Waunakee, Wisconsin


Waunakee is a village in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,879 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Waunakee bills itself as "The Only Waunakee in the World".

History

When the Chicago and Northwestern Railway wanted to expand its line from Madison to Saint Paul, a door was opened for the development of a town. Its original location was intended to be at Packham's Mill, about where Mill Road crosses the railroad track today two miles southeast of downtown. But two local settlers, Louis Baker and George Fish, platted a village on their land two miles further northwest along the railroad. Railroad officials agreed to move a train depot to the new community in exchange for $1,500 and two miles of right of way. The village was founded in 1871 and formally incorporated in 1893.
Baker and Fish did not want credit for naming the community, so they asked Simeon Mills and a Mr. Hill of Madison to come up with a list. The name "Waunakee" has a Native American origin meaning "fair and pleasant valley." In their "Dictionary of Wisconsin History", on the other hand, the Wisconsin Historical Society has the village's name deriving from the Chippewa name of "a friendly Indian" from the area, "Waunaki", meaning "he lives in peace".
Robert F. Kennedy and Ted Kennedy each visited the village to campaign for their brother John before the contested Wisconsin presidential primary in March 1960. Former First Lady Barbara Bush visited the village to campaign for her son George for president in October 2000. In October 2024, Donald Trump held a rally in the village at Dane Manufacturing, the first visit by a Republican presidential nominee to Dane County since 1996.
The landmark Waunakee Railroad Depot, in the central part of town, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It now houses the Waunakee Area Chamber of Commerce offices.

Geography

Waunakee is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has an area of, of which is land and is water.
The village is bordered on the south and east by Westport, to the north by Vienna, to the northwest by Dane, and to the west by Springfield.
Six Mile Creek, the main waterway through the community, runs west to east before making a southerly turn through the village on its way to Lake Mendota.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 12,097 people, 4,344 households, and 3,316 families living in the village. The population density was. There were 4,483 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 95.8% White, 1.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.2% of the population.
There were 4,344 households, of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.7% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.20.
The median age in the village was 37.9 years. 31.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 9.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,995 people, 3,203 households, and 2,379 families living in the village. The population density was 1,509.9 people per square mile. There were 3,295 housing units at an average density of 553.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 98.07% White, 0.36% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 3,203 households, out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the village, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $59,225, and the median income for a family was $67,894. Males had a median income of $45,053 versus $30,163 for females. The per capita income for the village was $25,952. About 0.4% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Waunakee added a local Village Center in 2006 that acts as a nucleus for the community. It has a fitness center, senior center, meeting rooms, and a gymnasium. The Waunakee Business Park is a business park development that hosts large and small business operations. Recent years have seen two redevelopments and two new apartment buildings on Main Street, a reconstruction and new streetscape on both Main Street and Century Avenue, a mural on the Waunakee Furniture building, and annual public art displays.
As of 2018, the top employers in the village are:
#EmployerFull-time employees
1Waunakee Community School District575
2NORD Gear310
3Uniek Plastics300
4Octopi Brewing250
5Suttle-Straus, Inc.200
6Scientific Protein Laboratories198
7Waunakee Manor, HCC158
8Piggly Wiggly145
9GFL Environmental115
10Dane Manufacturing100

Government

Waunakee is governed by a board consisting of a president and six trustees. The president and trustees are elected to two-year terms during spring elections. The Village President of Waunakee since April 2023 is Kristin Runge.
The village is represented in the Wisconsin State Assembly by Alex Joers and in the State Senate by Dianne Hesselbein. The village's representative on the Dane County Board is David Boetcher.
Village PresidentTenure
Henry Heller1893–1899
Jacob Buhlman1900–1901
Lawrence Freney1901–1904
Henry Heller1904–1906
J.P. O'Malley1906–1908
George E. Lester1908–1909
Almon W. Cameron1909–1914
Herman J. Doll1914–1924
J.H. Koltes1924–1927
Roy W. Cameron1927–1931
Julius Diederich1931–1934
Herman J. Doll1934–1941
Julius Diederich1941–1947
Roy W. Cameron1947–1951
Harvey Solveson1951–1953
Francis Bowles1953–1955
Roy W. Cameron1955–1957
Joseph Hellenbrand1957–1965
Peter Barbian1965–1967
Ed Hellenbrand1967–1973
Allan Dittman1973–1975
Ann Helt1975–1981
Math Laufenberg1981–1987
Tom Marx1987–1990
Maureen O'Malley1990–1995
Tom Marx1995–1997
Tim Nixon1997–2001
Rich Murphy2001–2003
John Laubmeier2003–2015
Chris Zellner2015–2023
Kristin Runge2023-

Election results


YearDemocraticRepublicanThird parties
202462.46% 6,43335.95% 3,7031.90% 196
202063.10% 5,95235.20% 3,3241.70% 159
201656.50% 4,35436.90% 2,8426.60% 512
201255.50% 4,05943.82% 3,202-
200858.75% 3,88040.14% 2,651-
200450.33% 2,98849.00% 2,909
200057.08% 2,65940.62% 1,8922.30% 107
199650.93% 1,72541.30% 1,3997.76% 263
199242.97% 1,41138.67% 1,27018.36% 603
198850.53% 1,23449.47% 1,208-
198445.99% 94654.01% 1,111-
198055.65% 96044.35% 765-
197656.32% 81543.68% 632-
197254.26% 63045.74% 531-
196862.60% 53937.40% 322-
196480.79% 65619.21% 156-
196069.44% 50030.56% 220-
195642.81% 24756.67% 327-
195241.80% 23258.20% 323-
194860.55% 26438.30% 167-
194061.32% 24138.68% 152-
193673.35% 25624.07% 167-
192876.20% 26923.80% 84-