Racine is a medium to large city and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin. The city has approximately 18 neighborhoods and is the fourth largest community by population in the state. The city is located along the shore of Lake Michigan and has the nickname “The Belle City of the Lakes.” The city is home to the headquarters of several companies including, J.I. Case, S.C. Johnson & Son the Dremel Corporation and others. The city is extremely ethnically diverse and has a mayor/council style of city government. Public transportation is provided by the Belle Urban System buses, Amtrak and Racine Taxi. One interesting bit of trivia is that Malted Milk Balls were developed in Racine.

Native tribes inhabited the area as far back as 10,000 BCE. Among these tribes were the Hopewell, Potawatomie, Miaimi and others. In the fall of 1675, Father Jacques Marquette and his assistants passed through and camped in what would one day be Racine. In 1791, a trading post was established in what would one day be Racine. After the Blackhawk War of 1832, the area was settled by “Yankees.” Racine was incorporated as a city in 1848. The first college in the city, Racine College, was founded in 1852 and closed in 1933. Racine High School, the first public school in the city also opened in 1852 and operated in 1926. Many slaves passed through Racine on their journey on the Underground Railroad. The city was populated by waves of immigrants throughout its history, including Danes, Czechs, Germans, Mexicans and more.

The city spans 18.68 square miles, 15.48 square miles of land area and 3.20 square miles of water area. In 2010, the population was 78,860, the population density was 5,094.3 people per square mile and the per capita income was 20,000. In 2013, the population was 78,199, the estimated median household income was $41,886 and the estimated per capita income was $21,649. In the same year, the median house or condo value was 113,200, the mean housing price on all units was $128,467 and the median gross rent was $686. The current median home price is approximately $103,625. The city is a has a mixed workforce of white-collar and blue-collar workers.

The city is served by the Racine Unified School District, which is made up of 35 schools. Among the schools are Case High, Fine Arts Elementary, Gilmore Middle School, Goodland Elementary and many more. Among local attractions is Racine’s Old Main Historic District that spans 17 acres with structures dating back as far as 1847. The district includes 73 historic buildings. Among the city’s historic buildings is the Racine Elks Lodge, built in 1912 and designed by Edmund Funston, the Johnson Wax Headquarters, which was constructed in 1936-1939 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Hanover House, a Greek Revival Style home constructed in 1855 and many more. Homes for sale range from small homes up through historic and luxury homes. Other real estate options include apartments, duplexes and houses for rent as well as townhomes and condominiums for sale or lease. For assistance in exploring your housing options in Racine, call local agent Dan Konicek at 1-262-880-8104.