Chelsea is a town in Taylor County,

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. The population was 113 at the 2010 census. The census-designated places of Chelsea and

Whittlesey Whittlesey (also Whittlesea) is a market town and civil parish in the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. Whittlesey is east of Peterborough. The population of the parish was 16,058 at the 2011 Census. History and architecture W ...

are located in the town.

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land. Most of Chelsea is hilly, with small glacial lakes. It lies within the Perkinstown terminal moraine, which is described under Taylor County.

History

The six by seven mile square that would become Chelsea was first surveyed in 1861 by a crew working for the U.S. government. Then in April 1862 another crew marked all the section corners in the

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

, walking through the woods and swamps, measuring with

chain A chain is a wikt:series#Noun, serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression (physics), compression but line (g ...

and

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

. When done, the deputy surveyor filed this general description:

''The Surface of this Township is generally rolling and considerably Swampy. Timber principally Hemlock mixed with
Birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
Sugar
Spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ( taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the sub ...
(?) Tamarac Cedar and White Pine. It is watered by numerous Small Streams which unite and form two of considerable size one running in a Southerly direction and the other running NW and becoming a tributary of Chipewa river. The Township on the whole would not be very well adapted to agricultural purposes.''

When Taylor County was formed in 1875, Chelsea was six miles north to south, but it spanned the full width of the county, including all modern towns from Pershing to Greenwood. In 1933 much of the northwest quarter of Chelsea was designated part of the

Chequamegon National Forest Chequamegon Bay ( ) is an inlet of Lake Superior in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin. History A Native American village, known as ''Chequamegon'', developed here in the mid-17th century. It was developed b ...

Demographics

2010 census

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 2010, there were 113 people, 43 households, and 31 families living in the CDP. 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 . There were 51 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 99.1%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

and 0.9% from other races.

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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 43 households, out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 9.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.9% were non-families. 18.6% 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 2.63 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the CDP was 37.8 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.4% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the CDP was 44.2% male and 55.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 719 people, 274 households, and 201 families living in the town. The

was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 310 housing units at an average density of 7.7 per square mile (3.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.58%

, 0.14% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population. There were 274 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.10. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $44,659, and the median income for a family was $50,000. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $26,429 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 $19,798. About 0.9% of families and 3.5% 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 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Joseph Schmittfranz Joseph Schmittfranz (July 13, 1892 – July 13, 1932) was an American politician and cheese maker. Born in Chelsea, Wisconsin, Schmittfranz went to Medford High School. He then took the dairy course at University of Wisconsin. Schmittfranz liv ...

, Wisconsin State Representative, was born in the town'Wisconsin Blue Book 1931,' Biographical Sketch of Joseph Schmittfranz, pg. 216

References

{{authority control Towns in Taylor County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin