Janesville, Wisconsin, with a population of 59,000, is located in the center of Rock County and of four towns - Janesville, Harmony, La Prairie, and Rock. Janesville is the county seat of Rock County, which lies comfortably in the south-central portion of Wisconsin. Both the town and, later, the city were named after Henry F. Janes, who operated a ferry service in Janesville's early years.

In 1833, the United States government surveyed the west bank of the Rock River at the present-day site of Janesville following the resolution of the Black Hawk War. As word of the fertile lands along the Rock River spread east, settlers retraced the soldiers' steps and the development of Janesville began. The first settlers arrived in the Summer of 1835 when John Inman of Philadelphia, William and Joshua Holmes of Ohio, and George Follner of Milwaukee arrived at the banks of the Rock River. There they built a log cabin -- the first permanent structure on the site of present-day Janesville. In December, 1835, Samuel St. John and his family of five arrived at the cabin, and all nine settlers wintered together in the single cabin.

More settlers arrived the following Spring and several land claims and "paper towns" were platted on lands near Inman's cabin. In 1836, the territorial legislature established the county seat on the claim of Henry Janes -- a small tract of land on the east bank of the Rock River that is marked today by the intersection of Main and Milwaukee Streets. Janes applied for a post office on the site, recommending himself as postmaster and "Black Hawk" as the name for the office. But Amass Kindle, then US Postmaster General, while granting the office and appointing Janes its postmaster, named the office "Janesville."

From that settlement of fewer than 300 in 1840, Janesville grew tenfold to 3,000 persons in its first decade. By 1900, Janesville, Wisconsin, was a small but modern city of 13,000. The commercial district boasted concrete curbs and gutters, electric lighting, and electric street rail cars. Over the next decades, the city's reputation was based on its manufacturing enterprises, notably the production of GM automobiles and fountain pens manufactured and sold worldwide by Janesville's own Parker Pens. A long tradition of innovative industry, commerce and architectural beauty followed well into the twentieth century. Today, Janesville's 1857 Lincoln-Tallman House, which models the Italian Villa-style architecture and hosted Abe Lincoln for an evening, is one of twenty sites on the National Register of Historic Places. The Columbus Circle neighborhood became Janesville's tenth historic district in 2005. The former Janesville Public Library, a Carnegie library built in 1902, was designed by the famed J.T.W. Jennings.

Famous residents and natives have included politicians James H. Budd, California governor from 1895-1899, Michigan Congressman Bob Carr, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan. Janesville athletes count among them speedskater Tucker Fredricks, NASCAR driver Travis Kvapil and WNBA basketball star (and daughter of Rock 'n Roll Hall of Famer Chubby Checker) Mistie Bass Williams.

In 2001, the website ePodunk.com rated Janesville one of the top ten cities on the ePodunk Home Towns Index.

For more information on activities in and around Janesville, Wisconsin, visit:

• Janesville Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau
• City of Janesville, WI
• Rock County, WI
• Forward Janesville Chamber of Commerce
• Janesville, WI Real Estate Summary on IDCide
• Janesville, WI on MuniNetGuide.com
• Janesville, WI on CityTownInfo.com
• Janesville, WI Google Earth Map
• View Janesville, WI Area Jobs on Career Builder
• View Janesville, WI Area Jobs on Yahoo HotJobs
• Janesville, Wisconsin on Wikipedia.com
• Janesville, Wisconsin on epodunk

For more information on activities in and around South Central Wisconsin, including Rock County, Wisconsin, visit:

• Discover Wisconsin
• Travel Wisconsin
• Escape to Wisconsin
• Living in Wisconsin
• Forward Wisconsin: Lifestyle
• The State of Wisconsin

Janesville Homes, Properties and Special Feature Real Estate

Janesville, Wisconsin real estate includes a wide variety of homes for sale, condos for sale, water access properties (waterfront or scenic view), active adult communities, ocean frontage and executive properties. With Mike Gross as their real estate partners, real estate buyers and sellers, alike, can rest assured they’ll find the real estate solution they’ve been looking for. Sellers who have been in the area for a while know my reputation for knowledgeable advice, enthusiastic service, creative marketing and professional networking. My associates and I will mine every source for suitable properties so you can feel at ease that your search will produce the right kind of solution for you.

For buyers new to the area, you can rest assured that I will provide the specialized services you deserve: a strong work ethic, personal real estate expertise to help define your needs, help with selecting and securing standard financing for your purchase, special technology, constant communication throughout the transaction, and more. Together, my associates and I have many years living and working in the area. That fact, when combined with our cumulative years of experience in real estate, means we can cover all aspects of your search - from existing homes for sale, properties for sale, lots, vacant land, new construction, 55-plus and retirement communities, investment properties, waterfront, golf and recreational properties, golf course lots - all the way to luxury villas, estates and executive homes.

So when you're ready to buy or sell real estate in or around Janesville, Wisconsin, please let Mike Gross help you find the home or property of your dreams. Contact Mike Gross today!

Other nearby communities have similar real estate characteristics as Janesville and may also be of interest to you in your home search. Please feel free to ask Mike Gross about homes for sale, recreational and investment properties in and around Watertown, Dodge County, Jefferson County, Johnson Creek, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, (Ft Atkinson) Lake Mills, Waukesha County, Cottage Grove, Deerfield, Aztalan, Janesville, Cambridge, Milford, Koshkonong (Lake Koshkonong), Whitewater, Palmyra, Eagle, Dousman, Delafield, Summit, Oconomowoc (Oconomowoc Lake), Lac La Belle, Ixonia, Sullivan, Oakland, Waterloo, Marshall, Lake Country, Ashippun, Juneau, Hustisford, Beaver Dam, Mayville, Horicon?, Columbus, Sun Prairie, Windsor (Lake Windsor), Rock Lake, Lake Ripley and much more.

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