New Diggings, Wisconsin

New Diggings, Wisconsin
Town
Location of New Diggings, Wisconsin Location of New Diggings, Wisconsin
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Lafayette
Area
• Total	25.3 sq mi (65.6 km2)
• Land	25.3 sq mi (65.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	856 ft (261 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	473
• Density	18.7/sq mi (7.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	608
FIPS code	55-56625
GNIS feature ID	1583804

New Diggings is a town in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 502 at the 2010 census, up from 473 in 2000. The unincorporated communities of Etna, Lead Mine, and New Diggings are located in the town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.3 square miles (65.6 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 473 people, 176 households, and 127 families residing in the town. The population density was 18.7 people per square mile (7.2/km²). There were 194 housing units at an average density of 7.7 per square mile (3.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.15% White, 0.21% Native American and 0.63% Asian.

There were 176 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 110.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $50,114. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $20,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,122. About 3.3% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Montgomery Morrison Cothren, Wisconsin legislator and jurist
• Thomas Cruson, Wisconsin Territorial legislator
• Frederick Hird, shooter in the 1912 Olympics, was born in New Diggings.
• Francis Little, Wisconsin State Senator, was Chairman of the Town Board of New Diggings.
• Father Samuel Mazzuchelli founded Saint Augustine Church in New Diggings. Saint Augustine Church was recently restored with by a local Knights of Columbus group.
• Daniel Morgan Parkinson, Wisconsin State Assemblyman, lived in New Diggings.
• Thomas J.B. Robinson, U.S. Representative from Iowa, was born in New Diggings.
• Fred Smith, major league baseball player, was born in New Diggings.