Richfield

History

The area that is now Richfield was originally inhabited by Native Americans, including the Menominee and Potawatomi. In the early 1830s, the Menominee ceded their land to the United States through the 1831 Treaty of Washington. The Potawatomi ceded their territory in the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, which called for their removal by 1838. Most Potawatomi were relocated west of the Mississippi River, but some remained in Wisconsin where they lived on ancestral lands by squatting in areas now occupied by white settlement. White settlement in the Richfield area began in 1841 with the arrival of early land purchasers. On May 31 of that year, land speculator Samuel Spivey acquired 600 acres, followed weeks later by Jacob Snyder, who became the first permanent white settler after purchasing land on July 9, 1841. By 1843, German immigrants, particularly from Hesse-Darmstadt, had begun establishing farms in the area, contributing to the development of a The Town of Richfield was organized on January 21, 1846. By 1848, the majority of the town's land was held by Irish and German immigrant farmers. During this period, the local economy was primarily driven by wheat farming. This remained the dominant output until the 1880s, when a shift toward dairy farming occurred in Richfield and throughout Wisconsin.

Geography

Richfield is located in the southern part of Washington County in southeastern Wisconsin. The village is located approximately northwest of Milwaukee and is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It is bordered by the communities of Polk to the north, Germantown to the east, Lisbon to the south, and Erin to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Richfield lies within the Kettle Moraine region, characterized by rolling hills and kettle lakes, including Friess Lake, which is the largest in the village. Unincorporated communities within the village include Hubertus and parts of Colgate and Lake Five.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Hartford High
  High · Hartford · 1,316 students · 16:1 ratio
• Germantown High
  High · Germantown · 1,295 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Slinger High
  High · Slinger · 1,054 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Kennedy Middle
  Middle · Germantown · 898 students · 16:1 ratio
• Slinger Middle
  Middle · Slinger · 771 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Slinger Elementary
  Elementary · Slinger · 624 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Central Middle
  Middle · Hartford · 552 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Lincoln Elementary
  Elementary · Hartford · 506 students · 13.3:1 ratio