Plain, Wisconsin
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Plain is a village located in Sauk County, Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 792.
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Geography
WIMap-doton-Plain.png
Location of Plain, Wisconsin
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²). 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
History
The village of Plain is located on Highway 23 in Franklin Township, Sauk County, Wisconsin. The area of Plain was originally called Cramer's Corners because Solomon Cramer, John Cramer, and Adam Cramer owned the land. Several rough buildings were erected and the area acquired the nickname of Logtown. A post office was established at Plain in 1859, and Plain formally became a village in 1912.
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 official documents nor any newspaper articles or books of that 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 Sept. 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 writes: "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
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 792 people, 333 households, and 224 families residing in the village. The population density is 418.9/km² (1,083.4/mi²). There are 339 housing units at an average density of 179.3/km² (463.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 98.61% White, 0.25% African American, 0.63% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.13% from two or more races. 0.88% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 333 households out of which 31.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% are married couples living together, 5.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% are non-families. 28.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 2.96.
In the village the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $44,028, and the median income for a family is $51,094. Males have a median income of $34,236 versus $25,385 for females. The per capita income for the village is $24,658. 2.6% of the population and 0.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.1% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.