Twin Lakes is a village in

Kenosha County Kenosha County () is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 169,151, and was estimated to be 168,754 in 2024, making it the eighth-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its co ...

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, along the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

border east of U.S. Highway 12, incorporated in 1937. With nearly 1000 acres of

surface water Surface water is water located on top of land, forming terrestrial (surrounding by land on all sides) waterbodies, and may also be referred to as ''blue water'', opposed to the seawater and waterbodies like the ocean. The vast majority of surfac ...

, the twin lakes of Mary and Elizabeth have drawn vacationers to numerous resorts as well as ice harvesters in the days of

icebox An icebox (also called a cold closet) is a compact non-mechanical refrigerator which was a common early-twentieth-century kitchen appliance before the development of safely powered refrigeration devices. Before the development of electric refrig ...

refrigeration. Today, many houses there are used for recreation, and the lakes remain a popular destination. Twin Lakes is home to about 6,041 permanent residents and a third more occasional ones.

History

Mary Rae, a native of England was born June 15, 1816. She came to America in 1833 and resided in what was to become known as “English Prairie”. In 1837 she was married to Jonathan Imeson, also an early settler on the prairie. Their son Robert was the first born son of European descent in the county. There were eight children in all, including the first set of twins born on the prairie. The girls were baptized Mary and Elizabeth. Both lakes were named after these girls, Lake Mary & Lake Elizabeth, which extended into Illinois, and almost to the English Prairie. A post office called Twin Lakes has been in operation since 1891.

Geography

Twin Lakes is located at (42.521554, −88.262885). 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 5,989 people, 2,345 households, and 1,618 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 3,251 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.2%

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 ...

, 0.6%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 1.4% 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 4.7% of the population. There were 2,345 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% 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, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the village was 38.9 years. 24.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% 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 5,124 people, 1,973 households, and 1,390 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 2,742 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.35%

, 0.37%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.02%

, 0.57% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.48% of the population. There were 1,973 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.05. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% 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 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $46,601, and the median income for a family was $54,583. Males had a median income of $42,589 versus $27,395 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 $22,226. About 4.5% of families and 6.6% 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 7.8% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

Twin Lakes was the inspiration and setting for the song, "Lake Marie," by singer-songwriter

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...

References

External links

Official website

Twin Lakes Chamber and Business Association's website
{{authority control Villages in Kenosha County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin