Asphalt Paving in Sparta, Wisconsin.

Sparta is the seat of Monroe County and its largest city, about 10,000 people at Exit 25 on I-90, roughly 77 miles from Eau Claire. Highways 16, 21, 27 and 71 all come through, and Fort McCoy, a 60,000-acre Army training installation, sits between here and Tomah. The 1895 courthouse is downtown and the newer commercial ground is on the south side, where I-90 meets Highway 27.

South Pointe Business Park is the big one: 180 acres at the I-90 and Highway 27 junction with fully improved lots from 1.5 to 80 acres, opened in 2018 and built out through a second phase that put in streets, storm sewer, water mains, hydrants and curb and gutter. The state certifies 114.4 contiguous acres there with 94 developable, industrially zoned, with community stormwater retention on each parcel and no wetlands or floodplain. The city bought close to 200 acres for it after the east side park filled, and a health and wellness building is the newest lot going in at South Pointe.

The employers named for Sparta are Century Foods International, Northern Engraving on South Black River Street, Spartek, Mathews on River Road, McPherson Guitars and a U.S. Silica sand operation. Mayo Clinic Health System's hospital is downtown at 310 West Main Street, a critical access hospital with 25 beds and outpatient surgery, radiology and rehab, and the St. Clare Health Mission shares the building. Fort McCoy runs more than 1,400 training events a year with about 450 military and 2,500 civilian people working on post, and the city describes it as a significant part of its economy.