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Wisconsin Bell, Inc. Business Information, Profile, and History

727 North Broadway
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
U.S.A.

History of Wisconsin Bell, Inc.

Wisconsin Bell, Inc., is the legal name of what has publicly been known as Ameritech Wisconsin since 1993. The largest provider of local telephone service in the state of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Bell focuses its attention on larger population centers, leaving less populous areas to Wisconsin's many small, independent telephone companies.

Wisconsin Bell was founded in 1882 as the Wisconsin Telephone Company by Charles H. Haskins, Benjamin K. Miller, and Harry C. Haskins. Charles Haskins, who had written a book on principals of electricity, became intrigued by the potential of the telephone shortly after its invention in 1876. The following year he created Milwaukee's first telephone exchange with 15 customers.

With Charles Haskins serving as its first president, Wisconsin Telephone set up its headquarters on Broadway in Milwaukee and installed its first switchboard in a building across the street. Customers contacted the switchboard by spinning a magneto crank attached to their telephones. Despite this primitive equipment, the company began stringing together its territory (which included the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and all of Wisconsin except Douglas and Grant Counties) with telephone wires. In 1883 the firm installed its first aerial telephone cable in Milwaukee. By the end of the 1880s 60 Wisconsin cities and towns had telephone service, with yearly telephone rates averaging $50 a year.

Wisconsin Telephone was part of the Bell system, with a license from Alexander Graham Bell's American Bell Telephone Company. When Bell's patents expired in the early 1890s, independent telephone companies were created and Wisconsin Telephone experienced its first serious competition. The company fought it, led by new president Henry Payne and aided by its exclusive access to the Bell system's long-distance lines. Customers of rival companies who wanted to make long-distance calls had to go to a Wisconsin Telephone office to do so. Despite the competition, Wisconsin Telephone grew to nearly 20,000 customers by 1900.

Technical improvements appeared continuously throughout the telephone industry. Wisconsin Telephone began using dry-core, paper-insulated cable in 1894, replacing its less reliable cotton and paraffin cables. The firm already had long-distance service to Chicago, and after a Chicago-New York line opened in 1892 Wisconsin Telephone customers were able to call New York. In 1896 Wisconsin Telephone installed the first dial telephone system in the United States at Milwaukee City Hall.

With the rapid growth of the U.S. telephone, electrical, and railroad systems, states began to regulate public utilities. Independent telephone companies accused the Bell system of being a monopoly; partly as a result of that the Wisconsin legislature gave the state's Railroad Commission regulatory power over telephone companies. However, getting rate increases approved was far easier than it is today and regulation did not seem to hurt the company--it began buying up competitors, and its rate of growth actually increased. Meanwhile, the firm improved its infrastructure. It laid underground cables and conduits, rewired subscriber stations, and beefed up inspection of long-distance lines. To encourage use of its long-distance services, Wisconsin Telephone created a plan for businesses much like the "800" services. By 1910 the firm had over 100,000 telephones in service.

This growth necessitated structural changes within the company. In 1910 the plant, traffic, and commercial departments were given separate managers. The following year the Bell system organized its companies by region. Wisconsin Telephone became part of the Central Group along with four other Bell companies, encompassing parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. This arrangement lasted for 11 years before the companies were left entirely on their own again. To keep up with growth, the company also built three more central offices in Milwaukee during the 1910s.

Service quality went down from 1916 to 1918 as many of Wisconsin Telephone's employees were given military leave to fight in World War I. Immediately after the war new buildings or additions to central offices were made throughout the firm's territory, including Appleton, Madison, and Eau Claire.

A string of intense winter storms hit Wisconsin during the 1920s, causing numerous service disruptions. One storm in February 1922 knocked out communications between Milwaukee and the Appleton and Eau Claire district headquarters. Repairs took two months. Despite these difficulties the firm continued to grow, reaching 9,000 employees in 1929. It reorganized again, this time into commercial, plant, and traffic departments, and began a large construction campaign.

The Great Depression hit the company hard. The numbers of telephones in service and calls being made plummeted. Between 1929 and 1931 the firm cut back by about 2,000 stations and put many of its employees on a staggered work schedule to avoid massive layoffs. Even so, the number of employees dropped to 5,800 by 1933. In 1932 the Wisconsin Public Service Commission reduced the firm's exchange rates by 12.5 percent. Wisconsin Telephone filed suit, claiming the rate reduction was arbitrary, and litigation continued throughout the 1930s. The firm also got into a conflict over its taxes with the Wisconsin Tax Commission and ended up having to pay $1.4 million in back taxes in 1936.

