History of Village

Originally one square mile, Germantown was formed by incorporating seven separate hamlets (or towns) into the Village of Germantown as we know it today. Germantown got its start as “Town 9” Washington County, Wisconsin Territory in 1836. Germantown was officially incorporated in 1924 and remained a small farming community until 1963, when Milwaukee County annexed a small piece of land from Washington County to build a landfill.

Fearing further annexation by Milwaukee County, the surrounding unincorporated hamlets of Kuhburg, Willow Creek, Meeker Hill, Goldenthal, Rockfield, Dheinsville, and Germantown decided to merge into one incorporated village - and Germantown was born.
At the time of annexation in 1963, the village grew to about 24 square miles. Some of the unincorporated areas wanted to keep their own identity, which is why we have the Town and Village of Germantown. Since 1963, boundaries have continued to change and over time the Village of Germantown has grown to encompass over 35 square miles.