Big Bend is a village in Waukesha 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 1,483 at the 2020 census.

History

Big Bend was named by indigenous peoples for the change of direction in the Fox River. The first European-American settlers arrived from Andover, Vermont in 1846.

Geography

Big Bend is located at (42.887862, -88.211333). 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. Big Bend is located on the banks of the Fox River. The town is situated beside a portion of the river where it changes course from east to south, hence the name "Big Bend".

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 1,290 people, 486 households, and 375 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 503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% 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 2.3% of the population. There were 486 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.8% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the village was 40.8 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 33.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,278 people, 448 households, and 348 families living in the village. The

was 564.6 people per square mile (218.3/km²). There were 457 housing units at an average density of 201.9/sq mi (78.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.26%

, 0.47%

, 0.55% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.39%

, 0.39% from other races, and 0.70% from two or more races. 1.80% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 448 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.21. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $56,767, and the median income for a family was $61,771. Males had a median income of $40,583 versus $26,528 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 $22,072. About 0.9% of families and 2.9% 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 ...

, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Christ Lutheran School is a PreK3-8th grade school of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

in Big Bend. The village is also part of the Mukwonago Area School District. Big Bend Elementary School, within the village limits, serves grades K-6. Older students go to Parkview Middle School and Mukwonago High School.

Hygena Spring #2

In the late 1860s, Waukesha County was known as the “Saratoga of the West” due to plentiful, clean, and pure springs. At a time when many major municipal water supplies were tainted, the springs of Waukesha County were believed to have healing properties. They drew thousands of visitors to the springs and bath houses located in the county. During the early 1890s, local entrepreneur James M McElroy hatched a plan to pipe water from the Hygeia Spring, located in the Town of Waukesha, more than 100 miles to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Despite the fresh water of Lake Michigan, the Chicago River was contaminated with raw sewage, and many feared the water shortage would dissuade people from attending the exhibition. McElroy was to receive 8.5 cents per gallon, after commission, for shipping the water from Waukesha to Chicago. On May 12, 1892, a trainload of laborers and iron pipe were forced to retreat from the spring when village residents, armed with cannons and rifles, ordered them to leave the spring alone. Locals feared the mass pumping from the spring would destroy other springs in the area. After this mishap, McElroy purchased a spring outside of the Town of Waukesha in what is now the Village of Big Bend. He called it Hygena Springs II. McElroy did build his 100-mile pipe to Chicago, but once the water reached the exhibition, it was said to be stale and tasteless. Hygena Spring II still flows today. Though the spring is located on private property, the owners allow the public to enjoy the water.

Notable people

* David Craig, politician * Nicholas Godejohn, convicted of the 2015 murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, his at that time, girlfriend's mother, in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. * Hal Peck, baseball player. * Delbert K. Smith, Wisconsin politician, was born in Big Bend. * James Tormey, Wisconsin politician * Ellen Hunnicutt, author * David J. Eicher, editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space.

References

External links

Village of Big Bend
{{Authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Waukesha County, Wisconsin