Beloit (/bəˈlɔɪt/ ⓘ bə-LOYT)[3] is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States.

Twelve men in Colebrook, New Hampshire created the "New England Emigrating Company" in October 1836, and sent Horace White to find a suitable region of Wisconsin in which to settle.

The level fields and the water power of Turtle Creek and "unlimited gravel" in the area around what is now Beloit fixed the site of the village and farms.

At the same time as the Colebrook settlers, six families from Bedford, New Hampshire, arrived and settled in the region.

[6] Beloit lays claim to such inventions as the speedometer,[8] John Francis Appleby's twine binder,[9] and Korn Kurls, which resemble Cheetos, and the original puffed cheese snack.

[10][11] Beloit was served by the Milwaukee Road, and the Chicago & North Western Railroad (C&NW).

The Union Pacific, which took over the C&NW, operates in Beloit today over a remnant of the former Milwaukee Road, providing a rail connection to Fairbanks-Morse Engine manufacturing facility.

Most of Beloit's development is occurring on the east side, adjacent to Interstates 39/90 and Interstate 43, where the city annexed rural land for Beloit Gateway Industrial Park, as well as in the newly revitalized downtown along the Rock River.

[19] Downtown Beloit is one of two inaugural members of the Wisconsin Main Street designation.

[21] From the 1990s to 2011, downtown Beloit received direct public and private investment totaling more than $75 million.

The Fairbanks Flats were built in 1917 to house the rush of African Americans moving to the area from the Southern United States.

The Castle at 501 Prospect was built as First Presbyterian Church in 1902; it now operates as a Performing Arts Center and Music School.

Beloit has a council-manager system of government, with seven council members, each elected for two-year terms.

Beloit's main newspaper is The Beloit Daily News, a daily (published Monday through Friday) paper owned by Adams Publishing Group, LLC, and serving the Wisconsin/Illinois stateline area.

The Janesville Gazette, also owned by Adams Publishing Group, also serves Beloit.

In collaboration with the Janesville Transit System, BTS operates an express route between the two cities.