Kimberly, Wisconsin
village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States
Kimberly is a village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,320 at the 2020 census. The village is east of Appleton. It is a part of the Appleton, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Kimberly was originally known as The Cedars (after the Treaty of the Cedars) and later as Smithfield. In 1889 it was renamed after John A. Kimberly (1838–1928), one of the co-founders of what is now the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, when the company opened a paper mill in the community.
Geography
Kimberly is located at 44°16′N 88°20′W (44.2684, –88.3375).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.42 square miles (6.27 km2), of which 2.26 square miles (5.85 km2) is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2) is water.
Demographics
2010 census
At the 2010 census there were 6,468 people, 2,739 households, and 1,760 families living in the village. The population density was 2,861.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,105.0/km2).
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Kimberly, Wisconsin” is village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Kimberly, Wisconsin and village, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “village in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2212083. VIAF identifies the subject as 131418116. The Library of Congress control number is n85207514. Authority coordinates are 44.267, -88.333. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1889, 1838 and 1928.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Kimberly, Wisconsin”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Kimberly, Wisconsin primary sources, Kimberly, Wisconsin archive and Kimberly research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Kimberly, Wisconsin”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Kimberly, Wisconsin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.