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Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Location of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 43°9′4″N 88°6′37″W / 43.15111, -88.11028
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Waukesha
Area
- Total	33.3 sq mi (86.2 km²)
- Land	33.3 sq mi (86.2 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation GR3	856 ft (261 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	32,647
- Density	981.1/sq mi (378.8/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
FIPS code	55-51000GR2
GNIS feature ID	1569346GR3

The Village of Menomonee Falls is a growing, northwestern suburb of Milwaukee located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at the meeting point of three counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Washington. As of the 2000 census, Menomonee Falls was the third largest growing community in SE Wisconsin with a population jump from 26,840 in 1990 to 32,647 in 2000. The estimated population in 2005 was 34,125. The official location of Menomonee Falls is 43.15° N latitude and 88.11° W longitude, at an elevation of 853 feet above sea level. While close to urban centers (located 15 minutes from downtown Milwaukee) Menomonee Falls, “Wisconsin’s Largest Village”, has developed an maintained its own unique, small town character. There are 2500 acres of parks and protected wilderness (like the 830 acre Tamarak Swamp) that help to contribute to the country-like atmosphere of the community.

Also unique to Menomonee Falls is the Old Falls Village Historical Park and Museum. The museum invites visitors to step back in time and take a glimpse at what life was like during the mid-1800s to early 1900s. There are a variety of historic homes and buildings, such as a schoolhouse, a railroad depot, log cabin, and the centerpiece of the museum, the Miller-Davidson House which is original to the museum site. Built in 1858, it is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. The house was originally built by farmer John Fehlandit, who sold the house in 1940 to Emma Davidson, widow of Walter Davidson of the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company. Every year the Old Falls Village hosts a variety of special events – among them an Ice Cream Festival, a Civil War Encampment, and the Old Haunted Village for Halloween.

Menomonee Falls is one of the few communities in the Milwaukee area to boast an actual “downtown” with several 100 year old buildings fronting its two main streets, Appleton Avenue and Main Street, called the Village Centre. The Village Centre holds many events such as farmer’s markets in the summer, free summertime concerts, Christmas, Memorial Day, and Independence Day Parades as well as an annual Easter Egg Hunt. Menomonee Falls is also one of the few communities in the area to claim its own symphony orchestra (The Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra) and its own community theatre group (The Falls Patio Players).

Menomonee (pronounced Mahna-Mahnee) Falls is named for the Menomonee River which cuts diagonally through the northeastern portion of the Village. The Menomonee River is named for the Menomonee (sometimes spelled Menominee) Indians that originally inhabited the area. Menomonee is a Potawatomi word (another local Indian tribe) which means “good seed”, which described the once abundant wild rice that grew in the marshlands along the shores of the river. The river, etching through the limestone, makes a drop, or “fall” of 50 feet in a half mile, highlighted by a waterfall, which is where the community gets its name. The Lepper Dam and Mill Pond Plaza located along Main Street are often mistaken for “The Falls”. But the actual waterfall that the town is named after is located in the center of Lime Kiln Park, by the historic lime kilns. The village’s main arterial highway, Appleton Avenue, was also originally an Indian path before the arrival of the first European settlers.

The area’s first “non-native” settler is believed to have been Hollingsworth S. Smith. The pioneers that followed him were attracted by the water power available from the river. This natural source of water along with rich soil and abundant forests to provide lumber for building homes made the area attractive as a settlement. The area was originally known as the Town of Menomonee in the late 1830s, but was later split into several smaller communities such as Lannon, Butler, and Fussville. Fussville was later annexed by the Village of Menomonee Falls in the 1950s.

Officially incorporated in 1892, Menomonee Falls had previously been know as Nehsville, named after settler Patrick Nehs who harnessed to power of the river with a limestone kiln and quarry in what is now Lime Kiln Park. Lime deposits in eastern Wisconsin played an important role in the development of communities in the area. It was used to whitewash buildings, condition the soil, treat animal hides and leather, and for plaster and mortar.

