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Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield Office Park
Brookfield Office Park
Flag of Brookfield, Wisconsin
Flag
Official seal of Brookfield, Wisconsin
Seal
Motto(s): 
Minutes from Milwaukee, Miles from Expected
Location of Brookfield in Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Location of Brookfield in Waukesha County, Wisconsin
County Waukesha
Incorporated August 14, 1954
Government
 • Type Mayor–council
Area
 • City 27.66 sq mi (71.63 km2)
 • Land 27.29 sq mi (70.68 km2)
 • Water 0.37 sq mi (0.95 km2)  1.327%
Elevation
830 ft (253 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 41,464
 • Density 1,433.31/sq mi (553.41/km2)
 • Metro
1,760,268
  The population figure given for the metropolitan area is for the Milwaukee metropolitan area, which includes Brookfield
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (Central)
ZIP Code(s)
53005, 53045, 53072
Area code(s) 262
FIPS code 55-10025

Brookfield is a city in eastern Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 41,464 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Town of Brookfield and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.

History

Brookfield is west of Milwaukee in Waukesha County in an area originally inhabited by Potawatomi Indians. The first white settler, William Howe, arrived in 1820 with a Presidential Land Grant giving him title to the area. Soon after, Robert Curren bought a claim in 1836 and established a tavern and inn.

In May 1838, Jacques View Jr., with a large party of white settlers, led the local Potawatomi west. Caroline Quiner, the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, was born in a cabin in 1839 in what is now the City of Brookfield, near the current intersection of Brookfield Road and Davidson Road. By 1839, the population needed a school house, as the 1840 census showed a population of 148. In these 1840s, George Gebhardt started trading with the surrounding Potawatomi and Menominee neighbors. 1843 is when the first church was built, by the Irish Catholic congregation, named St. Dominic. 1848 was when telegraph lines were laid through Brookfield, towards Waukesha. Communication was made easier due to this. In 1849, cholera reached Brookfield, and one Laura Grover recalls, "The death-like stillness was appalling; nothing was seen but the death carts rolling round the streets gathering the recent dead... I believe there were fifty deaths from cholera that day." The same year, 64 Brookfield residents voted in favor of giving suffrage to black residents, and 0 the other way. In 1850, cholera again went through Brookfield, and according to one Earl Thayer, "The cholera returned... more terrible than the year before. People literally died walking along the streets. Official reports put the toll at over 300."

In 1850, the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad (now the Canadian Pacific Rail) built a railroad through the town, which in 1853 erected a depot, forming the Brookfield Junction. In the year 1850, the Town of Brookfield had 1,944 inhabitants and in land area covered 36 square miles. The town slowly grew over following years, with the economy being mostly agricultural, with Brookfield Junction serving as a commercial center for the surrounding farms. The Civil War had little effect on this town, despite the severe losses of members serving from the state. "More than 12,000 died: 3,802 were killed in action or died of wounds and 8,499 died from disease, exposure, and other causes." In 1867, a second rail depot was constructed, which still stands.

In the 1900s, Brookfield gained a new reputation. Waukesha County was called Cow County, U.S.A., as according to advertisers, they claimed that in the county there were more cows than people. This was, of course, fantastical, although there were cows. This did help cement Wisconsin's dairy reputation. WWI, one of the biggest wars in history, also didn't have too much of an effect on Brookfield and how we know it today. The so-called Spanish flu, however, did kill many people, but not as many as cholera had in the past. On May 31, 1914, a tornado hit, devastating the farmers and the rural area.

This quiet, rural atmosphere attracted one notorious resident, Al Capone, as he established an area to live and a distillery on Brookfield Road. In 1928, the first suburban development, Kinsey's Garvendale, a residential subdivision, was created. Early subdivisions grew slowly due to the Great Depression hitting a year later, affecting its growth and killing demand.

