Milton is a city in
Rock CountyRock County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is included in the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 152,307. Its county seat is Janesville.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census (2008 estimate, 5,667).
The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction.
Originally named Prairie du Lac, Milton was settled in 1838 by Joseph Goodrich, who built an inn, the
Milton HouseMilton House, also known as Joseph Goodrich House and Cabin, is a historic building in Milton, Wisconsin. It is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, which was an informal means of escape for slaves....
, at the intersection of two trade routes. The Milton House is today one of the oldest
poured groutConcrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water, and chemical admixtures...
structures in the United States.
Milton is a city in
Rock CountyRock County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is included in the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 152,307. Its county seat is Janesville.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census (2008 estimate, 5,667).
History
The city was formed as a result of the 1967 merger of the villages of Milton and Milton Junction.
Originally named Prairie du Lac, Milton was settled in 1838 by Joseph Goodrich, who built an inn, the
Milton HouseMilton House, also known as Joseph Goodrich House and Cabin, is a historic building in Milton, Wisconsin. It is believed to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad, which was an informal means of escape for slaves....
, at the intersection of two trade routes. The Milton House is today one of the oldest
poured groutConcrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water, and chemical admixtures...
structures in the United States. A noted abolitionist, Goodrich is believed to have aided
fugitiveA fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. As a verbal metaphor and psychological concept, one might also be described as a "fugitive...
slaves escape to freedom via the
underground railroadThe Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th century Black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists who aided the...
.
Geography
Milton is located at (42.777795, -88.955133).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.4 km²).None of the area is covered with water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "census" is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 5,132 people, 2,034 households, and 1,383 families residing in the city. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 1,587.8 people per square mile (613.5/km²). There were 2,129 housing units at an average density of 658.7/sq mi (254.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.07% White, 0.18% Black or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.14% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.49% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.82% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population were
HispanicHispanic is a term that historically denoted a relationship to the ancient Hispania . During the modern era, it took on a more limited meaning, relating to the contemporary nation of Spain....
or
LatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."* "A Latin American."...
of any race.
There were 2,034 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,201, and the median income for a family was $52,384. Males had a median income of $39,392 versus $22,866 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the city was $22,058. About 3.3% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Milton is the site of a $70 million ethanol plant built by United Cooperative. A 170-foot (52 m)
CargillCargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation, and is based in the state of Minnesota in the United States. It was founded in 1865, and has grown into the country's largest privately held corporation . Were it a publicly held company, it would rank in the top 10 companies...
grain elevatorGrain elevators are buildings or complexes of buildings for storage and shipment of grain. They were invented in 1842-43 in Buffalo, New York, by a local merchant named Joseph Dart, Jr. and an engineer named Robert Dunbar...
in Milton is believed to be the tallest building in Rock County. The Crossroads Business Park includes a variety of light and heavy industrial developments.
Education
Milton Schools include
Milton High SchoolMilton High School is a public high school located in the small town of Milton, Wisconsin with a population of approximately 5,588 people. Milton High School has about 80 staff members and 1040 students with graduating classes of 250 students. Mr. Jeremy Bilhorn is the Principal at MHS. Mr. Phil...
, Milton Middle School, Northside Intermediate School, Milton East Elementary, Milton West Elementary, Consolidated Elementary, Harmony School, and MECAS.
The former
Milton CollegeMilton College was a private college located in Milton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1844 as the Milton Academy, it closed in 1982. Its campus is now part of the Milton Historic District....
operated from 1844 to 1982. Milton native,
Albert WhitfordAlbert Edward Whitford was an American astronomer.Whitford was born in Milton, Wisconsin and attended Milton College. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served as the director of Washburn Observatory from 1948 to 1958. From 1958 to 1968 he was the director of Lick...
, a graduate of the college, became a leading astronomer.
The city is increasingly tied to
JanesvilleJanesville is a city in southern Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat of Rock County and the principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 59,498.-History:...
, its larger neighbor to the south, and parts of Janesville are now within the Milton School District as that city expands to the north and east. Students that go to Milton may live in several other districts surrounding Milton such as Janesville and Harmony district.
Notable people
- Leo Crowley
Leo Thomas Crowley was a member of the cabinet of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the head of the Foreign Economic Administration. Previously he had served as Alien Property Custodian and as chief of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation...
, head of the Foreign Economic AdministrationIn the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Foreign Economic Administration was formed to relieve friction between US agencies operating abroad. As described by the biographer of the FEA's chief, Leo Crowley, the agency was designed and run by "The Nation's #1 Pinch-hitter".S. L...
- Mike Saunders, professional football player
- George Thorngate
George Thorngate was an officer in the United States Army during World War I. He would be awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.His award citation reads:...
, Distinguished Service CrossThe Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high...
recipient
- Albert Whitford
Albert Edward Whitford was an American astronomer.Whitford was born in Milton, Wisconsin and attended Milton College. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served as the director of Washburn Observatory from 1948 to 1958. From 1958 to 1968 he was the director of Lick...
, noted astronomer, the asteroid 2301 Whitford2301 Whitford is a Main-belt Asteroid discovered on November 20, 1965 by the Indiana Asteroid Program at Goethe Link Observatory.- External links :...
is named after him.
External links