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Seymour, Wisconsin

Seymour is a city in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,546 at the 2020 census. The city is located within the Town of Seymour and the Town of Osborn.

History
Seymour was founded in 1868 and named after Governor Horatio Seymour of New York.

William and John Ausbourne were the first settlers in Seymour. They had traveled from western Outagamie County on the Wolf River during the summer of 1857, making their way to the mouth of the Shioc River and moving to a spot where the Black Creek flows into the Shioc. After finding no more roads to follow, the Ausbournes settled in the present location of Seymour, which was occupied by Native Americans at the time. There they built a log house, the only residence in Seymour for two years. Their closest neighbors lived in Osborn.

Over the years more settlers came to Seymour. Henry Becker and Herman Husmann came in 1859, and Willis and Dan Mungers arrived later that year. They built a house on what is now Main Street and their daughter Sally lived in a frame house on what is now South Main Street. Erastus C. Buttles came during the spring and established a farm in the western part of the county. Leaonard and Avery Carter arrived in Seymour in 1876, along with Charles Eichler, the first German settler in the area.

As more settlements were established in the area, the population grew. On March 1, 1877 Seymour became a recognized town, along with the towns of Osborn and Freedom.

During the early 1880s, construction of the Green Bay and Lake Pepin Railroad was completed. In 1883 a station was built in Seymour, and soon Seymour was recognized as the smallest incorporated city in the nation.

When the settlers had built their houses, they turned to education, electing a school superintendent and an establishing a school tax. The schoolhouse was a simple one-room building with no floor and a shake roof.

Between 1887 and 1889 George E. Mendell published the first newspaper, The Aurora, which lasted only three years. On July 8, 1886 the Seymour Press made its first appearance, and was published by the Van Vuren family for over 80 years. It was then sold to the Shellman Publishing Company of Oconto Falls, and is still published today.

"Hamburger" Charlie Nagreen served the world's first hamburger at the Seymour Fair of 1885 when he decided to flatten a meatball and place it between slices of bread to increase portability.

The Seymour Community Historical Society was officially incorporated on October 11, 1975. A dedicated group of local historians led by Tom Duffey, Rita Gosse, and Bill Collar established the society with the assistance of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Since its inception, SCHS members have been active in collecting and preserving records and physical objects relating to the city of Seymour and the surrounding area.

On July 21, 2012 the new Seymour Community Museum opened. The new facility was built for $1.2 million, which was entirely funded by private donors.

Geography
Seymour is located at 44.50833°N, -88.32833°W (44.508499, -88.3284).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.67 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics
As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $44,135, and the median income for a family was $50,746. Males had a median income of $36,789 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,073. About 4.2% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,451 people, 1,458 households, and 915 families residing in the city. The population density was 1292.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,565 housing units at an average density of 586.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.3% White, 0.3% African American, 2.6% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.0% of the population.

There were 1,458 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.

The median age in the city was 36.1 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.7% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

Airports near Seymour
Major airports near Seymour include Austin Straubel International Airport (public) in Ashwaubenon, and Appleton International Airport (public) in Greenville.

Education
Seymour has one middle school, one high school and one elementary school, all part of the Seymour Community School District. The district was established in 1963 with the consolidation of a number of rural schools. It encompasses 175 sqmi of land adjacent to the Fox River Valley Cities of Green Bay and Appleton, and covers all or part of 12 municipalities in northern Outagamie and southern Shawano counties. Five schools comprise the district: Rock Ledge Primary Center, Rock Ledge Intermediate Center, Seymour Middle School, Seymour High School and the Black Creek Elementary/Middle School.

The school's facilities includes a 27000 sqft athletic center that seats over 1,800. The district has an aquatic center with an eight-lane competition pool, a zero depth activity pool and a diving well.

Newspapers
Newspapers that serve Seymour include the Advertiser Community News~Times Press; based in Seymour, the Green Bay Press-Gazette, based in Green Bay; and The Post~Crescent, based in Appleton.

Radio stations
WFZZ (104.3 The Fuse) is the only radio station located within the city limits.

Television appearances
On June 30, 2011, Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, from the History Channel, filmed a segment at the "Home of the Hamburger" for an episode to be aired in 2012.

In 2012, the British children travel comedy series All Over The Place featured the CBBC presenters Ed Petire and Michelle Ackerley visiting the "Home of the Hamburger" fest for the Main Event segment.

Hamburger Hall of Fame
Seymour's Hamburger Hall of Fame is an elaborate structure that celebrates hamburger history. There is also an annual one-day Burger Fest. In 1989 the world's largest hamburger (5,520 pounds) was served at the festival. Because there have been no challenges to the record, the annual big burger now averages around 190 pounds. The annual festival, which occurs in the first week of August, includes a 5K run Bun Run, the world's longest hamburger parade down Main Street, a hamburger-eating contest, Balloon Rally, and a ketchup slide. The festival has a different theme each year. A statue of Charlie Nagreen is located on Depot Street.

Outagamie County Fairgrounds

Seymour is home to the annual Outagamie County Fair. It features 4-H crafts, livestock, carnival rides and games, and nightly concerts.

Seymour Community Museum
The Seymour Community Museum collects and preserves records and physical objects relating to the city and the surrounding area. The museum is located on Depot Street in downtown Seymour.

Outagamie Speedway
Outagamie Speedway, located at the Outagamie County Fairgrounds in Seymour, is a 1/3 mi clay racetrack, with modern grandstands and facilities. It hosts races in several divisions, including IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern Sport Mods, Street Stocks, and 4 cylinders. Races are held every Friday night during the summer. At the end of the season each division crowns a champion based on a points system, much like NASCAR does.

Newton-Blackmour State Trail
The Newton Blackmour State Trail extends 24 miles from Seymour to New London. The trail is used for snowmobiles, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing in winter; and hiking, biking, and horseback riding in summer. The name "Newton-Blackmour" is made up from the four incorporated communities on the trail.

Notable people

 * Marvin E. Babbitt, Wisconsin politician
 * Sandy Cohen, professional basketball player
 * Ty Majeski, racing driver
 * Carlisle Runge, lawyer and diplomat
 * Calahan Skogman, American actor and former collegiate basketball and football player

title: Seymour, Wisconsin


text:
Belgium (town), Wisconsin

Belgium is a town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,513 at the 2000 census. The Village of Belgium is surrounded on all sides by the town, and the unincorporated communities of Decker, Holy Cross, Lake Church, and Sauk Trail Beach are located in the town, as is the ghost town of Stonehaven. The unincorporated community of Dacada is also partially located in the town.

Beginning in the 1840s, immigrant farmers from Luxembourg settled in the towns of Northern Ozaukee County, including Belgium. Their centers of settlement in the Town of Belgium included the hamlets of Dacada, Holy Cross, and Lake Church, as well as the settlement that would eventually become the Village of Belgium, which incorporated from some of the town's land in 1922. The Town of Belgium is a primarily agricultural community with over 18,000 acres of farmland—the largest amount in any Ozaukee County community.

History
Northeastern Ozaukee County, including the town and village Belgium, was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Menominee. The Menominee surrendered the land that would become Belgium to the United States Federal Government through the 1832 Treaty of Washington.

In the late 1840s, immigrants from Luxembourg began to settle in what would become northeastern Ozaukee County. In 1848, the Town of Belgium was created out of the Town of Port Washington.

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway began running through the community in 1872, spurring population growth. In the early 20th Century, Belgium was a stop on the Milwaukee Interurban Line, which ran between Milwaukee and Sheboygan from 1908 until 1948. The population began to concentrate around the railroad station, and the Village of Belgium was incorporated out of some of the town's land in 1922.

From 1901 to 1925, the Lake Shore Stone Company operated a dolomite quarry at the present location of Harrington Beach State Park in the Town of Belgium. There was a company town called Stonehaven at the site. Most of the workers were immigrants from Luxembourg, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Italy. When the quarry closed, some of the residential buildings were moved to the Village of Belgium. The foundations of some of the building remain in the state park.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.8 square miles (95.3 km2), of which, 35.7 square miles (92.6 km2) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.7 km2) of it (2.88%) is water. The Village of Belgium is located in what was formerly the central part of the Town of Belgium. The town borders the Town of Holland to the north, Lake Michigan to the east, the Town of Port Washington to the south, and the Town of Fredonia to the west. The unincorporated communities of Dacada, Decker, Holy Cross, Lake Church, and Sauk Trail Beach are located in the town as is the former company town of Stonehaven.

