Abbotsford, WI

Abbotsford straddles Clark and Marathon counties in central Wisconsin. The 2020 census counted 2,275 residents; in that 2020 count, 1,665 people were on the Clark County side and 610 were in Marathon County. Its nickname, Wisconsin's First City, comes from its alphabetical place on the list of state cities, but the older reason it exists is the railroad. Wisconsin Central cleared the route through the forest in 1872, laid rails by 1874, and built the depot that made Abbotsford a working stop.

Today Highways 29 and 13, freight rail, schools, a library, parks, and more than 160 businesses give the city a wider network than its size suggests. The surrounding dairy country is part of the local character, and the Abbotsford Christmas Parade has run since 1971. There is even a giant ice-cream cone at a local dairy store, a small landmark that fits the place. Abbotsford has two counties under its street signs, a railroad beginning under its pavement, and a December parade that brings the whole map back into town.