Development in Brookfield began to increase after the Second World War. Suburban development was encouraged by a scarcity of urban area housing, the baby boom, and government sponsored building programs, which further grew the town, and after several annexations of neighboring communities, an incorporation drive started. The City of Brookfield was incorporated from the town of Brookfield, a portion of which still survives along the city's western edge, on August 14, 1954. The first mayor was Franklin Wirth, and he oversaw the new city, which at the time had a population of 7,900 and covered an area of 17.5 square miles. Much of the land was still in agricultural use, so the city's founders encouraged orderly development of office and industrial areas to cause the community to function with strong industrial and commercial base.

Today, Brookfield covers over 27 square miles, with a population of over 40,000 residents.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.59 square miles (71.46 km2), of which 27.29 square miles (70.68 km2) is land and 0.367 square miles (0.95 km2) is water. The sub-continental divide passes through Brookfield; on the eastern side of this divide, easily marked by the crest at Calhoun Road and Capitol Drive, water flows to Lake Michigan on its way to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; on the western side of this divide, water flows to the Fox River of Illinois and Wisconsin on its way to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

There is a heron rookery on a site northwest of Capitol Drive and Brookfield Road.

Climate

The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as humid continental (Dfa).

Climate data for Brookfield, Wisconsin (1981–2010 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 62
(17)
66
(19)
82
(28)
91
(33)
101
(38)
101
(38)
109
(43)
102
(39)
101
(38)
88
(31)
78
(26)
68
(20)
109
(43)
Average high °F (°C) 27.8
(−2.3)
31.9
(−0.1)
43.1
(6.2)
56.4
(13.6)
67.8
(19.9)
78.0
(25.6)
81.9
(27.7)
79.9
(26.6)
72.7
(22.6)
59.8
(15.4)
45.4
(7.4)
31.5
(−0.3)
56.4
(13.6)
Average low °F (°C) 10.7
(−11.8)
14.4
(−9.8)
23.5
(−4.7)
35.0
(1.7)
45.0
(7.2)
54.8
(12.7)
59.8
(15.4)
58.6
(14.8)
49.8
(9.9)
38.3
(3.5)
27.7
(−2.4)
15.4
(−9.2)
36.1
(2.3)
Record low °F (°C) −29
(−34)
−28
(−33)
−14
(−26)
7
(−14)
25
(−4)
29
(−2)
41
(5)
35
(2)
25
(−4)
7
(−14)
−9
(−23)
−28
(−33)
−29
(−34)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.45
(37)
1.42
(36)
1.78
(45)
3.39
(86)
3.49
(89)
4.36
(111)
3.85
(98)
4.58
(116)
3.39
(86)
2.61
(66)
2.48
(63)
1.81
(46)
34.61
(879)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 12.3
(31)
8.6
(22)
5.6
(14)
1.8
(4.6)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.1
(0.25)
1.6
(4.1)
10.1
(26)
40.0
(102)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 9.2 7.5 7.9 10.7 11.8 10.7 9.4 9.1 8.8 9.4 8.8 9.5 112.8
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 6.8 5.1 3.5 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 1.1 6.2 23.8
Source: NOAA

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960 19,812
1970 31,761 60.3%
1980 34,035 7.2%
1990 35,184 3.4%
2000 38,649 9.8%
2010 37,920 −1.9%
2020 41,464 9.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 37,920 people, 14,576 households, and 10,999 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,399.8 inhabitants per square mile (540.5/km2). There were 15,317 housing units at an average density of 565.4 per square mile (218.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.0% White, 1.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 6.7% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 14,576 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 24.5% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.01.

The median age in the city was 46.7 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 33% were from 45 to 64; and 19.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

Economy

BrookfieldSquareMall
Brookfield Square, 2011

Fiserv is headquartered in Brookfield. The firm provides financial services technology (software, for the most part) for banks, thrifts, credit unions, securities broker dealers, leasing and finance companies, and retailers, among others. Its 2016 revenue was approximately $5.5 billion.

Fedex's SmartPost business unit is also headquartered in Brookfield.

Arts and culture

Brookfield's concert hall is the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts located in Mitchell Park. Brookfield's main beach is located at Fox Brook Park.