The town is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the Wisconsin glaciation during the most recent ice age. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources considers the town to be in the Central Lake Michigan Coastal ecological landscape. The Lake Michigan coastline in the town is lined with sand and gravel beaches.

Before white settlers arrived in the area, much of the Belgium area was an upland forest dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees. There were also lowland conifer forests and swamps dominated by white cedar and tamarack along the Onion River, Sauk Creek, and Sucker Creek, all of which flow through the town. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture. Much of the town remains agricultural; as of 2000 there were over 18,000 acres of agricultural land in the town—the largest amount of farmland in any Ozaukee County community. However, as of 2002, the Town of Belgium also had the largest share of restored wetlands in the county with over 126 acres spread across 105 restoration sites.

Large mammals, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, and red foxes can be seen in the town. The community is also home to several bird habitats, including the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's Belgium Waterfowl Production Area and the Cedar Grove Waterfowl Production Area as well as Harrington Beach State Park which is located on the shore of Lake Michigan and is one of two Wisconsin Important Bird Areas in Ozaukee County. The open fields in the western part of Harrington Beach are a breeding ground for upland sandpipers.

The region struggles with many invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, common carp, reed canary grass, the common reed, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, Eurasian buckthorns, and honeysuckles. Some of the wetlands in the Town of Belgium are especially affected by reed canary grass, with the invasive species accounting for more than 50% of plant coverage along some stretches of Sucker Creek and the Onion River.

Demographics
As of the census of 2009, there were 2,008 people, 547 households, and 421 families residing in the town. The population density was 42.3 people per square mile (16.3/km2). There were 631 housing units at an average density of 17.7 per square mile (6.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.02% White, 0.07% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 1.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 547 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,865, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $42,083 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,746. About 1.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Culture
Northern Ozaukee County—including the Belgium community—was a center of Luxembourgian-American settlement in the United States in the 19th century, and the town and village of Belgium continue to have strong cultural ties to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Since 1977, the village has been home to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society & Center, which is sponsored by the Luxembourg Government Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Economy. The society facilitates a program to help Americans of Luxembourgian ancestry get dual citizenship, organizes guided tours of the Grand Duchy, and maintains a museum devoted to the history of Luxembourg and Luxembourgian immigration to the United States. Since 1987, the society has also organized an annual Luxembourg Fest featuring tradition cuisine such as träipen.

Many of the Luxembourgers who settled in northern Ozaukee County were Catholic and established Catholic parishes in rural parts of the county. The hamlets of Dacada, Holy Cross, and Lake Church formed around the Catholic parishes of St. Nicholas, Holy Cross, and St. Mary, respectively. The Divine Savior Catholic Congregation, based out of Fredonia, administers the Catholic churches and chapels in the Town of Belgium as well as the St. Rose of Lima Chapel in Fredonia, St. Mary Mother of Sorrows Church in the hamlet of Little Kohler, and Our Lady of the Lakes in Random Lake. The parish also operates a parochial school for kindergarten through sixth grades in Fredonia.

Law and government
Belgium is organized as a town governed by an elected board, comprising a chairman and two supervisors. The current chairman is Thomas Winker. The town hall is located on Main Street in the Village of Belgium.

As part of Wisconsin's 6th congressional district, Belgium is represented by Glenn Grothman (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Duey Stroebel (R) represents Belgium in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Robert Brooks (R) represents Belgium in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Education
The Town of Belgium is served by three school districts: the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District, the Northern Ozaukee School District, and the Random Lake School District. Students in the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District attend Cedar Grove-Belgium Elementary School for kindergarten through fourth grade, Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School for fifth through eighth grades, and Cedar Grove-Belgium High School for ninth through twelfth grades. All of the district's schools are located in Cedar Grove, Sheboygan County, north of the Town of Belgium. Students in the Northern Ozaukee School District, which also serves the villages of Fredonia and Newburg as well as parts of the towns of Fredonia and Saukville, attend Ozaukee Elementary School for kindergarten through fifth grade, Ozaukee Middle School for sixth through eighth grades, and Ozaukee High School for grades nine through twelve. Students in the Random Lake School District attend Random Lake Elementary School for kindergarten through fourth grade, Random Lake Middle School for fifth through eighth grades, and Random Lake High School for ninth through twelfth grades.

Transportation
Interstate 43 runs north–south through the eastern part of the town with access via Exit 107.

Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi provides a public transit option for Belgium residents. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u. Unlike a typical taxi, however, the rider must contact the service ahead of time to schedule their pick-up date and time, more closely resembling an Uber or Lyft ride. The taxi service plans their routes based on the number of riders, pick-up/drop-off time and destination then plans the routes accordingly.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which is for pedestrian and bicycle use, passes through Belgium and connects the town to the neighboring communities of Port Washington and Cedar Grove, and continues north to Oostburg and south to Milwaukee County.

The Union Pacific Railroad operates a freight rail line running parallel to the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, but Belgium currently does not have a passenger train station.

Parks and recreation
Harrington Beach State Park, the only Wisconsin State Park in Ozaukee County, is located on Lake Michigan's shore in the Town of Belgium. The 715-acre park includes a white cedar and hardwood swamp, grasslands with restored wetland ponds and a flooded limestone quarry which is now a 26-acre lake stocked with fish. The park also contains hiking trails, a nature center, picnic facilities, a beach, and a 69-unit campground with bathing facilities.

The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust maintains the Forest Beach Migratory Preserve, a 116-acre nature preserve along Lake Michigan in the southern part of the town. The former site of a golf course, the preserve contains hardwood forests, grasslands, and restored wetlands as well as a nature center, and is a habitat for birds that migrate along the Great Lakes shores.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail runs through the town, following the former route of the Milwaukee Interurban Rail Line. The southern end of the trail is at Bradley Road in Brown Deer which connects to the Oak Leaf Trail (43.16333°N, -87.96083°W), and its northern end is at DeMaster Road in the Village of Oostburg, Sheboygan County (43.61583°N, -87.80222°W). The trail connects the community to neighboring Port Washington and Cedar Grove.

Notable people

 * Fred L. Feierstein, Wisconsin state legislator, lived in the town
 * John J. Jungers, Wisconsin state legislator, was born in the town
 * Louis L. Pierron, Wisconsin state legislator, was born in the town

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Belgium (town), Wisconsin


text:
Belgium, Wisconsin

Belgium is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located along Interstate 43, the village is one of the northernmost communities in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 2,245 at the 2020 census.

Beginning in the 1840s, immigrant farmers from Luxembourg settled in Northern Ozaukee County and formed several rural communities, including Belgium as well as the neighboring hamlets of Dacada, Holy Cross, and Lake Church. Although Belgium grew after a railroad was constructed through the community and incorporated as a village in 1922, the community remained primarily agricultural in the 20th century. As recently as 2015, the local cannery, which processes fruits and vegetables harvested at area farms, was by far the village's largest employer.

The village continues to have strong cultural ties to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg have visited, and the Luxembourg Government sponsors the Luxembourg American Cultural Society and Museum in the community. Among other programs, the center assists Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry in applying for dual citizenship, and since 1987 the village has hosted an annual festival devoted to Luxembourgish food and culture.

Toponymy
Since its beginning, Belgium has had a large population of Luxembourgish Americans. In 1857, the immigrant settlers submitted the name "Luxembourg" to the U.S. Postal Service for review. At the same time, a group of Belgian-American settlers in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, submitted the name "Belgium" as the name for their majority Belgian-American town. Due to a clerical error, the names were switched with the result that Belgium, Wisconsin, is a center of Luxembourgish-American settlement, and Luxemburg, Wisconsin, is a center of Belgian-American settlement.

History
Northeastern Ozaukee County, including the town and village Belgium, was inhabited by several Native American tribes, including the Menominee. The Menominee surrendered the land that would become Belgium to the United States Federal Government through the 1832 Treaty of Washington.

In the late 1840s, immigrants from Luxembourg began to settle in what would become northeastern Ozaukee County. In 1848, the town of Belgium was created out of the town of Port Washington.

The Northwestern Railway Company set up a station in 1864. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway began running through the community in 1872, spurring population growth. In the early 20th Century, Belgium was a stop on the Milwaukee Interurban Line, which ran between Milwaukee and Sheboygan from 1908 until 1948. The population began to concentrate around the railroad station, and the community incorporated as the Village of Belgium in 1922.

