The Town of Union is located in Door County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 880 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Shoemaker Point and

Namur Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur stands at the confl ...

are located in the town.

Geography

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

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

has a total area of 35.9 square miles (93.0 km²), of which, 21.2 square miles (54.8 km²) of it is land and 14.7 square miles (38.2 km²) of it (41.02%) is water. The Heyrman I archeological site was used by Native Americans for camping and stoneworking purposes. It is located on a sandy ridge parallel to Highway 57 to the north of Cedar Road. The Vandermissen Brickworks was the first brickmaking site ever excavated for archeological purposes in the state.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 880 people, 335 households, and 259 families residing in the town. 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 41.6 people per square mile (16.0/km²). There were 512 housing units at an average density of 24.2 per square mile (9.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.20%

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 ...

, 0.34%

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 ...

, 0.23% Asian, and 0.23% 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 0.45% of the population. There were 335 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% 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, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $47,604, and the median income for a family was $51,917. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $21,875 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 town was $19,372. About 4.1% of families and 5.1% 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 2.4% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

History

In 1865 a portion of the Town of Brussels, was set off, under the name of the Town of Union. The people in the Town of Union have, as a general thing, been united in their public matters, and have "pulled together" hence the petitioners considered "Union" an appropriate name for the town. Chaudoir's Dock was an important shipping and working dock within the town. The state authorized the Chaudoir brothers to build and maintain a dock and pier into the bay in 1874. In 1944 the dock was sold to the county in the interest in keeping the dock open to the public.

Most Belgian American towns

The Town of Union, Door County, Wisconsin is the most

Belgian American Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, most Belgian immigrants ...

community in the United States, by proportion of residents. # Town of Union, (Door County), Wisconsin: 49% # Town of Red River, (Kewaunee County): 47% # Town of Brussels, (Door County): 36.4% (composed of "Brussels community" & "Namur Community") # Town of Lincoln, (Kewaunee County) 35.4% # Town of Green Bay, (Brown County) 31.8%Green Bay (town), WI
''epodunk.com'' (Archived September 21, 2017)

Climate

References

{{authority control Belgian-American culture in Wisconsin Towns in Door County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin