Hales Corners

History

The land in the area that would eventually encompass the Village was first claimed as French, then British, and eventually as the Northwest Territory of the United States in 1783. It was the land of the Potawatomi Indians until they were forced to move from their land in 1838. They were the dominant tribe in southeast Wisconsin with large villages. Like the Europeans that arrived later, they planted crops, but theirs were beans, squash, and corn. By engaging in the fur trade, the Potawatomi learned to speak French and English, and they eventually intermarried with the Europeans. During the 1830s and 1840s, more settlers arrived, starting with a number of New England families. Among them were three Hale families, whose lineage has been charted to England in the 1200s. Hales Corners traces its history back to 1837, when brothers Seneca and William Hale each laid claim to 160 acres of land at the site. Their father, Ebenezer Hale, arrived later and purchased another 160 acres. The three Hales at that time owned three of the four corners at the intersection of the roads now known as Janesville Road and 108th Street (Wisconsin Highway 100). The area was first referred to as "Hale's Corners" in reference to William Hale, who had become the first postmaster at the settlement in 1854. The apostrophe was later dropped. Hales Corners was the site of monthly fairs begun in the mid-1800s, when the plank road between Janesville and Milwaukee passed through the village. First a gathering of horse traders, the fairs became a stock market for farmers trading pigs, cattle, and sheep. The settlement was incorporated as a village on January 30, 1952.

Geography

Hales Corners is located in southwestern Milwaukee County. It is bounded by Greenfield on the north, Greendale on the east, Franklin on the south, and New Berlin and Muskego in Waukesha County on the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The mean elevation is .

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  42,000
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  39,849
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  35,479
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,375
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  31,116
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  30,367
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  30,057
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  29,745

Largest nearby schools

• Oak Creek High
  High · Oak Creek · 2,168 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Franklin High
  High · Franklin · 1,571 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Hamilton High
  High · Milwaukee · 1,439 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Milwaukee Academy of Science
  Other · Milwaukee · 1,401 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Reagan College Preparatory High
  High · Milwaukee · 1,343 students · 22:1 ratio
• Nathan Hale High
  High · West Allis · 1,261 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Greenfield High
  High · Greenfield · 1,157 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Forest Park Middle
  Middle · Franklin · 1,084 students · 15.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois