Port Washington (town), Wisconsin

This article is about the town. For the adjacent city, see Port Washington, Wisconsin.

Port Washington is a town in Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It surrounds the northern and western side of the city of Port Washington. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,631. The unincorporated community of Knellsville is also located with the town.

Geography

Location of Port Washington (town), Wisconsin

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.1 square miles (54.5 km²), of which, 18.6 square miles (48.2 km²) of it is land and 2.5 square miles (6.3 km²) of it (11.63%) is water.

History

The area that became Port Washington was originally inhabited by the Menominee, Potawatomi, and Sauk Native Americans. The 1830s saw the forced removal of Wisconsin's Native American population, followed by land speculation by merchants and investors. One of these land speculators was General Wooster Harrison, who purchased the land that would become the Town of Port Washington in 1835. Harrison's wife, Rhoda, died in 1837 and was the first white settler to be buried in the town. The settlement was abandoned that same year.

In 1843, Harrison returned with a party of settlers. The Town of Port Washington was formed in January 1846 and until 1847 included the surrounding areas of what is currently Fredonia, Saukville, and Belgium. Appropriately, it was originally the county seat for Washington County until that county was bisected in 1853, with its former lakeside townships becoming the new Ozaukee County, and Port Washington becoming the new county's seat, while Washington County's seat moved to West Bend).

The population reached 2,500 in 1853 and continued to increase, with an influx of immigrants from Germany and Luxembourg between 1853 and 1865. The City of Port Washington incorporated out of some of the Town of Port Washington's land in 1882.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,631 people, 636 households, and 447 families residing in the town. The population density was 87.7 people per square mile (33.9/km²). There were 678 housing units at an average density of 36.4 per square mile (14.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.30% White, 1.10% Black or African American, 0.43% Asian, 0.25% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 636 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $56,875, and the median income for a family was $62,765. Males had a median income of $41,742 versus $25,645 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,781. About 2.3% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

External links

• Town of Port Washington