Grafton, Wisconsin

Grafton, Wisconsin
—  Village  —
Location of Grafton, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°19′9″N 87°55′54″W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Ozaukee
Area
• Total	4.10 sq mi (10.62 km2)
• Land	4.06 sq mi (10.52 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation	709 ft (216 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	10,312
• Density	2,515/sq mi (971/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	262
FIPS code	55-30025
GNIS feature ID	1583294

Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,312 at the 2000 census. The village is adjacent to the Town of Grafton and the City of Cedarburg.

History

The area now known as Grafton is one of the oldest in Ozaukee County. In 1838, Timothy Wooden purchased approximately 145 acres (0.59 km²) of land, which became the business district of Grafton. By 1841 development was underway, with the area consisting mainly of settlers of German descent. Located along the Milwaukee River, the village was incorporated in 1896. During the next century, Grafton's economy grew from a predominantly lumber-oriented industry base to a community of many occupations.

Ulao

A small community called Ulao, which was located just east of Grafton, was annexed by Grafton.

Notable people

• Peter Cunningham (racing driver), race car driver
• Charles Guiteau, assassin
• Susan Lynn Hefle, scientist
• Frank J. Weber, legislator and union organizer
• Ralph Zaun, legislator and businessman

Geography

Grafton is located at 43°19′4″N 87°57′14″W (43.317904, -87.954113).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.98%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,312 people, 4,048 households, and 2,878 families residing in the village. (As of January 1, 2009, the population is 11,470.) The population density was 2,552.0 people per square mile (985.5/km²). There were 4,165 housing units at an average density of 1,030.8 per square mile (398.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.72% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 1.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,048 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% 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 3.06.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,918, and the median income for a family was $65,825. Males had a median income of $45,451 versus $27,488 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,948. About 0.6% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Grafton is served by both the Grafton School District and the Cedarburg School District. Grafton is served by two high schools, one within the village, Grafton High School and a second in Cedarburg, Cedarburg High School.

Economy

Grafton is a community of varied industries, including fabricated metal and plastic products, machinery, printing and publishing, electric and electronic equipment and other manufacturing concerns.

The village experienced a great deal of development beginning in the late 1990s. Adjacent to Interstate 43 is Grafton Commons shopping center, made up of chain businesses and big box stores, hotels, and restaurants. In November 2010, Aurora Health Care opened the first entirely 'green' 107-bed regional medical center in Wisconsin.

Downtown Grafton, at the Paramount Plaza

The downtown district has witnessed several redevelopment projects, including several new businesses and a mid-2000s streetscaping, which created Paramount Plaza.

On the village's south side, a Pick'n Save grocery store is the anchor tenant of a new 80,000-square-foot (7,400 m²) commercial development, Highland Ridge. Demolition of the former Manchester Mall will allow for the construction of an adjacent condo development. In 2009, a new commercial strip center, Creekside Plaza, was completed, and a stone farm house was renovated into a North Shore Bank.

As part of its 12-year facility plan, the Village of Grafton is upgrading its municipal buildings to accommodate community needs. Construction projects have included a replacement fire station built in 1999, a children's library addition to the USS Liberty Memorial Public Library in 2000, a police station renovation and expansion in 2007, and the relocation of the Village Hall offices to a newly renovated building in November 2009. The last major municipal project - Municipal Services Facility, which will house the Public Works and Parks and Recreation Departments, was completed in August 2010.

Businesses

• Grafton was home to Paramount Records, which produced blues and jazz records by artists between 1918 and 1935. The artists included Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, Skip James, Papa Charlie Jackson, Ida Cox, and Ma Rainey.
• Grafton is home to the first Costco Store in Wisconsin, which opened on August 30, 2007.
• Grafton is home to the largest Kohl's department store in Wisconsin.^{[citation needed]}
• Grafton is home to the new Aurora Medical Center which opened in November 2010. This is the first "Green" hospital built by Aurora Health Care

External links

• Village of Grafton
• School District of Grafton
• Historical information on Grafton's Paramount Records
• Early History of Grafton is Recalled in Talk by Ralph Zaun