Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, United States

🇺🇸 Beaver Dam is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States, along Beaver Dam Lake and the Beaver Dam River. The population was 16,708 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city primarily located in Dodge County. It is the principal city of the Beaver Dam Micropolitan Statistical area which is included in the larger Milwaukee-Waukesha-Racine CSA. The city is adjacent to the Town of Beaver Dam.

History Beaver Dam was first settled by Thomas Mackie and Joseph Goetschius in 1841, and by 1843 had a population of almost 100. The city was named for an old beaver dam located in a stream flowing into Beaver Dam River. The area had also been known as Okwaanim, Chippewa for beaver dam. The community was incorporated as a city on March 18, 1856. That same year the Milwaukee Railroad reached the area, encouraging further growth.

Beaver Dam hosted a World War II prisoner of war camp called Camp Beaver Dam in the summer of 1944. The camp held 300 German prisoners in a tent city encampment where the Wayland Academy field house now stands.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.70 square miles (22.53 km²), of which, 7.31 square miles (18.93 km²) is land and 1.38 square miles (3.57 km²) is water.

Demographics As of the census of 2020, the population was 16,708. The population density was 2,284.7 inhabitants per square mile (882.1/km²). There were 7,699 housing units at an average density of 1,052.8 per square mile (406.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.0% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 4.7% from other races, and 7.3% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 11.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the American Community Survey estimates for 2016–2020, the median income for a household in the city was $55,551, and the median income for a family was $73,309. Male full-time workers had a median income of $48,773 versus $40,140 for female workers. The per capita income for the city was $30,729. About 6.2% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over. Of the population age 25 and over, 93.0% were high school graduates or higher and 21.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education The Beaver Dam Unified School District provides public education in the area.

*Primary education * Beaver Dam's five public primary schools for K to 5th grades are Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Prairie View Elementary, Washington Elementary, and Wilson Elementary.

There are two parochial primary schools: St. Katharine Drexel (grades: Pre-K to 8th), and St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran (grades: K to 8th).

*Middle school * Beaver Dam Middle School is the local public middle school, teaching 6th through 8th grades.

*Secondary education * Beaver Dam High School is the local public high school; its mascot is the Golden Beaver. An alternative school, the Don Smith Learning Academy, is part of the Beaver Dam Unified School District.

The city is also home to Wayland Academy, a private school.

*Post-secondary education * The Beaver Dam campus of Moraine Park Technical College is located in the city.

Healthcare Marshfield Medical Center-Beaver Dam is a 163 bed hospital. There are 44.4 primary care physicians per 100,000 population in Beaver Dam. The area is designated as both a mental health and primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) qualifying the region as a medical desert. By 2035, Beaver Dam is expected to have 48.4% deficit in primary care physicians, the eighth largest predicted deficit in Wisconsin. There are two behavioral health professionals in Beaver Dam.

Events The following events are held each year in Beaver Dam:

January: • Cabin Fever Fest – 4th Sunday

March: • Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast – 1st Sunday

April: • Rotary Casino Night – 1st Saturday • Beaver Dam Area Orchestra Annual Spring Concert – 3rd Saturday

May: • Race Into Summer Festival – Sunday of Memorial Day weekend • Memorial Day Parade – Memorial Day

June: • Taste of Wisconsin (beer & cheese tasting) – Saturday before Father's Day • Swan City Classic Car Show – Father's Day

July: • Lake Days / Swan Park Craft Fair – 2nd weekend

August: • Corn Roast – 1st Thursday • Dodge County Fair – 3rd Wednesday through the following Sunday

November: • Midwest Cream Cheese Competition – Saturday of opening of deer hunting • Economic Update Luncheon – 3rd Wednesday

December: • Christmas Parade – 1st Saturday.