Racine, WI

Racine ( ruh-SEEN) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 miles (100 km) north of Chicago. It is the principal city of the US Census Bureau’s Racine metropolitan area (consisting only of Racine County). The Racine metropolitan area is, in turn, counted as part of the Milwaukee combined statistical area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 77,816, making it the 5th largest city in Wisconsin. In January 2017, it was rated “the most affordable place to live in the world” by the Demographia International Housing Affordability survey.

Racine is the headquarters of a number of industries, including J. I. Case heavy equipment, S. C. Johnson & Son cleaning and chemical products, Dremel Corporation, Reliance Controls Corporation time controls and transfer switches, Twin Disc, and Arthur B. Modine heat exchangers. The Mitchell & Lewis Company, a wagonmaker in the 19th century, began making motorcycles and automobiles as Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company at the start of the 20th century. Racine is also home to InSinkErator, manufacturers of the first garbage disposal. Racine was also historically home to the Horlicks malt factory, where malted milk balls were first developed, and the Western Publishing factory where Little Golden Books were printed. Prominent architects in Racine’s history include A. Arthur Guilbert and Edmund Bailey Funston, and the city is home to some works by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.