The firm was trying to convert its entire territory to dial telephones but was slowed down by these losses of revenue. It did create public relations departments at its offices throughout Wisconsin to examine customer complaints and attitudes. In 1939 the firm also helped lay the first coaxial cable in the United States between Stevens Point and Minneapolis, allowing for more reliable service. By this point the firm was recovering from the Great Depression, and the number of phones in service had reached 377,000, more than in 1930. In 1940 alone Wisconsin Telephone connected 17,000 more telephones, a record increase.

With the outbreak of World War II in 1941, Wisconsin Telephone, and the entire U.S. telephone system, adopted special security measures and cooperated with the Office of Civil Defense. Because military needs had a higher priority than civilian needs, equipment and supply shortages developed. Over 2,000 employees were hired to help meet growing military communications needs. By 1944 the firm's supply of telephones had been used up, and nearly 20,000 calls for service could not be met. Employee turnover soared, and many operators and service people were inexperienced. Wisconsin Telephone overturned its policy of ending a woman's employment when she got married and rehired about 650 former employees.

By the end of the war in 1945 the firm was behind by 28,500, and it took two years to catch up. As a result, the firm had 12,000 employees that year, the highest in its history. In 1946 and 1947 the firm experienced labor problems. Local calls could only be made from company offices during a month-long strike in April 1947. The following month the firm increased its payroll by $2.5 million per year.

The firm boomed during the 1950s, a decade of unprecedented telephone use, installing 420,000 telephones, constructing 83 buildings, and laying out $286 million for construction. The company continued modernizing, doing away with most of its remaining hand-crank telephones. To further increase demand for telephones, a station wagon was painted to depict different colors of telephone desk sets and driven around the firm's territory. In 1957 the firm's one-millionth telephone was installed in the office of Wisconsin Governor Vernon Thomson. Wisconsin Telephone also issued its first long-term debt ($30 million worth of 35-year debentures) to help pay for its record construction budget of $47 million.

In the 1960s the entire Bell system began offering a greater variety of telephones, and Wisconsin Telephone made money selling products like the Princess phone. That same year, Wisconsin Telephone installed its first outdoor walk-up coin phones. In 1964 it began offering touch-tone telephones, and in 1965 it began the WATS service, which allowed businesses to call out of their immediate area for a package price.

Competition was increasing in the telecommunications industry, and Wisconsin Telephone founded a marketing department in 1961 to help it sell new services, particularly to businesses. The firm established a Direct Distance Dialing Bureau in 1963 to allow long-distance calls without operator assistance. In 1968 the firm was hit by its first strike since 1947. The 18-day strike resulted in a $6 million settlement. By the end of the decade Wisconsin Telephone had 1.7 million phones in service and was spending about $80 million a year on construction.

The energy crisis of 1973 caused Wisconsin Telephone to decrease heating in its buildings, run a Milwaukee shuttle bus for its employees, and shrink the firm's fleet of vehicles. Meanwhile, communications technology continued to improve. Wisconsin Telephone expanded its use of electronic switching stations. These stations, brought out by AT&T in 1966, connected phone calls automatically and with great speed. They helped make possible the vast increases in the volume of telephone traffic in the 1970s and 1980s. With these increases in traffic came increased rates. In 1981, for example, the firm won approval for a $42.7 million annual rate increase.

In 1983 the firm, along with the entire Bell system, went through the most important reorganization in its history. Charges that AT&T was a monopoly that suppressed competition dated to the early years of the Bell system. However, in 1974, the U.S. Justice Department, goaded by some of AT&T's competitors, filed an antitrust lawsuit asking for the dismemberment of the company. Litigation lasted for years and finally resulted in an agreement that AT&T would break up the Bell system. This occurred on January 1, 1984, when Wisconsin Telephone became part of Ameritech, a new regional Bell operating company that also included Illinois Bell, Indiana Bell, Michigan Bell, and Ohio Bell. Partly to herald this event, Wisconsin Telephone changed its name to Wisconsin Bell in 1983.

Meanwhile, advances in telecommunications technology accelerated, and with them business opportunities. In 1983 Wisconsin Bell announced it would jointly offer interactive CATV services with Telenational Communications. In 1985 Wisconsin Bell began the process of buying digital central office switches from Siemens Public Switching Systems. These switches made a variety of new services possible.

In 1986 Wisconsin Bell built, with AT&T, an advanced government communications system. The sophisticated digital network linked 50,000 employees at 1,800 state and local government locations. AT&T built the spine, and Wisconsin Bell supplied local access. These advances did not necessarily make jobs more secure. In 1986 the firm offered early retirement to 263 managers, or 11 percent of its management staff of 2,333.

Other services stemming from technology advances followed. In 1988 the firm installed 350 pay phones able to read long-distance calling cards. This let customers make long-distance calls without using a mound of change. Sensing opportunity in the proliferation of telephone-answering machines, the firm began testing its own voice-mail message service in 1989. By 1988 Wisconsin Bell was using computerized systems to track maintenance for its fleet of 1,800 vehicles.

In 1989 Wisconsin Bell became the first of the Ameritech Bells to use only electronic switches. The firm's last electromechanical switches were replaced by digital switches made by Siemens. Of Wisconsin Bell's 1.6 million telephone lines, between 25 and 30 percent went to digital switches; the rest used analog switches.

Not all of Wisconsin Bell's technology advances centered on telephones and their switches. By 1990 many larger telephone cables used sophisticated temperature and humidity regulating systems. To keep air-core cables dry and operating efficiently, compressed dry air was pumped through them. Otherwise, minute amounts of rain or groundwater crept into defects in the cable sheath and caused shorts. A complex system of microprocessors and manifolds kept the air flowing. Revenue for 1990 came to $1.06 billion.

In September 1993 Ameritech retired the Wisconsin Bell brand name. Bills for local telephone service appeared bearing the Ameritech name at the top, instead of Wisconsin Bell. Consumers no longer encountered the name Wisconsin Bell because the firm was referred to in its telephone books, the press, and in marketing efforts simply as Ameritech or Ameritech Wisconsin. The company's legal name remains Wisconsin Bell, however. The same type of name change was carried out at the other state Bells in the Ameritech group, so that Ameritech could promote the Ameritech name.

The change did not affect Wisconsin Bell's rates or services, but it did reflect Ameritech strategies that had a potentially huge effect on Wisconsin Bell and its local phone service. By 1993, revenue had only increased to $1.13 billion since 1990. The local phone business was a steady source of revenue but did not grow quickly. Ameritech had its eye on the long-distance market, which was far more lucrative, as well as on other profitable communications services such as cable television. Ameritech proposed giving up its local telephone monopoly, allowing direct competition in its markets, in exchange for access to the long-distance market. Throughout the mid-1990s Wisconsin Bell watched as neighbor Illinois Bell, the chosen laboratory for the first such market experiment, negotiated regulatory and legislative hurdles, trying to work out the details of this market change.

As a result, in the mid-1990s Wisconsin Bell was a well-run company with a steady stream of revenue. However, its market seemed likely to change in the coming years, with more risks but also more potential for profit and growth.

Related information about Wisconsin

pop (2000e) 5 363 700; area 145 431 km²/56 153 sq mi. State in NC USA, divided into 72 counties; the ‘Badger State’; first settled by French traders, 1670; surrendered to the British, 1763; ceded to the USA, 1783 (part of the Northwest Territory); Territory of Wisconsin formed, 1836; 30th state to join the Union, 1848; bounded N by L Superior and L Michigan, E by L Michigan; capital, Madison; other chief cities, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine; rivers include the Mississippi (part of the W border), Menominee (part of the E border), and Wisconsin; L Winnebago lies to the E; c.26 000 km²/10 000 sq mi of L Michigan lie within the state boundary; highest point, Timms Hill (595 m/1952 ft); glaciated terrain in the N and W, largely forested; over 8500 lakes; timber products, dairy products, paper, metal products, machinery, food processing, electrical equipment, transport equipment, grain, vegetables, brewing; produces more milk, butter, and cheese than any other state; over a third of the nation's cheese production; heavy industry in the Milwaukee area.

Wisconsin (IPA pronunciation: ) is a state in the United States, located in the Midwest. Its capital is Madison; the governor is Jim Doyle.

The Wisconsin area, bordered by the current-day states of Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois, as well as Lakes Michigan and Superior, has been part of United States territory since the end of the American Revolution; the Wisconsin Territory (which included parts of other current states) was formed on July 3, 1836. Wisconsin ratified its constitution March 13, 1848 and was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848 as the thirtieth state.

Wisconsin's rural economy was originally based on furs; in the 19th century, emphasis shifted to mining, lumber, farming, dairy, and tourism. Large-scale industrialization began in the late 19th century in the southeast of the state, with the city of Milwaukee as its major center. Wisconsin's landscape, largely shaped by the Wisconsin glaciation of the last Ice Age, makes the state popular for both tourism and many forms of outdoor recreation.

Since its founding, Wisconsin has been ethnically heterogeneous, with New Englanders being among the first to arrive; Large numbers of European immigrants followed them, including Germans, mostly between 1850 and 1900, Scandinavians and smaller groups of Belgians, Swiss, Finns, Irish Catholics and others; in the twentieth century, large numbers of Polish and African-Americans arrived in the state.

Today, 42.6% of the population is of German ancestry, making Wisconsin one of the most German-American states in the United States, although there are many other major ethnic groups, including one of the larger Hmong populations in the nation.

During the period of the Civil War, Wisconsin was a Republican and pro-Union stronghold. class=ilnk>Robert La Follette and his sons, originally of the Republican Party, but later of their own Progressive Party. Major Republican figures include former Governor Tommy Thompson, while major Democrats include governor Jim Doyle and Senators Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold.Conant ch 1; Pearce

History

In 1634, Frenchman Jean Nicolet became Wisconsin's first European explorer, landing at Red Banks, near modern-day Green Bay in search of a passage to the Orient. The French controlled the area until it was ceded to the British in 1763.

After the American Revolutionary War, Wisconsin was part of the U.S. Northwest Territory. It was then governed as part of Indiana Territory, Illinois Territory, and Michigan Territory. Settlement began when the first two public land offices opened in 1834.Public land offices, and settlement. Wisconsin Territory was organized on July 3, 1836, and it became the 30th state on May 29 1848.

The state mineral is Galena, otherwise known as lead sulfide, which reflects Wisconsin's early mining history. Many town names such as Mineral Point recall a period in the 1820s, 1830s, and 1840s, when Wisconsin was an important mining state. many of them immigrants from Cornwall, England ? Most Germans were Catholic or Lutheran, with some Lutherans forming the Wisconsin Synod and others joining the Missouri Synod. When nativist Republicans led by governor William Hoard passed the Bennett Law in 1889 that would shut down German language schools, both Catholic and Lutheran, they revolted and helped elect the Democrats in 1890. Lake Superior and Michigan to the north; and by Iowa and Minnesota to the west. Part of the state's boundaries includes the Mississippi River and St. Croix River in the west, and the Menominee River in the northeast.
With its location between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is home to a wide variety of geographical features. Just to the south, the Northern Highland includes the state's highest point, Timms Hill, as well as massive forests and thousands of small glacial lakes. In the middle of the state, the Central Plain possesses some unique sandstone formations like the Dells of the Wisconsin River in addition to rich farmland. in fact Wisconsin contains 11,188 square miles (28,977 km²) of water, more than all but three other states (Alaska, Michigan & Florida). The distinctive Door Peninsula, which extends off of the eastern coast of the state, contains one of the state's most beautiful tourist destinations, Door County. The area draws thousands of visitors yearly to its quaint villages, seasonal cherry picking, and ever-popular fish boils.

Areas under the management of the National Park Service include:

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore along Lake Superior
Ice Age National Scenic Trail
North Country National Scenic Trail
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway

Demographics

The state has always been ethnically heterogeneous. Large numbers of Germans arrived between 1850 and 1900, centering in Milwaukee, but also settling in many small cities and farm areas in the southeast. Small colonies of Belgians, Swiss, Finns and other groups came to the state. After 1900, Polish immigrants came to Milwaukee, followed by African Americans from 1940 on. The top 5 states with a net increase of migration into Wisconsin are 1) Illinois, 2) California, 3) Indiana 4) New York and 5) Pennsylvania.

As of 2004, there are 229,800 foreign-born residents in the state (4.2% of the state population), and an estimated 41,000 undocumented workers living in the state, accounting for 18% of the foreign-born population.fact

The five largest ancestry groups in Wisconsin are: German (42.6%), Irish (10.9%), Polish (9.3%), Norwegian (8.5%), English (6.5%)

Wisconsin is widely regarded as the most "German-American" state in the Union (although North Dakota, with 43.9% German ancestry, can also make this claim). Menominee county is the only county in the eastern United States with an American Indian majority.

