Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

The group left Milwaukee on May 26, 1837, and traveled for days in the rain.

The Town of Sun Prairie was created on February 2, 1846.

The Crosse House was built in 1864 by a locally prominent physician and city leader.

The village of Sun Prairie, which grew from that town, was incorporated in an act of the Wisconsin legislature on March 6, 1868.

The Adam and Mary Smith House was constructed in 1879 by Adam Smith, who had come to Wisconsin to do shingle work on the Wisconsin State Capitol.

The department, which began in 1891, became a City department in 2024 to serve the needs of the growing community.

Founded in 1892, Sacred Hearts School is a Catholic school serving children of pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.

The Fuhremann Canning Company Factory, in use from 1900 to 1974, now is used as a restaurant space for The Nitty Gritty Restaurant.

=== Utilities === Sun Prairie Utilities, a municipal not-for-profit, locally owned municipal electric and water utility was founded in 1910.

The Sun Prairie Water Tower, located at the junction of Columbus, Church and Cliff Streets, was designed by Frank Stegerwald and constructed in 1912 of stone, metal, and wood.

The fire department has 12 fire apparatus vehicles, and two vintage vehicles, a 1927 Stoughton fire engine refurbished by a past fire department chief and a second 1927 Stoughto...

Prior to 1947, WIS 19 followed the current route of US-18 between Bridgeport and Madison.

The United States Congressional Record described the city as the "Groundhog Capital of the World" in 1955.

On March 17, 1958, the Village Board ordered a referendum election on whether Sun Prairie should incorporate as a city of the fourth class after receiving a petition signed by o...

The EMS was founded in October 1977 as an extension of the local police department.

Opened on May 30, 1992, it replaced the previous municipal pool that opened in 1958 in Angell Park.

=== 2000 census === As of the census of 2000, there were 20,369 people, 7,881 households, and 5,437 families residing in the city.

On January 5, 2007, the city of Sun Prairie, city of Madison, village of DeForest, and town of Burke entered into a cooperative plan under which all remaining land in the town o...

A flood on April 11, 2008, caused by heavy overnight rains that outpaced the city's storm drain system and leaked into the sewer system, resulted in flooding in residential base...

=== 2010 census === As of the census of 2010, there were 29,364 people, 11,636 households, and 7,641 families residing in the city.

During the city's Groundhog Day celebration on February 2, 2015, Jimmy bit Mayor Jonathan Freund's ear.

Sun Prairie's next Groundhog Day celebration on February 2, 2016, featured a caged groundhog purchased for $1,200.

On July 10, 2018, a gas explosion leveled a downtown city block, destroying a bar and a pizza restaurant, as well as damaging the historic old city hall building and multiple ot...

== Demographics == === 2020 census === As of the census of 2020, there were 35,967 people, 14,697 households, and 11,682 families in the city.

In 2023, the Media Center split KSUN into 2 stations, KSUN Now and KSUN Life.

In 2024, Madison is planned to begin regional bus rapid transit service from Sun Prairie through Madison.

Steve Stocker, previously an alderman, was elected mayor on April 1, 2025, after running unopposed.