New Glarus, Wisconsin

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New Glarus is a village in Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,111 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of New Glarus.

The village is named after Glarus, Switzerland, and was settled in 1845 by a group of 150 immigrants from that part of Switzerland. Because of its Swiss heritage, New Glarus attracts many visitors and tourists each year.

The Sugar River Trail extends 23.5 miles out of New Glarus into the beautiful countryside, along the Little Sugar River which joins the Sugar River just outside Village of Albany at the Mill Pond. This is a bicycle trail built on a former rail bed of the Milwaukee Road, a rail line known as the Limburger Special[1] after the cheese that used to be carried on the line. South of the village along Highway 69 is the New Glarus Woods State Park.

New Glarus is also home to the Swiss Historical Village, a museum consisting of 13 historic buildings brought to a park in the village. Presentations are made by local residents. There is also a small private museum, the Chalet of the Golden Fleece, in a Swiss style house, which houses many antiques and artifacts.

New Glarus is renowned for its good restaurants, including many with Swiss food. One of these is the Chalet Landhaus, which is the largest building in New Glarus. It is a combination restaurant and hotel (and pool). It is currently under the management of Chef Mike Nevil. Many visitors also enjoy annual special events, including the Heidi festival and also the William Tell Festival. The Tell festival includes an open air play (complete with live horses and cattle) that relates the heroic story of the Swiss hero Wilhelm Tell.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Notables
4 External links

[edit] Geography

New Glarus is located at 42°48′44″N, 89°38′13″W (42.812281, -89.637164)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²). The Village of New Glarus is located along the Banks of the Little Sugar River.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,111 people, 862 households, and 561 families residing in the village. The population density was 566.0/km² (1,469.2/mi²). There were 893 housing units at an average density of 239.4/km² (621.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.44% White, 0.09% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.24% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 862 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $45,000, and the median income for a family was $53,438. Males had a median income of $32,423 versus $28,042 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,392. About 6.9% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notables

New Glarus, Wisconsin is the home of the New Glarus Brewing Company, a microbrewery famous among the microbrewing community.
New Glarus was recently shown in the 9th episode of the FOX show, Prison Break.
Al Capone allegedly had operations where the original New Glarus Brewery was. [2]