Best Web Design in Wausau, WI (2026)

Web Design for Wausau, Wisconsin

Wausau is the Marathon County seat on the Wisconsin River in central Wisconsin, born as the lumber town of 'Big Bull Falls' and now known for three surprising things: ginseng, the Hmong community, and skiing. The surrounding county grows about 95% of America's cultivated ginseng, the city is one of the cultural centers of Hmong America, and Rib Mountain's Granite Peak is one of the Midwest's tallest ski hills. Just west of town, the 45x90 point marks one of only four spots on land where a whole-number parallel and meridian cross.

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

About Wausau

Also known as. Big Bull Falls / Big Bull Flats (original name for the river rapids). The name 'Wausau' is said to mean 'a far away place'. Region known as the 'Ginseng Capital of the World'. City slogan: 'Welcome home to Wausau'.

History. Native peoples and fur traders called the site 'Big Bull Falls' for the long rapids in the Wisconsin River; the river drew loggers to turn the surrounding pine forests into lumber. Walter McIndoe, who arrived in 1846 and helped establish the county, is remembered as the 'Father of Wausau.' Marathon County was formed from Portage County on February 9, 1850, and named for the Greek battlefield; Wausau became county seat that year, grew from a town in 1852 to a city in 1872, and got the railroad in 1874. A large wave of German immigrants shaped the early city, and since 1976 Wausau has resettled many Hmong refugees, reshaping its cultural and demographic landscape.

Local economy. Manufacturing makes up roughly a third of the county economy, spanning paper manufacturing and home (modular) building. Insurance was a signature industry: Employers Insurance of Wausau ('Wausau Insurance'), later folded into Liberty Mutual. Marathon County is the center of American ginseng cultivation, producing about 95% of the ginseng grown in the United States. The region is also known for quarrying distinctive red granite.

Culture and community. Wausau is one of the cultural centers of Hmong America, with a Hmong population near 3,885 and an annual Hmong New Year celebration; the Hmong are closely tied to the local ginseng farms. The Big Bull Falls Blues Festival is held each August, and the city hosts the Badger State Winter Games. The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum is nationally known for its 'Birds in Art' exhibition. Warm-weather series like Concerts on the Square and Market Place Thursdays animate downtown.

What makes Wausau distinct. Just west of the city near Poniatowski lies the 45x90 point, where 45 degrees north latitude meets 90 degrees west longitude, one of only four such spots on land in the world, halfway between the equator and North Pole; visitors can join the '45x90 Club.' Wausau Insurance adopted the city's 1901 train depot as its corporate logo, running the image nationally in the Saturday Evening Post starting in 1954 and giving the small city a national identity. Entertainer Liberace lived in Wausau in the 1950s. Notable people from the area include Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Pro Football Hall of Famer Elroy 'Crazy Legs' Hirsch, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Wausau Landmarks and Local Life

• Granite Peak Ski Area on Rib Mountain - Wisconsin's tallest skiable hill with one of the highest vertical drops in the Midwest, alongside Rib Mountain State Park
• The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum.
• The Grand Theater - built in 1927
• Dudley Tower - the tallest commercial building in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee
• The 1901 Wausau (Milwaukee Road) train depot - designed by Frost & Granger