Oconomowoc

Sister cities

• Dietzenbach

History

Before 1700, this region was inhabited by Potawatomi peoples descended from Woodland Indians known as "mound builders". The first white person recorded in the area was Amable (sometimes spelled "Aumable") Vieau, brother-in-law of Solomon Juneau, one of the founders of Milwaukee. Vieau established a trading post in 1827. White settlers began to follow in 1830. In April 1837, New York native Charles Sheldon staked a 160-acre claim on the eastern shore of what is now Fowler Lake, registering it with the Land Bank of Milwaukee on April 21, 1837. The first recorded death was that of Jerusha Foster, who died aged 30 to 36 on March 19, 1841. Oconomowoc was incorporated as a town in 1844, although residents had to go to Summit to get their mail until 1845. Travel and communication links between the new town and nearby cities were quickly established. The Watertown Plank Road was extended to connect Oconomowoc to the nearby towns of Milwaukee, Waukesha, Pewaukee, and Watertown in 1850. The first passenger train from Milwaukee arrived in Oconomowoc on December 14, 1854, as part of the Milwaukee and Watertown Railroad Company's rapidly expanding Milwaukee & Mississippi line. Large houses were established around the Oconomowoc lakes, particularly Oconomowoc Lake and Lac La Belle. The population grew so much that Oconomowoc incorporated as a city in 1865, and by 1880 it had a population of 3,000. In 2003, Oconomowoc acquired Pabst Farms from the Town of Summit. Pabst Farms, which had previously been owned by the Pabst family, is being developed as a mixture of commercial and residential property. On April 2, 2008, a gas line exploded just west of downtown, destroying the First Baptist Church on West Wisconsin Avenue. The church, which was built in 1913, was completely…

Geography

Oconomowoc is located at (43.108814, −88.497019). It is located in the Lake Country area of Waukesha County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Arrowhead High
  High · Hartland · 2,086 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Oconomowoc High
  High · Oconomowoc · 1,662 students · 16.8:1 ratio
• Kettle Moraine High
  High · Wales · 878 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Kettle Moraine Middle
  Middle · Dousman · 780 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Nature Hill Intermediate
  Middle · Oconomowoc · 773 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Silver Lake Intermediate
  Middle · Oconomowoc · 595 students · 12.9:1 ratio
• Merton Primary
  Elementary · Merton · 560 students · 15.6:1 ratio
• Meadow View Elementary
  Elementary · Oconomowoc · 547 students · 16.1:1 ratio