Greenbush, Wisconsin

Greenbush is a town in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,773 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Greenbush is located in the town. The unincorporated community of German Corners is also located in the town.

Historic sites

The town is home to the Sylvanus Wade House historic site, a popular Wisconsin museum, which is the site for the Old Wade State Park.

In 1844 the land between Fond du Lac and Sheboygan was wilderness when Sylvanus and Betsy Wade and their family settled in what was to become Greenbush. At the time when Wisconsin was a frontier territory, The Wades came to establish a village on the developing frontier. They were the first permanent settlers in Greenbush. The Wades did not select the location for their village by chance. They chose a place halfway between Sheboygan and Fond du Lac, along a well-used stagecoach trail. The Mullet River crossed the trail and would become their source of water power. Mr. and Mrs. Wade purchased several sections of land. By 1848 when Wisconsin became a state, Greenbush was a booming little village with two stores, a school, a sawmill, a wagon shop, a blacksmith, and a doctor. And there were plans to improve the trail between Sheboygan and Fond du Lac by building a plank road. The Wade’s “Half Way House” was a regular stop for the stagecoach lines operating between Sheboygan and Fond du Lac. By 1850 the Wades completed a new large and elegant inn to serve the growing traffic. Construction of the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac Plank Road began in 1851 and the village flourished until the early 1860s when the railroad became the main transportation artery between the port of Sheboygan and the interior of the state. It bypassed Greenbush entirely, establishing a terminal two miles north in Glenbeulah.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.4 square miles (122.8 km²), of which, 47.2 square miles (122.1 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (0.55%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 2,773 people, 526 households, and 433 families residing in the town. The population density was 58.8 people per square mile (22.7/km²). There were 551 housing units at an average density of 11.7 per square mile (4.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.29% White, 23.15% African American, 1.73% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.97% of the population.

There were 526 households out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.9% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the town the population was spread out with 16.1% under the age of 18, 16.5% from 18 to 24, 45.4% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 273.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 332.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $54,118, and the median income for a family was $56,029. Males had a median income of $36,306 versus $26,484 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,050. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.