Racine

City, port of entry, and administrative headquarters of Racine County, southwest Wisconsin, USA, at the mouth of the Root River on Lake Michigan, 39 km/24 mi south of Milwaukee; population (2000) 81,900. It is an agricultural centre with lumbering and food-processing industries. Vehicle components, farm machinery, paints, varnishes, and wax products are manufactured. A high proportion of the population is of Danish descent.

Racine was founded in 1834. Industrial growth was accelerated by the development of its harbour facilities in the mid-1840s, and the arrival of the railroad in 1855. The Johnson Wax Company, which produces waxes, polishes, and other household goods, is important to the local economy; its buildings, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, are among the architect's outstanding works.