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On a brisk April weekday morning epitomizing Wisconsin's cool spring, only an occasional jogger cared to venture out to the observation deck overlooking Lake Michigan at the far end of Harbor Park. Adjacent to the jutting lakeshore park, Reefpoint Marina remained vacant, except for a couple of boats a few hearty sailors had already launched for the season.
However aesthetically pleasing this scene was, the subdued mood that day was more reminiscent of the industrial side of Racine, a city once "so busy building products for America," as Joe Gromacki, director of Downtown Racine Development Corp. (DRDC) describes Racine's past, it didn't stop to savor one of its greatest resources - an expansive lakeshore setting.
Following in the footsteps of other Midwestern cities such as Des Moines and Indianapolis, Racine, with a population of about 85,000, has during the past 10 years worked hard to reverse its downtown image from one of grime and gloom to recreational splendor.
High-rise condominiums, a performing and exposition hall, hotel complex and the largest privately owned marina on the Great Lakes have gone up where once deteriorating buildings and piles of junk sat.
The metamorphosis isn't complete - some storefronts are in need of tenants - but the fact remains: more and more people from Wisconsin and northern Illinois are choosing Racine as a getaway destination. For the more than 1,600 boat owners who rent slips in the harbor or nearby Root River that flows through the city and into Lake Michigan, Racine has become a second home.
Who would have thought it 20 years ago?
Reflecting urban America in the 1970s, Racine watched as large shopping malls on the city's edge drew people away from downtown. The city's economic base was further eroded with a global shift from heavy manufacturing to lighter, high-tech industry.
Racine, in French, means "root." The community was founded in 1834 by sea captain Gilbert Knapp. When first discovered, the mouth of the Root River was so lined with large, heavily rooted trees, that early settlers had trouble even navigating it in a canoe. The name "Racine" stuck, despite the fact that Capt. Knapp insisted the new settlement be called Fort Knapp.
By the turn of the century, Racine had become one of...