In 1945, sixty German prisoners of war from Camp Fredonia in Little Kohler, Wisconsin were contracted to work at Krier Preserving Company in the village to make up for the loss of labor due to local men fighting in World War II. The camp was under the command of Captain Ray Thill, a native of the Village of Belgium.

The Ozaukee County line of the Interurban declined and ceased operation following World War II, but the village continued to grow in the mid-20th Century after the construction of Interstate 43, connecting Milwaukee to Green Bay.

Since 1977, Belgium has been home to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society & Center, including the Roots and Leaves Museum, which is devoted to telling "the story of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, past and present, as well as Luxembourg immigration to America the impact of Luxembourg immigrants and their descendants on life in America." In 1987, Prince Henri, then-heir-apparent to the crown of Luxembourg, and Princess Maria Teresa visited the village. In 2016, Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg visited Belgium on a trip to the United States.

Geography
The Village of Belgium is located at 43.50056°N, -87.84667°W (43.500735, -87.846897). According to the United States Census Bureau, Belgium has a total area of 2.42 sqmi, all of it land. The village is surrounded by the Town of Belgium and is located two miles (3 km) west of Lake Michigan and adjacent to conjoined Interstate 43-State Highway 32.

The village is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the Wisconsin glaciation during the most recent ice age. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources considers the village to be in the Central Lake Michigan Coastal ecological landscape.

Before white settlers arrived in the area, the Belgium area was a mixture of upland and lowland forests. The upland forests were dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees, while the lowland conifer forests and swamps were dominated by white cedar and tamarack. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture.

As land development continues to reduce wild areas, wildlife is forced into closer proximity with human communities like Belgium. Large mammals, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, and red foxes can be seen in the village. The rural areas surrounding the village are also home to several bird habitats, including Harrington Beach State Park which is located on the shore of Lake Michigan and is one of two Wisconsin Important Bird Areas in Ozaukee County. The open fields in the western part of the park are a breeding ground for upland sandpipers.

The region struggles with many invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, common carp, reed canary grass, the common reed, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, Eurasian buckthorns, and honeysuckles. Some of the wetlands in the Town of Belgium are especially affected by reed canary grass, with the invasive species accounting for more than 50% of plant coverage along some stretches of Sucker Creek and the Onion River.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,245 people, 817 households, and 608 families residing in the village. The population density was 927.7 PD/sqmi. There were 848 housing units at an average density of 350.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 94.5% white, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 2.9% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.2% of the population.

There were 817 households, of which 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.6% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.24.

The median age in the village was 35 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.0% male and 49.0% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,678 people, 582 households, and 444 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,163.0 people per square mile (449.9/km2). There were 592 housing units at an average density of 410.3 per square mile (158.7/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.31% white, 0.48% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 1.49% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 4.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1582 households, out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,523, and the median income for a family was $59,375. Males had a median income of $40,152 versus $25,609 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,659. About 1.8% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Culture
Northern Ozaukee County — including the Belgium community — was a center of Luxembourgish-American settlement in the United States in the 19th century, and the Village of Belgium continues to have strong cultural ties to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Banners along Main Street read "Wëllkomm," which means "Welcome" in Luxembourgish. Since 1977, Belgium has been home to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society & Center, which is sponsored by the Luxembourg Government Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Economy. The society facilitates a program to help Americans of Luxembourgish ancestry get dual citizenship, organizes guided tours of the Grand Duchy, and maintains a museum devoted to the history of Luxembourg and Luxembourgish immigration to the United States. Since 1987, the society has also organized an annual Luxembourg Fest featuring tradition cuisine such as träipen.

Many of the Luxembourgers who settled in northern Ozaukee County were Catholic and established Catholic parishes in rural parts of the county. The hamlets of Dacada, Holy Cross, and Lake Church in the Town of Belgium formed around Catholic parishes that primarily served Luxembourger farmers. The Village of Belgium is also home to two evangelical churches — Belgium Community Church and Christian Life Church — as well as St. Mark Lutheran Church, which is affiliated with the Missouri Synod.

Law and government
Belgium is organized as a village governed by an elected village board, comprising a village president and six trustees who are elected to three-year terms. The current president is Pete Anzia, who was elected to his first term in April 2014.

As part of Wisconsin's 6th congressional district, Belgium is represented by Glenn Grothman (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Duey Stroebel (R) represents Belgium in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Robert Brooks (R) represents Belgium in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

The village is served by the Belgium Volunteer Fire Department, which operates one fire station in the village. The department does not have its own ambulances an relies upon the neighboring Village of Fredonia's fire department for ambulance service.

Belgium's law enforcement officer is the village marshal. Unlike a municipality with a police department, the village marshal does not provide 24-hour law enforcement, and the village is served by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Department when the marshal is off duty and in emergency situations.

Education
The village is served by the joint Cedar Grove-Belgium School District. Students attend Cedar Grove-Belgium Elementary School for kindergarten through fourth grade, Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School for fifth through eighth grades, and Cedar Grove-Belgium High School for ninth through twelfth grades. All of the district's schools are located in Cedar Grove, Sheboygan County, north of the Village of Belgium. The district is governed by a seven-member elected board of education.

The Cedar Grove-Belgium School District made national headlines in April 2024 when the desired characteristics listed by the Board of Education in its official search for a new Superintendent of Schools cited "Christian Values" as well as "conservative politics" as those characteristics sought in a successful candidate. Questions were raised in many quarters about the legality of a "religious test" for the position in light of the provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the propriety of insisting on specific political views. Subsequent to publication of the District's Search Document, a public meeting concerning the Search was abruptly cancelled.

Transportation
Interstate 43 runs parallel to the village's eastern municipal boundary with access via Exit 107.

Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi provides a public transit option for Belgium residents. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u. Unlike a typical taxi, however, the rider must contact the service ahead of time to schedule their pick-up date and time. The taxi service plans their routes based on the number of riders, pick-up/drop-off time and destination then plans the routes accordingly.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which is for pedestrian and bicycle use, passes through Belgium and connects the village to the neighboring communities of Port Washington and Cedar Grove, and continues north to Oostburg and south to Milwaukee County.

The Union Pacific Railroad operates a freight rail line running parallel to the Ozaukee Interurban Trail in the village, but Belgium currently does not have a passenger train station.

Parks and recreation
The Village of Belgium maintains six public parks with amenities including baseball and softball diamonds; basketball, tennis, and volleyball courts; an ice-skating rink; picnic shelters; playgrounds; soccer fields; a splash pad; a three-acre fenced dog park; and walking trails. Grand Duke Henri Plaza, located between the village hall and the Luxembourg American Cultural Center, contains the "Wisconsin's Luxembourgers" State Historical Marker as well as a statue of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who visited the village in 1987.

Harrington Beach State Park, the only Wisconsin State Park in Ozaukee County, is located directly east of the village on the shore of Lake Michigan.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail runs through the village, following the former route of the Milwaukee Interurban Rail Line. The southern end of the trail is at Bradley Road in Brown Deer which connects to the Oak Leaf Trail (43.16333°N, -87.96083°W), and its northern end is at DeMaster Road in the Village of Oostburg Sheboygan County (43.61583°N, -87.80222°W). The trail connects the community to neighboring Port Washington and Cedar Grove.

The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary was established in 2021 in the waters of Lake Michigan off Belgium.

Notable people

 * Nicholas J. Bichler - Wisconsin State Representative
 * William J. Bichler - Wisconsin State Senator
 * Henry Ellenbecker - Wisconsin State Representative

title: Belgium, Wisconsin


text:
Cedarburg (town), Wisconsin

Cedarburg is a town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, and is in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The town was created in 1849 and at the time of the 2020 census had a population of 6,162.

German and Irish immigrants first settled in Cedarburg in the 1840s. Their centers of settlement became the unincorporated communities of Decker Corner, Hamilton, and Horns Corners, as well as the City of Cedarburg, which is located partially within the town.

The town contains three sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Cedarburg covered bridge, the Concordia Mill, and the Hamilton Historic District. The bridge is the last historic covered bridge in the state and is featured on the town logo.

History
The earliest evidence of humans in the Cedarburg area is the Hilgen Spring Mound Site, located in the eastern part of the city of Cedarburg, near Cedar Creek. The site consists of three conical burial mounds constructed by early Woodland period Mound Builders. In 1968, archaeologists from the Milwaukee Public Museum found human burials and artifacts, including stone altars, arrowheads, and pottery shards, during an excavation of one of the mounds. Radiocarbon samples from the excavation date the mounds' construction to approximately 480 BCE, making it one of the oldest mound groups in the state.

In the early 19th century, the land was inhabited by Native Americans, including the Potawatomi and Sauk tribes. The Potawatomi surrendered the land the United States Federal Government in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which (after being ratified in 1835) required them to leave Wisconsin by 1838. While many Native people moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, some chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by white settlers. Eventually the Potawatomi who evaded forced removal gathered in northern Wisconsin, where they formed the Forest County Potawatomi Community.

The first white settlement in the Cedarburg area was a community called "New Dublin," which later became Hamilton. The first resident was Joseph Gardenier, who built a log shanty on Cedar Creek as his headquarters for surveying for the construction of the Green Bay Road. In 1848, Hamilton became the first stop on the stagecoach route between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

Most of Cedarburg's early settlers were German immigrants. Ludwig Wilhelm Groth is usually credited with being the first settler of Cedarburg. He purchased land from the government on October 22, 1842, and began platting the banks of Cedar Creek. The Wisconsin state legislature created the Town of Cedarburg on March 2, 1849.

The first train line, which eventually became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, began running through Cedarburg in 1870. Cedarburg continued to grow and prosper due to its rail connections, while the surrounding communities of Hamilton, Decker Corner and Horns Corners remained more characteristically rural. The City of Cedarburg incorporated from some of the town's land in 1885.

The Excelsior Mill was built on Cedar Creek in the town in 1871 for $21,000. The mill produced both flour and lumber. In 1885, a large fire gutted the stone mill and destroyed the wooden outbuildings, causing the business to close. In 1890, John Weber, who owned the Columbia Mill upstream in the City of Cedarburg, bought the property and retooled the mill as a wire and nail factory.

Cedarburg grew rapidly during the post-war suburbanization and economic prosperity, and the City of Cedarburg began to annex land from the town for residential subdivisions.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Town of Cedarburg has a total area of 25.8 square miles (66.9 km2), of which, 25.6 square miles (66.3 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km2) of it (0.93%) is water.

The City of Cedarburg is mostly located in what was formerly the town's southeastern quadrant. The town is also bordered by the Town of Saukville and the Town of Trenton to the north, the Village of Grafton and the Town of Grafton to the east, the City of Mequon to the south, and the Town of Jackson to the west.

The unincorporated communities of Decker Corner, Hamilton, and Horns Corners are also located in the town.

The town is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the Wisconsin glaciation during the most recent ice age. The soil in area is a mixture of well-draining material, loess, and loam, which all overlie a layer of glacial till. The town has some Silurian limestone deposits, including land around the City of Cedarburg. The early settlers utilized the area's limestone as a building material, and some mid-19th-century limestone structures still stand today.

Cedar Creek runs through the town from the Town of Jackson. It joins the Milwaukee River downstream in Grafton. The creek's lower reaches in the City of Cedarburg have high levels of PCB contamination, and in 1993, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources believed that Cedar Creek had the highest PCB contamination level in the state. Despite cleanup efforts, the Wisconsin DNR advises against eating any fish caught in the creek downstream from the Bridge Road dam. Mole Creek, a tributary of the Milwaukee River, flows through the Town of Cedarburg's Pleasant Valley Nature Park.

Before white settlers arrived in the area, much of the Cedarburg area was an upland forest dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees. There were also white cedars growing along Cedar Creek. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture, and in the 21st century much of the town's land continues to be used for agriculture.

As land development continues to reduce wild areas, wildlife is forced into closer proximity with human communities like Cedarburg. Large mammals, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, and red foxes can be seen in the town. There have been infrequent sightings of black bears in Ozaukee County communities, including a 2005 report of a bear in a Cedarburg city park. Many birds, including sandhill cranes and wild turkeys are found in and around the town. The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative considers the Cedarburg Bog, located north of the town in the Town of Saukville, to be a Wisconsin Important Bird Area. The rare Goldenseal plant grows in a woodland on the northern boundary between the town and the City of Cedarburg.

The region struggles with many invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, common carp, reed canary grass, the common reed, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, Eurasian buckthorns, and honeysuckles.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 5,760 people, 2,055 households, and 1,755 families residing in the town. The population density was 225 people per square mile (86.9/km2). There were 2,127 housing units at an average density of 83.1 per square mile (32.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.0% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,055 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.5% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were nonfamily households. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.05.

The median age was 45.1 years, with 26.6% of the population under the age of 18 and 13.5% aged 65 or older.

The 2017 American Community Survey estimated the median household income at $96,771 per year, with a median per capita income of $51,185; 3.9% of people in the town were estimated to have income below the poverty level.

Law and government
The Town of Cedarburg is governed by an elected town board, comprising a chairman and four town supervisors. The current town chairman is David Salvaggio.

As part of Wisconsin's 6th congressional district, the town is represented by Glenn Grothman (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Duey Stroebel (R) represents Cedarburg in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Robert Brooks (R) represents Cedarburg in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Cedarburg Fire Department
Cedarburg's volunteer fire department was founded in 1866. There are two active fire stations in the community: one on Mequon Avenue in the City of Cedarburg, and the other on Covered Bridge Road in the Town of Cedarburg. Jeffrey Vahsholtz has served as fire chief since 2014.

Since 1966, the fire department has organized "Maxwell Street Days" flea markets each summer as a fundraiser.

Education
Most of the Town of Cedarburg's public school students are served by the Cedarburg School District. The district has three elementary schools, serving grades kindergarten through fifth grade: Parkview Elementary, Thorson Elementary, and Westlawn Elementary. Each elementary school serves areas of the town and the city. Webster Middle School serves the entire district for grades six through eight, and Cedarburg High School serves grades nine through twelve. Some residents living in the northeastern part of the town are served by the Grafton School District.

The district is governed by a seven-member elected school board, which meets on the third Thursday of each month at Cedarburg High School. The district also a superintendent. Todd Bugnacki, the current superintendent, has held the position since 2015.

The district frequently appears on lists of the best schools in the state.

Transportation
Cedarburg is located west of Interstate 43, which passes through the Town of Grafton. Wisconsin Highway 60 also runs through the town.

Cedarburg has limited public transit compared with larger cities. Ozaukee County and the Milwaukee County Transit System run the Route 143 commuter bus, also known as the "Ozaukee County Express," to Milwaukee via Interstate 43. The bus stops at the park-and-ride lot by Cedarburg's interstate on- and offramps. The bus operates eight trips to Milwaukee on weekday mornings and nine trips from Milwaukee on weekday evenings, corresponding to peak commute times. Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi is the public transit option for traveling to sites not directly accessible from the interstate. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u.

Parks and recreation
The Town of Cedarburg maintains seven public parks, including three canoe access points on Cedar Creek, and the town also has parks maintained by Ozaukee County and the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust. The town recreation department offers little league baseball, flag football, track and field, and soccer.

Town parks

 * Cedar Creek Farms Canoe Launch: A 0.33-acre park on Cedar Creek with a paved parking lot and a wooden canoe launch platform, which functions best in spring when water levels are at their peak.
 * Creekside Park: A 0.56-acre park with a canoe access point and gravel parking area. The parks wooded and riparian areas also provide opportunities for birdwatching.
 * Hamilton Park: Located in the Hamilton Historic District, this 1-acre park has picnic tables and an historical marker.
 * Krohn Park: An 11-acre park on the banks of Cedar Creek, alone Covered Bridge Road. The park has walking trails, a canoe access point, and an historical marker about the 19th century Kaehlers Mill settlement which was located at the site.
 * Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Fields: A 5.26-park outdoor athletic area with two baseball fields.
 * Pleasant Valley Park: An 88-acre park co-owned by the Town of Cedarburg and the City of Cedarburg on the site of a former landfill. Visitors can experience a variety of biomes, including woodlands, prairies, and a bog, as well as landforms including glacially formed kettles and Mole Creek. The park has a parking lot, a picnic shelter with restrooms, a Boy Scout campground, mountain biking trails, walking trails, and boardwalks.

County and land trust parks

 * Covered Bridge Park: A 12-acre park maintained by Ozaukee County and contains the last 19th century covered bridge in Wisconsin, which spans Cedar Creek. Constructed in 1876, the bridge was once one of over 40 covered bridges in the state and was used for wagon and automobile traffic until 1962. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is now used only for pedestrian traffic. The park also has picnic and fishing areas and canoe access points.
 * Cedarburg Environmental Study Area: A 38-acre nature area maintained by the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and containing wetlands, ponds, open meadow, conifer forests and mixed hardwood forests with a diversity of wildlife and opportunities for birdwatching.

Notable people

 * Paul Clement, United States Solicitor General, was born in the town
 * Humphrey J. Desmond, Wisconsin legislator, lawyer, writer, and newspaper editor
 * William Henry Fitzgerald, Wisconsin State Representative, was born in the town prior to Wisconsin's statehood
 * George P. Harrington, Wisconsin legislator
 * Eugene J. Poole, Wisconsin State Representative, was born in the town

title: Cedarburg (town), Wisconsin


text:
Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Cedarburg is a city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about 20 mi north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The city incorporated in 1885, and at the time of the 2020 census the population was 12,121.

Like many of Ozaukee County's cities and villages, the City of Cedarburg began as a mill town. German immigrants began building hydropowered gristmills and woolen mills along Cedar Creek in the 1840s. The community that sprang up around the mills is now downtown Cedarburg. The city was distinctly German into the early 20th century, with several Lutheran churches, a brewery, a European-style spa resort called Hilgen Spring Park, and many German cultural associations, including two Turner societies.

Cedarburg changed significantly during the period of post-World War II suburbanization. While the mills had all closed by the 1960s, the city experienced rapid population growth and the development of new commercial properties and housing subdivisions. In spite of the changes, more than 200 of Cedarburg's historic buildings have been preserved, and the city is home to eight listings on the National Register of Historic Places. The community profits from a vibrant tourist industry and hosts festivals and events throughout the year that attract visitors from other areas.

Toponymy
When the first settlers—many of whom were German speakers—arrived in the area, they found white cedar trees growing on the banks of Cedar Creek. Early German-American settler Frederick Leuning built a cabin near the creek's eastern bank in 1843 and referred to his home as the "Cedarburg," meaning the "cedar castle" or the "fortress of the cedars." In December 1844, the early residents agreed to name the community Cedarburg.

History
The earliest evidence of humans in the Cedarburg area is the Hilgen Spring Mound Site, located in the eastern part of the city of Cedarburg, near Cedar Creek. The site consists of three conical burial mounds constructed by early Woodland period Mound Builders. In 1968, archaeologists from the Milwaukee Public Museum found human burials and artifacts, including stone altars, arrowheads, and pottery shards, during an excavation of one of the mounds. Radiocarbon samples from the excavation date the mounds' construction to approximately 480 BCE, making it one of the oldest mound groups in the state.

In the early 19th century, the land was inhabited by Native Americans, including the Potawatomi and Sauk tribes. The Potawatomi surrendered the land the United States Federal Government in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which (after being ratified in 1835) required them to leave Wisconsin by 1838. While many Native people moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, some chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands which were now owned by white settlers. Eventually the Native people who evaded forced removal gathered in northern Wisconsin, where they formed the Forest County Potawatomi Community.

The first white settlement in the Cedarburg area was a community called "New Dublin," which later became Hamilton in the town of Cedarburg. The first resident was Joseph Gardenier, who built a log shanty on Cedar Creek as his headquarters for surveying for the construction of the Green Bay Road. In 1848, Hamilton became the first stop on the stagecoach route between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

Most of Cedarburg's early settlers were German immigrants. Ludwig Wilhelm Groth is usually credited with being the first settler of Cedarburg. He purchased land from the government on October 22, 1842, and began platting the banks of Cedar Creek. In 1845, Frederick Hilgen and William Schroeder built a wooden gristmill on Cedar Creek. After eleven years of operation, they replaced the original structure with the five-story, stone Cedarburg Mill, which became the focal point of the new community. Five dams and mills were eventually built along the creek in what are now the city and town of Cedarburg, including the 1864 Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill, which was the largest woolen mill west of Philadelphia.

In 1870, the Milwaukee and Northern Railway connected Cedarburg to Milwaukee. By 1873 the rail line extended from Milwaukee to Green Bay, connecting Cedarburg and other small communities to larger markets. Cedarburg continued to grow and prosper due to its rail connections, while the surrounding communities of Hamilton, Decker Corner and Horns Corners remained more characteristically rural. Cedarburg incorporated in 1885. At the time, the population was approximately 1,000 people.

In 1897, the woolen mill purchased an electrical generator, which produced the first electric light in the town. In 1901, the city contracted an electric plant with steam engines running two 75 kW generators, and in 1909 the Cedarburg Electric Light Commission was formed to run the utility. In 1923, responsibility for water and sewerage was given to the utility, and it was renamed the Light & Water Commission. The utility is still in business today, and is one of 82 municipally owned electric utilities in Wisconsin.

In 1907, Cedarburg became a stop on the Milwaukee-Northern interurban passenger line. The company operated an office and shop in Cedarburg into the 1920s, when it was purchased by The Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company. The company continued passenger rail service to Cedarburg until 1948, when the Ozaukee County line declined due to increased use of personal automobiles and better roads.

Cedarburg grew rapidly during the post-war suburbanization and economic prosperity. The population increased by more than 84% between 1950 and 1960, from 2,810 to 5,191. This period of population growth witnessed the growth of new industries and housing developments.

Geography
Cedarburg is located at 43°17'56" North, 87°59'13" West (43.29896, −87.987209). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.87 sqmi, of which, 4.83 sqmi of it is land and 0.04 sqmi is water. The City of Cedarburg is bordered by the Village of Grafton to the east, the City of Mequon to the south, and the Town of Cedarburg to the north and west.

The city is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the Wisconsin glaciation during the most recent ice age. The soil in area is a mixture of well-draining material, loess, and loam, which all overlie a layer of glacial till. Most of the City of Cedarburg is located on top of a Silurian limestone deposit. There were several quarries active in the area, including the now-defunct Groth Quarry in Zeunert Park where excavators discovered fossils from a prehistoric reef. The early settlers utilized the area's limestone as a building material, and some mid-19th-century limestone structures still stand today.

Cedar Creek runs through the city parallel to the Washington Avenue historic and commercial district. In 1993, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources believed that Cedar Creek had the PCB contamination in the state. The creek is now part of an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site in the city. Despite cleanup efforts, the Wisconsin DNR advises against eating any fish caught in the creek downstream from the Bridge Road dam.

Before white settlers arrived in the area, the Cedarburg area was an upland forest dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees. There were also white cedars growing along Cedar Creek. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture. In the 21st century, the City of Cedarburg plants and maintains over 8,000 trees in public spaces, and the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Cedarburg through its Tree City USA program.

As land development continues to reduce wild areas, wildlife is forced into closer proximity with human communities like Cedarburg. Large mammals, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, and red foxes can be seen within the city limits. There have been infrequent sightings of black bears in Ozaukee County communities, including a 2005 report of a bear in a Cedarburg city park. Many birds, including great blue herons and wild turkeys are found in and around the City of Cedarburg. The Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative considers the Cedarburg Bog, located north of the city in the Town of Saukville, to be a Wisconsin Important Bird Area. The rare Goldenseal plant grows in a woodland on the northern boundary between the city and the Town of Cedarburg.

The region struggles with many invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, common carp, reed canary grass, the common reed, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, Eurasian buckthorns, and honeysuckles.

Demographics
As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $56,431, and the median income for a family was $66,932. Males had a median income of $51,647 versus $30,979 for females. The per capita income for the city was $27,455. About 1.8% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,412 people, 4,691 households, and 3,060 families residing in the city. The population density was 2362.7 PD/sqmi. There were 4,916 housing units at an average density of 1017.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.8% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 4,691 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.8% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

The median age in the city was 43.1 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

Early industry
As is the case in many of the cities and villages in Ozaukee County, Cedarburg's earliest businesses were hydropowered mills. In 1843, Frederick Luening built the Columbia Mill, a gristmill, which was the first mill on Cedar Creek. Following the Columbia Mill in 1845, Frederick Hilgen and William Schroeder built another gristmill further upstream. Neither of these structures remain, but other 19th century mills do survive, including the 1853 Concordia Mill; the 1855 Cedarburg Mill, which replaced Hilgen and Schroeder's earlier grist mill; the 1864 Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill; and the 1871 Excelsior Mill, which was later retooled as the Cedarburg Wire and Nail Factory. Other early structures near the creek that survive include an 1848 brewery.

20th century industry
In the 20th century, Cedarburg had some manufacturing firms. Carl Kiekhaefer founded Mercury Marine in Cedarburg in 1939, and the company operated a plant on St. John Avenue until 1982. The building was demolished in 2005. Amcast operated an aluminum die-casting plant on Hamilton Road until 2005. Both companies polluted the soil and waters of Cedar Creek with PCBs, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is using Superfund money to clean up the sites.

Tourism
The Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill closed in 1968 and sat vacant for several years, until an offer was made to buy the buildings. The prospective owner intended to tear them down and build a gas station and a mini-mart. Then mayor, Stephan Fischer, told him he would need a demolition permit. There was no such thing, but it bought enough time that the buildings could be saved. William Welty bought the buildings on the corner and street, opening a restaurant. Jim Pape then bought the mill buildings on the creekside, opening a winery. Known as the Cedar Creek Settlement, the rest of the space was rented out to shops, studios and restaurants.

This began a tourism boom in Cedarburg. More galleries and studios opened, as well as souvenir shops and other attractions. Business associations started weekend festivals, which attracted even more people to the city. As of 2020, the city hosts Winter Festival in February, Strawberry Festival in June, Wine and Harvest Festival in September, and German-themed Oktoberfest in October, as well as Christmas events in November and December. In the summer months, local companies sponsor a concert series called Summer Sounds which takes place at Cedar Creek Park.

Many Cedarburg residents who do not work in the tourist industry commute for work, reflecting the larger trend of Ozaukee County as a majority-commuter community.

Culture
Cedarburg's first German settlers' influence is still visible in the 21st century. There are six Lutheran congregations in the community; Trinity Lutheran Church on Columbia Road is the oldest, having been founded in 1843 by a group of Old Lutheran immigrants from the Prussian Province of Pomerania. Many 19th-century buildings have German inscriptions on their capstones, and the oldest gravestones in city cemeteries are in German. The Zur Ruhe Cemetery on Bridge Street takes its name from a German phrase meaning "to rest."

Cedarburg Public Library
The Cedarburg Women's Club established the city's public library in 1911. In addition to its collection of approximately 72,000 items, the library provides patrons with digital resources, study rooms and a community meeting room in its 25,500 square foot facility. Cedarburg Public Library is a member of the Monarch Library System, comprising thirty-one libraries in Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, and Dodge counties.

Events and festivals
Cedarburg hosts the Ozaukee County Fair at Firemen's Park, on Washington Avenue, north of downtown. The fair has been held annually since 1859. The event is free, and includes live music, truck and tractor pulls, rides, a demolition derby, and 4-H and livestock exhibitions.

Firemen's Park also hosts four "Maxwell Street Days" flea markets each summer as a fundraiser for the Cedarburg Fire Department. Up 600 vendors can have tables at one of the flea markets.

As of 2020, the city hosts five weekend festivals, including Winter Festival in February, Strawberry Festival in June, Wine and Harvest Festival in September, and German-themed Oktoberfest in October, as well as Christmas events in November and December. In the summer months, local companies sponsor a concert series called Summer Sounds which takes place at Cedar Creek Park.

Museums

 * Cedarburg Art Museum: Housed in the 1898 mansion of a wealthy mill owner's daughter, the Cedarburg Art Museum features a permanent collection of forty-nine artworks, as well as curated temporary exhibitions.
 * Cedarburg History Museum: The Cedarburg History Museum maintains a museum devoted to Cedarburg's history in the historic Hilgen & Schroeder Mill Store. The building also houses the Cedarburg Visitor Center and the Roger Christiansen General Store exhibit, which is a walk-in diorama of an early 20th century general store. In early 2021, the collection of the former Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear moved to the care and custody of the Cedarburg museum to enhance the latter's collection of local artifacts.
 * Kuhefuss House Museum: Located in the Washington Avenue Historic District, the 1849 Kuhefuss House Museum offers tours and special exhibitions to educate the public about early life in Cedarburg.
 * Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts: Located in on a farmstead from the 1850s, the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts & Fiber Arts opened in 2001 and maintains a collection of over 8,000 pieces of art. The museum is "dedicated to creating, preserving and teaching fiber arts."

Performing arts

 * Cedarburg Cultural Center: Located on Washington Avenue, the Cedarburg Cultural Center hosts live performance and art exhibitions, offers art classes, and maintains the Kuhefuss House Museum.
 * Cedarburg Performing Arts Center: The performing arts center is a 580-seat theater connected to Cedarburg High School, which offers a visiting artist series.
 * Rivoli Theatre: Opened in 1936, the Rivoli is a one-screen Art Deco cinema on Washington Avenue.

Religion
There are at least six Lutheran churches in Cedarburg. Four churches—Advent, Faith, Immanuel, and Trinity—are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. First Immanuel Lutheran is part of the Missouri Synod, and Redeemer Evangelical Lutheran Church is part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

The city also has the Methodist Community United Methodist Church; the Christian Scientist First Church of Christ, Scientist of Cedarburg; the Heritage Baptist Church, a Regular Baptist congregation affiliated with the Wisconsin Association of Regular Baptist Churches; the Roman Catholic St. Francis Borgia parish; and the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church of the Antiochian Orthodox tradition. The evangelical Alliance Bible Church is located adjacent to the Cedarburg city limit in the City of Mequon.

Law and government
Cedarburg is organized under a mayor–council government. The current mayor is Mike O'Keefe, who was elected to his first four-year term on April 3, 2018. Seven aldermen sit on the Cedarburg common council in addition to the mayor. The council meets on the second and last Monday of each month at 7 p.m. The city's day-to-day operations are managed by a full-time city administrator.

As part of Wisconsin's 6th congressional district, Cedarburg is represented by Glenn Grothman (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Duey Stroebel (R) represents Cedarburg in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Robert Brooks (R) represents Cedarburg in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Cedarburg Fire Department
Cedarburg's volunteer fire department was founded in 1866.

Since 1966, the fire department has organized "Maxwell Street Days" flea markets each summer as a fundraiser.

Cedarburg Police Department
The Cedarburg Police Department was established in 1885 when the city incorporated.

Utilities
The Cedarburg Light & Water Utility is one of approximately 2,200 publicly owned utilities in the United States. It was formed in 1909 to operate the city's first power plant, which had been built eight years earlier. The utility is responsible for both electricity and water supply in the city, and is run by a commission of seven residents appointed by the mayor, one of whom must be a member of city council.

Education
Cedarburg's public schools are operated by the Cedarburg School District. The district has three elementary schools, serving grades kindergarten through fifth grade: Parkview Elementary, Thorson Elementary, and Westlawn Elementary. Each elementary school serves a different neighborhoods of the city. Webster Middle School serves the entire district for grades six through eight, and Cedarburg High School serves grades nine through twelve.

The district serves the City of Cedarburg, the Town of Cedarburg, and some neighboring parts of the City of Mequon and the Village of Grafton. The district is governed by a seven-member elected school board, which meets on the third Thursday of each month at Cedarburg High School. The district also a superintendent. Todd Bugnacki, the current superintendent, has held the position since 2015.

The district frequently appears on lists of the best schools in the state.

The city also has two parochial schools that serve students from kindergarten through eight grade: First Immanuel Lutheran School and St. Francis Borgia Catholic School.

Transportation
Cedarburg is located approximately three miles west of Interstate 43 exit 89. The city is also located south of the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 60 and Washington Avenue.

Cedarburg has limited public transit compared with larger cities. Ozaukee County and the Milwaukee County Transit System run the Route 143 commuter bus, also known as the "Ozaukee County Express," to Milwaukee via Interstate 43. The bus stops at the park-and-ride lot by Cedarburg's interstate on- and offramps. The bus operates eight trips to Milwaukee on weekday mornings and nine trips from Milwaukee on weekday evenings, corresponding to peak commute times. Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi is the public transit option for traveling to sites not directly accessible from the interstate. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u.

The City of Cedarburg has sidewalks in most areas, as well as the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which is for pedestrian and bicycle use, and connects the city to the neighboring communities of Grafton and Mequon, and continues north to Sheboygan County and south to Milwaukee County.

Cedarburg grew from a rural hamlet into an incorporated city in part because of its 19th century rail connections. From 1907 to 1948, Cedarburg was connected to Milwaukee and Sheboygan by an interurban passenger rail line, which fell into disuse following World War II and was converted into a bicycle and pedestrian trail in the 1990s. The Wisconsin Central Ltd. railroad provides freight rail service to Cedarburg as part of its Saukville subdivision. While Cedarburg has not had passenger rail in many decades, passenger rail is offered by Amtrak in nearby Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station.

