Grafton, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grafton, Wisconsin
Village
Downtown Grafton, at the Paramount Plaza
Location of Grafton in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Ozaukee
Settled	1839
Incorporated	March 30, 1896; 128 years ago (March 30, 1896)
Area
• Total	5.15 sq mi (13.34 km2)
• Land	5.09 sq mi (13.18 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.16 km2)
Elevation	709 ft (216 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,094
• Estimate  (2021)	12,298
• Density	2,302.48/sq mi (889.00/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	53024
Area code(s)	262
FIPS code	55-30025
GNIS feature ID	1583294

Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Located about 20 miles (32 km) north of Milwaukee and in close proximity to Interstate 43, it is a suburban community in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The village incorporated in 1896, and at the time of the 2020 census the population was 12,094.

Like many of Ozaukee County's cities and villages, the Village of Grafton has rural roots and began as a mill town. The German and Irish immigrants who settled in Grafton in the 1840s utilized the Milwaukee River as a source of hydropower for gristmills and woolen mills. Manufacturing grew and prospered in the village in the 20th century, including the Paramount Records studio and plant, which was in Grafton from 1929 to 1935. Paramount was one of the first and largest producers of blues and jazz records marketed to African-American consumers. Paramount's role in Grafton's history and Blues music history earned the village a spot on the historic Mississippi Blues Trail.

Grafton changed significantly during the period of post-World War II suburbanization. Even though the last woolen mill closed in 1980, the village experienced rapid population growth and the development of new commercial properties and housing subdivisions. The construction of Interstate 43 in the mid-1960s eased travel to neighboring communities. In the 21st century, Grafton is home to many big-box stores as well as an Aurora hospital.

History

Grafton was originally called Hamburg. A post office called Hamburgh was established in 1844. The origin of the name Grafton is obscure.

Geography

Grafton is located at 43°19′4″N 87°57′14″W / 43.31778°N 87.95389°W / 43.31778; -87.95389 (43.317904, -87.954113).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.10 square miles (13.21 km²), of which 5.06 square miles (13.11 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) is water.

The Milwaukee River flows south through the center of Grafton. Wisconsin Highway 60 (Washington Avenue) crosses the river in downtown Grafton.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,459 people, 4,863 households, and 3,192 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,264.6 inhabitants per square mile (874.4/km²). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 1,012.8 per square mile (391.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.5% White, 0.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 4,863 households, of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.4% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the village was 40.7 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.8% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

Economy

The Cedarburg Woolen Co. Worsted Mill was constructed in 1880 and ceased production in 1980. It currently houses shops, offices, and studios.

As is the case in many of the cities and villages in Ozaukee County, Grafton's early economy was primarily agricultural and the first major businesses were hydropowered mills on the Milwaukee River. One of the first was the Grafton Flour Mill, which opened in 1846. The village also had sawmills and a chair-and-bedstead factory. In 1880, the owner of Cedarburg's woolen mill opened a mill in Grafton to make worsted yarn. At its height, Grafton's woolen mill employed 100 people and remained in operation until 1980.

In the early 20th century, the Wisconsin Chair Company of Port Washington operated a chair factory in the village. At the time, the company was the largest business in Ozaukee County, employing one-sixth of all workers. Among other the wooden furniture, the company manufactured phonographs for Edison Records. In 1917, the company decided to start its own subsidiary record label: Paramount Records. In the 1920s, Paramount produced records for African-American consumers, and from 1929 to 1935, Paramount recorded and manufactured records in-house at the Grafton chair factory before closing during the Great Depression.

In the 21st century, Grafton's largest employers are in retail, health care, and manufacturing. In the early 2000s, a commercial district with big-box stores developed in eastern Grafton. Many of the village's largest retailers are located in the eastern Grafton commercial district near the intersection of Interstate 43 and Wisconsin Highway 60. Aurora Medical Center Grafton, which opened in 2010, is the largest employer in the village and is also located in the eastern commercial district. Many residents commute for work, reflecting the larger trend of Ozaukee County as a majority-commuter community.

Culture

The 2007 Memorial Day service at Grafton's Veterans Park next to the Milwaukee River

Grafton Public Library

Grafton's first public library opened in 1956 and was established by a commission of community organizations, including churches, the Lion's Club, and the women's club. In 1989, the library moved to its current building, the USS Liberty Memorial Public Library. The library is a member of the Monarch Library System, comprising 31 libraries in Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Washington, and Dodge counties. The library maintains a display dedicated to the USS Liberty incident, which includes documents as well as a piece of the ship.

Religion

A wedding at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Grafton

The oldest congregations in Grafton are St. Joseph's Parish, a Roman Catholic church established in 1849, and St. Paul Lutheran Church, which was established in 1851 and is affiliated with the Missouri Synod. Both congregations operate parochial schools offering kindergarten through eighth grade.

The Grafton area has three additional Lutheran congregations: Grace Lutheran Church in the village and St. John's Lutheran Church in the unincorporated community of Lakefield are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, while Our Savior Lutheran Church in the Town of Grafton is part of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our Savior includes a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade parochial school. Grafton is also home to the Pilgrim United Church of Christ. The Ozaukee Congregational Church is located in Lakefield.

There are four evangelical churches in the area. New Life Church and Cedar Creek Community Church, an evangelical Baptist congregation, are located in the village. The EFCA-affiliated Cornerstone Church and the Vineyard Church are located in the Town of Grafton near the municipal boundary with the village.

Education

Grafton is served by both the Grafton School District and the Cedarburg School District. The Grafton School District has two elementary schools, serving grades kindergarten through fifth grade: John F. Kennedy Elementary School and Woodview Elementary School. Grafton residents in the Cedarburg School District attend Thorson Elementary. John Long Middle School serves the entire district for grades six through eight, and Grafton High School serves grades nine through twelve.

The district is governed by a seven-member elected school board, which meets on the fourth Monday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Grafton High School Library. The district also a superintendent. Jeff Nelson, the current superintendent, has held the position since 2016.

Grafton also has three parochial schools that serve students from kindergarten through eight grade: Our Savior Lutheran School, St. Joseph Catholic Parish School, and St. Paul Lutheran School.

Grafton is in the Milwaukee Area Technical College District, whose nearest campus is located in Mequon.

Transportation

Interstate 43 passes through the eastern part of the village with access via Exit 92 and Exit 93. Wisconsin Highway 60 also passes through the downtown area.

Grafton has limited public transit compared with larger cities. Ozaukee County and the Milwaukee County Transit System run the Route 143 commuter bus, also known as the "Ozaukee County Express," to Milwaukee via Interstate 43. The bus makes two stops at park-and-ride lots in the village off of Exit 92: one at the Grafton Commons shopping center and the other in the Target parking lot. The bus operates Monday through Friday with limited hours corresponding to peak commute times. Ozaukee County Transit Services' Shared Ride Taxi is the public transit option for traveling to sites not directly accessible from the interstate. The taxis operate seven days a week and make connections to Washington County Transit and Milwaukee County Routes 12, 49 and 42u.

The Village of Grafton has sidewalks in most areas, as well as the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which is for pedestrian and bicycle use, and connects the village to the neighboring communities of Cedarburg and Port Washington, and continues north to Sheboygan County and south to Milwaukee County.

The Wisconsin Central Ltd. (Canadian National) railroad operates a freight rail line which passes through the village and the Union Pacific Railroad (formerly the Chicago & Northwestern Railway) has a line which borders the eastern municipal limits in the Town of Grafton. While Grafton has not had passenger rail in many decades, passenger rail is offered by Amtrak in nearby Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Intermodal Station.

Parks and recreation

A metal truss bridge on the Ozaukee Interurban Trail in northern Grafton

Grafton maintains 17 parks, encompassing over 120 acres of the land. Parks range from as small as the 1-acre Acorn Park to the 27-acre Centennial Park and the 28-acre Lime Kiln Park. The village has picnic shelters, two baseball fields, a municipal golf course, a soccer practice field, a disc golf course, a public pool, and canoe launches on the Milwaukee River. The parks and recreation department offers over thirty recreation programs for residents.

The Ozaukee Interurban Trail runs through the Village of Grafton, following the former route of the Milwaukee Interurban Rail Line. The southern end of the trail is at Bradley Road in Brown Deer which connects to the Oak Leaf Trail (43°09′48″N 87°57′39″W / 43.16333°N 87.96083°W / 43.16333; -87.96083), and its northern end is at DeMaster Road in the Village of Oostburg Sheboygan County (43°36′57″N 87°48′08″W / 43.61583°N 87.80222°W / 43.61583; -87.80222). The trail connects the community to neighboring Cedarburg and Port Washington.

There are also two commercial golf courses in the Town of Grafton north of the village.

Notable people

Charles J. Guiteau (1841–1882) assassinated U.S. President James A. Garfield in 1881. Guiteau lived in Ulao near Grafton during his adolescence.

See also

In Spanish: Grafton (Wisconsin) para niños