Cambridge is a village in Dane and Jefferson counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. The population was 1,638 at the 2020 census, of which 1,539 were in Dane County and 99 were in Jefferson County. The Dane County portion is part of the Madison Metropolitan Area and the Jefferson County portion a part of the Watertown– Fort Atkinson micropolitan statistical area, which itself a part of the larger Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha Combined Statistical Area.

History

Cambridge Wisconsin Public School and High School NRHP

The settlement of Cambridge dates back to October 15, 1847, when the farmer Joseph Keyes filed plans with the Register of Deeds of Dane County. The first structure in the area was a dam on the northern part of Koshkonong Creek. By the late 1880s, Cambridge had grown into a community of about 700 people with shops, hotels, and a post office. Future inventor Ole Evinrude lived there. In 1890 a devastating fire broke out, destroying most of the businesses and parts of Main Street. The town was rebuilt by 1910, following the fire, and the invention of the automobile ignited tourism. Nearby Lake Ripley became a destination for many Chicago travelers. During the 1980s and 1990s, Cambridge was touted as the "salt glaze pottery capital of the world" because of the potteries located there. After Cambridge lost much of its pottery draw, the village began to draw mountain bikers from southeastern Wisconsin. CamRock County Park offers trails for hiking and cross-country skiing, and a 16-mile mountain bike track.

Geography

Cambridge is located at (43.004089, -89.017201). 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 is land and is water. Koshkonong Creek runs through the center of the village, flowing south to Lake Koshkonong.

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 1,457 people, 615 households, and 397 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 654 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.8%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% 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 1.7% of the population. There were 615 households, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.4% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the village was 41.3 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 30.2% were from 45 to 64; and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,101 people, 470 households, and 303 families living in the village. The

was . There were 483 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.55%

, 0.09%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population. There were 470 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.89. In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $52,039, and the median income for a family was $57,895. Males had a median income of $37,986 versus $29,018 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 $22,599. About 0.6% of families and 4.4% 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 1.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Cambridge is home to a weekly newspaper
The Cambridge News and Deerfield Independent
covering as its name suggests both communities. Cambridge is a part of the Madison radio and television market, stations from the Milwaukee market are also available over the air and via cable, satellite and OTT services in the Jefferson County portion of the village.

Notable people

* Carolyn Blanchard Allen, Wisconsin state representative * Arthur Davidson, one of four original founders of

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

* Ole Evinrude, inventor of the outboard marine engine and founder of Evinrude *

Matt Kenseth Matthew Roy Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and the current competition advisor for Legacy Motor Club in the NASCAR Cup Series. Most recently, he raced part-time in the Superstar Racing Exper ...

, 2003

NASCAR Winston Cup The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

Champion * Christopher Legreid, Wisconsin State Representative * John W. Porter, Wisconsin State Representative * Jason Schuler, former NASCAR driver

References

External links

Village of Cambridge
* Sanborn fire insurance map
1909
{{authority control Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Dane County, Wisconsin Villages in Jefferson County, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan statistical area 1847 establishments in Wisconsin Territory