Plain, Wisconsin

Plain is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 773 at the 2010 census.

Plain, Wisconsin
Village
Looking south at Plain on Wisconsin Highway 23
Location of Plain in Sauk County, Wisconsin.
Coordinates: 43°16′39″N 90°2′40″W
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Sauk
Area [1]
• Total	0.83 sq mi (2.16 km^2)
• Land	0.83 sq mi (2.16 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation [2]	810 ft (247 m)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	773
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	766
• Density	919.57/sq mi (355.14/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55-63125[5]
GNIS feature ID	1571574[2]

Octagon Barn and owner's mailbox near Plain, Wisconsin

St. Luke's Catholic Church

Looking south at downtown Plain on Highway 23

Looking east at the residential area of Plain

Geography

Plain is located at 43°16′39″N 90°2′40″W (43.277580, -90.044563).[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.83 square miles (2.15 km²), all of it land.[7]

History

The village of Plain is located on Wisconsin Highway 23 in the Town of Franklin. The area of Plain was originally known as Cramer's Corners[8] because Solomon, John, and Adam Cramer owned the land after moving there from Richland County, Ohio (previously from Pennsylvania). The Cramers are listed as land owners in an 1857 Town of Franklin map. (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.[9] A post office was established at Plain in 1860, and Plain formally became a village in 1912.[10]

The origin of the village's name is widely rumored to have been selected as an homage to the Shrine of the Virgin Mary at Maria Plain, in Salzburg, 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: In the book Baraboo and Other Place Names in Sauk County, Wisconsin (written in 1912, the same year that Plain was incorporated) it says of Plain that it was "called Plain because the inhabitants were plain people." In a September 23, 1915 letter in the local newspaper, the Weekly Home News, a subscriber 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. In the letter, the 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."

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
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%
Est. 2019	766	[4]	−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

2010 census

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 773 people, 321 households, and 224 families living in the village. The population 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% from other races, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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.

2000 census

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 792 people, 333 households, and 224 families living in the village. The population 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% from other races, and 0.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the village was $24,658. About 0.9% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 4.0% of those age 65 or over.

Festivals

In Plain there is an annual St. Luke's Parish Festival and a Plain Fire and EMS 3-day celebration during the summer. The St.Luke's Parish Festival lasts three days (Friday-Sunday). The Plain Fire and EMS celebration, sponsored by the Fire Department and EMS service, includes fireworks on Saturday night, kickball, baseball, and fun activities for the kids. The first Saturday in October is Strassenfest, a celebration of local businesses and the community's Bavarian heritage.

Notable people

• Sister Rose Thering, of the Racine Dominican Sisters, who was a professor of Catholic-Jewish dialogue at Seton Hall University, was born in Plain.

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
7. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
8. Harry Ellsworth Cole, A Standard History of Sauk County, Wisconsin (1918 - The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago and New York),
9. Weekly Home News (Spring Green, Sauk County, Wisconsin), February 21, 1884, page 2
10. Hildegarde Thering, A History of Plain, Wisconsin (Plain, Wisconsin: privately published, 1982)
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

External links

• Plain, Wisconsin information
• Plain History and the naming of Plain