Sun Prairie

Sun Prairie is the name of a few places in the United States:

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Sun Prairie is a city in Dane County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. A suburb of Madison it is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2010 US Census city's population was 29,441. It is the third fastest-growing city in Wisconsin, and the fastest-growing among cities of 20,000 or more, growing an estimated 4.9% between 2010 and 2013 to 30,871 people. It is the second most populous city in Dane County after Madison. Sun Prairie hosts an annual Groundhog Day celebration.

History

President Martin Van Buren commissioned a party of 45 men, including Augustus A. Bird, to build a capitol for the Territory of Wisconsin in Madison. The group of men left Milwaukee on May 26, 1837, and traveled for days in the rain. On June 9, the group emerged at the edge of the prairie and with the sun shining for the first time in days, carved the words "Sun Prairie" into a tree. Charles Bird returned to the area two years later and became the first settler.

The Town of Sun Prairie was created on February 2, 1846. The city of Sun Prairie, which grew from that town, was incorporated in 1958.