitchburg is served by Metro Transit. The B route serves the High Ridge Trail area with service to Downtown Madison towards Northport. Route D2 serves the west side of the city with service to Downtown Madison and the Dane County Regional Airport. Route G serves the Southdale neighborhood with connections to the South Transfer Point and the East Side of Madison. Route 65 provides peak hour commuter service from Downtown Madison and the UW Campus to Terravessa and Fitchburg Center neighborhoods. Route 75 provies peak hour commuter service linking Fitchburg to the Capital Square to the east, Verona and the Epic campus to the west. Fitchburg will be served by the future Metro Bus Rapid Transit system along the "north-south" route, stations are planned for Greenway Crossing, Post Rd, Cahill Main and the south terminus at McKee Road, this service is expected to start by 2027.

Trails

The Badger State Trail, Ice Age Trail, Cannonball trail, and SouthWest commuter trail pass through the city, Fitchburg is linked to the Madison area's extensive bike path network.

Notable people

• Jimmy P. Anderson, Wisconsin State Assembly, lives in Fitchburg
• Ada Deer, Native American advocate, scholar, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior, lives in Fitchburg
• Alexander Gee Jr, community leader in Madison, lives in Fitchburg
• Frances Huntley-Cooper, Former Mayor, lives in Fitchburg
• Elizabeth McCoy (microbiologist), Microbiologist and Professor, lived in Fitchburg
• Mahlon Mitchell, President of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin and 2018 Democratic candidate for Governor, lives in Fitchburg
• Roscoe Mitchell, Saxophonist and composer, lives in Fitchburg
• Homer A. Stone, Wisconsin State Assembly and farmer, was born in Fitchburg

External links

• City of Fitchburg