City of Thorp, Clark County, Wisconsin: Place Profile

A ranked list of Thorp's largest employers could not be anchored to a fetched primary source this session.

A newspaper currently publishing for Thorp could not be confirmed from a fetched source.

A hospital in Thorp could not be confirmed; the city's health guide lists the nearest hospital-type listing in Stanley.

The City of Thorp is an incorporated city in Clark County, Wisconsin (Census place GEOID 5579625).

The city covers 1.48 square miles of land and no measurable water, centered near 44.957957, -90.802185.

The City of Thorp is a separate municipality from the Town of Thorp, which had a 2020 census count of 840.

Thorp is located along State Highway 29 between Eau Claire and Wausau.

GNIS records Thorp as a populated place in Clark County at 44.9610785, -90.7998588.

The city's motto is 'A Place to Belong'.

The city's history timeline records the Town of Thorp established on January 21, 1876, railroad tracks completed and the first sawmill built in 1881, and Thorp becoming a city in 1948.

Thorp is named for Joseph Gilbert Thorpe, an Eau Claire lawyer, lumber baron and state senator; railroad telegraphers dropped the final 'e'.

The city timeline records that James Seneca Boardman moved into the area in 1870, along with several other families.

The city timeline records the first Polish settlers and the building of St. Hedwig's Catholic Church in 1905.

The Wisconsin Central Railroad reached the settlement then called North Fork from Abbotsford in 1880 and named the station Thorpe, soon shortened to Thorp.

County Highway X through Thorp follows the Yellowstone Trail, an early coast-to-coast auto route, and the city's Yellowstone Trail Park is named for it.

The 2020 census counted 1,795 residents in the City of Thorp.

The Wisconsin DOA January 1, 2025 official estimate for the city is 1,777.

The Census Bureau's July 1, 2024 estimate for Thorp city is 1,769 (2020 estimates base 1,791).

The ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimate of total population is 1,696 (margin of error +/-246).

The ACS 2019-2023 5-year median age is 41.9 years (margin of error +/-3.9).

The ACS 2019-2023 5-year median household income is $56,800 (margin of error +/-$7,960).

The ACS 2019-2023 5-year median value of owner-occupied homes is $155,100 (margin of error +/-$13,485).

Thorp has a mayor and a five-member common council: one alderperson from each of four wards and one at large.

Richard Wnek is the Mayor of Thorp.

Alderpersons are Michael Einhorn (Ward 1), Stanley Lawcewicz (Ward 2), Brian Abramczak (Ward 3), Josh Rosemeyer (Ward 4) and Rodney Enkers (at large).

Michele Pogodzinski is Clerk/Treasurer and Kristin Davison Deputy Clerk; City Hall is at 300 W. Prospect Street (PO Box 334), phone (715) 669-5371, open weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with shorter summer Fridays.

The city's posted council agendas show meetings on Mondays, most recently September 14, August 10 and July 13, 2026, all second Mondays; April 2026 had two, on April 13 and April 20. The page states no standing schedule or meeting time.

Council agendas and minutes post on the Agendas & Minutes page of cityofthorp.com, with an archive back to 2020.

The city's official website is cityofthorp.com; staff email uses the cityofthorp.gov domain.

A five-member Tourism Commission appointed by the mayor spends 70 percent of city room tax revenue and meets on the first Wednesday of February, May, August and November.

The Thorp Police Department, led by Chief Daryl Pries, is staffed by three full-time officers and works with the Clark County Sheriff's Office and State Patrol.

Eric Shackleton is Director of Public Works; GFL collects trash and recycling under a contract that runs until 2026, and a 2007 ordinance bars lawn sprinkling from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thorp is served by the Thorp School District (NCES 5514820), a PK-12 district of 2 schools with 516 students in 2024-25, at 605 S. Clark Street.

Thorp Elementary and Thorp High both use 605 S. Clark Street; the city describes public K-12 as one building in three sections.

Thorp Catholic School, a private K-8 school, is at 411 E. School Street.

The School District of Thorp posts board members, meetings, agendas and minutes on thorp.k12.wi.us, carries a Referendum 2026 page, and its teams are the Cardinals.

Thorp has three active TIF districts and sells land in its West-Side Industrial Park, in TID #4 at County Highway X and Tieman Avenue, with about 30 acres zoned light industrial; the city sits on an active Canadian National rail line.

The city's chamber page features Marieke Gouda at 200 W. Liberty Drive as its featured business.

Clark County had 779 business establishments and 9,517 paid employees in 2023, of which 3,947 worked in manufacturing, the largest sector.

The city describes Clark County as Wisconsin's top county for dairy farms, milk production and number of cows.

Central Wisconsin Broadcasting, the family-owned WPKG and WCCN stations based in Neillsville, runs an online newsroom that covers Clark County.

Fire and ambulance service comes from the all-volunteer Thorp Fire & Ambulance District, based at 101 S. Wilson Street under Fire Chief Brent Leech, with ambulance service provided by Life Quest; its board includes the city and the towns of Worden, Reseburg, Thorp, Withee and Roosevelt.

The Thorp Public Library is at 401 S. Conway Drive. It currently posts reduced hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, closed Saturdays until further notice; its standard hours run to 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and include Saturday mornings.

The city's health guide lists an Aspirus clinic, Aspirus - Thorp, at 704 S. Clark Street.

The Thorp Area Historical Society runs a museum at 307 W. Birch Street, two blocks west of Washington Street.

Thorp counts 6 named parks and 61.35 acres of park and green space, including 12-acre Conway Park, 11.1-acre Northside Park and 5.5-acre Yellowstone Trail Park.

Yellowstone Trail Park has a lighted public skating and hockey rink with a staffed warming house in winter.

The Thorp Aquatic Center at 300 S. Conway Street has a 205,000-gallon pool and a 155-foot water slide; the city lists it as closed, reopening in June 2027.

Around the city stand 23 custom life-size cows, 5 calves and 6 cow benches, the Amazing Grazing Cows, each honoring local dairy and farm heritage.

Northside Park has four RV campsites with electric and water at $25 a night, and hosts Dairy Days and the Demolition Derby.

A public rifle range south of Thorp, owned and managed by the Rock Dam Rod & Gun Club, is open year-round.

The 30th Annual Thorp Pumpkin Fest is set for October 3, 2026, in downtown Thorp on Washington Street.

Thorp's Street of Flowers ('Ulica Kwiatow' in Polish), with hanging baskets and eleven planting circles, has been a summer tradition since 1993.

Veteran's Memorial Park on S. Washington Street, on the banks of McGrogan Creek, hosts Memorial Day activities each year.

State Highway 29, the four-lane divided route linking the Twin Cities and the Fox Valley, passes Thorp, which the city puts just over half an hour from interstate access.

The city advertises high-speed internet rated up to a gigabit per second and water and sewer utilities sized for industrial expansion.