Brussels is a town 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 1,136 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
,
Misere, and
Kolberg are located in the town. The unincorporated community of
Rosiere is also located partially in the town.
History
Brussels, a
civil town in Door County, was created on November 12, 1858.
The largest Belgian-American settlement in the United States is located in portions of
Brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing and painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors Orange (colour), orange and black.
In the ...
,
Kewaunee, and Door counties in Wisconsin, adjacent to the waters of Green Bay.
Walloons
Walloons ( ; ; ) are a Gallo-Romance languages, Gallo-Romance ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Walloons primarily speak ''langues d'oïl'' such as B ...
settled the region in the 1850s and their descendants still constitute a high proportion of the population. A variety of elements attests to the Belgian-American presence: place names (Brussels,
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 ...
, Rosiere,
Luxemburg), the
Walloon language
Walloon (; natively ; ) is a Romance language that is spoken in much of Wallonia and, to a very small extent, in Brussels, Belgium; some villages near Givet, northern France; and a clutch of communities in northeastern Wisconsin, United States ...
, surnames, foods (booyah, trippe, and jutt), the
Kermis harvest festival, and especially architecture. Many of the original wooden structures of the Belgian Americans were destroyed in a
firestorm
A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...
that swept across southern Door County in October 1871. A few stone houses made of local dolomite survived. More common are 1880s red brick houses, distinguished by modest size and gable-end, bull's-eye windows. Some houses have detached summer kitchens with bake ovens appended to the rear. And the Belgians, many of them devout Catholics, also erected small roadside votive chapels like those in their homeland.
Most Belgian-American towns
Brussels, Wisconsin is the third-most
Belgian-American community in the United States, by proportion of residents.
#
Union, Door County, Wisconsin
The Town of Union is located in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 880 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Shoemaker Point and Namur are located in the town.
Geography
According to the United States Ce ...
: 49%
#
Red River, Wisconsin (Kewaunee County): 47%
# Brussels, Wisconsin (Door County): 36.4% (composed of "Brussels community" & "Namur Community")
#
Lincoln, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
Lincoln is a town (Wisconsin), town in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 948 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Lincoln (community), Wisconsin, Lincoln, Gregorville, Wiscon ...
: 35.4%
#
Green Bay (town), Wisconsin (Brown County): 31.8%
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 has a total area of 36.2 square miles (93.6 km
2), all of it land.
Brussels Hill
The 102 ft high Brussels Hill (, elevation 851 feet) is the highest point in the county. It has been explained as the result of a meteorite impact. The hill is missing blocks of rock ripped off during glaciation. The broken rocks leave behind nearly horizontal and vertical rock surfaces along the pre-existing weaknesses (
beds
A bed is a piece of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax.
Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many be ...
and
joints
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
) in the rock. This is considered a feature of
glaciokarst geology.
Demographics
2000
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 1,112 people, 403 households, and 303 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 30.8 people per square mile (11.9/km
2). There were 428 housing units at an average density of 11.8 per square mile (4.6/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.93%
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 ...
, 0.18%
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 ...
, 0.72%
Native American, 0.81%
Asian, 0.09% from
other races, and 0.27% 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 403 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% 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, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $42,212, and the median income for a family was $45,341. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $21,678 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 $16,871. About 4.3% of families and 6.5% 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 8.6% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.
2010
The census of 2010 revealed there were 1,136 people, 430 households, and 330 families residing within the town.
2020
As of the 2020 census, there were 1,125 people, 469 housing units, and 444 families in the town. The racial makeup was 94.2%
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, 0.2%
Asian, 1.0% from some other race, and 4% from
two or more races
Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...
. Those of
Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population.
The ancestry was 31.6%
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, 4.5%
Irish, 4.1%
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
* Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
, 3.9%
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
, 3.6%
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, 3.4%
French, 1.7%
Norwegian, and 1.5%
English.
The median age was 42.3 years old. A total of 16.4% of the population were 65 or older, with 11.0% between the ages of 65 and 74, 4.5% between the ages of 75 and 84, and 0.9% were 85 or older. A total of 24.8% of the population were under 18, with 8.8% under 5, 11.8% between 5 and 14, and 4.2% were between the ages of 15 and 17.
The median household income was $90,952, with families having $90,357, married couples having $92,321, and non-families having $55,833. A total of 9.2% of the population were in poverty, with 19.9% of people under 18, 4.8% of people between the ages of 18 and 64, and 9.3% of people 65 or older were in poverty.
Notable people
*
Erik Cordier, MLB player
*
Jim Flanigan
James Michael Flanigan Jr. (born August 27, 1971) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1994 to 2003. Most of his success came when he was with the Chicago Be ...
,
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player
*
Al Johnson,
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player
*
Ben Johnson, NFL player
References
External links
Belgian-American Research Collectionof the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
{{authority control
Towns in Door County, Wisconsin
Belgian-American culture in Wisconsin
Populated places established in 1858
1858 establishments in Wisconsin
Towns in Wisconsin