Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
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Menomonee Falls is a village in
Waukesha County, Wisconsin Waukesha County () is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its median income of $88,985 placed ...
, United States. Its population was 38,527 at the 2020 census, making it the most-populous village in Wisconsin. It is part of the
Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeastern Wisconsin, consisting of the city of Milwaukee and some of the surrounding area. There are several defini ...
.


History

The area that became Menomonee Falls was first inhabited by Native Americans, including the people of the
Menominee The Menominee ( ; meaning ''"Menominee People"'', also spelled Menomini, derived from the Ojibwe language word for "Wild Rice People"; known as ''Mamaceqtaw'', "the people", in the Menominee language) are a federally recognized tribe of Na ...
and Chippewa tribes. The town of Menomonee was created in December 1839. The Menomonee Falls area continued to grow throughout the 1870s. By 1890, the population of the area was 2,480. In 1892, a section of the town of Menomonee was incorporated as the village of Menomonee Falls. In 1894, the first village board was elected and the first village fire department formed. After becoming a village, many important buildings were built, including the village hall/fire station, Menomonee Falls High School, and the Wisconsin Sugar Factory. The Wisconsin Sugar Factory employed as many as 500 laborers and produced up to 15 million pounds of sugar annually. The first public telephone service was offered in 1902; a local electricity plant offered a substitute for kerosene lamps by 1907; water mains were installed in the 1910s; and the first sewer lines were laid in 1924. New neighborhoods were developed and the Menomonee Falls Public Library was built. The village's second bank, the Farmers and Merchants Bank, was established in 1908 by attorney Samuel A. Connell. By 1910, automobiles started being sold in the village, which led to an increase in paved roads. By 1919, Highway 15 connected Menomonee Falls to Milwaukee and Illinois and, by 1922, to Green Bay. In the early 20th century, a new municipal building was built to house village offices, the fire department, the police department, and a new Menomonee Falls Public Library. A subdivision named Hiawatha Heights added 58 single-family homes with 95% of the home buyers relocating from
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
. By 1940, the population had risen to 3,674. Along with all of this, the building of shopping areas had begun, including the Hiawatha Shopping Center, which today can be seen along Appleton Avenue, with Krueger's Entertainment and Pop's Custard as the main attractions. In the 1950s, more subdivisions were built, and
US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part i ...
was completed. This increased the attractiveness of Menomonee Falls, as an easy commute to Milwaukee jobs was now possible. In 1958, the village of Menomonee Falls annexed the remainder of the Town of Menomonee, which increased the total area from 2 to 32 square miles and the population from 4,500 to 12,000. In the 1960s, the school district built six new schools because of population growth in the baby-boom era. In 1965, a can manufacturing plant with a capacity of 150 million cans per year was established in the village, owned by Containers, Inc., a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
of the
Miller Brewing Company The Miller Brewing Company is an American brewery and beer company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1855 by Frederick Miller. Molson Coors acquired the full global brand portfolio of Miller Brewing Company in 2016, and operates the ...
and
Carnation Company Carnation is a brand of food products. The brand was especially known for its evaporated milk product created in 1899, then called Carnation Sterilized Cream
. "By the end of the 1960s, 48% of the population in the village was 19 years old or under." Both a better park system and better public services were developed. Several full-time police officers were hired, along with full-time firefighters. Shopping centers were developed and major employers established in the village, including
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 ...
and
Wacker Neuson Wacker Neuson SE (formerly: Wacker Construction Equipment AG) is a German manufacturer of construction equipment and compact machines for concrete and construction site technology. Headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, the company is list ...
. Old structures were razed to make way for several new streets. Near the end of the 20th century, Menomonee Falls continued to grow in population. Between 1990 and 2010, the population had grown by almost 9,000. New subdivisions and apartments were built in the community. Reports in 2016 state, "As of 2016, the Village had an estimated 36,907 residents and had become an important economic hub of Greater Milwaukee area." Major business developments include Kohl's Corporate campus and the Westbrook Corporate Center. A new village hall/municipal center was built and a new library.


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 village has a total area of , of which (0.12%) is covered by water. Fussville is a neighborhood of Menomonee Falls located at . Fussville was once a separate
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
; it was annexed by Menomonee Falls sometime between 1950 and 1960.


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, 35,626 people, 14,567 households, and 10,028 families resided 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 . The 15,142 housing units had an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.6% White, 3.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.0% of the population. Of the 14,567 households, 30.5% had children under 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.2% were not families. About 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the village was 43.3 years; the age distribution was 23.0% under 18, 6% from 18 and 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% 65 or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.


Economy

The overall economy of Menomonee Falls employs 18,839 people and "is specialized in Management of Companies and Enterprises; Manufacturing; and Wholesale trade". The largest industries in the village are manufacturing, healthcare/social assistance, and retail trade, which employ 3,917, 2,704 and 2,465 people, respectively. Income per capita with adults and children included is $36,386 with the median household income in Menomonee Falls being $73,350. The average male salary is $93,192 and average female salary is $61,294. The unemployment rate is 4.00% with a job growth rate of 0.73%. Sales tax is 5.1% and income tax is at 6.27%. Its poverty rate is 3.72%.


Top employers

According to Menomonee Falls's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the village are:


Parks and recreation

A 150-acre, 18-hole
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
, partially completed in the mid-1960s, sits at the southwest corner of the village. In the mid-1950s, the village held an Annual Field Day, an annual all-village family fair, part of the village's recreation program.


Government

Menomonee Falls has a governing body consisting of a board president and a six-member board of trustees. The current village board can be foun
here


Education

Menomonee Falls School District, which covers much of Menomonee Falls, operates
Menomonee Falls High School Menomonee Falls High School is a four-year public high school located in the village of Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County, Wisconsin in the United States. It is a part of the Menomonee Falls School District. The district (and therefore the h ...
, North Middle School, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Riverside Elementary School, Valley View Elementary School, and Shady Lane Elementary School. Saint Mary's Catholic School, Calvary Baptist School, Grace Lutheran School, Bethlehem Lutheran School, Zion Lutheran School, and Aquinas Academy are private schools in Menomonee Falls. Southwestern portions of Menomonee Falls lie within the Hamilton School District, which also serves all of the communities of Sussex, Lannon, and Butler, portions of Lisbon, and a small part of Pewaukee. In 2023, $250,000 were cut from the Menomonee Falls Public Library budget and three library board members were ousted with little to no transparency to the public. Fears mounted that the board would close the library because residents are, according to Brad Jubber, the village board representative on the Library Board at the time, "affluent and can buy their own books."


Media

* ''The Menomonee Falls Express News'' * ''
The Menomonee Falls Gazette ''The Menomonee Falls Gazette'' (subtitled "The international newspaper for comic art fans") was a weekly Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid published in the 1970s by Street Enterprises that reprinted newspaper comic strips from the United State ...
'' (1971–1978) – comic strip publication * ''
The Menomonee Falls Guardian ''The Menomonee Falls Guardian'' was a tabloid published in the mid-1970s by Street Enterprises (based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin) that reprinted humor comic strips from the United States and the UK. (''The Guardians sister publication, ''T ...
'' (1973–1976) – comic strip publication * ''Menomonee Falls Now''


Infrastructure

As of 1967, the water supply for the village was provided by four wells, providing a daily water capacity of five million gallons.
Milwaukee County Transit System The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) is the largest transit agency in Wisconsin, and is the primary transit provider for Milwaukee County. It ranks among the top 50 transit agencies in the United States for total passenger trips. Milwauke ...
bus routes 61 and 79 serve Menomonee Falls. The
Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
had a line running between Milwaukee and North Lake, which had a station in Menomonee Falls; it was eventually abandoned.


Notable people

*
Josh Bilicki Joshua Michael Bilicki (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation), Chevrolet SS for DGM Racing with Jesse Iwuj ...
, NASCAR driver *
Mark Borchardt Mark Borchardt (born August 20, 1966) is an American independent filmmaker. He is best known as the subject of the 1999 film '' American Movie'', which documented three years he spent writing, shooting and editing his horror short ''Coven'' (1997 ...
, independent filmmaker *
Mel Eslyn Mel Eslyn (born August 19, 1983) is an American film producer, director and writer. She works primarily in the Seattle independent film industry and has collaborated with Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass, Mark and Jay Duplass on numerous films. She ...
, film producer * Brett Hartmann,
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, 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 ...
punter * George E. Hoyt, Wisconsin state representative and senator *
Andy Hurley Andrew John Hurley (born May 31, 1980) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Fall Out Boy. Prior to Fall Out Boy, Hurley played in several hardcore punk bands. He joined Fall Out Boy as the full-time drummer in 2003 and ...
, drummer of
Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...
*
Elmer Klumpp Elmer Edward Klumpp (August 26, 1906 – October 18, 1996) was an American catcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Washington Senators in 1934 and the Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team fou ...
,
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
player * Cree Myles, influencer, writer, and organizer *
Victor Nehs Victor W. Nehs (July 28, 1887 – September 11, 1949) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. Born Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Nehs went to Marshfield High School in Marshfield, Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin Army National Gua ...
, Wisconsin state representative * Justus Henry Nelson,
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
missionary in the Amazon * John H. Niebler, Wisconsin state representative *
Vic Perrin Victor Herbert Perrin (April 26, 1916 – July 4, 1989)Cox, Jim (2007). ''Radio Speakers: Narrators, News Junkies, Sports Jockeys, Tattletales, Tipsters, Toastmasters and Coffee Klatch Couples Who Verbalized the Jargon of the Aural Ether fr ...
, actor *
Richard Riehle Richard Riehle (born May 12, 1948) is an American character actor. A prolific performer, he has appeared in over four hundred films, television shows and other projects, making him one of the most-credited live action performers. Life and career ...
, actor *
Lolita Schneiders Lolita Schneiders (March 3, 1931 – November 12, 2022) was an American politician, teacher, and businesswoman who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois, Schneiders went to Lour ...
, Wisconsin state representative'Wisconsin Blue Book 1995-1996,' Biographical Sketch of Lolita Schneiders, pg. 37 *
Barry Schultz Barry Schultz is a professional disc golfer based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has played disc golf since the early 1980s, and has been a professional since 1992. He is on the Innova Champion Discs Hall of Fame Team. For a number of years, ...
, professional disc golfer *
James Sensenbrenner Frank James Sensenbrenner Jr. (; born June 14, 1943) is an American politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2021 (numbered as the 9th district until 2003). He is a member of the Republican Party. ...
, U.S.
congressman A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
* Mike Solwold,
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 * Peter J. Somers, U.S. congressman *
Jessica Szohr Jessica Szohr (; born March 31, 1985) is an American actress. She started her screen career appearing on television shows such as '' My Wife and Kids'' (2003), ''Joan of Arcadia'' (2004), '' What About Brian'' (2007) and '' CSI: Miami'' (2007). S ...
, actress *
Bob Uecker Robert George Uecker ( ; January 26, 1934 – January 16, 2025) was an American professional baseball catcher and sportscaster who served as the play-by-play announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) for 54 seasons. He ...
, baseball radio broadcaster *
Joel Whitburn Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings. Early life Joel Carver Whitburn was born in W ...
, music historian * Mark Wilson, five-time winner on the
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...


See also

*
List of villages in Wisconsin This is a list of incorporated villages in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, arranged in alphabetical order. As of April 5, 2024, there were 419 villages in Wisconsin.Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. ''State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007-2008'', ...


References


External links

* * Sanborn fire insurance map
1910
{{Geographic location , Center=Menomonee Falls , Northwest= Willow Creek , North= Germantown , Northeast=
Mequon Mequon () is the most populous city in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,142 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located on Lake Michigan's western shore with significant commercial developments along Int ...
, East= Granville , Southeast=
Wauwatosa Wauwatosa ( ; colloquially Tosa) is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 48,387 at the 2020 census. Wauwatosa is a suburb located immediately west of Milwaukee and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It ...
, South= Elm Grove , Southwest= Brookfield Villages in Wisconsin Villages in Waukesha County, Wisconsin 1892 establishments in Wisconsin