Parks and recreation

The City of Cedarburg maintains thirty-four parks, encompassing a total of 146 acres. These range from as small as the .1 acre Doctor's Park on the corner of Washington Avenue and Mill Street and the .25 acre Skateboard Park on Johnson Avenue to the twenty-three acre Centennial Park, which includes a public pool, two ponds, a sledding hill, and a playground designed to accommodate children with disabilities.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail runs through the City of Cedarburg, following the former route of the Milwaukee Interurban Rail Line. The southern end of the trail is at Bradley Road in Brown Deer which connects to the Oak Leaf Trail (43.16333°N, -87.96083°W), and its northern end is at DeMaster Road in the Village of Oostburg Sheboygan County (43.61583°N, -87.80222°W). The Cedarburg segment of the trail was completed in 1996, and connects the community to neighboring Grafton and Mequon.

Cedarburg is also home to several private recreational facilities, including a golf course, two bowling alleys, several workout gyms, the Milwaukee Curling Club, a gymnastics facility, a roller rink, and the Ozaukee Ice Center, a year-round hockey and skating rink.

Notable people

 * Jesse Anderson, convicted murderer
 * Paul Clement, 43rd Solicitor General of the United States
 * Jacob Dietrich, Wisconsin legislator
 * Gregory Euclide, visual artist
 * Janine P. Geske, Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
 * Amadeus William Grabau, geologist and paleontologist
 * Frederick W. Horn, Wisconsin legislator
 * Edward H. Janssen, Treasurer of Wisconsin
 * Eric Larsen, polar explorer
 * Clarence Kenney, football player
 * Peter F. Leuch, Wisconsin legislator
 * Edna Scheer, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
 * John Schuette, Wisconsin State Senator
 * Jonathan Stiever, baseball player
 * Ralph E. Suggs, U.S. Navy admiral
 * Josh Thompson, country singer
 * Jason Upton, Christian singer/songwriter

title: Cedarburg, Wisconsin


text:
Fredonia, Wisconsin

Fredonia is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located on the Milwaukee River, the village is in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 2,160 at the 2010 census.

The community was the site of a Potawatomi village until at least the 1840s. The first white settlers in the area were Yankees, Germans and Luxembourgers who arrived in the 1840s, but the community was rural until the 1870s when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway built a station in the area and businesses began to cluster it, laying the foundation for the village. Fredonia grew, incorporating in 1922.

The village is located east of the unincorporated census-designated place of Waubeka, the location of the National Register of Historic Places-listed Stony Hill School where the first United States Flag Day was observed in 1885. Today, Waubeka is home to the National Flag Day Foundation headquarters and its Americanism Center Museum, which has an extensive collection of patriotic memorabilia.

History
The land that became the village of Fredonia was originally inhabited by Native Americans, including the Potawatomi tribe, who surrendered the land to the United States government in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. While many Native people moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, some chose to remain and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by white settlers. One such group was led by Chief Waubeka, who maintained a winter camp in the Ozaukee County community that bears his name as late as 1845. Eventually the Potawatomi who evaded forced removal gathered in northern Wisconsin, where they formed the Forest County Potawatomi Community.

Fredonia was part of the Town of Port Washington until 1847, when the Town of Fredonia was created and named after Fredonia, New York. A post office called Fredonia has been in operation since 1850.

The Village of Fredonia had its origins in 1873 when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway constructed Fredonia Station. At the time, the community of Waubeka was the center of the Town of Fredonia, but after the station was built businesses, granaries, and houses sprouted up around the station. The Village of Fredonia was incorporated in 1922 with a population of 272.

Camp Fredonia, an Allied prisoner of war camp that held 330 German prisoners of war, was located in nearby Little Kohler. In 1945, sixty of the prisoners were contracted to work at Fredonia Can Goods, Inc. in the village.

Geography
Fredonia is located at 43.46833°N, -87.95167°W (43.468471, -87.95183). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.14 sqmi, 2.13 sqmi of land and 0.01 sqmi of water. The Village of Fredonia is located in what was formerly the southwestern quadrant of the Town of Fredonia. The village's industrial park in the southern part of the village borders the Town of Saukville to the south. The unincorporated census-designated place of Waubeka is west of the village.

The village is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the Wisconsin glaciation during the most recent ice age. The area has some subterranean Silurian limestone formations that are part of the Racine Dolomite that stretches through eastern Wisconsin and Illinois. The rocks are visible at two 19th-century quarries west of the village.

Before white settlers arrived in the area, the Village of Fredonia area was an upland forest dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees. There were also white cedars growing along the Milwaukee River, which flows along the village's western boundary. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture, but there's a two-mile stretch of forest along the river around Waubedonia Park.

As land development continues to reduce wild areas, wildlife is forced into closer proximity with human communities like Fredonia. Large mammals, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, North American river otters and red foxes can be seen in the village. Many birds, including great blue herons and wild turkeys are found in the village.

The region struggles with many invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, common carp, reed canary grass, the common reed, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, Eurasian buckthorns, and honeysuckles.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,160 people, 827 households, and 614 families living in the village. The population density was 1033.5 PD/sqmi. There were 873 housing units at an average density of 417.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 97.1% White, 1.0% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 827 households, of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.8% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the village was 35.7 years. 27% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 9.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,934 people, 701 households, and 536 families living in the village. The population density was 1,351.1 people per square mile (522.2/km2). There were 734 housing units at an average density of 512.8 per square mile (198.2/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.36% White, 0.52% African American, 0.52% Asian, 0.47% Native American, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino or Mexican or Spanish of any race.

There were 701 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.5% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,173, and the median income for a family was $60,326. Males had a median income of $39,464 versus $26,292 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,644. About 2.2% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Culture
Fredonia is home to the Divine Savior Catholic Congregation, which operates the St. Rose of Lima Chapel and a parochial school for kindergarten through eighth grade in the village. The congregation also offers services at Holy Cross Chapel in Holy Cross and Our Lady of the Lakes in Random Lake, and also maintains the historic building and cemetery of St. Mary Mother of Sorrows Church in the hamlet of Little Kohler. St. John Lutheran Church, affiliated with the Missouri Synod, is also located in the Village of Fredonia.

Law and government
Fredonia is organized as a village governed by an elected village board, comprising a village president and six trustees. The current President is Dan Gehrke. In 2022, the Village adopted a Village Administrator-form of government, hiring a full-time Administrator who works for the Board of Trustees and manages the day-to-day operations. The current Administrator is Christophe E. Jenkins - who was formerly the Mayor of the City of West Bend, WI.

As part of Wisconsin's 6th congressional district, Fredonia is represented by Glenn Grothman (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Duey Stroebel (R) represents Fredonia in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Robert Brooks (R) represents Fredonia in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

The Fredonia Fire Department was formed in 1923, and has a staff of seventeen firefighters and eight EMTs. Brian Weyker serves as fire chief. The department is the first-responder for the Town of Fredonia and the Village of Fredonia, collaborating with the volunteer fire department in the neighboring unincorporated community of Waubeka. The department also provides ambulance service for the Village of Belgium.

Fredonia's law enforcement officer is the village marshal. Unlike a municipality with a police department, the village marshal does not provide 24-hour law enforcement, and when the marshal is off-duty, the village is served by the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Department. Michael Davel currently holds the office.

Education
The Village of Fredonia is served by the Northern Ozaukee School District, which also covers Newburg, and parts of the towns of Belgium, Fredonia and Saukville. Students attend Ozaukee Elementary School for kindergarten through fifth grade, Ozaukee Middle School for sixth through eighth grades, and Ozaukee High School for grades nine through twelve. Additionally, the Riveredge School is a tuition-free, public elementary charter school authorized by the district. Located at the Riveredge Nature Center in the northwestern Town of Saukville near the municipal boundary with the Village of Newburg, the school serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade.

The district is governed by an eight-member elected school board, which meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the high school and middle school's shared library.

Divine Savior Congregation operates a Catholic parochial school in the village offering kindergarten- through eighth grade education.

Transportation
Wisconsin Highway 57 passes through the village.

Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi provides a public transit option for Fredonia residents. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u. Unlike a typical taxi, however, the rider must contact the service ahead of time to schedule their pick-up date and time. The taxi service plans their routes based on the number of riders, pick-up/drop-off time and destination then plans the routes accordingly.