Brookfield Square is the main shopping mall for the city and also serves as a commercial anchor to the Bluemound Road shopping district serving the western suburbs of Milwaukee and Waukesha County. Brookfield has off-road bike paths throughout the city.

Brookfield Days is held annually in June, at Wirth Park.

The Elmbrook Historical Society hosts celebrating the lives of early Brookfield settlers, including Caroline Ingalls, who was born in the Brookfield area.

Education

The Elmbrook School District serves residents of Brookfield excluding a small section of southwest Brookfield, which is in the Waukesha School District. Private schools include St. Dominic Catholic School, St. John Vianney Catholic Church, St. Luke Catholic School, St. Joseph's Catholic School, Heritage Christian School, Brookfield Christian School, and Brookfield Academy. Private high schools located within the Brookfield city limits include Brookfield Academy and Heritage Christian School, West Suburban Christian Academy. The Elmbrook (Brookfield) School District is the #1 Public School District in the state.

Transportation

Capitol Airport is Brookfield's public use airport and serves the city and surrounding communities.

Brookfield was served by a station on the main line between Milwaukee and Watertown serving intercity and commuter trains.

Notable people

  • Noel Jenke, former NFL Player who lived in Brookfield
  • John Anderson, NFL player
  • Ken Anderson, pro wrestler known as Mr. Kennedy
  • Al Capone, noted Chicago mobster, owned a Brookfield home where moonshine was made
  • Bill Carollo, NFL official
  • Kip Carpenter, 2002, 2006 Olympian, bronze medalist in speedskating
  • Henry J. Clasen, Wisconsin state representative and businessman
  • Tom Dougherty, MLB player
  • Arpad Elo, inventor of Elo rating system for chess, professor at Marquette
  • Susan Engeleiter, former administrator of the Small Business Administration
  • Herman Finger, entrepreneurial lumberman
  • Aubrey Foard, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra principal tuba
  • Troy Grosenick, ice hockey goaltender for the Nashville Predators
  • Doc Hamann, MLB player
  • Merle Harmon, Hall of Fame broadcaster and entrepreneur
  • Kenny Harrison, world champion track and field athlete, Olympic gold medalist
  • Nathan Hatch (1757–1847), soldier in American Revolutionary War and War of 1812; farmed in Brookfield from 1842 to 1847 and interred in Brookfield's Oak Hill Cemetery
  • Caroline Ingalls (1839–1924), born in what is today the city of Brookfield (then Town of Brookfield), mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Ken Jungels, MLB player
  • Ted Kanavas (1961–2017), Wisconsin State Senate
  • Matt Katula, NFL player
  • Joe Kuether, professional poker player
  • Robert Andrew "Bob" Long, wide receiver for Green Bay Packers during Vince Lombardi era
  • Arie Luyendyk, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner
  • Eddie Mathews, baseball player (lived in Brookfield during career)
  • Al McGuire, former NCAA basketball coach and commentator (lived in Brookfield toward the end of his life)
  • Fritz Mollwitz, MLB player
  • Zane Navratil, pickleball player
  • Brad Nortman, NFL punter
  • Joel Rechlicz, NHL hockey player
  • Leslie Osborne, member of Women's Professional Soccer team Boston Breakers and the U.S. national team
  • Joe Panos, football player for Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills
  • James Kerr Proudfit, U.S. Army general
  • Martin P. Robinson, puppeteer for Telly Monster, Mr. Snuffleupagus and Slimey on Sesame Street since 1980; graduate of Brookfield East High School
  • Herman Schatz, Wisconsin state representative and blacksmith
  • Molly Seidel, 2020 Tokyo Olympic Bronze Medal marathon winner
  • Richie Sexson, retired MLB player (lived here when he played for Milwaukee Brewers)
  • Paul Spaeth, noted composer and musician
  • Adam Stockhausen, Oscar-winning production designer
  • John Patten Story, U.S. Army major general
  • Joe Thomas, Hall of Fame offensive tackle
  • Frank Urban, Wisconsin State Assembly
  • John M. Young, Wisconsin State Assembly

Sister cities

Brookfield has one sister city:

See also

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