Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Ripon
-RIP-pin
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Shawano
-SHAW-no (though SHAH-no is possible)
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Sheboygan
-shuh-BOY-gun
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Trempealeau
-TREM-puh-low
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Waukesha
-WALK uh-shaw
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Waupun
-wau-PAHN
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Wausau
-There's no “r” in WAW saw.
Wisconsin inches up from the six million mark. With 90.1 people per square mile, the state
ranks 24th nationally in population density. (It rarely feels that crowded.) General popula-
tion growth in the state is 3.9 percent annually, unusual because the upper Great Lakes area
as a whole shows steadily declining numbers, though this decline is slowing. At the turn
of the 20th century, it was the most ethnically diverse state in the Union, with most of us
having family ties to Germany.
And while still predominantly European-American, the state has a fast-growing non-
white population—12-plus percent and growing fast.
Native Americans
Wisconsin hasoneofthemostdiverse Native American populations ofanystate, taking in-
to account the number of cultures, settlement history, linguistic stock, and affiliations. The
state is home to six sovereign Native American nations on 11 reservations, not all of which
are demarcated by boundaries. In addition to the six nations, Wisconsin historically has
beenthehomeoftheIllinois,Fox,Sauk,Miami,Kickapoo,Satee,Ottaway,andMascouten
Indians. The total Native American population is around 40,000, or 1 percent of the popu-
lation.
The largest native group is the
Ojibwa.
(Formerly rendered as “Chippewa,” the Euro-
transliteration of what trappers thought they heard, it has returned to the more appropriate
approximations of Ojibway, Ojibwe, and Ojibwa. Ethnologists, historians, linguists, and
even tribal members disagree on the spelling.
Ojib
means “to pucker up” and
ub-way
“to
