The Town of Brighton is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

located in Kenosha County,

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. The population was 1,422 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated communities of Brighton and Klondike are located within the town.

History

The first settlers in Brighton, a Dr. Johnson and a Mr. Wightman, arrived almost simultaneously in 1838.

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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.55%, are water.

Demographics

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 1,450 people, 504 households, and 402 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 524 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.24%

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 o ...

, 0.21%

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 ...

, 0.21% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.55% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.17% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 2.07% of the population. There were 504 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 15.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was age distributed as follows: 26.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were over 64 years. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $70,078, and the median income for a family was $74,479. Males had a median income of $42,321 versus $31,827 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 town was $26,518. About 1.0% of families and 1.9% 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 1.1% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Dwight L. Burgess, farmer and legislator, was born in and was chairman of what is now the town *

Lathrop Burgess Lathrop Burgess (August 31, 1805 – March 11, 1899) was an American carpenter and farmer from Brighton, Wisconsin who spent two one-year terms as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Kenosha County; the first as a Freesoiler, the sec ...

, farmer and legislator, lived in the town * John Dixon, businessman and legislator, was born in the town * Mathias J. Scholey, mayor of Kenosha and Wisconsin state representative, was born in the town"M. J. Scholey, Former Kenosha Mayor, Dead", ''Racine Journal News,'' June 11, 1917, pg. 6

Points of interest

* Richard Bong State Recreation Area, former site of the unfinished

R.I. Bong Air Force Base Richard I. Bong Air Force Base is an unfinished Air Force base. It was named after World War II aviator Major Richard Bong, Richard Ira Bong. The base was intended to be an air defense fighter base for the Chicago and Milwaukee areas. It was conc ...

and Wisconsin's largest area of preserved

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

, is located in the western part of Brighton.

References

External links

Town of Brighton official website
{{authority control Towns in Kenosha County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin