Menasha was a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
in
Winnebago 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, west of the
Fox River across from the city of
Menasha, Wisconsin
Menasha () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago and Calumet County, Wisconsin, Calumet counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 18,268 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Of this, 15,144 were in Winn ...
. The population was 18,498 at the 2010 census,
making it the second most populous town in the state of Wisconsin at the time of its dissolution.
The unincorporated community of
Waverly Beach was located partially in the town. In an April 2016 referendum, the portion of the town west of
Little Lake Butte des Morts voted to become the village of
Fox Crossing.
The remaining portions of the town were annexed to Fox Crossing on September 22, 2016, effectively ending the existence of the town.
History
The Town of Menasha was officially organized on April 3, 1855, in part from land formerly belonging to the neighboring town of Neenah.
Village incorporation
Discussion of the Town of Menasha being incorporated into a village began as early as 1979, when the name ''Bridgeview'' was proposed. A referendum on the matter was brought to residents in 2002 (again with the proposed village name of Bridgeview), which was defeated.
In December 2014, a petition was circulated to incorporate the west side of the town as the Village of Fox Crossing. It needed 50 signatures to file the petition in Winnebago County court; it had received over 200 by March 2015.
Town leaders estimate that it would cost $85000 to incorporate and possibly $75000 in legal fees to defend against challenges.
An incorporation committee suggested incorporating 10600 residents west of the Fox River followed later by annexing the 7900 residents east of the river.
Incorporation of Fox Crossing as a village, comprising the land west of Little Lake Butte des Morts became final on April 20, 2016. This roughly reduced the area of the Town of Menasha by half.
The long term plan after this was finalized was to fold the remaining portions of the Town of Menasha into the new village, assuming there were no objections from remaining town residents.
On August 17, 2016, an agreement was reached between the Village of Fox Crossing and the remaining Town of Menasha to annex all remaining Town of Menasha lands to Fox Crossing. When completed, this would effectively end the existence of the Town of Menasha, on a timeline "on or as soon after the (agreement) as practical". There were no petitions filed by town residents objecting to this. On September 22, 2016, the Town of Menasha ceased when remaining parts of the town were annexed into Fox Crossing.
Geography
The town was located in the northeast corner of Winnebago County and partially surrounds the city of Menasha. It was located at the north end of
Lake Winnebago, the outlet of which, the
Fox River, flowed through the middle of the town as
Little Lake Butte des Morts.
The city of
Neenah bordered the town to the south, and the town of
Clayton lay to the west. To the north and east was
Outagamie County, with the city of
Appleton to the northeast, and the towns of
Grand Chute and
Greenville to the north.
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 , or 12.50%, 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 2000, there were 15,858 people, 6,298 households, and 4,320 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 1,277.9 people per square mile (493.4/km
2). There were 6,521 housing units at an average density of 525.5 per square mile (202.9/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.44%
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 ...
, 0.39%
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 ...
, 0.45%
Native American, 1.66%
Asian, 0.04%
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 ...
, 1.19% from
other races, and 0.83% 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 3.11% of the population.
There were 6,298 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% 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, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the town the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,887, and the median income for a family was $60,097. Males had a median income of $41,093 versus $27,313 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 $24,393. About 3.3% 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 5.0% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
*
William P. Grimes, businessman, farmer, and politician, lived in the town; Grimes served as chairman of the town board.
*
Helen F. Thompson, businesswoman, teacher, and politician, was born in the town.
*
Esther K. Walling, businesswoman and politician. lived in the town; Walling served as chair of the town board.
['Wisconsin Blue Book 1987.' Biographical Sketch of Esther K. Walling, pg. 59]
Gallery
File:TownOfMenashaWisconsinWaterTower.jpg, Watertower
File:TownOfMenashaWisconsinSign.jpg, Road sign
File:TownOfMenashaWisconsinWatertower.jpg, Watertower near University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Former populated places in Wisconsin