Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Village
Main Street Historic District
Location of Menomonee Falls in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Waukesha
Area
• Total	33.30 sq mi (86.25 km2)
• Land	32.91 sq mi (85.23 km2)
• Water	0.39 sq mi (1.02 km2)
Elevation	868 ft (261 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	38,527
• Density	1,155.12/sq mi (446.00/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	53051, 53052
Area code(s)	262
FIPS code	55-51000
GNIS feature ID	1569346

Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the United States. It is a part of the larger Milwaukee metropolitan area. In 2020, about 38,527 people lived here. This makes Menomonee Falls the village with the most people in all of Wisconsin!

How Menomonee Falls Grew

Garwin Mace Lime Kilns

Long ago, the area where Menomonee Falls is now was home to Native Americans. Tribes like the Menominee and Chippewa lived here. The larger area, called the town of Menomonee, was officially created in December 1839.

Menomonee Falls kept growing in the 1870s. By 1890, about 2,480 people lived in the area. In 1892, a part of the town became its own village, called Menomonee Falls. The first village leaders were chosen in 1894. That same year, the first fire department was started.

After becoming a village, many important buildings were built. These included the village hall and fire station. A high school and the Wisconsin Sugar Factory were also built. The sugar factory was very big. It hired up to 500 workers. It made as much as 15 million pounds of sugar every year!

New technologies came to the village. Public telephone service started in 1902. An electricity plant opened in 1907. This meant people could use electric lights instead of kerosene lamps. Water pipes were put in during the 1910s. Sewer lines were added in 1924.

More neighborhoods were built as the village grew. The Menomonee Falls Public Library was also built. A second bank, Farmers and Merchants Bank, opened in 1908. Cars started to be sold in the village by 1910. This led to more paved roads. By 1919, a main road, Highway 15, connected Menomonee Falls to Milwaukee and Illinois. By 1922, it reached Green Bay.

In the early 1900s, a new building was constructed. It held the village offices, fire department, and police department. It also had a new public library. A new neighborhood called Hiawatha Heights was built. It had 58 homes. Most of the people who bought these homes moved from Milwaukee. By 1940, the village population reached 3,674.

Shopping areas also began to appear. The Hiawatha Shopping Center is still there today. It is on Appleton Avenue. Krueger's Entertainment and Pop's Custard are popular spots there. In the 1950s, more neighborhoods were built. A major highway, US 41, was finished. This made it easy for people to travel to jobs in Milwaukee. So, more people wanted to live in Menomonee Falls.

In 1958, Menomonee Falls grew much larger. The village took over the rest of the Town of Menomonee. Its total area went from 2 square miles to 32 square miles. The population jumped from 4,500 to 12,000 people!

The 1960s saw even more growth. Six new schools were built. This was because many children were born during the "baby boom" years. In 1965, a large factory opened. It made 150 million cans each year. It was a partnership between Miller Brewing Company and Carnation Company. By the end of the 1960s, almost half the people in the village were 19 years old or younger.

The village also improved its parks and public services. More full-time police officers and firefighters were hired. New shopping centers were developed. Big companies like Harley-Davidson and Wacker Neuson set up businesses here. Old buildings were taken down to make way for new streets.

Menomonee Falls continued to grow near the end of the 20th century. Between 1990 and 2010, the population increased by almost 9,000 people. New neighborhoods and apartments were built. By 2016, the village had about 36,907 residents. It had become an important business center for the Milwaukee area. Major businesses include Kohl's Corporate campus and the Westbrook Corporate Center. A new village hall and a new library were also built.

Where is Menomonee Falls?

Menomonee Falls covers about 33.31 square miles (86.25 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 32.92 square miles (85.23 square kilometers). A small part, about 0.39 square miles (1.02 square kilometers), is water.

Fussville is a neighborhood within Menomonee Falls. It used to be a separate small community. But it became part of Menomonee Falls sometime between 1950 and 1960.

Who Lives in Menomonee Falls?

In 2010, there were 35,626 people living in Menomonee Falls. These people lived in 14,567 households. About 30.5% of these households had children under 18 living there. The average age of people in the village was 43.3 years old. About 23% of the residents were under 18.

Jobs and Businesses

Menomonee Falls has a strong economy. About 18,839 people work in the village. Many jobs are in manufacturing, healthcare, and retail. Manufacturing employs the most people, with 3,917 workers. Healthcare and social assistance employ 2,704 people. Retail trade employs 2,465 people.

The average income for a household in Menomonee Falls is about $73,350. The unemployment rate is low, around 4.00%.

Some big companies have their main offices in Menomonee Falls. These include Kohl's and Enerpac Tool Group.

Top Employers

Here are some of the largest employers in Menomonee Falls:

Fun Things to Do

Mill Pond Park

There is a large, 18-hole golf course in the southwest part of the village. It covers 150 acres. It was partly finished in the mid-1960s.

In the mid-1950s, the village used to have an Annual Field Day. This was a fun fair for all families in the village. It was part of the village's recreation program.

Schools and Learning

Menomonee Falls High School

The Menomonee Falls School District serves most of the village. It includes Menomonee Falls High School, North Middle School, and several elementary schools. These are Benjamin Franklin, Riverside, Valley View, and Shady Lane Elementary Schools.

There are also several private schools in Menomonee Falls. These include Saint Mary's Catholic School, Calvary Baptist School, Grace Lutheran School, Bethlehem Lutheran School, Zion Lutheran School, and Aquinas Academy.

Some parts of Menomonee Falls are in the Hamilton School District. This district also serves other nearby communities.

In 2023, the Menomonee Falls Public Library had some changes to its budget.

Local News and Media

Menomonee Falls has its own local news and media. These include:

• The Menomonee Falls Express News
• The Menomonee Falls Gazette (published from 1971–1978)
• The Menomonee Falls Guardian (published from 1973–1976)
• Menomonee Falls Now

Transportation

In 1967, the village got its water from four wells. These wells could provide five million gallons of water every day.

The Milwaukee County Transit System has bus routes 61 and 79 that serve Menomonee Falls. There used to be a train line, the Milwaukee Road, that ran through Menomonee Falls. It connected Milwaukee and North Lake. This train line is no longer used.

Famous People from Menomonee Falls

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