Waterford, Wisconsin
18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1980. It stands in Waterford Village. It lies in ZIP code area 53185. The Survey maps it on the Waterford quadrangle. 5,542 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 827 feet above sea level.
On record in Waterford
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 2 records
Elam Beardsley Farmhouselisted 1982
Norwegian Buildings at Heg Parklisted 1980
Population over time
2 figuresWaterford grew from 5,368 to 5,542 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 5,368 | |
| 2020 | 5,542 | +174 (+3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 18 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1891 USGS Muskego quadrangle1:62500
- 1901 USGS Muskego quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1959 USGS Hales Corners quadrangle1:62500
- 1959 USGS Waterford quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1963 USGS Rockford quadrangle1:250000
- 1980 USGS Lake Geneva quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
19 since 2018Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 19 fires within 5 miles of Waterford between 2018 and 2020, burning about 137 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8 |
| Debris and open burning | 6 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 20028 |
| 10 May 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 20031 |
| 3 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 81 |
| 23 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 18031 |
| 20 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | 42 acres | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | TICHIGAN |
| 20 April 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 1800264 |
| 19 April 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 20032 |
| 13 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources | 1900076 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 11 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Waterford: 7 past producers, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alby Pit Number 1 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Alby Pit Number 2 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Burlington Pit Yard 12 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Degraves Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Dons Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Kenosha County Hwy Dept Wilmot Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Krueger Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Oakes Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Racine County Hwy Dept Frost Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Rochester Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
40 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Waterford in 40 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 16 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 3 funnel cloud, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Flash Flood | Waterford | $2,150,000 | Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across much of Racine County, especially in the city of Racine. Water depths on road surfaces reached 3 feet or more and there were gravel washouts. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. The breakdown for residential home losses were: 10 minimally affected, 30 with minor damage, and 15 with major damage (total of $400 thousand for home losses). There were no business losses. Crop losses were estimated at $1.5 million. Public sector damage was about $1.748 million. There were several roads and bridges that sustained damage. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $200,000 | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in a 10-mile damage swath from just west of Waterford to the city of Racine. The FAA Terminal Doppler radar located in north-central Racine County about 5 miles east of the village of Wind Lake showed 85 knot winds at 250 feet above ground level. In Waterford a large tree fell on and damaged a business building. On the north side of Racine two power-poles came down. Several homes in the swath lost varying amounts of roof shingles. There were several reports of tree debris damaging home siding or portions of a roof. Piers and docks were lifted and twisted and damaged on Wind Lake. About 3.5 miles southwest of the City of Racine a camper was lifted by the wind gusts and slammed into a car. A large section of a corn field near Caledonia was flattned by the winds. |
| August 1998 | Flash Flood | Waterford | $200,000 | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Waterford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Lightning | Waterford | $20,000 | Lightning struck a business building and damaged all inside electronic equipment. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $10,000 | Large trees were toppled and several power-lines were damaged due to powerful straight-line thunderstorm winds that raked the city of Waterford. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $5,000 | Trees and power lines down. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $4,000 | Trees down and power outages. |
| August 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $1,000 | Several large trees were uprooted. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | $400 | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Waterford | - | A picture of the hail was provided on social media. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | - | An NWS employee reported corn flattened in several fields along a path from 1 mile west-northwest of Waterford to 1 mile west-northwest of Union Grove by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 58 mph (50 knots). |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | - | The Racine 911 Call Center received reports of large trees blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to be 65 mph (56 knots) in the Caldwell area and in the Tichigan area west and north of Tichigan Lake. There were also reports of power lines arcing from damage due to the severe wind gusts. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | - | Several large trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds in Waterford. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| August 2015 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Funnel Cloud | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Funnel Cloud | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Heavy Rain | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Flood | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Hail | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Flood | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Funnel Cloud | Waterford | - | no account filed |
| June 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waterford | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Heights | 0.7 miles | 18 | |
| Rochester | 1.6 miles | 19 | |
| Buena Park | 2.1 miles | 18 | |
| Tichigan | 4.6 miles | 18 | |
| Browns Lake | 5.0 miles | 19 | |
| Cedar Park | 5.2 miles | 19 | |
| Wind Lake | 5.4 miles | 18 | |
| Eagle Lake Terrace | 5.7 miles | 19 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Waterford | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2671558 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1576287. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








