Best Web Design in Eau Claire, WI (2026)

Web Design for Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Eau Claire sits at the confluence of the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers in west-central Wisconsin, its French name meaning 'clear water.' Once the self-proclaimed largest lumber-producing center in the world and nicknamed 'Sawdust City,' it reinvented itself around the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Mayo Clinic healthcare, Menards' corporate home, and a nationally noticed music scene led by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. It also calls itself the horseradish capital of the world thanks to Silver Spring Foods, the world's largest horseradish producer.

AppWT works with Eau Claire, WI businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Eau Claire

Also known as. Sawdust City. Horseradish Capital of the World. City of Bridges. Eau Claire (French for 'Clear Water').

History. First permanent European-American settlers arrived in 1845; the city incorporated in 1872. Legend holds that French explorers exclaimed 'Voici l'eau claire!' ('Here is the clear water!') on seeing the clear Eau Claire River meet the muddier Chippewa. After the Civil War, the lumber boom exploded: by 1890 more than 75 sawmills and factories operated in the area, earning the nickname 'Sawdust City' and a claim as the largest lumber-producing center in the world. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire opened in 1916, helping the city pivot from timber to manufacturing, education, and healthcare. The Gillette Safety Tire Company (1917), later Uniroyal, was a major tire manufacturer until the plant's 1991 closure cost 1,358 jobs. Horseradish took root when Ellis Huntsinger planted a half-acre in 1929 and later founded Silver Spring Gardens (1949).

Local economy. Menards, the Midwest home-improvement chain, is headquartered here with its general offices and flagship distribution center. Mayo Clinic Health System operates a regional Level II trauma center, anchoring healthcare employment. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a major employer and enrollment engine. National Presto Industries (small appliances) and the sandwich chain Erbert & Gerbert's are based in the city. Silver Spring Foods, the world's largest grower and producer of horseradish, sustains the 'horseradish capital' identity.

Culture and community. Bon Iver, the Grammy-winning indie-folk project of Eau Claire native Justin Vernon, put the city on the global music map. The Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival, co-founded by Vernon and Aaron Dessner of The National, drew national audiences and announced a 2026 return. The region hosts major music festivals including Country Fest, Country Jam, Rock Fest, and Blue Ox. The Pablo Center at the Confluence, opened September 22, 2018, is a riverfront performing-arts center with a 1,200-seat theatre. The UW-Eau Claire Blugold Marching Band, around 475 members, is described as the largest marching band in the Midwest. A downtown Sculpture Tour displays dozens of rotating outdoor sculptures.

What makes Eau Claire distinct. Eau Claire calls itself the 'City of Bridges,' with roughly fourteen road bridges and seven pedestrian bridges crossing its rivers. Hmong Americans are the city's largest ethnic minority; in some neighborhoods up to about 30 percent of residents are Hmong. Cold winters actually help the horseradish crop, and the city hosted the 2003 World Horseshoe Championship. Locals affectionately joke 'Eau Where?' about how few outsiders can place the city, even as it grew at one of Wisconsin's fastest rates (5.4 percent) between 2010 and 2020.

Eau Claire Landmarks and Local Life

• Phoenix Park - at the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers, home to a farmers market
• Pablo Center at the Confluence performing-arts venue
• Carson Park - on Half Moon Lake, home to a historic baseball stadium and logging museum
• The Chippewa Valley Museum and Paul Bunyan Logging Camp
• Downtown's network of road and pedestrian bridges over the two rivers
• The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus straddling the Chippewa River