Grafton, Wisconsin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Grafton, Wisconsin
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Downtown Grafton, at the Paramount Plaza
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Location of Grafton in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin
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| Country | United States |
| State | Wisconsin |
| County | Ozaukee |
| Settled | 1839 |
| Incorporated | 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)
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| • Total | 12,094 |
| • Estimate
(2021)
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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
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| Area code(s) | 262 |
| FIPS code | 55-30025 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1583294 |
Grafton is a village in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It's located about 20 kilometers north of Milwaukee. Grafton is a suburban community in the Milwaukee area, meaning many people who live here work in the bigger city.
Grafton became an official village in 1896. In 2020, about 12,094 people lived here.
Like many towns in Ozaukee County, Grafton started as a small farming community and later became a mill town. In the 1840s, German and Irish immigrants settled here. They used the Milwaukee River to power mills that ground grain and made wool.
Manufacturing grew in Grafton in the 20th century. A famous part of its history is the Paramount Records studio and factory. It was in Grafton from 1929 to 1935. Paramount was one of the first and largest companies to produce blues and jazz records for African-American listeners. Because of Paramount's important role in music history, Grafton is now part of the historic Mississippi Blues Trail.
After World War II, Grafton changed a lot as more people moved to the suburbs. Even though the last wool mill closed in 1980, the village grew quickly. New stores and housing areas were built. The construction of Interstate 43 in the mid-1960s made it easier to travel to nearby towns. Today, Grafton has many large stores and an Aurora hospital.
Contents
History of Grafton
Grafton was first known as Hamburg. A post office called Hamburgh opened in 1844. The exact reason why the name changed to Grafton is not fully known.
Geography and Rivers
Grafton is located at 43°19′4″N 87°57′14″W / 43.31778°N 87.95389°W.
The United States Census Bureau says the village covers about 13.2 square kilometers (5.1 square miles). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
The Milwaukee River flows south through the middle of Grafton. Wisconsin Highway 60 (Washington Avenue) crosses this river in downtown Grafton.
People and Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 415 | — | |
| 1890 | 434 | 4.6% | |
| 1900 | 478 | 10.1% | |
| 1910 | 818 | 71.1% | |
| 1920 | 898 | 9.8% | |
| 1930 | 1,065 | 18.6% | |
| 1940 | 1,150 | 8.0% | |
| 1950 | 1,489 | 29.5% | |
| 1960 | 3,748 | 151.7% | |
| 1970 | 5,998 | 60.0% | |
| 1980 | 8,381 | 39.7% | |
| 1990 | 9,340 | 11.4% | |
| 2000 | 10,312 | 10.4% | |
| 2010 | 11,459 | 11.1% | |
| 2020 | 12,094 | 5.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, Grafton had 11,459 people living in 4,863 households. About 29.9% of these households had children under 18. The average age in the village was 40.7 years.
Most residents (95.5%) were White. Other groups included African American (0.8%), Native American (0.3%), and Asian (1.7%). About 2.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Economy and Jobs
In the early days, Grafton's economy was mostly about farming. The first big businesses were mills powered by the Milwaukee River. The Grafton Flour Mill opened in 1846. There were also sawmills and a factory that made chairs and beds.
In 1880, a wool mill opened in Grafton to make yarn. At its busiest, this mill employed 100 people. It stayed open until 1980.
In the early 1900s, the Wisconsin Chair Company from Port Washington had a chair factory in Grafton. This company was the biggest business in Ozaukee County at the time. They made wooden furniture and phonographs for Edison Records.
In 1917, the company started its own record label called Paramount Records. In the 1920s, Paramount made records for African-American listeners. From 1929 to 1935, Paramount recorded and made records right in the Grafton chair factory. The factory closed during the Great Depression.
Today, Grafton's biggest employers are in retail (stores), health care, and manufacturing. In the early 2000s, a shopping area with large stores developed in eastern Grafton. Many of the village's biggest stores are near where Interstate 43 and Wisconsin Highway 60 meet.
Aurora Medical Center Grafton opened in 2010. It is the largest employer in the village. Many people who live in Grafton travel to other places for work.
| Largest Employers in Grafton, 2019 | |||
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| Rank | Employer | Industry | Employees |
| 1 | Aurora Medical Center in Grafton | Health care | 500–999 |
| 2 | Meijer | Retail | 250–499 |
| 3 | Kapco | Metal manufacturing | 250–499 |
| 4 | Calibre | OEM paint finishing | 250–499 |
| 5 | Grafton School District | Schools | 250–499 |
| 6 | Pace Industries | Die casting manufacturing | 250–499 |
| 7 | Costco | Retail | 100–249 |
| 8 | Miba Industrial Bearings | Industrial bearing manufacturing | 100–249 |
| 9 | Holton Brothers Inc. | Masonry contractor | 100–249 |
| 10 | Exacto Spring Corporation | Spring manufacturing | 100–249 |
Culture and Community
Grafton Public Library
Grafton's first public library opened in 1956. It was started by different community groups. In 1989, the library moved to its current building, which is called the USS Liberty Memorial Public Library.
The library is part of the Monarch Library System, which includes 31 libraries in four counties. The library has a special display about the USS Liberty incident. It includes documents and even a piece of the ship.
Places of Worship
The oldest churches in Grafton are St. Joseph's Parish, a Roman Catholic church started in 1849, and St. Paul Lutheran Church, started in 1851. Both churches have schools for kindergarten through eighth grade.
There are other Lutheran churches in the Grafton area, including Grace Lutheran Church and Our Savior Lutheran Church. Our Savior also has a school for younger students. Grafton is also home to Pilgrim United Church of Christ.
There are four evangelical churches in the area: New Life Church, Cedar Creek Community Church, Cornerstone Church, and Vineyard Church.
Education in Grafton
Grafton is served by two school districts: the Grafton School District and the Cedarburg School District.
The Grafton School District has two elementary schools for kindergarten through fifth grade: John F. Kennedy Elementary School and Woodview Elementary School. Students in the Cedarburg School District who live in Grafton go to Thorson Elementary.
All students in the Grafton School District attend John Long Middle School for grades six through eight. They then go to Grafton High School for grades nine through twelve.
The school district is managed by a seven-member elected school board. They meet once a month. The district also has a superintendent, who is like the main leader of the schools.
Grafton also has three parochial schools (private schools often connected to a church) for students from kindergarten through eighth grade: Our Savior Lutheran School, St. Joseph Catholic Parish School, and St. Paul Lutheran School.
For higher education, Grafton is part of the Milwaukee Area Technical College District. The closest campus is in Mequon.
Transportation and Travel
Interstate 43 runs through the eastern part of Grafton, with exits at 92 and 93. Wisconsin Highway 60 also goes through the downtown area.
Grafton has some public transportation. Ozaukee County and the Milwaukee County Transit System offer the Route 143 commuter bus, also known as the "Ozaukee County Express." This bus goes to Milwaukee using Interstate 43. It stops at two park-and-ride lots in Grafton. The bus runs on weekdays during busy travel times.
Ozaukee County Transit Services also has a Shared Ride Taxi. This is a public taxi service for places not directly reached by the bus. The taxis operate seven days a week.
The Village of Grafton has sidewalks in most areas. It also has the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which is for walking and biking. This trail connects Grafton to nearby towns like Cedarburg and Port Washington. It stretches north to Sheboygan County and south to Milwaukee County.
Freight trains run through Grafton on lines operated by Wisconsin Central Ltd. and Union Pacific Railroad. While Grafton hasn't had passenger trains for many years, you can find Amtrak passenger service in nearby Milwaukee.
Parks and Outdoor Fun
Grafton has 17 parks, covering over 120 acres of land. These parks range in size from small, like the 1-acre Acorn Park, to large, like the 27-acre Centennial Park and the 28-acre Lime Kiln Park.
The village offers picnic areas, two baseball fields, a public golf course, a soccer practice field, a disc golf course, a public swimming pool, and places to launch canoes on the Milwaukee River. The parks and recreation department also has over thirty fun programs for residents.
The Ozaukee Interurban Trail goes through Grafton. This trail follows the old path of a former electric train line. It connects Grafton to neighboring towns like Cedarburg and Port Washington.
There are also two private golf courses north of the village in the Town of Grafton.
Notable People from Grafton
- Beau Benzschawel, football player
- Kathy Cramer, political scientist
- Peter Cunningham, race car driver
- Charles Guiteau, assassin
- Susan Lynn Hefle, scientist
- Barbara M. Joosse, author
- John J. Jungers, legislator and businessman
- Dick Karth, racing driver
- Dave Levenick, football player
- Rich Strenger, football player
- Susan B. Vergeront, legislator
- Frank J. Weber, legislator and union organizer
- Ralph Zaun, legislator and businessman
See also
In Spanish: Grafton (Wisconsin) para niños
