New Berlin () is a city located along the
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
/Waukesha County Border in the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
State of
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 ...
. The population was 40,451 at the
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, making it the third-largest community in Waukesha County after the cities of Waukesha and
Brookfield.
Pronunciation
Area residents put the accent on the first syllable of Berlin , rather than the second.
History
The first settlers, Sidney Evans and P.G. Harrington, arrived in the northeastern part of what is now New Berlin in 1836. The area first came under local government in 1838 as part of the Town of
Muskego
Muskego () is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,135. Muskego is the fifth largest community in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Muskego has a large Norwegian population. The nam ...
, which at the time was composed of New Berlin and Muskego. The area that is now New Berlin was separated from Muskego in 1839 and named the Town of Mentor.
On January 13, 1840, Mentor became New Berlin. It was named by Sidney Evans after his hometown,
New Berlin, New York
New Berlin is a town in Chenango County, in central New York, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2010 census. The town contains the village of New Berlin. The town is at the eastern border of the county and is northeast of Norwich.
...
. The town remained a rural and agricultural area until the 1940s, when the westward migration to the suburbs from Milwaukee began. Between 1850 and 1950, New Berlin's population went from 1,293 to 5,334. Ten years later, in 1960, the population had nearly tripled to 15,788. The Town of New Berlin became the City of New Berlin with its incorporation in 1959.
Large-scale growth occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, mainly as a result of the construction of the New Berlin Industrial Park, which began in 1964. The park comprises three separate business parks encompassing , including Moorland Road Industrial Park, New Berlin Industrial Park and MSI/Lincoln Avenue Industrial Park.
Interstate 43 was expanded at the Moorland Road exit to accommodate a growing number of commuters. The new interchange has a two-lane
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
that has been the center of a great deal of controversy because of the high number of accidents and traffic backups on 43.
Geography
New Berlin is located at (42.979063, −88.109188).
It straddles the
Sub-Continental Divide, which runs north–south through the eastern part of the city. Nearly in the western part of the city, or about 73% of the city's total land area, is west of the Sub-Continental Divide in the
Fox River watershed, which is part of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
watershed. The remaining area is within the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
/
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...
drainage basin.
[ City of New Berlin-Water Conservation Plan adopted 12/8/09](_blank)
/ref>
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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Michael Joseph Gross Michael Joseph Gross (born 1970) is an American author and journalist.
He is a contributing editor to ''Vanity Fair'', where he covers topics including politics, technology, and national security. He has also written extensively for publications s ...
of '' GQ'' said that "On the map, New Berlin forms a neat six-by-six-mile square in the southeast corner of Waukesha County".[Gross, Michael Joseph.]
Sextortion at Eisenhower High
" '' GQ''. July 2009. Retrieved on March 11, 2013.
Calhoun
John C. Calhoun (1782–1850) was the 7th vice president of the United States.
Calhoun can also refer to:
Surname
* Calhoun (surname)
Inhabited places in the United States
*Calhoun, Georgia
*Calhoun, Illinois
*Calhoun, Kansas
*Calhoun, Kentucky
...
and Prospect
Prospect may refer to:
General
* Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer
* Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team
* Prospect (mining ...
are populated places within the city of New Berlin.
Climate
Demographics
The median income for a household in the city was $73,688, and the median income for a family was $90,659. Males had a median income of $42,008 versus $33,329 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $36,609. About 2.1% of families and 3.0% 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 2.9% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2009 most New Berlin residents were middle class
The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...
professionals. Some of them are descendants of area farming families. Others originated from white flight
White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...
from Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
in the 1960s and 1970s.[
]
2010 census
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 39,584 people, 16,292 households, and 11,327 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 1,086.2 people per square mile (400.6/km2). There were 14,921 housing units at an average density of 405.0 per square mile (156.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.4% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.7% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.3% Native American, 3.8% Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.6% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.6% of the population.
There were 16,292 households, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% 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 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 33% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
Infrastructure
The Utility Service Area is supplied with water from Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...
