Brown Deer, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brown Deer, Wisconsin
Village
Location of Brown Deer in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Milwaukee
Area
• Total	4.39 sq mi (11.38 km2)
• Land	4.39 sq mi (11.38 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	692 ft (211 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,507
• Density	2,848/sq mi (1,095/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	414
FIPS code	55-10375
GNIS feature ID	1562261

Brown Deer is a village located in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It's like a smaller town right next to a bigger city. Brown Deer is a suburb of Milwaukee and is part of the larger Milwaukee area. In 2020, about 12,507 people lived there.

A Look Back: Brown Deer's History

The area where Brown Deer is now was first set up as part of the Town of Milwaukee in 1835. Around this time, the first European settlers started to arrive. Many came from places like New England and New York.

How Brown Deer Became a Village

In 1841, the Town of Milwaukee was divided into smaller parts. The Brown Deer area then became part of a new area called the Town of Granville. For a long time, in the 1800s, this area was mostly farms. Many people living there had German and Irish backgrounds.

Brown Deer started as a small community in the 1870s. It was a rural area with farms until the mid-1940s. After World War II, many new homes were built. Farms were turned into neighborhoods for people moving to the suburbs.

Becoming Independent: The Fight to Incorporate

In the 1950s, the mayor of Milwaukee wanted to make the city bigger. He tried to add nearby areas, including parts of the Town of Granville, to Milwaukee. But some people in the Brown Deer area didn't want to become part of Milwaukee.

So, in 1953, they decided to form their own village. This way, they could avoid being taken over by Milwaukee. Milwaukee tried to stop them, but after a long court fight, the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Brown Deer had the right to become its own village. Brown Deer officially became a village on January 20, 1955. It was about 1.8 square miles big.

Growing Pains: More Land Battles

After Brown Deer became a village, both Brown Deer and Milwaukee tried to add more land from the Town of Granville. Brown Deer added five new areas in 1955. In 1956, both tried to take all the remaining land from Granville. This led to another long court battle that lasted until 1962.

Most people in Granville wanted to join Milwaukee. But some preferred Brown Deer because its taxes were lower. The Wisconsin Supreme Court first said Brown Deer could have the land. But then they changed their mind in 1959 and gave the land to Milwaukee. In 1962, the courts confirmed their decision. They ruled that Brown Deer's attempts to add land in 1956 were not valid. This meant Milwaukee got sixteen square miles of the old Town of Granville.

In 2013, CNNMoney listed Brown Deer as one of the "Best Places to Live." It was ranked 19th in the country for places with affordable homes. This was the highest ranking for any community in Wisconsin!

Where is Brown Deer Located?

Brown Deer is located at 43°10′22″N 87°58′40″W / 43.17278°N 87.97778°W / 43.17278; -87.97778. This is its exact spot on a map.

The village covers a total area of about 4.40 square miles (11.38 square kilometers). All of this area is land, with no large bodies of water inside the village limits.

Who Lives in Brown Deer?

In 2000, the average income for a household in Brown Deer was about $61,097. The average income for each person was about $28,525. About 5.8% of people in Brown Deer lived below the poverty line. The average value of a home owned by its resident was $175,600.

Brown Deer's Population in 2010

According to the 2010 census, there were 11,999 people living in Brown Deer. There were 5,275 households, which are groups of people living together. The population density was about 2,729 people per square mile.

The people living in Brown Deer came from many different backgrounds:

• 61.9% were White
• 28.6% were African American
• 4.9% were Asian
• About 3.1% were from two or more races.
• About 3.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino.

Brown Deer is one of only three suburbs near Milwaukee where at least 10% of the people are African American. The other two are Glendale and West Milwaukee.

Of the households, about 26.4% had children under 18 living with them. About 45.5% were married couples. Many households (39.4%) were not families. About 33.7% of all households had only one person living alone.

The average age of people in the village was 41.8 years old. About 20.9% of the population was under 18. About 16.6% were 65 years or older. More than half of the population (52%) was female, and 48% was male.

Learning in Brown Deer: Schools

Brown Deer High School

Brown Deer has changed its school system over the years to best serve its students.

• Algonquin Elementary School used to teach kindergarten through 2nd grade. It closed in 2007.
• In 2007, Algonquin was combined with Dean Elementary School. Dean Elementary used to teach K4 (4-year-old kindergarten) through 4th grade.
• Dean Elementary School was later closed and torn down in 2013. The new school, now called Brown Deer Elementary School, teaches students from K4 through 6th grade.
• The old Brown Deer Middle School (grades 5-8) and Brown Deer High School (grades 9-12) were combined in 2013. Now, this school teaches students from 7th through 12th grade.

Both Brown Deer Middle School/High School and Brown Deer Elementary School are located on N. 60th Street. Together, they teach about 1600 students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade.

Famous People from Brown Deer

Many interesting people have connections to Brown Deer, including:

• Zack Baun, an NFL football player
• Bruce Froemming, a baseball umpire
• Dan Harmon, a comedian and writer
• Steve Novak, a basketball player who played for the Milwaukee Bucks
• Gareth Reynolds, a comedian and podcaster
• Ervin Schneeberg, a businessman and politician who was born in Brown Deer

See also

In Spanish: Brown Deer (Wisconsin) para niños