|• Total||3.20 sq mi (8.29 km2)|
|• Land||3.03 sq mi (7.85 km2)|
|• Water||0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2)|
|• Estimate (2012)||3,487|
|• Density||1,155.8/sq mi (446.3/km2)|
|Time zone||Central (CST) (UTC-6)|
|• Summer (DST)||CDT (UTC-5)|
|Area code(s)||715 & 534|
Peshtigo is a city in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,502 at the 2010 census. The city is located within the Town of Peshtigo. It is part of the Marinette, WI–MI Micropolitan Statistical Area. Peshtigo is most famous as the site of the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, in which more than 1,200 people perished.
Peshtigo is located at (45.053759, -87.746028).
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,502 people, 1,469 households, and 888 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,155.8 inhabitants per square mile (446.3/km2). There were 1,621 housing units at an average density of 535.0 per square mile (206.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.1% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 1,469 households of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.6% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 43.2 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 22.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.9% male and 53.1% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,357 people, 1,315 households, and 879 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,101.8 people per square mile (425.0/km²). There were 1,416 housing units at an average density of 464.8 per square mile (179.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.00% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. 0.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,315 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,898, and the median income for a family was $41,900. Males had a median income of $31,815 versus $21,531 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,379. About 5.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Peshtigo took its name from the nearby Peshtigo River. The etymology of Peshtigo is uncertain. Explanations include an Ojibwe word meaning 'river of the wild goose', a Menominee word for 'snapping turtle', a word meaning 'passing through a marsh', or a reference to a local Menominee band known as Pesh-tiko.
On October 8, 1871, a forest fire driven by strong winds totally consumed Peshtigo along with a dozen other villages, killing 1,200 to 2,500 people and charring approximately 1.5 million acres (6,000 km²). This fire, known as the Peshtigo Fire, is the deadliest in American history. Unidentifiable remains of hundreds of residents were buried in a mass grave at the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery. The Peshtigo Fire Museum features several items that survived the fire, plus other artifacts from the area's history.
The Peshtigo School District provides public education for the Peshtigo area.
The fictional character Caroline Duffy from the TV show Caroline in the City is from Peshtigo. The town was mentioned on the show many times.
- "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-24.
- "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- 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. 113.
- Voegl, Virgil J. 1991. Indian Names on Wisconsin's Map. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, pp. 40–41.
- Gannett, Henry. 1905. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Washington: Government Printing Office, p. 243.
- Bergstrom, Bill. 2003. Peshtigo. Philadelphia: Xlibris, p. 24.
- Haines, Elijah Middlebrook. 1888. The American Indian. Chicago: Mas-sinna'-gan, p. 772.
- Gard, Robert Edward, & Leland George Sorden. 1962. Wisconsin Lore: Antics and Anecdotes of Wisconsin People and Places. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, p. 357.
- Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 1911. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, p. 334.
- "The Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
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