Country United States County Dane FIPS code 55-78625 Elevation 283 m Local time Friday 4:25 AM Area code 608 | State Wisconsin Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) GNIS feature ID 1584256 Area 81.2 km² Population 2,308 (2000) | |
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Weather 1°C, Wind N at 24 km/h, 94% Humidity | ||
Sun Prairie is a town in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,308 at the 2000 census. The City of Sun Prairie is located partially within the town. The unincorporated communities of Pierceville and Schey Acres are also located in the town.
Contents
Map of Sun Prairie, WI, USA
History
President Martin Van Buren commissioned a party of 45 men, including Augustus A. Bird, to build a territory capitol in Madison. The group of men left Milwaukee on May 26, 1837 and traveled for days in the rain. On June 9, the group emerged at the edge of the prairie and with the sun shining for the first time in days, carved the words "Sun Prairie" into a tree. Charles Bird returned to the area two years later and became the first settler. The town of Sun Prairie was created on February 2, 1846.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.4 square miles (81.2 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,308 people, 806 households, and 653 families residing in the town. The population density was 73.6 people per square mile (28.4/km²). There were 830 housing units at an average density of 26.5 per square mile (10.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. 1.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 806 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town, the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 111.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $60,938, and the median income for a family was $62,154. Males had a median income of $33,352 versus $27,713 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,954. About 0.7% of families and 1.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.