An important geographical feature of the area is the sub-continental divide. In fact, it runs right thru through the middle of Menomonee Falls as well as several other Milwaukee suburbs. The sub-continental divide separates the Mississippi River drainage basin from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River drainage basin. On the eastern side of the divide, water flows into the Menomonee River watershed which leads to Lake Michigan on its way to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence River. On the Western side of the divide, the water flows into the Fox River watershed on it’s way to the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico.

Employing 1500 people (As of 2005), Kohl's Department Store corporate headquarters, and Alto-Shaam's world headquarters are located in Menomonee Falls.

As a Village, Menomonee Falls has a governing body consisting of a Board President and a six member Board of Trustees. The current Village Board President is Rick Rechlicz.

Menomonee Falls is located at 43°9′4″N, 88°6′37″W (43.151183, -88.110346)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 86.2 km² (33.3 mi²). 99.97% of it is land and 0.03% is water.

In the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 32,647 people, 12,844 households, and 9,299 families residing in the village. The population density was 378.8/km² (981.1/mi²). There were 13,140 housing units at an average density of 152.4/km² (394.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.50% White, 1.47% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 12,844 households out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% 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 3.01.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $57,952, and the median income for a family was $68,952. Males had a median income of $46,861 versus $31,783 for females. The per capita income for the village was $27,454. About 1.1% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over. And, of course, the patron saint of Ridge High Touchdowns, Andrew Aloicious Crish lives here.

• Marashino - local band, won "Best Rock Act" 2006 in Milwaukee by the Shepherd Express. ^[1]
• Andy Hurley - drummer for Fall Out Boy^[2]
• James Sensenbrenner - U.S. Congressman
• Mark Borchardt - Independent Film Maker
• Bob Uecker - Baseball radio broadcaster.
• Justus Henry Nelson - Methodist missionary in the Amazon
• Maurice Williams- Milwaukee Bucks point guard

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Waukesha County, Wisconsin
County seat: Waukesha
Cities	Brookfield | Delafield | Muskego | New Berlin | Oconomowoc | Pewaukee | Waukesha
Towns	Brookfield | Delafield | Eagle | Genesee | Lisbon | Merton | Mukwonago | Oconomowoc | Ottawa | Summit | Waukesha | Vernon
Villages	Big Bend | Butler | Chenequa | Dousman | Eagle | Elm Grove | Hartland | Lac La Belle | Lannon | Menomonee Falls | Merton | Mukwonago | Nashotah | North Prairie | Pewaukee | Oconomowoc Lake | Sussex | Wales
CDPs	Okauchee Lake
Communities	Genesee Depot | Stone Bank

v • d • e Milwaukee Metropolitan Area
Central City	Milwaukee
Largest Municipalities (over 25,000 in 2000)	Brookfield° · Franklin° · Greenfield° · Menomonee Falls‡ · New Berlin° · Oak Creek° · Waukesha° · Wauwatosa° · West Allis° · West Bend°
Municipalities (over 10,000 in 2000)	Brown Deer‡ · Caledonia‡ · Cedarburg° · Cudahy° · Germantown‡ · Glendale° · Grafton‡ · Greendale‡ · Mequon° · Muskego° · Oconomowoc° · Pewaukee° · Richfield* · Shorewood‡ · South Milwaukee° · Whitefish Bay‡
Smaller Municipalities (under 10,000 in 2000)	Bayside‡ · Big Bend‡ · Brookfield* · Elm Grove‡ · Fox Point‡ · Hales Corners‡ · Mukwonago‡ · Pewaukee‡ · River Hills‡ · Saukville‡ · Saint Francis° · Sussex‡ · Thiensville‡ · West Milwaukee‡
Counties	Milwaukee · Ozaukee · Racine · Washington · Waukesha
*town ‡village °city