03 - City Description: Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

By: Narno R. Chávez Frea

















Note: Web links included for more information.

Sturgeon Bay, my mother's native town, is a city in and the county seat (main city) of Door County, Wisconsin, United States (http://www.city-data.com/city/Sturgeon-Bay-Wisconsin.html). The population was 9,437 at the 2000 census. It is located at the natural end of Sturgeon Bay (the name of the bay itself), although a canal was built across the remainder of the Door Peninsula (www.doorcounty.com).

Location:



















The City of Sturgeon Bay is located approximately 45 miles northeast of Green Bay. Sturgeon Bay is known for its high quality of life, traditional downtown, maritime industries, aquatic resources and recreational opportunities, and tourism amenities. Sturgeon Bay was officially incorporated on April 7, 1883 and is the county seat.
Sturgeon Bay now has population of 9,763. The City covers approximately 4,000 acres with 80 miles of streets and 11 parks. This area compasses three different school districts which include Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol, and Southern Door School Districts.

In an effort to encourage and enable Sturgeon Bay's children to safely walk and bike to school, Sturgeon Bay has begun the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Planning Process. The success of the SRTS plan relies on community support and participation. (Mr. Cabrales, as you can see this city still has tradition and values!)

Geography:
Sturgeon Bay is located at 44°49′56″N, 87°22′19″W (Map Sources/GeoHack).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.3 square miles (29.3 km²), of which, 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²) of it is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) of it (14.94%) is water.

Organization:
The City’s organization consists of five departments including a full time Police Department, Fire Department, Public Works Department, Community Development, and Administration. Each department assists the public in a variety of ways by offering different functions and services. In addition to Police and Fire protection, City services include administration, finance, planning and zoning, real estate assessment, building inspection, street maintenance, snow removal, garbage and recycling, park and recreation, and water weed management.