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West Bend is a city in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 28,152 at the 2000 census. Founded by highway commissioner Byron Kilbourn, the city is located the next to the Town of West Bend, the Town of Trenton, and the Town of Polk. The city consists of primarily German heritage, and is predominantly middle-class. The name "West Bend" originates from the western bend of the Milwaukee River that runs through the city, however, it was improperly named, for the river actually takes an east bend. Just recently, the city has seen large jumps in commercial and residential growth, with Paradise Drive, Main Street and Washington Street seeing the most commercial activity.
Businesses West Bend has recently seen a jump in commercial growth. Paridise Drive is a perfect example of this. Within the last year, new businesses such as Cousins Subs, Starbucks, Noodles & Company, SuperCuts, Home Depot, Qdoba, Arby's, Wendy's, Texas Roadhouse, Great 50 States, First Weber, Verizon Wireless, and Sportsmann's Warehouse have all built on Paradise Drive. Other existing stores include Menards, Wal-Mart, ElderBeerman, Subway, Goodwill, Pier 1, Paradise Theatres, Party America, Fireside Books, Country Inn & Suites, and OfficeMax. There is still room available on Paradise Drive for more businesses. In addition, Main Street has become West Bend's third most traveled street. It is perpendicular with Paradise Drive and intersects Paradise near Menards. Businesses such as Kohl's, Pick n Save, ShopKo, Dollar Tree, GameStop, McDonald's, Jimmy John's, Halloween Express (only rents during October), Claire's, Aldi, and other shops have made Main Street what it is today. What to do in West Bend West Bend has a lot to do, including visiting historical downtown, or going for a ride in Wisconsin's first indoor go-kart track. Two movie theatres are located in West Bend, and locally owned, 50's style Toucan Custard is always a treat. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.5 km² (12.9 mi²). 32.9 km² (12.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.86%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 28,152 people, 11,375 households, and 7,518 families residing in the city. The population density was 856.5/km² (2,218.3/mi²). There were 11,926 housing units at an average density of 362.9/km² (939.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.30% White, 0.34% Black or African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 1.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 11,375 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $48,315, and the median income for a family was $56,299. Males had a median income of $39,904 versus $23,816 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,116. About 3.4% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. Recreation in West Bend West Bend is home to numerous parks and play areas. The city's downtown area also has several specialty shops, an active night life and historic buildings. The historic West Bend Theatre is also located downtown. Maxwell Street Days and Germanfest are two popular summertime events held in West Bend's downtown. The Farmer's Market every Saturday in downtown West Bend is also a great place to buy fresh fruit. Just north of downtown is Regner Park. The park has a wooded area, baseball diamonds, a community pond with a beach and soccer fields. Sister Cities See also | ||||||||
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