Nekoosa's fishing culture and paper mills occupy the Wisconsin River
Like many other Wisconsin Rapids cities, Nekoosa got its start on the river. “The industry to this day is the paper mills,” says real estate agent Lindsey Schider with Coldwell Banker Advantage. “We have mills up and down the river.” While big mills in other towns like the Nekoosa Edwards Paper Company closed down, Domtar Paper is still open in Nekoosa. Also, like other nearby cities, the river offers more to Nekoosa residents than just industry. Boat landings and piers sit along the river, though walleye fishing is the main attraction here. The Wisconsin River is also dammed at Nekoosa, allowing Petenwell Lake to form to the south, a popular spot for fishing, boating and swimming.
Walleye fishing on the Wisconsin River and boating on Petenwell Lake
Nekoosa’s main community park overlooks the Wisconsin River. Riverside Park is primarily a picnic destination, with plenty of open grassy space along the riverbank, but it also includes a playground and baseball field. Kautzer Recreational Plaza is in the center of town, home to baseball fields, basketball courts, a playground, a splashpad and a skatepark. Riverside homes here aren’t common, so anglers have plenty of public space to reel in their catches. Nekoosa’s public boat landing is along Point Basse Avenue on the southern side of town. “There are boat landings up and down the Wisconsin River, but you are likely going to see more fishing than watersports,” Schider says. Those looking for more activity on the water can head south to Petenwell Lake, where beaches are open to swimmers and watersports are permitted. Fishing here includes northern pike and sturgeon as well as walleye. Visitors might also catch sight of bald eagles around the lake.
From historic Nationals to midcentury ranch-style homes in Nekoosa
Nekoosa’s housing stock features a mix of historic, turn-of-the-century Nationals, ‘40s and ‘50s Cape Cods and midcentury ranch-style homes. Older homes have detached garages, while more recent builds have attached ones. Sidewalks line the streets, so people can walk to downtown’s restaurants or the river. Homes range from $80,000 to $270,000, with smaller homes making up the lower end of the spectrum.
Local pizza joints in historic buildings and summer ice cream shacks
Goodfella’s Pizza is housed in the historic library and city hall. Today, locals stop in for their Italian fix. Swiftwater Ice Cream is just a small shack serving soft-serve ice cream and sundaes, which people can enjoy at nearby picnic tables. There’s a mural next to it depicting people eating ice cream. For grocery shopping, Nekoosa has a Piggly Wiggly. Wisconsin Rapids’s Walmart Supercenter is also about 9 miles up the river.
The Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Festival is an annual fall tradition
The Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Festival is one of the biggest city events of the year. Every October, Riverside Park hosts carnival rides and games, car cruise, and stalls showcasing massive, larger-than-life pumpkins. “They give a prize for the largest pumpkin,” Schider says. “They also do a pumpkin drop, where they lift a massive pumpkin in the air with a piece of machinery and drop it.” In the spring, Nekoosa Walleye Days is at the public boat landing and includes youth and adult walleye fishing tournaments, with hefty prizes for winners. In the winter, the holiday parade goes through downtown. “We’re in Wisconsin, so we definitely get snow and we definitely get cold weather, but it’s surprising how many people come out,” Schider says.
Science and technical education choices at Nekoosa's public schools
Kids head to Humke Elementary School for kindergarten through third grade. Alexander Middle School houses grades fourth through eighth. The middle-grade institution offers the Central Wisconsin STEM Academy, where sixth through eighth graders can participate in more project-based STEM curriculum. Nekoosa High School offers dual credit courses at Mid-State Technical College. All three schools receive C ratings from Niche.
Taking Wisconsin Route 73 up the river to Wisconsin Rapids
In Nekoosa, Market Street is where most of the city’s businesses and restaurants are. Wisconsin Route 73 runs along the river, heading the 9 miles up to Wisconsin Rapids. Aspirus Wisconsin Rapids Hospital is here, about 8 miles from Nekoosa. For air travel, Central Wisconsin Airport is the closest airport, about 41 miles away in Mosinee . The regional airport offers flights to Chicago and Minneapolis through major airlines like Delta and American.
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Written By
Caroline Ernst
