Sheboygan, WI Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Sheboygan, WI: What You Need to Know

Sheboygan is the Brat Capital of the World. No, it doesn’t have an abundance of spoiled children, but delicious sausage. The city in eastern Wisconsin is the government seat of Sheboygan County.

Job Opportunities

As befitting the area’s bratwurst-loving reputation, both Sheboygan city and county have a robust food-processing sector, but also manufacturing, data center, paper and publishing, and plastics industries. Top employers include Johnsonville Sausage (meat processing), Kohler Co. (enameled iron manufacturing), Sargento Foods Inc. (cheese manufacturing), Masters Gallery Foods Inc. (dairy-product merchant wholesalers), Bemis Manufacturing Co. (plastics product manufacturing), and Aurora Medical Group Inc.

Cost of Living

Sheboygan’s cost of living rate, food, and housing costs are 3.8%, 17%, and 30.3% lower than the national average respectively. The median gross rent is $727. Wisconsin collects 3.86% to 7.65% in income tax depending on earnings and 5% to 5.6% in sales tax.

Is Sheboygan a Good Place to Live?

National publications and websites have recognized Sheboygan (population: 115,340) for many things over the years, including safety and low crime rate, high quality of life, low poverty rate, and successful business environment. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Sheboygan River, the city has fantastic lakefront views and a wide range of housing options. It offers excellent outdoor recreation, thanks to 28 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 72 inland lakes, 43 streams, and destinations such as the Terry Andrae & Michael Kohler State Parks and the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

What is Sheboygan Known For?

Sheboygan is known for its Brat Days, which attract bratwurst lovers from around the country. Held on a weekend in the summer, the festival features a brat-eating contest, ice cream-eating contest, music and entertainment, and a large variety of bratwurst sausages. Brat Days represent the largest fundraising project for the Sheboygan Jaycees. The event was introduced on Aug. 13, 1953, as the city’s celebration of its 100th anniversary.

What Does Sheboygan Mean?

There isn’t a single word that can aptly translate the name Sheboygan, but some historians think it came from a Chippewa Indian word meaning “waterway between the lakes.” Others think Sheboygan refers to a Native American term for "great noise underground," referring to the rushing sound of the falls. Either way, the name stemmed from Sheboygan’s location along Lake Michigan. Sheboygan village was incorporated in 1846, and chartered as a city in 1853. Early white settlers came from New England and New York. In the 1850s, large groups of Germans, Dutch, and Irish who came directly from Europe settled in the area.