Amherst Junction is a village in Portage 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 383 at the 2020 census.

History

Amherst Junction was created when the railroad first came through the county. It was a junction between two railroads: the Wisconsin Central and the Green Bay and Lake Pepin railroads. Until 1875, the community was referred to as Groversburg, presumably after the Grover family that held considerable property in the area. But when a post office was established in March 1875, it was called Amherst Junction. It was not until 1911 that the village was incorporated. By 1914, the village had become an important buying and shipping center for potatoes. Many people traveling to the eastern and northeastern parts of the county would detrain in Amherst Junction and hire a rig from a livery in the village to take them to their destination. The village at one time had 36 businesses which included: five taverns, two hotels, two grocery stores, dancehalls, depots, feed stores, four potato warehouses, a blacksmith, a livery stable, a meat market, bank, hardware store, car dealership, a post office, a school, and a turkey processing plant. The Summit House, a fairly large hotel, was built in the village around 1872 or 1873 by H. N. Livermore. Since the hotel was a popular place to stay, eat and dance, Amherst Junction must have been a gathering center for many of the surrounding communities. The Summit House remained in business until 1939, when it was dismantled and its lumber was used to build a new home for the owner. At one time, the hotel was operated by Zilphia Moyers Een, the county's first woman hotel keeper.

Geography

Amherst Junction is located at (44.469523, -89.316827). 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 377 people, 137 households, and 102 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 146 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 100.0%

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 ...

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 0.5% of the population. There were 137 households, of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% 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, 3.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.5% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age in the village was 35.2 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 305 people, 109 households, and 75 families living in the village. The

was 256.2 people per square mile (99.0/km²). There were 111 housing units at an average density of 93.2 per square mile (36.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 100.00%

. There were 109 households, out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.28. In the village, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $44,500, and the median income for a family was $50,750. Males had a median income of $36,667 versus $21,563 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 $19,261. None of the families and 1.8% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and 9.5% of those over 64.

References

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