Stone Bank, Wisconsin
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Stone Bank (formerly Newberg) is a small, unincorporated community located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, contained within the Towns of Town of Oconomowoc and Merton. It is home to approximately 3,000 people. It once was incorporated and had its own post office, which is now a dentist's office in downtown Stone Bank. It does, however, maintain its own volunteer fire services and has its own kindergarten through 8th grade school which is a part of the Arrowhead Union School District. Stone Bank uses the ZIP code 53066, which is from Oconomowoc, although most of Stone Bank is located within the town of Merton.
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[edit] Geography
Stone Bank is situated about 4.5 miles northeast of the Oconomowoc city center along Waukesha County Highways K and C. It is on the north shore of Okauchee Lake and also has extensive shorelines with Moose Lake.
The geology of the area is entirely glacial, part of the Kettle Moraine region of Southeastern Wisconsin. The soil is, therefore, very rich with clays and organics and perfect for farming. Much of the farming done in Stone Bank is corn or alfalfa. The primary problem with the soil is the inclusion of large stones referred to by some locals as 'Stone Bank Potatoes.' Small scale farmers in the area often need to hire temporary stone pickers, often as family labor from neighborhood children. Because of the urban encroachment from Milwaukee, much of this farmland is being subdivided for neighborhoods including much of what was once the Becker Farm and is now Stone Bank Estates.
One prominent feature in the area is the large ridge between Moose Lake and Okauchee Lake. This may be an esker, or former subglacial river that filled in, leaving an elongated snake-like hill. County Highway C runs along this ridge between Nashotah and its termination at the Tyme Out center. Downtown is bordered on the East side by this formation and on the west side by another hill that stretches between the new development on Highway K and the Stone Bank Estates. This hill terminates at Breezy Point, a small point in Okauchee Lake. At the base of the east hill lies the Stone Bank River, a small stream that runs from North Lake and meets Okauchee Lake in a small marsh between the east hill and Lakeview Drive, Stone Bank Estates' lake front property.
[edit] Major streets
- County Hwy K — Main throughway; runs east to west through town.
- County Hwy C — Runs south, perpendicular to Hwy K between Moose and Okauchee Lakes; connects to Hwy 16.
- Stone Bank Road — Runs North, perpendicular to Hwy K. Their intersection constitutes the center of town.
- Breezy Point Road — Primary entry point to the Stone Bank Estates neighborhood.
- Peterson Road — Parallel to Hwy K in the northern farmland.
[edit] History
Stone Bank has been a major area of growth due to its proximity to Highway 16 and relative proximity to both Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin. Housing was at one time quite inexpensive, an uncommon trait in the suburbs of Milwaukee.
Stone Bank has undergone two major housing booms in recent history: one in the early 1980s that saw the addition of the Stone Bank Estates and Stone Bank Highlands, and a recent project across Highway K from the Stone Bank Highlands running along the shores of Okauchee Lake. During the 1980s and 90s there was a push to reincorporate, which did not succeed at that time. Opponents claimed it would degrade services such as street lights and police protection, currently provided by the towns of Merton and Oconomowoc.
[edit] Prominent businesses
- Kuhtz's General Store
- Dottie's Bakery
- The Stone Bank Pub
- Tyme Out
- Armeli's Restaruant
[edit] Major sites
- Fireman's Park
- Stone Bank School
- Stone Bank Volunteer Fire Department[1]
[edit] Neighborhoods
- Stone Bank Estates
- Stone Bank Highlands
- Central City (Stone Bank Road, Highway K, and Reynolds Drive)
- Hwy C Corridor
- Carl Schurz Park (Private)
- Stone Bank Trailer Park
[edit] Major annual events
The annual Fireman's Festival takes place on the evenings of the second Friday and Saturday of June. Local bands play live, many types of food and drink are sold, and there are activities for children. This event often attracts large crowds and the money raised is given to help fund the town's volunteer fire department.
The Stone Bank Lions' festival takes place the evening of July 3 and then starts right after the parade on July 4th, which is normally around 11:00 a.m. but is getting later every year due to the growing parade.
Stone Bank's 4th of July parade has become one of the largest in the county due to most communities moving it to the 3rd of July. The parade has grown from about 20 minutes during the 1970s to almost an hour and a half as of July 2005. The whole city becomes filled with not only locals but people from all around the area, which has sparked problems with out-of-towners trying to park or set up their seats and tables for the parade in the locals' yards. Every local business helps celebrate the parade, and there are annual traditions, such as Dotties' Convenience Store (once Bakery) handing out fresh chocolate chip cookies and the band from Carl Schurz Park playing. This is by far the biggest and most widely celebrated occasion during the year in Stone Bank.
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| Surrounding municipalities (over 10,000 inhabitants) |
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Brookfield | Brown Deer | Caledonia | Cedarburg | Cudahy | Delafield | Franklin | Germantown | Glendale | Grafton | Greendale | Greenfield | Menomonee Falls | Mequon | Muskego | New Berlin | Oak Creek | Oconomowoc | Pewaukee | Richfield | Shorewood | South Milwaukee | Waukesha | Wauwatosa | West Allis | Whitefish Bay | |
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| (less than 10,000 inhabitants) | |
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Bayside | Big Bend | Butler | Chenequa | Dousman | Elm Grove | Fox Point | Genesee | Hales Corners | Hartland | Ixonia | Lac La Belle | Lannon | Lisbon | Merton | Mukwonago | Nashotah | North Prairie | Pewaukee | Oconomowoc Lake | Okauchee Lake | Ottawa | River Hills | Saukville | Saint Francis | Summit | Sussex | Thiensville | Vernon | Wales | West Milwaukee | |
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| Counties | |
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Jefferson | Milwaukee | Ozaukee | Racine | Washington | Waukesha | |
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| *town ‡village °city §CDP |