, which is purchased from the Milwaukee Water Works. In the eastern portion of the city wastewater is returned to Lake Michigan via the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District sewer system. The western portions of the city, outside of the Utility Service Area, use groundwater/private wells as their water supply source. Four municipal wells act in a reserve capacity. The groundwater acquired from these wells is found in two distinct shallow water bearing geologic formations, or aquifer
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...
s. The water from these aquifers is radium
Radium is a chemical element with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rather t ...
compliant.
New Berlin is located mainly north of Interstate 43 on the latter's course from Beloit to Milwaukee and Green Bay, and south of Interstate 94
Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
between Waukesha and Milwaukee. WIS 59 runs through the northern border of the city as Greenfield Road. Other major roads include Moorland Road, and National Avenue (old WIS 15
State Trunk Highway 15 (STH-15, commonly known as Highway 15 or WIS 15) is a state highway in Outagamie County in the US state of Wisconsin that runs east–west and provides a shortcut to Appleton from U.S. Highway 45 (US 45) for travele ...
).
Government
The eight-member Common Council consists of seven aldermen, representing each of the city's seven aldermanic districts, and the mayor. The mayor is elected to serve a term of four years; aldermen are elected to serve a term of three years. The mayor of New Berlin is David Ament. The Common Council adopts the city budget and passes laws, policies and regulations that govern the city.
Economy
Largest employers
According to the city's 2017 ''Comprehensive Annual Financial Report'', the largest employers in the city are:
Education
Schools in the School District of New Berlin are:
* New Berlin Eisenhower Middle/High School
* New Berlin West High School
New Berlin West Middle/High School is a public middle/high school located in New Berlin, Wisconsin. It is a part of the School District of New Berlin. The school serves grades 7 through 12. The school colors are blue and gold, and the school masc ...
* Elmwood Elementary
* Orchard Lane Elementary
* Poplar Creek Elementary
* Ronald Reagan Elementary
There are three private elementary (K4–8) schools in New Berlin:
* Heritage Christian Schools
* Star of Bethlehem Lutheran School
* Holy Apostles Elementary School
Recreation
New Berlin has 26 parks totaling approximately , of which are developed parks, are preserved as conservancy, comprise the New Berlin Hills Golf Course, and are in various states of development. Facilities include playing fields at Malone Park, near New Berlin's City Hall, and a disc golf course at Valley View Park, in the southeastern part of the city.
Recognition
'' Money magazine
''Money'' is an American personal finance brand and website owned by Ad Practitioners LLC and formerly also a monthly magazine, first published by Time Inc. (1972–2018) and later by Meredith Corporation (2018–2019). Its articles cover the g ...
'' ranked New Berlin #11 in its 2017 Top 100 Best Places to Live in America.
Notable people
* Meghan Coffey, Miss Wisconsin 2006
* Glenn Robert Davis
Glenn Robert Davis (October 28, 1914 – September 21, 1988) was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Wisconsin. He represented Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district from April 22, 1947 to January 3, 1957, and Wisconsi ...
, the only US Congressman native to Waukesha County
* Marc C. Duff, Wisconsin State Representative
* Alvarus E. Gilbert, Wisconsin State Representative and farmer
* George M. Humphrey
George Magoffin Humphrey (March 8, 1890January 20, 1970) was an American lawyer, businessman and banker. He served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury for President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Early life
Humphrey was born on March 8, 1 ...
, Wisconsin State Representative
* Benjamin Hunkins
Benjamin Hunkins (September 10, 1810April 27, 1900) was an American politician who had a role in shaping the Wisconsin constitution.
Early life
Hunkins, born in Charleston, Vermont in 1810, was the son of settler Robert Hastings Hunkins and Hann ...
, pioneer and Wisconsin territorial and state legislator
* Robert Hastings Hunkins, pioneer and Vermont state legislator
* Julie Goskowicz Koons, speed skater
* C. E. McIntosh, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer
* Terry Ratzmann
Terry Michael Ratzmann (April 29, 1960 – March 12, 2005) was an American mass murderer who killed seven members of his Church congregation, the Living Church of God (LCG), before committing suicide in Brookfield, Wisconsin in 2005.
Ba ...
, mass murderer
* John C. Schober, Wisconsin State Representative and lawyer
References
External links
City of New Berlin
{{authority control
Cities in Wisconsin
Cities in Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Populated places established in 1836
1836 establishments in Wisconsin Territory