Lake Mills is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2020 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Lake Mills.

History

Lake Mills occupies the east shore of Rock Lake. The area was first settled by Captain Joseph Keyes. He called it "Lake Mills", after building a saw mill and

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

using power from nearby Rock Lake. Lake Mills was chartered in 1836, and the first building was built in 1837. The village of Lake Mills incorporated in 1852 out of the surrounding town of Lake Mills. In 1866 the village changed its name to "Tyranena", but changed it back again to "Lake Mills" the next year. (''Tyranena'' is supposedly an indigenous name meaning "sparkling waters".)

Geography

Lake Mills is located at (43.080108, -88.909209). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 5,708 people, 2,319 households, and 1,503 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 2,776 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population. There were 2,319 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the city was 37.2 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,843 people, 1,924 households, and 1,289 families living in the city. The

was 1,415.6 people per square mile (546.8/km²). There were 2,065 housing units at an average density of 603.6 per square mile (233.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.54%

, 0.17%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 2.33% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 1,924 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $44,132, and the median income for a family was $54,131. Males had a median income of $36,394 versus $24,635 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $21,929. About 5.3% of families and 7.3% 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 ...

, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Lake Mills is home to a weekly newspaper, '' The Lake Mills Leader''.

Education

The Lake Mills Area School District maintains an elementary school, a middle school, and Lake Mills High School. St. Paul Lutheran School (3K-8) and Lakeside Lutheran High School are two Christian schools of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Lake Mills.Lakeside Lutheran website
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Notable people

* Mel J. Cyrak, Wisconsin State Representative * Palmer F. Daugs, Wisconsin State Representative * Ernst F. Detterer, artist * Nelson H. Falk, Wisconsin State Representative * William Everson, Wisconsin State Representative * Charles Greenwood, Wisconsin State Representative * Carleton Bruns Joeckel, librarian, author, and advocate for public libraries * Theodore S. Jones, Wisconsin State Representative * Laura L. Kiessling, chemist * Amy Kellogg Morse (1853–1905), President, Wisconsin State Woman's Christian Temperance Union * Louis Wescott Myers, Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court * Charles Phillips, Wisconsin State Representative * Hal Raether, MLB pitcher * Jim Wilson, Oklahoma state senator

References

External links

City of Lake Mills

Lake Mills Main Street Program

Lake Mills Area Chamber of Commerce
* Sanborn fire insurance maps:
1892189819031912
{{authority control Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Jefferson County, Wisconsin