Wisconsin boasts 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, a count that includes the Fox River, Pebble Creek and the Pewaukee River, all of which run through the Waukesha area. So what makes a river a river, and not a creek or a stream?
While some may think the name depends on the overall width or depth of the body of water, that's not the case. According to information from the U.S. Geological Survey, 'there are no official definitions for generic terms as applied to geographic features.'
Basically, because broad agreement on the definitions of geographic features is impossible, there are no official classification standards. When it comes to river vs. creek vs. stream, whatever someone decided to call the body of water is what is, regardless of how big or small it is.
The Geographic Names Information System database, the official repository of U.S. geographic names, actually classifies all 'linear flowing bodies of water' as streams. At least 121 generic terms, including creek and river, fall under the category of streams.
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