Waunakee, Wisconsin
Waunakee is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 12,097 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. Waunakee bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World." The village was named as #78 in CNN Money's "Top 100 Best Places to Live" for small towns in 2009.
History
When the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad wanted to expand its line from Madison to Saint Paul, a door was opened for development of a town. The original location of the village was intended to be at Packham's Mill, about where Mill Road crosses the railroad track today two miles southeast of today's downtown Waunakee. However, two local settlers, Louis Baker and George Fish, platted a village on their land two miles further northwest along the railroad. Railroad officials agreed to moving a train depot to the new community in exchange for $1,500 and two miles of right of way. The village was founded in 1871 and formally incorporated in 1893. Baker and Fish did not want to take credit for naming the community, so they asked Simeon Mills and Mr. Hill of Madison to come up with a list. The name "Waunakee" has a Native American origin meaning "fair and pleasant valley."Robert F. Kennedy visited the village to campaign for his brother John for president in February 1960.
Former First Lady Barbara Bush visited the village to campaign for her son George for president in October 2000.
The landmark Waunakee Railroad Depot located in the central part of town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It now houses the Waunakee Area Chamber of Commerce offices.
Geography
Waunakee is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of, of which, of it is land and is water.
The village is bordered on the south and east by the town of Westport, the north by the town of Vienna, the northwest by the town of Dane, and to the west by the town of Springfield.
Six Mile Creek, the main waterway through the community, runs west to east before making a southerly turn through the village on its way to Lake Mendota.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,097 people, 4,344 households, and 3,316 families living in the village. The population density was. There were 4,483 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 95.8% White, 1.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.There were 4,344 households of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.5% 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 2.76 and the average family size was 3.20.
The median age in the village was 37.9 years. 31.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 9.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,995 people, 3,203 households, and 2,379 families living in the village. The population density was 1,509.9 people per square mile. There were 3,295 housing units at an average density of 553.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 98.07% White, 0.36% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.96% of the population.There were 3,203 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the village, the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $59,225, and the median income for a family was $67,894. Males had a median income of $45,053 versus $30,163 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,952. About 0.4% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Waunakee is governed by a board consisting of a president and six trustees. The president and trustees are elected to two-year terms during spring elections. The Village President of Waunakee since April 2015 is Chris Zellner.The village is represented in the Wisconsin State Assembly by Dianne Hesselbein and in the State Senate by Jon Erpenbach. The village's representative on the Dane County Board is Tim Kiefer.
Village President | Tenure |
Henry Heller | 1893-1899 |
Jacob Buhlman | 1900-1901 |
Lawrence Freney | 1901-1904 |
Henry Heller | 1904-1906 |
J.P. O'Malley | 1906-1908 |
George E. Lester | 1908-1909 |
Almon W. Cameron | 1909-1914 |
Herman J. Doll | 1914-1924 |
J.H. Koltes | 1924-1927 |
Roy W. Cameron | 1927-1931 |
Julius Diederich | 1931-1934 |
Herman J. Doll | 1934-1941 |
Julius Diederich | 1941-1947 |
Roy W. Cameron | 1947-1951 |
Harvey Solveson | 1951-1953 |
Francis Bowles | 1953-1955 |
Roy W. Cameron | 1955-1957 |
Joseph Hellenbrand | 1957-1965 |
Peter Barbian | 1965-1967 |
Ed Hellenbrand | 1967-1973 |
Allan Dittman | 1973-1975 |
Ann Helt | 1975-1981 |
Math Laufenberg | 1981-1987 |
Tom Marx | 1987-1990 |
Maureen O'Malley | 1990-1995 |
Tom Marx | 1995-1997 |
Tim Nixon | 1997-2001 |
Rich Murphy | 2001-2003 |
John Laubmeier | 2003-2015 |
Chris Zellner | 2015- |
Economy
Waunakee added a local Village Center in 2006 that acts as a central nucleus for the community by offering a fitness center, senior center, meeting rooms, and a gymnasium. The Waunakee Business Park is a business park development that hosts large and small business operations. Recent years have seen redevelopments and new apartment buildings on Main Street, a new Main Street streetscape, a mural, and yearly public art displays.A major employer in the village is Scientific Protein Laboratories.
Transportation
Major highways
- Wisconsin Highway 19 - heads west to Springfield Corners, U.S. 12, and Mazomanie; east to I-39/90/94 and Sun Prairie
- Wisconsin Highway 113 - heads north to Dane, Lodi, Merrimac Ferry, and Baraboo; south to Madison
Airport
Railroad
A Wisconsin and Southern railroad line runs through town en route to Dane, Lodi, Baraboo, and Reedsburg.Education
Waunakee is served by the Waunakee Community School District, whose schools include:- Arboretum Elementary School
- Heritage Elementary School
- Prairie Elementary School
- Waunakee Intermediate School
- Waunakee Middle School
- Waunakee High School
Private schools include St. John the Baptist Catholic School and Madison Country Day School.
Warrior Stadium is the home of the high school football and track teams.
Notable people
- Martha Bablitch, Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, lived in Waunakee.
- Ernest J. Briskey, Vice President, Technical and Administration of Campbell Soup Company; Dean of Agricultural Science of Oregon State University, lived in Waunakee.
- Ron Dayne, Heisman Trophy winner, College Football Hall of Famer, NFL player, lived in Waunakee.
- Bernice Fitz-Gibbon, advertising executive, was born outside of Waunakee.
- Edward E. Fitzgibbon, Wisconsin State Representative, was born and lived outside of Waunakee.
- Pat Ford, ice hockey player, lives in Waunakee.
- Lawrence Johnson, NFL cornerback, lives in Waunakee.
- Kenneth A. Koon, Army National Guard general, native of Waunakee.
- Mike Moh, martial artist/actor, lives in Waunakee.
- J.B. Van Hollen, former Attorney General of Wisconsin, lives in Waunakee
- David D. O'Malley, Wisconsin State Representative, lived in Waunakee
- Cy Pieh, Major League Baseball player, was born in Waunakee.
- Robert Campbell Reeve, founder of Reeve Aleutian Airways, was born in Waunakee.
- Jack Salzwedel, chairman and CEO of American Family Insurance, lives in Waunakee.
- Kelly Sheffield, Wisconsin Badgers women's volleyball coach, lives in Waunakee.
- Georgia Thompson, civil servant, lived in Waunakee.