Potter is a village in Calumet County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The population was 244 at the 2020 census.

History

Potter was established near a Native American village along the

Manitowoc River The Manitowoc River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed December 19, 2011 river in eastern Wisconsin in the United States. It flows into Lake Michigan at the city of M ...

. It was originally named Muskratville because of the large number of

muskrat The muskrat or common muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over various climates ...

s that lived in the river and were trapped for their fur.

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Captain Orin R. Potter settled in Potter in 1859 and established a feed mill. That same year he renamed the village Potter Mills, which was later shortened to Potter.

150 years celebration

The village celebrated its 150th anniversary on July 19, 2009, with the second parade in the village's history. The first parade was a 1907 "Medicine man parade." Five of Potter's great-great grandchildren attended the parade.

Geography

Potter is located at (44.118544, -88.095467). 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 village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.

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 253 people, 98 households, and 70 families living in the village. 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 99 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.8%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 2.0% Native American, and 0.4% 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 2.8% of the population. There were 98 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the village was 38.8 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.1% were from 25 to 44; 23.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 223 people, 78 households, and 59 families living in the village. The

was 422.6 people per square mile (162.5/km²). There were 80 housing units at an average density of 151.6 per square mile (58.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.31%

, 0.45% Native American, and 2.24% from two or more races. There were 78 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were

living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.23. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.6% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $43,958, and the median income for a family was $45,833. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $22,614 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 village was $14,519. About 6.3% of families and 5.7% 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 ...

, including 6.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.3% of those 65 or over.

Notable residents

* Lawrence Duchow, bandleader *

Henry Kleist Henry Kleist (September 29, 1860 – November 13, 1929) was a farmer from Rantoul, Wisconsin, United States, who served one term as a state senator. He was a member of the Socialist Party. Kleist was born on a farm in the Town of Eaton, Manitowo ...

, farmer and

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

* Otto Lerche, farmer and Socialist

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Calumet County, Wisconsin