Williams Bay, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Walworth County, Wisconsin
Walworth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2010, the population was 102,228. Its county seat is Elkhorn.-Geography:According to the U.S...
, Wisconsin
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...
. The population was 2,415 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Williams Bay is located at 42°34′27"N 88°32′37"W (42.574208, -88.543690).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 village has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), of which 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) is water.
History
Williams Bay is one of three incorporated villages on Geneva LakeGeneva Lake
Geneva Lake is a body of freshwater in southeastern Wisconsin in Walworth county. On its shores are the city of Lake Geneva, and the villages of Fontana-on-Geneva-Lake, and Williams Bay....
. Much of the area was settled in the early 19th century by surveyors plotting roadways from the East and used as a vacation spot by wealthy Chicagoans displaced by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. During the latter part of the 20th century, Williams Bay (and the surrounding lakes area) saw an explosive housing boom. The population has nearly doubled within the past 30 years as more people are finding its slow-paced, relaxed style attractive.
Williams Bay is home to a beautiful lake-side park including a beach. The park also has a public boat launching facility. Williams Bay is named for Captain Israel Williams of Connecticut, a War of 1812 sea captain, who with several of his sons, settled in the area in 1835. Another famous Williams (not related) in the area is George Williams (YMCA), the founder of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
whose officials and students of Chicago-based George Williams College frequently met just west of the town of Williams Bay and later established a camp in the village on the shores of Lake Geneva. George Williams College folded in the 1970s and is today part of Aurora University, which today maintains the campus.
Transportation
No public transportation presently serves Williams Bay, but until the 1960s, it was the terminus of the Chicago and North Western RailwayChicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
. The line also had stops in Como, Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
, Genoa City
Genoa City, Wisconsin
Genoa City is a village located in Kenosha, and Walworth Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, 43 miles south-southwest of Milwaukee. The population was 1,949 at the 2000 census....
, Richmond
Richmond, Illinois
Richmond is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States, 44 miles south-southwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 55 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois. The population was 1,091 at the 2000 census. The current village president is Lauri Olson.-History:...
, and McHenry, Illinois
McHenry, Illinois
McHenry is a city in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. In 2005, its population was estimated to be 24,631. McHenry was at one time the county seat of McHenry County...
. A nature park now exists where the railroad once had a station and yards, but the right-of-way is still discernible in some areas.
Education
- The public schools include Williams Bay Elementary and Williams Bay High SchoolWilliams Bay High SchoolWilliams Bay High School is a 4 year high school located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. School enrollment usually hovers around 181 students. The school district currently serves the village of Williams Bay, and the towns of Delavan, Linn, Walworth, and Geneva....
. There is one private school that services K-12, Faith Christian School. - George Williams College of Aurora UniversityAurora UniversityAurora University is a private, not-for-profit, co-educational liberal arts college located in Aurora, Illinois, 40 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. Additional university locations include the George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin and the Woodstock Center in Woodstock, Illinois...
is also located along the lake.
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 2,415 people, 993 households, and 639 families residing in the village. 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 912.6 people per square mile (351.9/km²). There were 1,772 housing units at an average density of 669.6 per square mile (258.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.18% White, 0.50% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.70% 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 0.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.73% of the population.
There were 993 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $50,450, and the median income for a family was $60,573. Males had a median income of $45,750 versus $24,875 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 village was $26,231. About 5.3% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.