[7] It straddles the Yahara River about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of the state capital, Madison.

[9] Stoughton claims to be the birthplace of the "coffee break", and hosts a small yearly parade to celebrate the distinction.

[10] For much of its history, Stoughton has been Dane County's second-largest and economically important city, after Madison.

On August 18, 2005, an F3 tornado cut a 10-mile path across rural subdivisions and farms north of Stoughton, killing one person and damaging hundreds of homes.

[22] Stoughton and its environs are also home to printers, and manufacturers of foodstuffs, chemicals, and sundry other products.

[23] The coffee break is said to have originated in Stoughton, when immigrant men became employed en masse at T. G. Mandt's wagon factory, leaving their wives to fill the shortages at the tobacco warehouses.

They agreed to work under the condition that they were allowed to go home every morning and afternoon to tend to chores and, of course, drink coffee.

Events include a Victorian Holiday Ball with period dances, a production of the Nutcracker Ballet or A Christmas Carol (alternates each year), carriage rides, a silent decorated fire truck parade, a children's parade.

[25] The weekend closest to May 17, Norwegian Constitution Day, marks Stoughton's Syttende Mai festival.

The celebration includes parades, an art fair, Norwegian dance performances, races, and other events.

[26] In 2004, a Norwegian TV crew traveled to the Midwest to witness modern manifestations of Norsky culture in the US.

Their documentary Ja, de elsker (Yes, they love, a reference to the Norwegian national anthem) was aired on NRK1 on May 16 and 17, 2006.

The Stoughton Area School District serves the city, and is overseen by an elected board of education.

There is no higher education in the city, but a UW science lab operates in rural Stoughton on Schneider Road.

The 495-seat Stoughton Opera House features about 30 traveling musical, comedy and other acts each year.

US Highway 51 comes from Madison and goes along the west side of town, then turns east through downtown towards the Interstates.