Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Wisconsin Rapids City. It lies in ZIP code area 54494. It lies near Belle Island. The Survey maps it on the Wisconsin Rapids North quadrangle. 18,877 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,027 feet above sea level.
On record in Wisconsin Rapids
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 3 records
Elizabeth Daly Houselisted 1993
Wood County Courthouselisted 2015- Nels and Nellie Johnson Houselisted 2019
Population over time
3 figuresWisconsin Rapids grew from 1,115 to 18,877 between 1870 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1,115 | |
| 2010 | 18,367 | |
| 2020 | 18,877 | +510 (+3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 8 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1955 USGS Green Bay quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Wisconsin Rapids quadrangle1:48000
- 1967 USGS Wisconsin Rapids quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Wisconsin Rapids North quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Wisconsin Rapids quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
179 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 179 fires within 5 miles of Wisconsin Rapids between 1992 and 2020, burning about 315 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 8 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 |
| Debris and open burning | 48 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 22 |
| Fireworks | 11 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 9 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 9 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 9 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 8 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2016 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | FOOD PLOT |
| 6 September 2015 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | ROCKET |
| 16 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 1832792 |
| 16 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 12 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 August 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 August 2011 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | WAZEECHA FIRE |
| 29 August 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Wisconsin Rapids: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood County Operations | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
52 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wisconsin Rapids in 52 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 26 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | Lightning | Wisconsin Rapids | $300,000 | Lightning struck the Verso Paper Mill at 7:30 pm CDT, producing $300,000 worth of damage. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | $250,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed trees, large branches, and power lines in Wisconsin Rapids. Downed branches, as big as 5 inches in diameter and 10 feet long, blocked at least one road. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | $50,000 | A thunderstorm produced hail up to 2.25 inches in diameter as it passed through Wisconsin Rapids. Hail covered the ground and damaged at least 10 vehicles, denting them and breaking windshields. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | $25,000 | Law enforcement reported trees were knocked down in the city of Wisconsin Rapids. One tree fell onto a house, damaging the roof and kitchen ceiling. Scattered power outages were also reported in Marshfield. |
| June 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Quarter size hail fell near Wisconsin Rapids. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Quarter size hail fell in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Quarter size hail fell near Wisconsin Rapids. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Quarter size hail fell in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| August 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph was measured at the Wisconsin Rapids airport. There were also reports of a few trees down on the north side of Wisconsin Rapids. |
| June 2021 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Nickel size hail fell in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 69 mph was measured at the Wisconsin Rapids airport. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Quarter size hail fell in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | A thunderstorm wind gust of 61 mph was measured at the Wisconsin Rapids Airport. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines around Wisconsin Rapids, and across much of Wood County. The time of this event was estimated based on radar data. |
| July 2016 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Quarter size hail fell in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Nickel size hail fell at Wisconsin Rapids as thunderstorms moved through the area. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | A thunderstorm produced winds to 58 mph at Alexander Field South Wood County Airport in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| August 2014 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Penny size hail fell at Wisconsin Rapids. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Thunderstorms produced penny size hail in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Several trees were knocked down by strong thunderstorm winds. |
| July 2011 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Nickel size hail fell from thunderstorms as they moved through Wisconsin Rapids. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | The public reported a couple of trees were knocked down on the northwest side of Wisconsin Rapids. |
| September 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed trees in Wisconsin Rapids as the storm moved through the area. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Several trees were knocked down by an isolated thunderstorm that moved across far southern Wood County. The trees blocked a road in Wisconsin Rapids. |
| March 2008 | Heavy Rain | Wisconsin Rapids | - | Heavy rain fell across most of Wood County. The highest precipitation totals were 1.23 inches at Wisconsin Rapids and 1.22 inches at Pittsville. |
| May 2008 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| September 1998 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Flash Flood | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Hail | Wisconsin Rapids | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Wazeecha | 3.3 miles | 8 | |
| Biron | 3.4 miles | 8 | |
| Port Edwards | 3.4 miles | 8 | |
| Nekoosa Junction | 5.0 miles | 8 | |
| Nekoosa | 6.7 miles | 8 | |
| Rudolph | 7.8 miles | 8 | |
| Eight Corners | 8.2 miles | 8 | |
| Walker | 8.6 miles | 8 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Wisconsin Rapids | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1003702 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1576906. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




