St. Francis, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
St. Francis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
, United States
. As of the 2000 census
, its population was 8,662. It is the smallest incorporated city in Milwaukee County.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (6.6 km²), all of it land. It is located directly south and east of the City of Milwaukee, directly west of Lake Michigan
, and directly north of Cudahy, Wisconsin
. Milwaukee's primary airport
, General Mitchell International Airport
, is bordered on one side by St. Francis.
of 2000, there were 8,662 people, 4,050 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city. The population density
was 3,421.7 people per square mile (1,321.9/km²). There were 4,193 housing units at an average density of 1,656.4 per square mile (639.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.77% White, 0.97% African American, 0.88% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races
, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population.
There were 4,050 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,721, and the median income for a family was $49,896. Males had a median income of $37,013 versus $27,129 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $21,837. About 2.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
, moving to Oak Creek, Wisconsin
. The land on Lake Michigan
's coast that the electric utility
owned for the plant has, after over a decade of lying unused, recently been developed with high-priced condominiums. These condos are especially valuable because they are built on some of the only undeveloped lakefront land in the metropolitan Milwaukee area.
How best to make use of the lakeshore property has generated much controversy over the years, with many suggesting that the city should preserve it as open space for the enjoyment of all. A petition drive was mounted proposing that the land be annexed into the Milwaukee County park system. County executive William O'Donnell decided, however, to defer the annexation because of budgetary constraints and other concerns. Subsequently the land was acquired by Chicago
-based developers. After a plan to develop the land as a Native American casino was rejected after massive public opposition, the condo development plan was ultimately approved instead, despite community misgivings. The project was approved in line with a stated goal of the city government to improve the tax base and generate increased revenue. Since the primary selling point for the condos is the view of Lake Michigan
, the project is commonly referred to by local residents as "pay-per-view".
Today, businesses in St. Francis include Foamation (manufacturer of the world-famous "cheesehead
s" worn by Wisconsin sports fans), and EZ Paintr, among other small manufacturers and service companies. Many residents work in the city of Milwaukee or in other municipalities in the Milwaukee area.
provides the public education for the area. There are three schools in the district: Willow Glen (kindergarten - 3rd Grade), Deer Creek (4th - 8th grade), and Saint Francis High School
(9th - 12th grade). Another High School in the city of Saint Francis is St. Thomas More High School.
The City of St. Francis is named after the patron saint
of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
, who set up a convent and Roman Catholic seminary in city in the mid nineteenth century. Catholic Church land accounts for a significant percentage of the area of this small city, from the old St. Francis Seminary buildings to the "seminary woods" (as the large, undeveloped forest owned by the church is called by area residents) to the Archbishop Cousins Center, which is the practice location for the Milwaukee Bucks
.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is 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 north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, its population was 8,662. It is the smallest incorporated city in Milwaukee County.
Geography
St. Francis is located at 42°58′11"N 87°52′36"W (42.969615, -87.876745).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The 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...
, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (6.6 km²), all of it land. It is located directly south and east of the City of Milwaukee, directly west of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, and directly north of Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,429 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally known as the Buckhorn Settlement, it was renamed in the late 1800s when Patrick Cudahy purchased 700 acres of land in the Town of Lake, two miles from the Milwaukee city...
. Milwaukee's primary airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
, General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport
General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
, is bordered on one side by St. Francis.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A 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. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 8,662 people, 4,050 households, and 2,158 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,421.7 people per square mile (1,321.9/km²). There were 4,193 housing units at an average density of 1,656.4 per square mile (639.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.77% White, 0.97% African American, 0.88% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.50% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, 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 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population.
There were 4,050 households out of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.7% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,721, and the median income for a family was $49,896. Males had a median income of $37,013 versus $27,129 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $21,837. About 2.7% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
In an attempt to keep revenues from the South Shore Power Plant for themselves, the founders of St. Francis split the city off of the Town of Lake, a now defunct entity that covered much of Greater Milwaukee's far south side and some of the southern and southwestern suburbs in Milwaukee County. The importance of the power plant to the St. Francis economy in the middle of the twentieth century shows in the city's former logo, with the power plant smoke stacks holding a prominent position. The plant closed in the late 1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, moving to Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Oak Creek is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 28,456 at the 2000 census. In 2009, its population was estimated at 33,946.-History:...
. The land on Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
's coast that the electric utility
Utility
In economics, utility is a measure of customer satisfaction, referring to the total satisfaction received by a consumer from consuming a good or service....
owned for the plant has, after over a decade of lying unused, recently been developed with high-priced condominiums. These condos are especially valuable because they are built on some of the only undeveloped lakefront land in the metropolitan Milwaukee area.
How best to make use of the lakeshore property has generated much controversy over the years, with many suggesting that the city should preserve it as open space for the enjoyment of all. A petition drive was mounted proposing that the land be annexed into the Milwaukee County park system. County executive William O'Donnell decided, however, to defer the annexation because of budgetary constraints and other concerns. Subsequently the land was acquired by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based developers. After a plan to develop the land as a Native American casino was rejected after massive public opposition, the condo development plan was ultimately approved instead, despite community misgivings. The project was approved in line with a stated goal of the city government to improve the tax base and generate increased revenue. Since the primary selling point for the condos is the view of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, the project is commonly referred to by local residents as "pay-per-view".
Today, businesses in St. Francis include Foamation (manufacturer of the world-famous "cheesehead
Cheesehead
Cheesehead is a nickname, sometimes used disparagingly, referring to a person from Wisconsin, referring to the large volume of cheese production of the state...
s" worn by Wisconsin sports fans), and EZ Paintr, among other small manufacturers and service companies. Many residents work in the city of Milwaukee or in other municipalities in the Milwaukee area.
Education
The Saint Francis School DistrictSaint Francis School District
The Saint Francis School District is a public school district in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The district serves the city of St. Francis, Wisconsin. As of the 2006-2007 school year, the district had approximately 1450 enrolled students. The district administrator is Dr. John Thomsen.- Schools...
provides the public education for the area. There are three schools in the district: Willow Glen (kindergarten - 3rd Grade), Deer Creek (4th - 8th grade), and Saint Francis High School
Saint Francis High School (St. Francis, Wisconsin)
St. Francis High School is a public high school in St. Francis, Wisconsin serving grades 9 through 12. It is located along Lake Michigan. SFHS is the only high school in the Saint Francis School District.-Academics:Classes available to St...
(9th - 12th grade). Another High School in the city of Saint Francis is St. Thomas More High School.
Religion
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi is a Roman Catholic religious congregation for women. The motherhouse is in St. Francis, Wisconsin, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Sisters of St...
, who set up a convent and Roman Catholic seminary in city in the mid nineteenth century. Catholic Church land accounts for a significant percentage of the area of this small city, from the old St. Francis Seminary buildings to the "seminary woods" (as the large, undeveloped forest owned by the church is called by area residents) to the Archbishop Cousins Center, which is the practice location for the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
.
Notable residents
- Leo Joseph BrustLeo Joseph BrustLeo Joseph Brust was the Roman Catholic titular bishop of Suelli and the auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee....
, Roman Catholic bishop - Ronald C. PreiRonald C. PreiRonald C. Prei was a Coast Guard Fireman of St. Francis, Wisconsin who was awarded the Coast Guard Medal for heroic life saving actions along with two comrades.-Rescue:...
, Coast Guard Medal recipient - Brandon JenningsBrandon JenningsBrandon Jennings is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association who plays at point guard....
, NBA player for the Milwaukee BucksMilwaukee BucksThe Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....