Overview

Introduction to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, in Dane county, is 12 miles NE of Madison, Wisconsin and 66 miles W of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The city is located in the Madison metropolitan area.

Sun Prairie History

In 1837, President Van Buren commissioned a team of forty five men for an expedition Madison in order to establish a territory capital. The settlers arrived on a sunny day two weeks later, and gave this area the name Sun Prairie. The first settler in the area was Charles Bird. The town of Sun Prairie was established in 1846. It gradually grew into a city, which was officially incorporated in 1958.

Sun Prairie and nearby Attractions

  • Sun Prairie Historical Library & Museum
  • Governor Nelson State Park
  • Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Astico County Park
  • Hoard Historical Museum
  • Viking County Park

Things To Do In Sun Prairie

Local parks include the Lake Kegonsa State Park, the Yahara Heights County Park and Badger Prairie County Park. The Sun Prairie Golf Club, Glenway Golf Club and the Nine Springs Golf Club are the local golf courses. Local churches include the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Catholic Church, Saint Albert the Great Church and the Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church. Sun Prairie hosts the Sweet Corn Festival every August, the StrawberryFest every June and the Blues Fest every September.

Sun Prairie Transportation

Air transportation is available from Dane County Regional Airport.

Sun Prairie Higher Education

Moraine Park Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Waukesha County Technical College are all nearby.

Demographics

People

Total Population32,757
Male Share of the Population48.2%
Female Share of the Population51.8%
Senior Citizens13%
Employed Population 16+17,641
Age of the Population36

Families

% of people married51.9%
Average household size2

Education and Earnings

Population % with Bachelor Degree or Higher42.6%
Median Earnings25+$46,578
Median Earnings Without High School Qualification$31,125
Median Earnings With High School Degree$37,310

Wealth

Median Family Income$87,331
% Above Poverty Level91.2%
% Below Poverty Level8.8%

Commute & Sprawl

Average Commute Time20 minutes
% Working from Home4.6%
% Walking and Biking to Work2.1%
% Using Public Transportation0.5%

Housing

People Living Alone32.3%
Median Gross Rent$1,044
Median House Value$226,600

Ancestry

German38.8%
Other(often includes Hispanic and African American)21.1%
Irish11.9%
Norwegian9.4%
English6.3%
Polish5.8%
Dutch3.4%
Italian3.1%
French Except Basque2.5%
African2%
Swedish1.9%
Swiss1.5%
Scottish1.1%
Canadian0.9%
Czech0.9%
Welsh0.5%
Austrian0.5%
Ukrainian0.5%
Croatian0.5%
Danishn0.4%
Greek0.3%
Latvian0.3%
Kenyan0.3%
Haitian0.2%
Serbian0.2%
West Indian0.2%
Hungarian0.2%
Belgian0.2%
Arab0.2%
Finnish0.2%
Bulgarian0.2%
Lithuanian0.2%
Lebanese0.1%
Iraqi0.1%
Russian0.1%
Luxemburger0.1%
US/American0.1%
Brazilian0.1%
Slovene0.1%
Portuguese0.1%
Nigerian0.1%
Slovak0.1%
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Sun Prairie Almanac

CategoryValue
CountyDane County
Standard Zip Codes53590
Company Zip Codes53596
Phone Area Codes608
Time ZoneAmerica/Chicago
Approximate Latitude43.18
Approximate Longitude-89.23

Sun Prairie Climate

Nearest Weather Stations

Notes:

  • Temp ranges are avg daily min and max for the month
  • Precipitation is rainfall (and rainfall equiv of snowfall)

StationMADISON DANE CO AP
Distance7.7 miles
Jan Temp9 to 25 F
Apr Temp35 to 57 F
Jul Temp61 to 82 F
Oct Temp39 to 60 F
Annual Precip32.9 inches
StationARLINGTON UNIV FARM
Distance10.6 miles
Jan Temp8 to 23 F
Apr Temp36 to 55 F
Jul Temp60 to 81 F
Oct Temp40 to 59 F
Annual Precip32.8 inches
StationLAKE MILLS
Distance16.5 miles
Jan Temp8 to 26 F
Apr Temp37 to 57 F
Jul Temp63 to 84 F
Oct Temp41 to 61 F
Annual Precip34.3 inches

Nearby Cities and Towns

LocationPopulationMedian Family Income
Cottage Grove6,904$100,739
Deerfield2,528$85,625
Maple Bluff1,422$185,000
Marshall3,965$64,667
Monona8,068$105,461
Waterloo3,333$84,732

Sun Prairie Public Libraries

Sun Prairie Public Library
1350 LINNERUD DR.
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
(608) 825-7323

library logo

More Information for Librarians

Sun Prairie Public Schools

Bird Elementary
1170 N Bird St
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7300
Primary
Total Enrollment 468
Cardinal Heights Upper Middle
220 Kroncke Dr
ZIP: 53590
(608) 318-8000
Other
Total Enrollment 1165
Creekside Elementary
1251 O'keeffe Ave
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7700
Primary
Total Enrollment 437
Eastside Elementary
661 Elizabeth Ln
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7400
Primary
Total Enrollment 554
Horizon Elementary School
625 N Heatherstone Dr
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7900
Primary
Total Enrollment 555
Northside Elementary
230 W Klubertanz Dr
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7100
Primary
Total Enrollment 540
Patrick Marsh Middle
1351 Columbus St
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7600
Middle
Total Enrollment 542
Prairie Phoenix Academy
160 South St
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-6900
Other
Total Enrollment 84
Prairie View Middle
400 N Thompson Rd
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7800
Middle
Total Enrollment 520
Royal Oaks Elementary
2215 Pennsylvania Ave
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7200
Primary
Total Enrollment 484
Sun Prairie Four Kids
509 Commercial Ave
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-6671
Primary
Total Enrollment 473
Sun Prairie High
888 Grove St
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-6700
High
Total Enrollment 1542
Westside Elementary
1320 Buena Vista Dr
ZIP: 53590
(608) 834-7500
Primary
Total Enrollment 457

Sun Prairie Private Schools

Peace Lutheran School & Prekindergarten
1007 Stonehaven Dr
ZIP: 53590
Elementary
Total Enrollment 103
Sacred Hearts School
219 Columbus St
ZIP: 53590
Elementary
Total Enrollment 413
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