Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, population 16,136 (Census 2000 data), remains Lake Michigan’s fastest growing community between Chicago and Milwaukee.  Pleasant Prairie claims thirty-three square miles of the Greater Kenosha area in Kenosha County.  This scenic village nestles within the dynamic Chicago metro area.

Pleasant Prairie lies within a bustling economic region, with access to the diverse job markets in Chicago, Milwaukee and the City of Kenosha via Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 45.  The median household income in Pleasant Prairie averages $62,856, while the same income category for Kenosha County was $46,970.  Both exceed the national  median household income average of $41,994.  Manufacturing and tourism are among Kenosha County’s strongest sectors of industry.  Mean commute time for Pleasant Prairie residents averages twenty-seven minutes. 

Pleasant Prairie, WI has a wide range of civic, educational and social clubs for residents of all ages.  Community activities and facilities include an annual Children’s Film Festival, Family Walk/Run, Prairie Springs Park, Summer Day Camps and an impressive RecPlex facility with an aquatic center, ball fields, fitness center a field house and ice arena, soccer fields and rollerblading and walking trails.  The RecPlex is also the site of the resplendent Lake Andrea, a 110-acre spring-fed lake.   

The remainder of Kenosha County, population 149,577, abounds with cultural and recreational activities.  Sixty-four percent of the area in the county consists of water; there are thirty-three lakes and several rivers, each of which provide their own distinct setting for boating, fishing, swimming and other water sports.  Popular destinations include Bong State Recreation Area, Dairyland Greyhound Park, the Dinosaur Discovery Museum, Lemon Street Gallery, the North Pierhead Light,   Petrifying Springs Park,  the Hawthorne Hollow Nature Sanctuary & Arboretum and Southport Lighthouse.  Kenosha County also teems with farmers markets, u-pick farms and wineries.

An enviable quality of life awaits newcomers to Pleasant Prairie.  Wide ranges of affordable housing choices are available and the neighborhoods are generally quiet.  The crime rate in the village falls well below the WI state average, salaries are competitive and the Pleasant Prairie has the lowest taxing rate per capita in the state for communities with populations that range from 15,000 to 30,000. 

As part of the Kenosha Unified School District #1, residents have access to top-notch public schools at the primary and secondary levels.  Eighty-seven percent of Pleasant Prairie residents over the age of 25 years have a high-school diploma, while twenty-seven percent hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher.  Nearby cities, such as Kenosha, provide the higher education opportunities for Pleasant Prairie.  These facilities include Carthage College, Gateway Technical College, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and branch campuses for Cardinal Stritch University, Concordia University Wisconsin and Marquette University.  Also within a reasonable driving distance are the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL.