Hortonville is a village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,711 at the 2010 census. Hortonville is located in the Fox Cities region and the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah, WI CSA, the third largest metropolitan area in Wisconsin.

History

In 1848, a man by the name of Alonzo Horton purchased 1,500 acres from the governor of Wisconsin, now known as the Town of Hortonia and the Village of Hortonville, for only 70 cents per acre. The first thing Horton did was build a cabin; by damming the Black Otter Creek, which created the 75 acre Black Otter Lake. After laying out a plat for the community by buying land and platting it off in 1849, Horton was swayed westward by the California Gold Rush. He later developed the city of San Diego, California. On August 11, 1894, the settlement was incorporated as the Village of Hortonville. At that time, it had one of the first match light factories in the world. 2 Feature films were said to take place in Hortonville, WI. 1944 “Janie” and 1947 “Janie gets married”. During World War II, a German POW camp was established in Hortonville along County Hwy MM on the north side of the village. On March 18, 1974, the teachers at the Hortonville Community School went on strike, an event that received national news coverage. In 1981, the Hortonville Community Hall, now known as the Hortonville Opera House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2023, a group of Hortonville residents received regional news coverage for their attendance at the Major League Baseball Milwaukee Brewers debut of Hortonville-raised Caleb Boushley.

Geography

Hortonville is located at 44.33528°N, -88.63889°W (44.335196, -88.638847). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.55 sqmi, of which, 3.47 sqmi of it is land and 0.08 sqmi is water.

Black Otter Lake

The community is located on the shores of the 75 acre Black Otter Lake. It is drained by Black Otter Creek, which flows into the Wolf River just north of the village. The total watershed for the lake is estimated to be 16 sqmi. The Black Otter is the only public access lake in Outagamie County. Because of this, it receives substantial recreational use, primarily by anglers, throughout the year. Fish species in the lake include: bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie, yellow perch, northern pike and catfish. The village maintains: two public boat launches, a kayak launch, fishing pier and three parks along the shores of the lake.

Wolf River

The village is located approximately 2 miles south of the Wolf River. Buchman Access, a public boat launch, is located along County M. The river is also the border between the Town of Hortonia and the Town of Liberty.

Demographics

Hortonville is a part of the Appleton-Oshkosh-Neenah CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Appleton, Wisconsin metropolitan area (Calumet and Outagamie counties) and Oshkosh-Neenah (Winnebago County) metropolitan areas, which had a combined population of 358,365 at the 2000 census.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,711 people, 1,045 households, and 766 families residing in the village. The population density was 781.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,105 housing units at an average density of 318.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.9% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 1,045 households, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the village was 36.7 years. 26.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 2,357 people, 871 households and 634 families residing in the village. The population density was 868.2 per square mile (335.8/km2). There were 904 housing units at an average density of 333.0 per square mile (128.8/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 96.99% White, 0.13% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.21% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population. There were 871 households, of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.21. 29.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. The median household income was $51,635 and the median family income was $55,298. Males had a median income of $41,689 compared with $24,680 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,277. About 4.4% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Roads

Airports

Rail

The fox valley and lake superior rail system operates the former Canadian National railway tracks which is also the former Fox Valley & Western Railroad track along the southern edge of the village, with a freight station near S Nash Street. It also operates 3 crossings - one at W Main Street/ WIS 15, another at S Lincoln Street, and a third at S Nash Street.

Religion

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has a church in Hortonville: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, which dedicated a new church in April 2018. Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Community, a Roman Catholic church, has been in Hortonville since 1897.

Education

The Hortonville Area School District, which includes a high school, two middle schools and three elementary schools, serves the village and the surrounding communities. Bethlehem Lutheran School is a 4K-8th grade Christian school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Hortonville.

Parks

Points of interest

Notable people

Images