St. Francis, Wisconsin

Saint Francis, Wisconsin
—  City  —
Location of Saint Francis, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 42°58′11″N 87°52′36″W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Milwaukee
Area
• Total	2.5 sq mi (6.6 km2)
• Land	2.5 sq mi (6.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	692 ft (211 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	8,662
• Density	3,421.7/sq mi (1,321.1/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	414
FIPS code	55-70650
GNIS feature ID	1572924
Website	http://www.ci.stfrancis.wi.gov

St. Francis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 8,662. It is the smallest incorporated city in Milwaukee County.

Geography

St. Francis is located at 42°58′11″N 87°52′36″W (42.969615, -87.876745).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (6.6 km²), all of it land. It is located directly south and east of the City of Milwaukee, directly west of Lake Michigan, and directly north of Cudahy, Wisconsin. Milwaukee's primary airport, General Mitchell International Airport, is bordered on one side by St. Francis.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,662 people, 4,050 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city. The population density 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% White, 0.97% African American, 0.88% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 married couples 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 for the city was $21,837. About 2.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

In an attempt to keep revenues from the South Shore Power Plant for themselves,^{[citation needed]} the founders of St. Francis split the city off of the Town of Lake, a now defunct entity that covered much of Greater Milwaukee's far south side and some of the southern and southwestern suburbs in Milwaukee County. The importance of the power plant to the St. Francis economy in the middle of the twentieth century shows in the city's former logo, with the power plant smoke stacks holding a prominent position. The plant closed in the late 1980s, moving to Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The land on Lake Michigan's coast that the electric utility owned for the plant has, after over a decade of lying unused, recently been developed with high-priced condominiums. These condos are especially valuable because they are built on some of the only undeveloped lakefront land in the metropolitan Milwaukee area.^{[citation needed]}

How best to make use of the lakeshore property has generated much controversy over the years, with many suggesting that the city should preserve it as open space for the enjoyment of all. A petition drive was mounted proposing that the land be annexed into the Milwaukee County park system. County executive William O'Donnell decided, however, to defer the annexation because of budgetary constraints and other concerns. Subsequently the land was acquired by Chicago-based developers. After a plan to develop the land as a Native American casino was rejected after massive public opposition, the condo development plan was ultimately approved instead, despite community misgivings.^{[citation needed]} The project was approved in line with a stated goal of the city government to improve the tax base and generate increased revenue. Since the primary selling point for the condos is the view of Lake Michigan, the project is commonly referred to by local residents as "pay-per-view".^{[citation needed]}

Today, businesses in St. Francis include Foamation (manufacturer of the world-famous "cheeseheads" worn by Wisconsin sports fans), and EZ Paintr, among other small manufacturers and service companies. Many residents work in the city of Milwaukee or in other municipalities in the Milwaukee area.^{[citation needed]}

Education

The Saint Francis School District provides the public education for the area. There are three schools in the district: Willow Glen (kindergarten - 3rd Grade), Deer Creek (4th - 8th grade), and Saint Francis High School (9th - 12th grade). Another High School in the city of Saint Francis is St. Thomas More High School.

Religion

St. Francis Seminary

The City of St. Francis is named after the patron saint of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, who set up a convent and Roman Catholic seminary in city in the mid nineteenth century. Catholic Church land accounts for a significant percentage of the area of this small city, from the old St. Francis Seminary buildings to the "seminary woods" (as the large, undeveloped forest owned by the church is called by area residents) to the Archbishop Cousins Center, which is the practice location for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Notable residents

• Leo Joseph Brust, Roman Catholic bishop
• Ronald C. Prei, Coast Guard Medal recipient
• Brandon Jennings, NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks

External links

• City of St. Francis
• Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
• St. Francis School District