Kenosha, Wisconsin

Kenosha /kɛˈnoʊˌʃɑː/ is a city in and the county seat of Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. Kenosha lies on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. With an estimated population of 99,889 as of July 1, 2013, it is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin and the fourth-largest city on Lake Michigan. The city is part of the United States Census Bureau's Chicago Combined Statistical Area (CSA).

History

Early archaeological sites have been discovered in the Kenosha vicinity; the discoverer of two sites believes that they pre-date the Clovis culture, making them contemporaneous with the ice age.Paleo Indians first settled in the area at least 13,500 years ago.

The Potawatomi originally named the area gnozhé ("place of the pike").

The early name by the Ojibwa Indians is reported as Masu-kinoja. This describes the place of spawning trout as "trout (pike) come all at same time". There were thousands of fish entering the rivers from Lake Michigan. Harvesting these fish provided food for the coming months.

Kenosha station

Kenosha is a railroad station in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States served by Metra's Union Pacific/North Line. It is the northern terminus of the line, which runs south to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago, Illinois. Kenosha is the only Metra station in Wisconsin. Because it is located outside Metra service area, the service to the station is partially subsidized by the city of Kenosha. It is the northernmost station of the entire Metra system, making it the most northern station in the entire RTA complex.

The station was originally opened in 1855 by the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad and then it was acquired by the CN&W in 1881, the last intercity passenger train stopped in Kenosha in 1971. Since then it has only been used for commuter services by the CN&W, then Metra in 1984. A small coach yard is adjacent to the railroad station and is used to store extra trains when they are not in service. Union Pacific also has a dispatch center at this yard used for Metra trains.