Franzen is a town in

Marathon County Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 138,013. Marathon County's seat is Wausau. It was founded in 1850, created from a portion of Portage County. At that time the coun ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States. It is part of the Wausau,

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The population was 578 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of

Galloway Galloway ( ; sco, Gallowa; la, Gallovidia) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council area of Dumfries and Galloway. A native or i ...

and Holt are located in the town.

History

The town was named for Christian Franzen, a German native who served on the Marathon County Board.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of 36.6 square miles (94.8 km), of which 36.4 square miles (94.2 km) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km), or 0.60%, is water.

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 505 people, 193 households, and 145 families living in the town. The population density was 13.9 people per square mile (5.4/km). There were 212 housing units at an average density of 5.8 per square mile (2.2/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 98.42% White, 1.39% Native American, and 0.20% from two or more races. Of the 193 households 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 20.7% of households were one person and 8.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.05. The age distribution was 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males. The median household income was $41,442 and the median family income was $43,295. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,623. About 6.4% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Raymond Omernick Raymond Omernick (1923–2007) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Omernick was born on May 24, 1923, in Franzen, Wisconsin. He was a farmer and logger. He married Victoria Zoromski on October 13, 1953, at St. Mary's Catholic ...

, farmer, logger, and member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, was born in the town of Franzen'Wisconsin Blue Book 1979-1980, Biographical Sketch of Raymond Omernick, pg. 79

References

{{authority control Towns in Marathon County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin