Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Encyclopedia
Oak Creek is a city in Milwaukee County, 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 28,456 at the 2000 census. In 2009, its population was estimated at 33,946.

History

Oak Creek, then still semi-rural, was incorporated in 1955 under the terms of Wisconsin statute 66.0215, also known as "The Oak Creek Law." The Oak Creek Law was crafted by Town Attorney
City attorney
A city attorney can be an elected or appointed position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the city or municipality....

 Tony Basile to prevent its annexation by neighboring Milwaukee; and was put through with the help of state Democratic party legislative joint committee chairman Leland McParland
Leland McParland
Leland S. McParland was a Wisconsin Democratic attorney and politician. He served in the Wisconsin Legislature from 1941 to 1970....

, who was the state senator
Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...

 for Oak Creek.

Geography

Oak Creek is located at 42°53′4"N 87°53′57"W (42.884347, -87.899209).

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 28.6 square miles (74.2 km²), of which, 28.6 square miles (74.1 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 28,456 people, 11,239 households, and 7,530 families. 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 994.4 people per square mile (383.9/km²). There were 11,897 housing units at an average density of 415.7 per square mile (160.5/km²). The ethnic makeup of the city is 91.96% White, 1.82% African American, 0.59% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 1.70% from other ethnic groups
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 1.53% from two or more ethnic groups. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.45% of the population.

There were 11,239 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,779, and the median income for a family was $63,381. Males had a median income of $43,935 versus $31,443 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 $23,586. About 1.2% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

On April 7, 2009 Incumbent Mayor Richard "Dick" Bolender defeated Alderwoman Dimity Grabowski for mayor.

Mayors of Oak Creek

  • Art Abendschein (1955–72)
  • Elroy Honadel (1972–74)
  • Don Hermann (1974–85)
  • Milo Schocker (1985–88)
  • Chris Bastian (1988–91)
  • Dale Richards (1991-03)
  • Richard "Dick" Bolender (2003-)

Oak Creek Common Council

  • Mayor: Richard "Dick" Bolender

Aldermen:
  • 1st District: Dan Jakubczyk (since 2009)
  • 2nd District: Daniel J. Bukiewicz(since 2008)
  • 3rd District: Stephen Scaffidi (since 2009)(Common Council President 4/2011-4/2012)
  • 4th District: Michael E. Toman (since 2003)
  • 5th District: Kenneth A. Gehl (since 2009)
  • 6th District: Tom Michalski, Common Council President (since 2006)

Economy

Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines
Midwest Airlines was a U.S.-based airline and was also an operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. operating from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport...

's headquarters were located in Oak Creek. In January 2010 Republic Airways, the parent company of Midwest, announced that it will move all Republic executives, including Midwest Airlines executives, to Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

.

Mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus International Inc.
Bucyrus International
Bucyrus International, Inc. , was an American surface and underground mining equipment company. Founded as Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1880, Bucyrus moved company headquarters to South Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1893. In its early history, Bucyrus produced steam...

 announced June 22, 2010 that it will move headquarters personnel from South Milwaukee to Midwest Airlines' former headquarters space in Oak Creek.

Bucyrus said it has completed the purchase of the former Midwest Airlines Corporate Center located at 6744 South Howell Avenue in Oak Creek from Westminster Badger LLC. Senior management and other personnel will be moving to the new location making room for additional employees at its South Milwaukee facility, the firm said in a press release.

Caterpillar intends to locate the Caterpillar Mining World Headquarters at 6744 South Howell Avenue after the acquisition of Bucyrus International.

The Oak Creek Power Plant
Oak Creek Power Plant
Oak Creek Power Plant, also known as South Oak Creek, is a base load, coal- and natural gas-fired, electrical power station located on Lake Michigan in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The plant is located on over of land on the border of Milwaukee and Racine counties. As of 2008, the plant was in the...

 is in Oak Creek. The city also hosts a number of small companies, with interests ranging from engineering to agriculture, including the locally-famous Black Bear Bottling plant.

The ASATT
American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians
The American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians, or ASATT, based in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, is a non-profit, educational organization responsible for the standards of technologist/technician competency in all areas of anesthesia....

is also based in Oak Creek.

Elementary Schools

  • Carollton Elementary
  • Cedar Hills Elementary
  • Deerfield Elementary
  • Edgewood Elementary
  • Meadowview Elementary
  • Shepard Hills Elementary
  • Early Learning Academy

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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