Brookfield is a town in

Waukesha County Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha. Waukesha Co ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, United States. The population was 6,477 at the 2020 census. The unincorporated community of Goerke's Corners is located in the town.

History

In 1954, the city of

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States in the Milwaukee metropolitan area The Milwaukee metropolitan area (also known as Metro Milwaukee or Greater Milwaukee) is a major metropolitan area located in Southeast ...

was formed from the town of Brookfield. On March 26, 2012, the town of Brookfield filed a petition to incorporate to become a village.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.3 km), all of it land.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 6,390 people, 2,762 households, and 1,762 families in the town. The population density was 1,160.3 people per square mile (447.8/km). There were 2,863 housing units at an average density of 519.8 per square mile (200.6/km). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 94.63% White, 0.83% Black or African American, 0.03% Native American, 3.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 1.25% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. Of the 2,762 households 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 32.3% of households were one person and 22.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.93. The age distribution was 22.0% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% 65 or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median household income was $65,417 and the median family income was $83,036. Males had a median income of $63,661 versus $47,591 for females. The per capita income for the town was $38,608. About 2.1% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

The town is the home of

Elmbrook Church Elmbrook Church is a non-denominational, evangelical Christian megachurch located in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County. Since the church's founding in 1958, it has become one of the largest churches in the Unite ...

, the largest church in Wisconsin and one of the 100-largest in the United States.

Notable people

Caroline Ingalls Caroline Lake Ingalls (; ''née'' Quiner (later Holbrook); December 12, 1839April 20, 1924) was the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the '' Little House'' books. Biography Childhood Caroline was born 15 miles west of Milwaukee, Wis ...

(1839–1923), mother of

Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, mostly known for the '' Little House on the Prairie'' series of children's books, published between 1932 and 1943, which were based on her childhood ...

, was born in the then Town of Brookfield, currently City of Brookfield. She was descended from pioneers who could trace their ancestry to the ''

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, ...

.'' There is a description of her life, ''Little House in Brookfield,'' patterned after the highly successful ''

Little House on the Prairie The ''Little House on the Prairie'' books is a series of American children's novels written by Laura Ingalls Wilder (b. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls). The stories are based on her childhood and adolescence in the American Midwest (Wisconsin, Kansas, ...

.'' Quiner's birthplace stood near today's intersection of Davidson Road and Brookfield Road, in the southwestern part of the city * Katrina Kozar, MasterChef (U.S. season 6) contestant, lived in the Town at the time of her TV appearance * William H. Steele, Wisconsin State Representative and farmer, was born in the town

References

External links

Town of Brookfield website
{{authority control Towns in Waukesha County, Wisconsin Towns in Wisconsin