The Town of Madison was located in Dane 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. Established in 1836, the town ceased to exist on October 31, 2022. Its population was 6,236 at the 2020 United States census. The majority of the town's territory was situated along the Madison Beltline Highway, comprising several neighborhoods situated between the south side of the city of Madison, and the north side of the city of Fitchburg. The town also had territory on the north side of Madison near the border with Maple Bluff, as well as a few lots on the west side of Madison near Whitney Way. The Dane County Expo Center and Alliant Energy Center were situated within the Town of Madison. Despite its status as an unincorporated community, the Town of Madison provided a variety of services to its residents that typically would be found only in incorporated cities and villages, including trash and recycling services; police, fire and emergency medical services; sewer and water utilities; and three public parks.

History

The original Town of Madison encompassed approximately , and was organized on February 2, 1846. In 1856 the Wisconsin Legislature chartered the city of Madison, leaving the remainder as the town. Most of this land was gradually incorporated into various municipalities, especially the City of Madison, leaving the town as a collection of discontinuous areas subject to annexation. For example, the Burr Oaks neighborhood had an area in the Town of Madison and an area in the City of Madison, connected by Cypress Way. That was the same case with part of the Capitol View Heights neighborhood, connected by Sundstrom and Nygard Streets. In the wake of continued controversy and an effort in the state legislature to simply abolish the town, an agreement was reached in 2003 to provide for the incorporation of the remaining portions of the town (by then down to less than , including bodies of water) into the city of Madison and the city of Fitchburg on October 31, 2022. The dissolution took place on schedule.

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 had a total area of , of which was land and (0.67%) was water.

Demographics

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 6,279 people, 2,852 households, and 1,212 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 4,234.1 people per square mile (1,669.5/km²). There were 3,069 housing units at an average density of 2,069.5 per square mile (799/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 54.6%

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 ...

, 20.1%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.9% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 0.0%

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 ...

, 13.7% from other races, and 4.8% from two or more races. 28.0% of the population were

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. There were 2,852 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 22.6% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.5% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 3.19. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 25, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,766, and the median income for a family was $37,344. Males had a median income of $31,450 versus $25,795 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 $19,566. About 22.0% of families and 25.9% 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 51.2% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over."U.S. Census website"

, 2006-2010 American Community Survey. Retrieved June 20, 2012.

References

External links

Town of Madison government website

Madison – Town of Madison – Fitchburg boundary change map

{{authority control Towns in Dane County, Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan statistical area Towns in Wisconsin Former populated places in Wisconsin 1846 establishments in Wisconsin Territory 2022 disestablishments in Wisconsin Populated places established in 1846 Populated places disestablished in 2022