St. Francis is a city in

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Milwaukee County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely ...

, United States. The population was 9,161 at the 2020 census. A suburb of

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 ...

along

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

, 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 is now St. Francis was known as "Nojoshing" by local Native Americans at the time that the first white settlers arrived. St. Francis Seminary was established in what is now the city in 1845. The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi settled there in the mid-19th century. Historically, what is now the city of St. Francis was part of the

Town of Lake The Town of Lake was formerly a town in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, which existed from January 2, 1838 to April 6, 1954. Currently, Lake has become a neighborhood of Milwaukee called Town of Lake. Geography After 1840, using c ...

. As large parts of the Town of Lake were gradually being annexed into the city of Milwaukee, residents in the St. Francis area sought to incorporate their community to prevent this from happening to them. A movement to split St. Francis off from the rest of the Town of Lake as a city existed as early as the 1920s, but faced resistance from residents of the rest of the town. Ultimately, the residents successfully voted to incorporate on July 24, 1951, and the result was certified the next day. The rest of the Town of Lake was annexed into Milwaukee in 1954."City of St. Francis"
Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. The city took its name from

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, located in the Milwaukee suburb of St. Francis, Wisconsin. Its main building, called Henni Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...

, founded by Archbishop

John Henni John Martin Henni (June 15, 1805 – September 7, 1881) was a Swiss-born Catholic prelate who served as the first Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1843 until his death in 1881. Biography Early life and education John Henni was born on June 15, 1805 ...

, the first

Archbishop of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southeast Wisconsin in the United States. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the Metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan s ...

, who placed it under the

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

Francis de Sales Francis de Sales, Congregation of the Oratory, C.O., Order of Minims, O.M. (; ; 21 August 156728 December 1622) was a Savoyard state, Savoyard Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Geneva and is a saint of the Catholic Church. He became n ...

, the first Catholic bishop of Switzerland after the

Swiss Reformation The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...

Geography

St. Francis is located at (42.969615, -87.876745). 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 city has a total area of , all of it land. The city is located directly south and east of the City of

, directly west of

, and directly north of

Cudahy, Wisconsin Cudahy () is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,204 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb south of Milwaukee along the shore of Lake Michigan, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan are ...

. Milwaukee's primary

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is a civil–military airport south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States., effective April 17, 2025. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated ...

, is bordered on one side by St. Francis.

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 9,365 people, 4,494 households, and 2,210 families living in the city. 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 4,828 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.8%

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 ...

, 2.7%

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 ...

, 1.0% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 2.8% from other races, and 2.5% 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 9.4% of the population. There were 4,494 households, of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% 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, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.8% were non-families. 42.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age in the city was 42 years. 15.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.3% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 8,662 people, 4,050 households, and 2,158 families living in the city. The

was 3,421.7 people per square mile (1,321.9/km²). There were 4,193 housing units at an average density of 1,656.4 per square mile (639.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.77%

, 0.97%

, 0.88% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 1.50% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population. There were 4,050 households, out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,721, and the median income for a family was $49,896. Males had a median income of $37,013 versus $27,129 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 city was $21,837. About 2.7% of families and 6.5% 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 4.6% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The

Saint Francis School District The St. Francis School District is a public school district in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Milwaukee County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the pop ...

, which provides public education for the area, includes three schools: *Willow Glen (kindergarten - 3rd Grade) *Deer Creek (4th - 8th grade) * Saint Francis High School (9th - 12th grade)

Notable residents

* Leo Joseph Brust, Roman Catholic bishop * Daniel D. Hanna, Wisconsin State Representative * Louise M. Tesmer, Wisconsin State Representative, Wisconsin Circuit Judge

References

External links

City of St. Francis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Francis, Wisconsin Cities in Wisconsin Cities in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Wisconsin populated places on Lake Michigan 1951 establishments in Wisconsin