Nelsonville is a village in Portage 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. The population was 158 at the 2020 census.

History

The community of Nelsonville began about 1855 when English immigrant Jerome Nelson built a six-foot-high dam spanning the

Tomorrow River The Tomorrow/Waupaca River is a river that flows wholly within the U.S. state of 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 ...

, with a sawmill across the river from where the flouring mill now stands. After Nelson returned from the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

he added the flouring mill in 1868. A post office was added in 1871, named Nelsonville for the mill owner. By 1876 two other businesses were there: the Nelson & Loberg general store, and Peterson Boots and Shoes. Other business started in subsequent years, and the Norwegian

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church in 1888. By 1913 the community had grown to about 170 people and other businesses included Swenson's Furniture Store, Loberg Company Mill, Nelsonville Creamery, and the State Bank of Nelsonville. At this point the community incorporated as a village, in part in an effort to remove saloons that the town of Amherst refused to outlaw.History of Nelsonville
Portage County Historical Society. The other high priority was to stop the pasturing of stock on the streets of the village.

Geography

Nelsonville is located at (44.493067, -89.312358). 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, of it is land and is water.

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 155 people, 61 households, and 39 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 67 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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% 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 1.3% of the population. There were 61 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% 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, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the village was 42.5 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.3% male and 49.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 191 people, 72 households, and 52 families living in the village. The

was 190.7 people per square mile (73.7/km²). There were 74 housing units at an average density of 73.9 per square mile (28.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.38%

, 1.05% Native American, and 1.57% from two or more races. There were 72 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were

living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $41,875, and the median income for a family was $56,250. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $23,438 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 $19,708. None of the families and 2.4% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and 13.0% of those over 64.

References

{{authority control Villages in Portage County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin