Middleton, Wisconsin

The village was renamed Middleton when it was separated from the town of Madison in 1848.

The first Lutheran Church was founded in the area in 1852.

Middleton Train Depot was built in 1856.

Many German settlers arrived to Middleton in the 1850s, and after the year 1880, the population was largely of German descent.

Middleton incorporated as a village in 1905 and it became a city in 1963.

It was an active passenger station until 1960 and a freight depot until 1975.

The festival has been held since 1964, and "The Good Neighbor Award" has been awarded to a Middleton resident since 1980.

Capital Brewery was founded in 1984 to brew German-style lager beer and has since branched to American-style ales and barrel-aged beers.

In 1985, the Nitty Gritty was re-branded as a birthday destination, and as of 2018, over 725,000 birthdays have been celebrated there.

National Mustard Museum has hosted and sponsored the event since 1991.

=== 2000 census === As of the census in 2000, there were 15,770 people living in Middleton, although in 2006 that number was estimated to be as high as 16,595.

=== Tourism and shopping === Greenway Station is a shopping mall opened in 2003.

The Pope Farm Conservancy, opened to visitors in 2006, is a park and a nature area with walking trails, wildlife, sunflower fields, prairie and savanna restoration areas.

=== 2010 census === As of the census of 2010, there were 17,442 people, 8,037 households, and 4,453 families residing in the city.

As of 2016, over 65% of Middleton residents have associate, bachelors or advanced degrees and 44.7% of residents are employed in positions which earn more than $75,000 per year.

The event was attended by 90,000 people in 2017.

=== Climate === Severe flooding occurred in August 2018, including along Pheasant Branch Creek.

In 2019, 17% of workers were employed in the manufacturing sector with 3,037 jobs.

== Demographics == === 2020 census === As of the census of 2020, there were 21,827 people and 10,104 households.

Hidden Cave Cidery, opened in 2021, is a local cidery that makes cider of Wisconsin apples.