Amherst, Wisconsin
Location of Amherst, Wisconsin
Coordinates: 44°27′23″N 89°18′20″W / 44.45639, -89.30556
Country	United States
State	Wisconsin
County	Portage
Area
- Total	38.5 sq mi (99.7 km²)
- Land	38.0 sq mi (98.4 km²)
- Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km²)
Elevation [1]	1,093 ft (333 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	1,435
- Density	37.8/sq mi (14.6/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
FIPS code	55-01775[2]
GNIS feature ID	1582690[1]

Amherst is a village in Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 964 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), of which, 1.2 square miles (3.0 km²) of it is land and 0.0 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (2.50%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 964 people, 395 households, and 250 families residing in the village. As of the end of 2006, there was villagewide estimate of over 1,000 residents living there. The population density was 827.5 people per square mile (318.1/km²). There were 419 housing units at an average density of 138.3 persons/km² (359.7 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the village was 99.17% White, 0.41% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.21% from two or more races. 0.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 395 households out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 8.9% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 36.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% 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 3.14.

In the village the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,125, and the median income for a family was $54,821. Males had a median income of $37,132 versus $24,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,514. 10.8% of the population and 7.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 13.2% are under the age of 18 and 14.2% are 65 or older.

Small Town Flair

Amherst has a high school and grade school, a public library, and the Lettie Jensen Community Center. Fire protection is provided by the Amherst Fire District. Police protection is provided by the Portage County Sheriff's Dept. Ambulance service is provided through a contract by the City of Stevens Point. There is a riverside park downtown, along the Tomorrow River.

Amherst hosts four churches, three cemeteries, four taverns, a microbrewery, several restaurants, a bed & breakfast, a motel, and a small supermarket. There are various other businesses in town, including craft stores, antiques dealers, a couple of gas stations, a bakery, a coffee house, several small warehouses and factories in a new industrial park, and two banks.

Amherst connects onto the new interstate highway (still called U.S. Highway 10, for now). The Canadian National Railway main line runs through town, on an elevated grade. A couple of dozen fast freight trains pass through the village daily.

Amherst hosts the Portage County Fair, an annual renewable energy fair, an Amish craft fair, and other events at the fairgrounds.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Village of Amherst website
• AmherstPublic Schools
• Amherst Girl Scouts

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Portage County, Wisconsin County seat: Stevens Point City Stevens Point Towns Alban | Almond | Amherst | Belmont | Buena Vista | Carson | Dewey | Eau Pleine | Grant | Hull | Lanark | Linwood | New Hope | Pine Grove | Plover | Sharon | Stockton Villages Almond | Amherst | Amherst Junction | Junction City | Milladore | Nelsonville | Park Ridge | Plover | Rosholt | Whiting

Coordinates: 44°27′03″N, 89°17′05″W