Middleton, Wisconsin

Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. It is a north-western suburb of the state capital, Madison, but it was actually founded before Madison. It got its name from Middletown, Connecticut; the "w" being dropped was due to a paperwork error made by longtime historian Edward Kromrey (namesake of the local middle school). Middleton's motto is "The Good Neighbor City." The population was 17,442 at the 2010 census.

In July 2009, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Middleton the fourth best small town to live in the United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.12 square miles (23.62 km²), of which 8.98 square miles (23.26 km²) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km²) is water.

Climate

Demographics

Since 1990 there has been a population increase of over 20% in the Madison metropolitan area. This has led to Middleton being considered as the western hub of a proposed, albeit controversial, 13-mile (21 km) railroad corridor connecting Middleton's Greenway Station, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus, downtown Madison, and Madison's far east side.