86% of Wisconsin's black population lives in one of five cities: Milwaukee, Racine, Madison, Kenosha and Beloit while Milwaukee itself is home to nearly three-fourths of the state's blacks. In the Great Lakes region, only Detroit and Cleveland have a higher percentage of blacks.

33% of Wisconsin's Asian population is Hmong, with significant communities in Milwaukee, Wausau, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Appleton, La Crosse, Stevens Point, Madison, and Eau Claire.

6.4% of Wisconsin's population was reported as under 5, 25.5% under 18, and 13.1% were 65 or older.

Religion

The largest denominations are Roman Catholic, Missouri Synod, Wisconsin Synod and ELCA Lutherans. The per capita personal income was $32,157 in 2004.

The economy of Wisconsin is driven by agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing. Wisconsin produces more dairy products than any other state in the United States except California, and it leads the nation in cheese production. In addition to dairying, Wisconsin ranks first in the production of corn for silage, cranberries, ginseng, and snap beans for processing. Wisconsin is also a leading producer of oats, potatoes, carrots, tart cherries, maple syrup, and sweet corn for processing.

Badger State
State Animal:	Badger
State Domesticated Animal:	Dairy Cow
State Wild Animal:	White-tailed Deer
State Beverage:	Milk
State Bird:	Robin
State Capital:	Madison
State Dog:	Spaniel
State Fish:	Muskellunge
State Flower:	Wood Violet
State Fossil:	Trilobite
State Grain:	Corn
State Insect:	Honeybee
State Motto:	Forward
State Song:	"On, Wisconsin!"
State Tree:	Sugar Maple
State Mineral:	Galena (Lead sulfide)
State Rock:	Red Granite
State Soil:	Antigo Silt Loam
State Dance:	Polka
State Symbol of Peace:	Mourning Dove

Given Wisconsin's strong agricultural tradition, it is not surprising that a large part of the state's manufacturing sector deals with food processing. Some well known food brands produced in Wisconsin include Oscar Mayer, Tombstone and Jack's frozen pizza, and Johnsonville Bratwursts. Milwaukee is a major producer of beer and the home of Miller Brewing Company's world headquarters, the nation's second largest brewer.

In addition to food processing, Wisconsin is home to several transportation equipment and machinery manufacturers. Major Wisconsin companies in these categories include the Kohler Company, Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls, Briggs & Stratton, Miller Electric, Milwaukee Electric Tool Company, Oshkosh Truck, and Harley-Davidson. the lower Fox River from Lake Winnebago to the Bay of Green Bay has twenty-four paper mills along its 39-mile (63 km) stretch. The largest paper companies with operations in Wisconsin are Kimberly-Clark and Georgia-Pacific, both of which rank among the state's top ten employers.

Healthcare is a growing sector of the economy with key players such as Tomotherapy and GE Healthcare. Tourism destinations such as the House on the Rock near Spring Green, Circus World Museum in Baraboo, and the collection of attractions around Wisconsin Dells each draw thousands of visitors every year, and festivals such as Summerfest and the EAA Oshkosh Airshow always attract large crowds.

Wisconsin collects personal income tax based on 4 income level brackets, which range from 4.6 percent to 6.75 percent. Sales of motor vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, mobile homes 45 feet (13.7 m) or less in length, trailers, semi-trailers, all-terrain vehicles, and aircraft are subject to the county use tax rather than county sales tax.

The most common property tax assessed on Wisconsin residents is the real property tax, or their residential property tax.

Law and government

The capital is Madison and the largest city is Milwaukee.
The governor of Wisconsin is Jim Doyle.

See also:

Wisconsin Constitution
Governors of Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Legislature
- Wisconsin State Senate
- Wisconsin State Assembly
Wisconsin Supreme Court
U.S. Congressional Delegations from Wisconsin
- List of U.S. Senators from Wisconsin

Politics

Much of the state's political history involved coalitions among different ethnic groups. This was fought out in the Bennett Law campaign of 1890, when the Germans switched to the Democratic Party, who won a major victory.
Wisconsin's political history encompasses, on the one hand, Joe McCarthy, the controversial anti-Communist censured by the Senate during the 1950s. The first Socialist mayor of a large city in the United States was Emil Seidel, elected mayor of Milwaukee in 1910; another Socialist, Daniel Hoan, was mayor of Milwaukee from 1916 to 1940.

