Merton is a town in

Waukesha County Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha. Waukesha Co ...

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; before Wisconsin statehood, it was called Warren. The population was 7,988 at the 2000 census. The town surrounds the villages of Chenequa and Merton. The unincorporated communities of Camp Whitcomb, Monches, and North Lake are in the town and the unincorporated community of Stone Bank is partially in the town. The pioneer

Swedish-American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...

settlement of New Upsala was also at one time located within Merton.

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 28.3 square miles (73.2 km²) of which 25.7 square miles (66.7 km²) is land and 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) (8.88%) is water. Located in the ''Lake Country'' area of Waukesha County.

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 7,988 people, 2,706 households, and 2,278 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 310.3 people per square mile (119.8/km²). There were 2,932 housing units at an average density of 113.9 per square mile (44.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.65%

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, 0.15%

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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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.05%

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, 0.20% from

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, and 0.33% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were

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. There were 2,706 households, of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.9% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.26. In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $78,937, and the median income for a family was $83,331. Males had a median income of $54,438 versus $35,672 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 $34,633. About 1.0% of families and 1.3% 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 t ...

, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those aged 65 or over.

Notable people

* Ephraim Beaumont, Wisconsin State Representative, lived in the Town of Merton"Death of Eph. Beaumont," ''Waukesha Freeman,'' January 2. 1919 *

Chester Dempsey Chester E. Dempsey (July 20, 1896 – October 4, 1969) was an American farmer and politician. Born in the town of Merton, Wisconsin, Dempsey owned and operated a dairy farm. He served on the Waukesha County, Wisconsin Board of Supervisors and in ...

, Wisconsin State Senator, was born in the Town of Merton * Judson Hall, Wisconsin State Representative, was born in the Town of Merton *

James Barney Marsh James Barney Marsh (April 12, 1856June 26, 1936) was an American engineer and bridge designer. He patented a new design for arch bridges. Marsh gave Archie Alexander, the first African-American to graduate as an engineer from Iowa State Univers ...

, bridge designer, was born in the Town of Merton

References

External links

Town of Merton government website
{{authority control Towns in Waukesha County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin