Plymouth is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, along the Mullet River. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in the Town of Plymouth, but is politically independent. Plymouth is known as "Hub City" for its former role as a center of wooden wheelwrighting. The population was 8,932 at the 2020 census. Mayor Don Pohlman was last re-elected in April 2018.
History
Plymouth was surveyed in 1835 by United States engineers, one of whom was named Mullet, and the Mullet river was subsequently named after him. The first land sold to a private party was sold to an Englishman named John Law who had emigrated from London. It was sold to Law on August 13, 1836. The next sale was to another Englishman, also from London, named Thomas Margrave. Settlers continued trickling in and the town was organized on April 3, 1849. In the 1840s a group of migrants arrived from Tioga County, Pennsylvania. Their ancestors had moved to that area from New England shortly after the American Revolution. The Thorpe family arrived from Hartford, Connecticut. They were of old New England ancestry. These migrants being the original pool of settlers in Plymouth gave the region cultural continuity with New England. The town was named Plymouth, after Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the Pilgrims had landed in 1620.
Originally known by early Native Americans as Quit Qui Oc, or Crooked River, Plymouth was settled in 1845 by Isaac Thorp and incorporated in 1877. The city is often called "Hub City" because of its central location within Sheboygan County, but the nickname "Hub City" began in the 1860s when the Schwartz brothers had a wagon shop where they made wagons, hubs and spokes.
Geography
Plymouth is located at (43.749277, -87.976799). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water.
Demographics
As of 2000 the median age in the city was 40.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 8,445 people, 3,710 households, and 2,253 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,039 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.2% White, 0.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
There were 3,710 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.91.
The median age in the city was 40.8 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.
Education
The Plymouth Joint School District serves the communities of Plymouth and nearby Cascade. It has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. The Plymouth Joint School District is supported by the Plymouth Education Foundation, which provides scholarships, honors successful teachers, and raises funds for facility improvements.
Elementary schools
There are three neighborhood elementary schools within the Plymouth Joint School District. Each elementary school offers summer youth athletic camps as well as extra-curricular opportunities throughout the school year. Parkview Elementary School Fairview Elementary School Horizon Elementary School
Middle school
Riverview Middle School serves students in grades five through eight. It operates a "responsive education structure", which emphasizes differentiated instructional practice and balanced assessment for continuous review of student progress and collaboration, all guided by culturally responsive practices.
High school
Plymouth High School has an enrollment of approximately 800 students and 53 full-time teachers.
Parochial schools
St. John the Baptist Catholic School and St. John Lutheran School serve children in 3-K through eighth grade.