Middleton, Wisconsin

Middleton
City
The City of Middleton
Motto: The Good Neighbor City
Location in Dane County and the state of Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 43°03′37″N 89°34′18″W / 43.06028°N 89.57167°W / 43.06028; -89.57167Coordinates: 43°03′37″N 89°34′18″W / 43.06028°N 89.57167°W / 43.06028; -89.57167
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Dane
Area[1]
• City	9.12 sq mi (23.62 km2)
• Land	8.98 sq mi (23.26 km2)
• Water	0.14 sq mi (0.36 km2)
Population (2010)[2]
• City	17,442
• Estimate (2015[3])	18,979
• Density	1,942.3/sq mi (749.9/km2)
• Metro	561,505 (88th)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	53562
Area code(s)	608
Website	ci.middleton.wi.us

Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It is a north-western suburb of the state capital, Madison, but it was actually founded before Madison. It got its name from Middletown, Connecticut; the "w" being dropped was due to a paperwork error made by longtime historian Edward Kromrey (namesake of the local middle school). Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 17,442 at the 2010 census.

In July 2009, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Middleton the fourth best small town to live in the United States.^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.12 square miles (23.62 km²), of which 8.98 square miles (23.26 km²) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km²) is water.^[1]

Climate

Demographics

Since 1990 there has been a population increase of over 20% in the Madison metropolitan area. This has led to Middleton being considered as the western hub of a proposed, albeit controversial, 13-mile (21 km) railroad corridor connecting Middleton's Greenway Station, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, downtown Madison, and Madison's far east side.^[8]

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 17,442 people, 8,037 households, and 4,453 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,942.3 inhabitants per square mile (749.9/km²). There were 8,565 housing units at an average density of 953.8 per square mile (368.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.1% White, 3.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.2% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.

There were 8,037 households of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.86.

The median age in the city was 39.1 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.1% were from 25 to 44; 29.3% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[9] in 2000, there were 15,770 people living in Middleton, although in 2006 that number was estimated to be as high as 16,595. The population density was 1,953.2 people per square mile (754.5/km²). There were 7,397 housing units at an average density of 916.2 per square mile (353.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.08% White, 1.97% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 2.66% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. 2.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

According to the census, there were 7,095 households in Middleton, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.

The age of the population of Middleton is fairly diverse. The census states that 22.7% of the citizens there were under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $50,786, and the median income for a family was $71,514. Males had a median income of $41,070 versus $30,928 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,464. About 3.1% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Middleton Municipal Airport (C29) serves Middleton and the surrounding communities.

A free trolley service called Middleton Trolley runs through Middleton and has 13 stops at landmarks around Middleton.^[10]

Madison's bus service Madison Metro's routes 70, 71, 72, 73 and 15 all have stops throughout Middleton.

Municipal services

Proposed trail sign in Middleton.

The city of Middleton is served by the Middleton Police Department. The Middleton Fire Department provides fire protection services to a district consisting of the city of Middleton, as well as the neighboring town of Middleton and portions of the towns of Springfield and Westport. The Middleton Emergency Medical Services department provides EMS services to the city of Middleton and the neighboring townships of Middleton and Springfield.

Economy

View of Middleton Hills from wetlands.

The American Girl, Capital Brewery, Springs Window Fashions, and Electronic Theatre Controls company headquarters are located in Middleton.

Middleton is the site of Middleton Hills, a nationally recognized Parade of Homes neighborhood, based on the principles of New Urbanism. Founded by the late Marshall Erdman and designed by architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Middleton Hills is credited as being the first such neighborhood in Wisconsin.

Education

Middleton belongs to the Middleton-Cross Plains School District. There are six elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and one alternative senior high school in the district.

Students attend either Middleton High School or Clark Street Community School.^[11]

Media

Middleton is served by Madison TV, radio, print, and other media. Additionally, the Middleton Times-Tribune is a weekly community newspaper.

Attractions

Middleton is the home of the National Mustard Museum. It was originally located in the nearby town of Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, but moved to Middleton. The museum and its curator were featured on National Public Radio's Morning Edition broadcast of July 29, 2010,^[12] and Weekend Edition Saturday on February 18, 1995 (when it was located in Mount Horeb).^[13][14]

The Imperial Garden restaurant, founded in 1981, has been voted the Best of Madison: Best Chinese Restaurant for 28 consecutive years.^[15]

The Stamm House restaurant was built circa 1850 originally as a store to serve travelers on the Old Sauk Trail, which ran from Milwaukee to Minneapolis.^[16]

The Pheasant Branch Creek Conservancy is a nature preserve of green space and wetland^[17] with prairie hills, natural springs, and Native American burial mounds.^[18][19] The creek drains on the east into Lake Mendota, and a hiking trail follows beside it through a forest, passing beside Parisi Park.^[20]

Notable people

References

Middleton Depot

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Middleton, Wisconsin.

• City of Middleton
• Middleton Chamber of Commerce

Madison, Wisconsin Metropolitan Area
Surrounding communities	(over 10,000) Fitchburg° Middleton° Stoughton° Sun Prairie° Verona° Waunakee‡ (under 10,000) Arena‡ Arlington‡ Ashton Corners† Blooming Grove* Barneveld‡ Bristol* Burke* Columbus‡ Cottage Grove‡ DeForest‡ Dunkirk* Dodgeville° Dunn* Hope† Lodi‡ Lake Wisconsin§ Madison* Maple Bluff‡ McFarland‡ Mt Horeb‡ Monona° Montrose* Oregon‡ Pardeville‡ Pleasant Springs* Portage° Poynette‡ Ridgeway‡ Shorewood Hills‡ Springfield* Westport* Wisconsin Dells° Windsor‡ Wyocena*
Counties	Columbia Dane Green Iowa
*town ‡village °city §CDP †unincorporated community

Municipalities and communities of Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
County seat: Madison
Cities	Edgerton‡ Fitchburg Madison Middleton Monona Stoughton Sun Prairie Verona
Villages	Belleville‡ Black Earth Blue Mounds Brooklyn‡ Cambridge‡ Cottage Grove Cross Plains Dane Deerfield DeForest Maple Bluff Marshall Mazomanie McFarland Mount Horeb Oregon Rockdale Shorewood Hills Waunakee Windsor
Towns	Albion Berry Black Earth Blooming Grove Blue Mounds Bristol Burke Christiana Cottage Grove Cross Plains Dane Deerfield Dunkirk Dunn Madison Mazomanie Medina Middleton Montrose Oregon Perry Pleasant Springs Primrose Roxbury Rutland Springdale Springfield Sun Prairie Vermont Verona Vienna Westport York
Unincorporated communities	Albion Aldens Corners Ashton Ashton Corners Bakers Corners Basco Burke Daleyville Deansville Door Creek Dunkirk East Bristol Elvers Five Points Forward Hanerville Highwood Hillside Hoffman Corners Hope Indian Heights Kegonsa Kingsley Corners Klevenville Lake Windsor London‡ Lutheran Hill Martinsville Marxville Middleton Junction Montrose Morrisonville Mount Vernon Nora North Bristol Norway Grove Old Deerfield Paoli Pierceville Pine Bluff Primrose Riley Roxbury Rutland Schey Acres Seminary Springs Springfield Corners Stone Token Creek Utica Vermont Vilas West Middleton York Center
Neighborhoods	Fitchburg Center Oak Hall
Indian reservation	Ho-Chunk Indian Reservation‡
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties