The New International Encyclopædia/Racine

RACINE, rȧ-sēn'. A city and the county-seat of Racine County, Wis., 23 miles south-southeast of Milwaukee and 02 miles north of Chicago, on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Root River, and on the Chicago and Northwestern and the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul railroads (Map: Wisconsin, F 6). It has a pleasant site, some 40 feet above the lake, and is regularly laid out. Among the institutions of the city are Saint Luke's Hospital and the Taylor Orphan Asylum, a public library with more than 7500 volumes, and several other libraries, two of which belong to Racine College (Protestant Episcopal) and Saint Catherine's Academy (Roman Catholic). The post-office, erected at a cost of $100,000, is one of the finest edifices in the city. Racine possesses a good harbor, and is connected by steamship lines with other lake ports. Its trade is chiefly in farm produce and in the principal manufactured products. As an industrial centre, Racine ranks second among the foremost cities of the State, the ouput of its various manufactories in the census year 1900 having had an aggregate value of $12,503,000, and the invested capital having amounted to $16,753,000. The leading manufactures include agricultural implements, carriages and wagons, foundry and machine-shop products, boots and shoes, leather, trunks and valises, steel springs for cars and carriages, hardware, lumber products, etc. Settled in 1834, Racine was incorporated as a village in 1843, and in 1848 it obtained a city charter. The government, under a revised charter of 1891, is vested in a nuiyor, elected every two years, and a unicameral council. Of the administrative officers, the fire and police commissioners are appointed by the mayor, and the school board by the mayor with the consent of the council. Population, in 1890, 21,014; in 1900, 29,102.