Plain, Wisconsin | |
|---|---|
 Looking south at Plain onWisconsin Highway 23 | |
 Location of Plain in Sauk County, Wisconsin. | |
| Coordinates:43°16′39″N90°2′40″W / 43.27750°N 90.04444°W /43.27750; -90.04444 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| County | Sauk |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.83 sq mi (2.16 km2) |
| • Land | 0.83 sq mi (2.16 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 810 ft (247 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 749 |
| • Density | 898/sq mi (347/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 608 |
| FIPS code | 55-63125[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1571574[2] |
Plain is a village inSauk County,Wisconsin, United States. The population was 749 at the2020 census.
Plain is located at43°16′39″N90°2′40″W / 43.27750°N 90.04444°W /43.27750; -90.04444 (43.277580, -90.044563).[5]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.83 square miles (2.15 km2), all land.[6]
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The village of Plain[7] is located onWisconsin Highway 23 and County Road B in the Township ofFranklin. The area of Plain was originally known as Cramer's Corners[8] after four Cramer brothers (John, Jeremiah, Adam and Solomon, Sr.) moved to the Plain area in the early 1850s. They came from Troy Township inRichland County, Ohio andMorrow County, Ohio. Joseph Cramer was originally fromLetterkenny Township, Pennsylvania.[9]
The Cramers are listed as land owners in the 1859 Town of Franklin map.[10] This Cramer family should not be confused with the Kraemer [Krämer] family from Irlach, Bavaria, Germany, who settled in Plain, Wisconsin, in 1867. Several rough buildings were erected and the area acquired the nickname of Logtown (also spelled Log Town).[11]
A post office was proposed to be established at Plain on March 31, 1858, with B. V. Bunnel as postmaster. The proposed mail route was Prairie du Sac, Sauk City, Harrisburg, Plain, Maqua to Sextonville in Richland County.[12] Plain formally became a village in 1912.[13]
The origin of the village's name is widely rumored[14][15] to have been selected as an homage to the Shrine of the Virgin Mary at Maria Plain on the hill known asPlainberg in the village ofBergheim, Austria outsideSalzburg, Austria. There are, however, no known documents, newspaper articles or books of the time to support this claim, and writings of the time indicate a less colorful origin. Plain was "called Plain because the inhabitants were plain people".[16]
In September 1915, a subscriber of the local newspaper wrote of his desire to have Plain re-christened as the town had expanded and improved so much over the past three years that it had outgrown the "plain"-ness of its name. The unnamed author wrote: "Within a few weeks very strong efforts will be made at proper headquarters to have the name of Plain changed, as that name does not agree with the rushing strides our burg is making. First of all there is no meaning to the word Plain, as it is an adjective; we must have at least a noun and why not put a 'ville' or 'city' to it."[17]
Old Franklin Township Historical Society (OFTHS) in Plain, Wisconsin, was organized in 2004[18][19] in the former Town Hall ofFranklin, Sauk County, Wisconsin located on Highway 23 at 915 Wachter Avenue. Museum exhibits are open to the public during open house events and by special request.[20]
Plain istwinned with:
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 324 | — | |
| 1930 | 331 | 2.2% | |
| 1940 | 405 | 22.4% | |
| 1950 | 512 | 26.4% | |
| 1960 | 677 | 32.2% | |
| 1970 | 688 | 1.6% | |
| 1980 | 676 | −1.7% | |
| 1990 | 691 | 2.2% | |
| 2000 | 792 | 14.6% | |
| 2010 | 773 | −2.4% | |
| 2020 | 749 | −3.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[24] | |||
As of thecensus[25] of 2010, there were 773 people, 321 households, and 224 families living in the village. Thepopulation density was 931.3 inhabitants per square mile (359.6/km2). There were 358 housing units at an average density of 431.3 per square mile (166.5/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.2%White, 0.1%African American, 0.9%Native American, 0.3%Asian, 0.5% fromother races, and 1.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.8% of the population.
There were 321 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% weremarried couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.86.
The median age in the village was 40.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.8% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.8% male and 49.2% female.
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, there were 792 people, 333 households, and 224 families living in the village. Thepopulation density was 1,083.4 people per square mile (418.9/km2). There were 339 housing units at an average density of 463.7 per square mile (179.3/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 98.61%White, 0.25%African American, 0.63%Native American, 0.38% fromother races, and 0.13% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 333 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% weremarried couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $44,028, and the median income for a family was $51,094. Males had a median income of $34,236 versus $25,385 for females. Theper capita income for the village was $24,658. About 0.9% of families and 2.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.
Festivals in Plain include the following
Municipalities and communities ofSauk County, Wisconsin,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