The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad operates a freight line that passes through the village. Fredonia currently does not have a passenger train station.

Parks and recreation
The Village of Fredonia maintains seven public parks with amenities including playgrounds, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, picnic shelters, and ice-skating rink, and an eighteen-hole disc golf course. Additionally, Ozaukee County maintains Waubedonia County Park on the east bank of the Milwaukee River. The only county-maintained park to offer overnight campsites, Waubedonia also offers baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and boat launches.

title: Fredonia, Wisconsin


text:
Fredonia (town), Wisconsin

Fredonia is a town in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,903 at the 2000 census. The Village of Fredonia is surrounded by the town. The unincorporated communities of Little Kohler and Waubeka are also located in the town.

History

The land that became the Fredonia was originally inhabited by Native Americans, including the Potawatomi tribe, who surrendered the land to the United States government in 1833 through the 1833 Treaty of Chicago. While many Native people moved west of the Mississippi River to Kansas, some chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by squatting on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by white settlers. One such group was led by Chief Waubeka, who maintained a winter camp in the Ozaukee County community that bears his name as late as 1845. Eventually the Potawatomi who evaded forced removal gathered in northern Wisconsin, where they formed the Forest County Potawatomi Community.

Fredonia was part of the Town of Port Washington until 1847, when the Town of Fredonia was created and named after Fredonia, New York. A post office called Fredonia has been in operation since 1850.

Waubeka was the town's population center until the 1870s. In 1873, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway construction Fredonia Station, which laid the foundation for the Village of Fredonia, which incorporated from some of the town's land in 1922.

Camp Fredonia, an Allied prisoner of war camp that held 330 German prisoners of war, was located in the unincorporated community of Little Kohler in the town. Forty-six U.S. combat veterans guarded the camp under the command of Captain Ray Thill, a native of Belgium, Wisconsin. The camp opened on June 15, 1945, and closed in January 1946. The headquarters was located in the Louis Glunz Hall on Fredonia-Kohler Road, while the prisoners slept in tents in a fenced enclosure. Most of the prisoners worked on local farms harvesting peas and sugar beets. Some were contracted to work at canneries in West Bend, Thiensville, Saukville and Belgium.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.0 square miles (90.5 km2), of which, 34.7 square miles (89.8 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km2) of it (0.86%) is water. The Village of Fredonia is located in what was formerly the southwestern quadrant of the Town of Fredonia. The town borders the Town of Sherman to the north, the Town of Belgium to the east, the Town of Saukville to the south, and the Town of Farmington to the west. The unincorporated communities of Little Kohler and Waubeka are in the western part of the town.

The town is located in the Southeastern Wisconsin glacial till plains that were created by the Wisconsin glaciation during the most recent ice age. The area has some subterranean Silurian limestone formations that are part of the Racine Dolomite that stretches through eastern Wisconsin and Illinois. The rocks are visible at several quarries along the Milwaukee River, including one site where the only known Silurian phyllocarid fossils in Wisconsin were discovered.

Before white settlers arrived in the area, much of the Fredonia area was an upland forest dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees. Much of the original forest was cleared to prepare the land for agriculture, although some of the town's nature preserves have characteristically pre-settlement forests. The area also has many bogs and swamps in the kettles left behind by the glaciers. The areas include the wetlands around Spring Lake and the bog in the Huiras Lake Woods and Bog State Natural Area. Fredonia's wetlands have extensive stands of white cedar and tamarack as well as shrub carrs and sedge meadows.

As land development continues to reduce wild areas, wildlife is forced into closer proximity with human communities like Fredonia. Large mammals, including white-tailed deer, coyotes, North American river otters and red foxes can be seen in the town. Many birds, including great blue herons and wild turkeys are found in the town, with the Huiras Lake Woods and Bog State Natural Area providing a habitat for many bird species.

The region struggles with many invasive species, including the emerald ash borer, common carp, reed canary grass, the common reed, purple loosestrife, garlic mustard, Eurasian buckthorns, and honeysuckles.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,903 people, 727 households, and 585 families residing in the town. The population density was 83.8 people per square mile (32.3/km2). There were 751 housing units at an average density of 21.7 per square mile (8.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.62% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 727 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.6% under the age of 18, 32.6% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,388, and the median income for a family was $59,500. Males had a median income of $40,022 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,073. About 1.8% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Flag Day

United States Flag Day was first observed in the Waubeka community in the town. On June 14, 1885, Stony Hill School teacher Bernard J. Cigrand instructed his students to write essays about what the flag of the United States meant to them to commemorate the Continental Congress's 1777 adoption of the flag as a national symbol. It was the first formal observance of Flag Day.

In 1995, the National Flag Day Foundation constructed the Americanism Center in Waubeka. A 13,000-square-foot facility on fifteen acres of land, the center serves as the foundation's headquarters and also houses a museum with an extensive collection of patriotic memorabilia, military uniforms, and artifacts from the life of Bernard J. Cigrand. The foundation organizes a parade in Waubeka each Flag Day.

Religion
The Village of Fredonia is home to the Divine Savior Catholic Congregation, which operates the St. Rose of Lima Chapel and a parochial school for kindergarten through sixth grades. The congregation also maintains the historic building and cemetery of St. Mary Mother of Sorrows Church in the hamlet of Little Kohler in the Town of Fredonia and offers services at Holy Cross Chapel in Holy Cross and Our Lady of the Lakes in Random Lake. St. John Lutheran Church, affiliated with the Missouri Synod, is also located in the Village of Fredonia.

Law and government
Fredonia is organized as a town governed by an elected board, comprising a chairman and four supervisors. The current chairman is Lance Leider. The Town of Fredonia and the Village of Fredonia's government offices are located in a shared building.

As part of Wisconsin's 6th congressional district, Fredonia is represented by Glenn Grothman (R) in the United States House of Representatives, and by Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D) in the United States Senate. Duey Stroebel (R) represents Fredonia in the Wisconsin State Senate, and Robert Brooks (R) represents Fredonia in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Education
The Town of Fredonia is served by two school districts. Students in the town's southern wards attends the Northern Ozaukee School District, which also covers the villages of Fredonia and Newburg, and parts of the towns of Belgium and Saukville. They attend Ozaukee Elementary School for kindergarten through fifth grade, Ozaukee Middle School for sixth through eighth grades, and Ozaukee High School for grades nine through twelve. Additionally, the Riveredge School is a tuition-free, public elementary charter school authorized by the district. Located at the Riveredge Nature Center in the northwestern Town of Saukville near the municipal boundary with the Village of Newburg, the school serves children from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Students in the town's northern wards attend the Random Lake School District. They attend Random Lake Elementary School for kindergarten through fourth grade, Random Lake Middle School for fifth through eighth grades, and Random Lake High School for ninth through twelfth grades.

Additionally, Divine Savior Congregation operates a Catholic parochial school in the Village of Fredonia offering kindergarten- through sixth-grade education.

Transportation
Wisconsin Highway 57 passes through the town.

Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi provides a public transit option for Fredonia residents. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u. Riders must contact the service ahead of time to schedule their pick-up date and time. The taxi service plans their routes based on the number of riders, pick-up/drop-off time and destination then plans the routes accordingly.

The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad operates a freight line that passes through the town. Fredonia currently does not have a passenger train station.

Nature preserves and recreation
The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust maintains three nature preserves in the Town of Fredonia:

 * Hames Nature Preserve: A seven-acre lowland forest along the Milwaukee River, the Hames Nature Preserve contains hiking trails and opportunities for bird watching.
 * Huiras Lake State Natural Area: Ozaukee Washington Land Trust maintains 113 acres of the 435 acres that make up the Huiras Lake State Natural Area. The preserve is a pristine forest and wetland containing bogs and conifer swamps typical of northern Ozaukee County.
 * MacLaurin Woods: The five-acre preserve in western Fredonia has hiking trails and allows deer hunting in season.

Additionally, there are two private, religious camps in the town. Camp Awana is a 125-acre nondenominational evangelical Christian camp located on Lake Twelve in the town's northwestern quadrant. The Milwaukee Jewish Community Center owns 110 acres of the Huiras Lake State Natural Area, where it operates the JCC Rainbow Day Camp.

Notable people

 * Bernard J. Cigrand, founder of United States Flag Day, was born in Waubeka

title: Fredonia (town), Wisconsin