Wisconsin has a strong progressive tradition dating to the governorship of Russ Feingold was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in 2001, and Democrat Tammy Baldwin from Madison is the only openly lesbian U.S. Representative. Republican have strongholds in suburban areas, while Democrats dominate some rural areas and inner cities of the Madison and Milwaukee metropolitan urban centers.

Important cities and villages

Cities and villages are incorporated urban areas in Wisconsin. Towns are unincorporated minor civil divisions of counties.

Wisconsin's self-promotion as "America's Dairyland" sometimes leads to a mistaken impression that it is an exclusively rural state. Milwaukee is slightly larger than Boston and part of a largely developed string of cities that stretches down the western edge of Lake Michigan into greater Chicago and also into northwestern Indiana. Medium-size cities dot the state and anchor a network of working farms surrounding them.

Cities in Wisconsin with population of 50,000 or more as of 2000 include:

Milwaukee, population 596,125 (1,709,926 in metropolitan area), largest city
Madison, population 208,054 (588,885 in metropolitan area), state capital
Green Bay, population 102,767 (295,473 in metropolitan area)
Kenosha, population 90,352, part of Chicagoland
Racine, population 81,855, part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area
Appleton, population 70,087 (213,102 in metropolitan area)
Waukesha, population 64,825 part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area
Oshkosh, population 62,916 (159,008 in metropolitan area)
Eau Claire, population 61,704 (148,337 in metropolitan area)
West Allis, population 61,254, part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area
Janesville, population 60,200 (154,794 in metropolitan area)
La Crosse, population 51,818 (128,592 in metropolitan area)
Sheboygan, population 50,792 (113,376 in metropolitan area)

Education

Colleges and universities

Public education in Wisconsin includes both the 26-campus University of Wisconsin System, headquartered in Madison, and the 16-campus Wisconsin Technical College System which coordinates with the University of Wisconsin. Notable private colleges and universities include Marquette University, Beloit College,and Lawrence University, among others. The Green Bay Packers have been part of the National Football League since the league's second season in 1921 and currently hold the record for the most NFL titles, earning the city of Green Bay the nickname "Titletown".

Club	Sport	League
Green Bay Packers	Football	National Football League
Milwaukee Brewers	Baseball	Major League Baseball
Milwaukee Bucks	Basketball	National Basketball Association
Milwaukee Admirals	Ice hockey	American Hockey League
Milwaukee Wave	Soccer	Major Indoor Soccer League
Green Bay Blizzard	Arena football	af2
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers	Baseball	Midwest League
Beloit Snappers	Baseball	Midwest League
Eau Claire Express	Baseball	Northwoods League
La Crosse Loggers	Baseball	Northwoods League
Madison Mallards	Baseball	Northwoods League
Wisconsin Woodchucks	Baseball	Northwoods League

Miscellaneous topics

USS Wisconsin was named in honor of this state.

Known as "America's Dairyland," Wisconsin is also known for cheese. A lesser known, but still significant nickname for Wisconsin is "The Copper State," referring to the copper mines in the northwestern part of the state.

The state is home to the Green Bay Packers, the most successful small-market professional sports franchise in the world. The University of Wisconsin Badgers football program, playing at Camp Randall Stadium, enjoys similar loyalty; The waiting list for Packers season tickets has over 50,000 names.
The Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee is known for its unique architecture. Madison is home to the Vilas Zoo which is free for all visitors, and the Olbrich Gardens conservatory, as well as the hub of cultural activity at the University of Wisconsin. It is also known for Monona Terrace, a convention center that was designed by Taliesin Architect Anthony Puttnam, based loosely on a 1930s design by Frank Lloyd Wright, a world-renowned architect and Wisconsin native who was born in Richland Center. Decades after Wright's death, Taliesin remains an architectural office and school for his followers.

Wisconsin has sister-state relationships with the Germany's Hesse, Japan's Chiba Prefecture, Mexico's Jalisco, China's Heilongjiang, and Nicaragua.Sister States

Name

Although the exact etymology of the name is uncertain, "Wisconsin" is thought to be an English version of a French adaptation of an Indian word. It may come from the Ojibwe word Miskwasiniing, meaning "Red-stone place," which was probably the name given to the Wisconsin River, and was recorded as Ouisconsin by the French and changed to its current form by the English.

References

Michael Barone and Richard E.

Additional topics

Company HistoryTelecommunications

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