"clear water") is a city in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.

It is the principal city of the Eau Claire metropolitan area, locally known as the Chippewa Valley, which had 172,007 residents in 2020.

[11][12][13] The area's first permanent European American settlers arrived in 1845, and Eau Claire was incorporated as a city in 1872.

[16] Eau Claire is known regionally for its arts and music scenes and is the hometown of indie folk band Bon Iver, whose lead singer Justin Vernon co-curated the city's annual Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival.

[17] Eau Claire is the second fastest-growing major city in Wisconsin after Madison, with 5.4% population growth between 2010 and 2020.

It had been occupied for thousands of years before European fur traders began settling there for trade with local Native American tribes.

Sawmills and other manufacturing made Eau Claire an industrial city by the late 19th century.

The city was founded near the confluence of the Eau Claire and Chippewa rivers as three separate settlements.

The main section of downtown is on the site of the original European-American village, where Stephen McCann, in partnership with J. C. Thomas, put up three buildings in 1845.

Although these structures were erected primarily to establish a claim to the land site, the McCann family moved into one of them and became the first permanent settlers.

[20] West Eau Claire, founded in 1856, was across the river, near the site of the current county courthouse, and was incorporated in 1872.

In 1916, the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire was founded, which marked the turn from a mostly lumber production based economy into one centered around manufacturing, education, and healthcare.

In 1931, United States Rubber Company agreed to purchase Gillette, a sale not completed until 1940 owing to the Great Depression.

[22][23] In 1991, Uniroyal, one of the largest factories in Eau Claire at the time, announced it would shutter the facility, ultimately causing 1,358 workers to lose their jobs.

[24] Although this factory shutdown was detrimental to Eau Claire's economy, the unemployment rate fell from 1991 to 1992.

[25][26] Eau Claire is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, on the northern fringes of the Driftless Zone.

The city is home to Menards General Offices, 2 stores, and the flagship distribution center.

No professional theater groups make their home in the region, but amateur and community theaters have a significant presence; the most visible of these are the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild (CVTG)[55] and the Eau Claire Children's Theatre (ECCT).

[56] In addition, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has a robust theatre program, and traveling professional shows frequently make stops in the city.

It was built to replace UW-Eau Claire's Kjer Theater as the primary venue for performing arts.

[68] The Northern Lights Cowboys compete in the Champions Amateur Football League and play their home games at Carson Park.

[69] As of 2023, the Eau Claire Cowboys football team competes in the Northern Lights Football League and plays its home games at Carson Park[70] Eau Claire hosted the 2003 World Horseshoe Championship and the 2019 Wisconsin State Horseshoe Tournament.

Phoenix Park hosts a weekly farmers market and open-air concerts during the summer.

Riverview Park is a common summer swimming destination and one of the local boat landings.

[77] In November 1909 a movement to change the city government from the aldermanic to the commission form was launched by the West Side Boosters, the forerunners of the Water Street, Eau Claire Business Men.

Since switching from a mayoral system in 1948, Eau Claire has had a city manager-city council form of government.

Phillips Memorial Public Library holds many events, such as children's storytimes, book clubs and makerspace labs.

[84] The Eau Claire Leader-Telegram is published five days a week (the Friday edition has extra weekend content), and dates to 1881.

Eau Claire is on freight rail lines owned by the Union Pacific Railroad,[88] formerly owned by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway (Omaha Road), and later part of the Chicago and North Western Railway.

[94] Eau Claire also has one other hospital which has a level 3 trauma rating,[95][96] Marshfield Medical Center.