Slinger (formerly Schleisingerville) is a village in Washington 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 5,992 at the 2020 census, and Slinger is on the outer edge 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 ...

Toponymy

The village was originally known as Schleisingerville, after

Baruch Schleisinger Weil Baruch Schleisinger Weil, born Baruch Schleisinger, also known as Benjamin S. Weil, () was a French American immigrant, farmer, real estate broker, and politician. He is the founder and namesake of Slinger, Wisconsin; he served three years in the ...

, a merchant and politician who developed the community as a railroad stop in the 1840s and 1850s. Locals sometimes abbreviated the four-syllable name to "Slinger," and on May 3, 1921, the village residents overwhelmingly voted to make Slinger the official name.

History

Northern Pacific Railroad map circa 1900 Schleisingerville

In the early 19th century, the Slinger area was home to

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

Native Americans, who surrendered the land the United States Federal Government in 1833 through the

1833 Treaty of Chicago The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an agreement between the United States government and the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. It required them to cede to the United States government their of land (including reservations) in Illinois, ...

, which (after being ratified in 1835) required them to leave Wisconsin by 1838. While many Potawatomis moved west of the Mississippi River to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, some chose to remain, and were referred to as "strolling Potawatomi" in contemporary documents because many of them were migrants who subsisted by

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building (usually residential) that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there wer ...

on their ancestral lands, which were now owned by white settlers. One band of strolling Potawatomi travelled through

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

, Jefferson, and Washington counties, and was led by Chief Kewaskum, who had a camp on Pike Lake, west of Slinger. Kewaskum was friendly with the white settlers who began arriving in the 1840s. He died sometime between 1847 and 1850, and the early settlers named the Village of Kewaskum in his honor. Itinerant Potawatomis lived in Washington County into the late 19th century, when many of them gathered in northern Wisconsin to form the

Forest County Potawatomi Community The Forest County Potawatomi Community () is a federally recognized tribe of Potawatomi people with approximately 1,400 members as of 2010. The community is based on the Forest County Potawatomi Indian Reservation, which consists of numerous n ...

, a

Jewish-American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...

immigrant from

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, laid the village's foundation when he bought 2,000 acres of land in Washington County on November 1, 1845. He soon built a general store to serve local farmers, loggers and Native Americans, and later opened a distillery. Other merchants and manufacturers, including blacksmiths, shoemakers, wagon makers and tanners, began settling in the area, which was called "Schleisingerville" in Weil's honor. For the first two decades of its history, the community was part of the Town of Polk, which was organized on January 21, 1846. In 1850, Weil opened a post office and in 1855 he worked to have the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad pass through the community. The rail line was completed on August 23, 1855. The village grew because of its rail connections and incorporated out of some of the Town of Polk's land in 1869. From the mid-19th century into the mid-20th century, the community was predominantly rural, and most of the businesses supplied farmers and area residents. In its first decades, the village had a distinctly German culture. The first Catholic church opened in 1862, and the first Lutheran Church opened in 1863. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the village had a

Turnverein Turners (, ) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber (1798–1872), were the leading sponsors of gymnastics as ...

and a German-language weekly newspaper called ''Der Botschafter'' (English: ''The Messenger''). Following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the village saw the growth of heavy industry, including the Slinger Foundry Company, which manufactures parts for

Briggs & Stratton Briggs & Stratton Corporation is an American manufacturer of small engines with headquarters in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Engine production averages 10 million units per year as of April 2015. The company reports that it has 13 large faciliti ...

and

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 ...

. Between 1970 and 2000, the village experienced rapid population growth and real estate development, and Washington County became increasingly suburbanized.

Geography

Slinger is located at (43.328466, -88.283461). 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. Slinger is known as the "village of seven hills" as it rests in the heart of the Kettle Moraine.

Climate

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 5,068 people, 2,029 households, and 1,390 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 2,182 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.2%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% 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 2.3% of the population. There were 2,029 households, of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% 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, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the village was 37.2 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,901 people, 1,562 households, and 1,040 families living in the village. The

was 1,046.8 people per square mile (403.8/km²). There were 1,607 housing units at an average density of 431.2 per square mile (166.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.95%

, 0.26%

, 0.15% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.41% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population. There were 1,562 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $47,125, and the median income for a family was $55,607. Males had a median income of $40,783 versus $25,723 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 $21,450. About 6.0% of families and 6.4% 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 6.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

* Little Switzerland Ski area is in Slinger. * Slinger is home to the Slinger Speedway, the world's fastest quarter-mile paved oval.. * Slinger contains the 1.14 acre Slinger splash pad.

Education

Slinger is served by the School District of Slinger. Schools include Slinger Elementary School, Allenton Elementary, Addison Elementary, Slinger Middle School, and

Slinger High School Slinger High School is a public secondary educational institution in Slinger, Wisconsin, United States. Overview Founded in 1914, the school operates within the Slinger School District, providing education to students from the communities of S ...

. Slinger is also home to St. Peter Catholic School, which provides private elementary education.

References

External links

* * Sanborn fire insurance maps
189419001913
{{authority control Villages in Washington County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin