Oak Creek, Wisconsin


Oak Creek is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, located directly to the south of Milwaukee. The population was 34,451 at the 2010 census.

History

On January 2, 1838, the territorial legislature divided Milwaukee County into two towns: the Town of Milwaukee, encompassing everything north of the present Greenfield Avenue, and the Town of Lake encompassing everything south of the present Greenfield Avenue; "and the polls of election shall be opened at the house of Elisha Higgins, in said town." On March 8, 1839, a new Town of Kinnikennick was created, encompassing the western part of Lake ; and on August 13, 1840, the south portion of the Town of Lake was split off to form the town of Oak Creek. It can be located near Lake Michigan. As of the 1840 census, the population of the Town of Lake was 418.
In 1955, the Town of Oak Creek, then still semi-rural with a population of 4807 in the 1950 census, was incorporated as a city under the terms of Wisconsin statute 66.0215, also known as "The Oak Creek Law." The Oak Creek Law was crafted by Town Attorney Tony Basile to prevent Oak Creek's annexation by the City of Milwaukee, which by annexations was now bordering Oak Creek and had already annexed one small portion of the town; and was shepherded through the legislature with the help of state Democratic party legislative joint committee chairman Leland McParland, who was the state senator for Oak Creek.

2012 terrorist shooting

On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist terrorist opened fire at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek. The terrorist and six other people died, and several people were injured.

Geography

Oak Creek is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all of it land.

Demographics

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 28,456 people, 11,239 households and 7,530 families. The population density was 994.4 per square mile. There were 11,897 housing units at an average density of 415.7 per square mile. The ethnic makeup was 91.96% White, 1.82% African American, 0.59% Native American, 2.39% Asian, 1.70% from other ethnic groups, 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 of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples 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.
25.0% of the population were 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 household income was $53,779 and the median family income was $63,381. Males had a median income of $43,935 and females $31,443. The per capita income 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.

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 34,451 people, 14,064 households and 9,077 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 14,754 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 87.7% White, 2.8% African American, 0.7% Native American, 4.5% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.5% of the population.
There were 14,064 households of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.06.
The median age was 37.4 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.8% were from 25 to 44; 27.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

Government

At the federal level, Oak Creek is located in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, represented by Republican Bryan Steil.

Mayors of Oak Creek

's headquarters were located in Oak Creek. In January 2010 Republic Airways, the parent company of Midwest, announced that it would move all Republic executives, including Midwest Airlines executives, to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Mining equipment manufacturer Bucyrus International announced June 22, 2010 that it would move headquarters personnel from South Milwaukee to Midwest Airlines' former headquarters space in Oak Creek. Senior management and other personnel would be moving to the new location making room for additional employees at its South Milwaukee facility. Caterpillar Inc. intends to locate the Caterpillar Mining world headquarters there after its acquisition of Bucyrus International.
The Oak Creek Power Plant 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 American Society of Anesthesia Technologists & Technicians is also based in Oak Creek.

Education

Oak Creek is part of the Oak Creek Franklin School District.
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
Private schools

Oak Creek Historical Society

The Oak Creek Historical Society is a private organization established in 1964 to preserve the history of Oak Creek. The organization maintains a museum complex consisting of five historic buildings and a gift shop, on the grounds of Forest Hill Memorial Park in Oak Creek.