Business View Magazine | September 2020

326 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 AT A GLANCE SUN PRAIRIE, WISCONSIN WHAT: A city of approx. 35,000 WHERE: Dane County, Northeast of Madison WEBSITE: www.cityofsunprairie.com SUN PRAIRIE, WISCONSIN T he welcoming City of Sun Prairie, a suburb of Madison, is the second-most populous city in Dane County, Wisconsin. Sun Prairie’s population of almost 35,000 is strong, resilient, and, remarkably, finds a way to let in the sunshine even on the darkest days. The City’s early history hearkens back to 1837, when a party of 45 men was commissioned by President Martin Van Buren to build a capitol for the Territory of Wisconsin in Madison. The group traveled for two miserable weeks in the rain before emerging at the edge of the prairie where the sun shone down for the first time in days. In testament to the event, they carved the words “Sun Prairie” into a tree. Two years later, Charles Bird returned to the area and became the first settler. The Town of Sun Prairie was first created on February 2, 1846 and incorporated as a city in 1958. Fast forward to July 10, 2018 – a horrific gas explosion leveled a downtown city block, destroying a bar and a pizza restaurant, as well as damaging the historic old city hall and several other nearby buildings. Bar owner and Fire Captain, Cory Barr, was injured in the explosion and died as a result not long after. Showing true unity of spirit, caring citizens and companies around the area came together with fundraising campaigns in support of the Barr family and the affected businesses. Today, the tagline “Sun Prairie Strong”, a slogan which arose after the tragedy, still resonates as a symbol of the City’s strength as a community. Neil Stechschulte, Economic Development Director for the City of Sun Prairie recalls, “Two years ago, we had a massive natural gas explosion in our downtown that destroyed six S T R E N G T H A N D R E S I L I E N C E