Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
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| Country | United States of America | ||
| State | Wisconsin | ||
| County | Waukesha | ||
| Settled | 1837[1] | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor - Common Council | ||
| • Mayor | James Daley[2] | ||
| Area code(s) | 262 | ||
Oconomowoc (pronounced /oʊˈkɑːnəməwɑːk/) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 12,382 at the 2000 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oconomowoc and near the Village of Oconomowoc Lake.
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[edit] History
In April 1837, Oconomowoc was settled by Charles Sheldon.[3] He built a cabin where the current LaBelle Cemetery is.[3] The first recorded birth in Oconomowoc was Eliza Dewey in 1840.[3] The first death was a Mrs. Foster in 1841.[3] Until 1845, residents of Oconomowoc had to go to Summit to get their mail.[4] The first locomotive came into Oconomowoc in December 1854.[4]
In 2003 Oconomowoc acquired Pabst Farms from the Town of Summit. Pabst Farms, which had previously been owned by the Pabst family, is being developed as a mixture of commercial and residential property.
On April 2, 2008, a gas line exploded just west of downtown, destroying the First Baptist Church on West Wisconsin Avenue. The church, which was built in 1910, was completely destroyed, except for its bell tower frame. The cause of the explosion was from an old capped off gas line (capped in 1972-73 some time) collapsing due to a construction machine as utility work was being done on Wisconsin Avenue in preparation for reconstruction of the street.[5]
[edit] Geography
Oconomowoc is located at 43°6′31″N 88°29′49″W / 43.10861°N 88.49694°W (43.108814, -88.497019).[6] It is located in the Lake Country area of Waukesha County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²), where 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (6.81%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 12,382 people, 4,968 households, and 3,293 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,845.5 people per square mile (712.5/km²). There were 5,239 housing units at an average density of 780.9 per square mile (301.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.71% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. About 1.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Approximately 30.7% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. Some 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,250, and the median income for a family was $62,950. Males had a median income of $42,683 versus $29,057 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,716. About 0.8% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Oconomowoc is home to Oconomowoc High School, which is a member of the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference. The school sits on 53 acres (210,000 m2) and includes a sports complex. Over 1,400 students attended the school in the 2005-2006 school year. Elementary schools in Oconomowoc include: Greenland Elementary, Summit Elementary, Park Lawn Elementary, Meadow View Elementary, and Ixonia Elementary. Oconomowoc has two middle schools which are Silver Lake and Nature Hill Intermediate schools. These opened for the 2008-2009 year. They are all part of the Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD).
[edit] Culture
- The Wizard of Oz premiered at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc on August 12, 1939.[8]
- Oconomowoc is mentioned in episodes of Law & Order, The Cosby Show and Married... with Children.
- Bobby Shaftoe, fictional U.S. Marine Corps hero of Neal Stephenson's novel Cryptonomicon, hailed from Oconomowoc.
- The protagonist in Dave Eggers' novel You Shall Know Our Velocity is beaten up by a townie in Oconomowoc.
- Oconomowoc is mentioned in Chapter XXXI of Theodore Dreiser's The Titan.
- The Archer Hotel in N.D. Wilson's Ashtown Burials #1: The Dragon's Tooth is said to be near Oconomowoc.
[edit] Notable people
- John M. Alberts - Wisconsin State Assemblyman[9]
- Stuart Briscoe - Evangelical author and speaker; former senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, the largest church in Wisconsin[10]
- Jill Briscoe - Evangelical author and speaker[10]
- Dirk J. Debbink - U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, Chief of Navy Reserve[11]
- Glenn Derby - NFL player[12]
- John Derby - NFL player[13]
- Steven Foti - Wisconsin politician[14]
- Byron L. Johnson - U.S. Representative from Colorado[15]
- John Kaiser - NFL player[16]
- Rebecca Kleefisch - former WISN-TV news anchor and current Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin[17]
- Harry G. Snyder - Wisconsin State Assemblyman and Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge[18]
- Andy Thompson, MLB player[19]
- Jane Wiedlin - rhythm guitarist of The Go-Go's, actress[20]
[edit] References
- ^ "History". http://www.oconomowocusa.com/about_oconomowoc.htm. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- ^ "Mayor". http://www.oconomowocusa.com/mayor.htm. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Barquist, Barbara; Barquist, David (1987). "Oconomowoc". In Haley, Leroy. The Summit of Oconomowoc: 150 Years of Summit Town. Summit History Group. p. 55.
- ^ a b Barquist, Barbara; Barquist, David (1987). "Oconomowoc". In Haley, Leroy. The Summit of Oconomowoc: 150 Years of Summit Town. Summit History Group. p. 57.
- ^ Seibel, Jacqui; Sink, Lisa; Rinard, Amy (April 3, 2008). "Blast levels church". JSOnline. Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/29408284.html. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Beloved movie's premiere was far from L.A. limelight". Wisconsin State Journal: p. a2. August 12, 2009.
- ^ "Alberts, John M. 1933". Wisconsin History.org. Wisconsin Historical Society. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1267&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=People&letter=A. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- ^ a b "Stuart and Jill Briscoe article". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/29394014.html. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
- ^ "Dirk J. Debbink". Navy.mil. United States Navy. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sGrMV3EW. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
- ^ "Glenn Derby NFL & AFL Football Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DerbGl20.htm. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "John Derby". National Football League. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. http://www.nfl.com/players/johnderby/profile?id=DER238521. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
- ^ http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=1899&search&term=foti
- ^ "Johnson, Byron Lindberg Biographical Information". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5kSIaN2mX. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "John Kaiser". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises LLC. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. http://www.webcitation.org/5kSJ5uVMl. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "Who is Rebecca Kleefisch?". Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5zM4Os71c. Retrieved June 11, 2011. "Rebecca and Joel live in Oconomowoc."
- ^ "Snyder, Harry G. 1938". Wisconsin Historical Society. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2943&term_type_id=1&term_type_text=people&letter=S. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thompan02.shtml
- ^ "The Go-Go's Biography". Musicianguide.com. Net Industries. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5mTcvoYQr. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
[edit] External links
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