Overview

While one of the largest cities in Southwest Wisconsin, Platteville maintains its small town feel.   Walk down Historic Main Street and you will discover many shopping and dining opportunities. You will also find City Park in downtown Platteville. City Park is the location of our popular summer concert series as well as the Saturday farmer’s market.  Inside City Park, you will find the Veteran’s Honor Roll, a tribute to the local men and women who served in the military. Across from City Park is the City Municipal Building, which includes the Municipal Auditorium. The Municipal Auditorium is the home to the Platteville Community Theater and hosts other cultural events throughout the year. At the eastern end of Main Street is The Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums, where you can learn about the regional and mining history, including a trip down into the Bevans Lead Mine.

On the western end of Main Street is the University of Wisconsin Platteville.  UW-Platteville began in 1866 as the first state teacher preparation institution in Wisconsin, then called the Platteville Normal School. Today, UW-Platteville is the fastest-growing university in the UW System. The university also has roots in the Wisconsin Mining Trade School, established in 1907 to train specialized technicians to work in the mining operations surrounding Platteville. The mining school became the Wisconsin Institute of Technology in 1939 and later merged with the Platteville State Teachers College in 1959 to become the Wisconsin State College and Institute of Technology at Platteville. From 2004 to 2013, UW-Platteville’s total enrollment experienced a record increase of nearly 40 percent, from 6,192 to 8,662 students. Enrollment growth is still strong, with 8,901 undergraduate and graduate students. The university offers 41 majors and 78 minors in academic programs across three colleges: Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture (BILSA), Engineering, Mathematics and Science (EMS), and Liberal Arts and Education (LAE).

One of the university's oldest traditions originated in the year 1936 when the mining school students began work on the world’s largest “M" by placing rocks in a pattern on the southwest slope of the mound, located a few miles east of the city. Completed the following year, the "M" measures 214 x 241 feet and consists of some 400 tons of whitewashed stone. The lighting of the "M" is now a tradition at UW-Platteville and is the featured ceremony each fall during Homecoming weekend

Agriculture is very important to the region. The city celebrates its agricultural roots with events such as the Dairy Days Festival, the Fall Harvest Dinner and A Day on the Farm.  

Platteville is located in an area known as the Driftless Region.  This area was untouched by glaciers and is characterized by limestone bluffs, valleys, and rolling hills.  The surrounding area featured numerous opportunities to connect with the outdoors such as biking and hiking, trout fishing, geocaching, hunting, canoeing and kayaking. Residents don't have travel far to experience the outdoors with 15 city parks and over 200 acres of open space. 

Platteville is located on four-lane US Highway 151, between Madison (70 miles) and Dubuque, IA (20 miles).  Platteville is 30 minutes from Galena, IL and three hours from Chicago. Visitors can also arrive via the Platteville Municipal Airport.

Come see for yourself why Platteville is pioneering the good life! Click here for a community guide.