Kohler is a village in Sheboygan County,

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, along the Sheboygan River. The population was 2,120 at the 2010 census. It is included in the

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

Originally called Riverside within the rural Town of Sheboygan, the village was founded as a model company town in 1900 when the

Kohler Company Kohler Co., founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, is an American manufacturing company based in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler is best known for its plumbing products, but the company also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and ...

built a new plant at the location. The village was incorporated in 1912 as the

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

of Kohler. Of the original homes, most built between 1917 and 1931, approximately 95% are owner occupied. The Kohler Company continues to retain final authority over the design of home and business additions, outbuildings and fences in the village to keep them within a certain aesthetic standard. In 1934, 1954–1965, 1983, and 2015, the

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) ...

and other unions have gone on strike against the Kohler Company, causing limited to major disruptions to village operations.

Geography

Kohler is located at (43.738244, -87.781109). 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 t ...

, the village has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 2,120 people, 784 households, and 608 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 871 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 2.5% Asian, 0.2% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.1% from two or more races.

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 forme ...

or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population. There were 784 households, of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.4% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.12. The median age in the village was 42 years. 30.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

2000 data: The

was 354.0 people per square mile (136.7/km²). There were 792 housing units at an average density of 145.6 per square mile (56.2/km²). There were 568 families and 737 households, out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.06. In the village, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males. The median income for a household in the village was $75,000, and the median income for a family was $86,123. Males had a median income of $53,839 versus $32,188 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $39,355. About 2.6% of families and 2.8% 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 t ...

, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Businesses

As a company town, the

, a leading plumbing and small engine company, is the village's largest employer. Kohler's hospitality division along with its residential real estate and retail arms make up the largest goods and services employer of the village. Kohler Company Main Office

Kohler has two major shopping areas: the Shops at Woodlake Kohler just north of the village's downtown, and Deertrace on the extreme southeast side of the village at the intersection of WI 28 and Washington Avenue. In July 2022,

Aurora Health Care Advocate Aurora Health (AAH) is a non-profit health care system with dual headquarters located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Downers Grove, Illinois. As of 2021, the AAH system has 26 hospitals and more than 500 sites of care, with 75,000 em ...

opened Aurora Medical Center Sheboygan County, which replaced the 89-year-old Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center. It is located on Union Avenue east of I-43 on Kohler village land north of the Acuity Insurance campus. The land itself is otherwise inaccessible from Kohler proper itself without going through Sheboygan.

Gallery

File:Kohler Company Main Office.jpg, Kohler Company Main Office File:The American Club.jpg, The American Club File:River Course, Blackwolf Run.jpg, Blackwolf Run File:Whistling Straits Irish.jpeg, Whistling Straits

Notable people

Jake Dickert Jacob Dickert (born August 23, 1983) is an American college football coach. He is the head coach at Washington State University. Prior to this, he served as defensive coordinator in Pullman, beginning in 2020. Dickert attended school and played f ...

, football coach * Walter Ireland, member of

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

and businessman * David Kohler, president and chief executive officer,

* Herbert Kohler, Jr., industrialist *

John Michael Kohler John Michael Kohler II (November 3, 1844 – November 5, 1900) was member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin and was a prosperous industrialist and mayor of Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Kohler founded what later became known as the Kohler Company, a lar ...

, Founder of Kohler Company, Industrialist, Visionary, Philanthropist * Walter J. Kohler, Sr., Politician and industrialist, 26th Governor of Wisconsin * Walter J. Kohler, Jr., Politician and industrialist, 33rd Governor of Wisconsin *

David Leitch David Leitch (born November 16, 1975) is an American filmmaker, actor, stunt performer and stunt coordinator who made his directorial debut on the 2014 action film ''John Wick'' with Chad Stahelski, though only Stahelski was credited. Leitch the ...

, Hollywood stuntman and film director *

Joe Wolf Joseph James Wolf (born December 17, 1964) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. Professional career He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 13th overall pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, selected ...

, retired NBA player

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin Villages in Wisconsin Company towns in Wisconsin Kohler Company