The name is a semi-anglicized version of the original French name La Petite Chute (Little Falls), in reference to rapids on the nearby Fox River. The town was founded as the mission of St. John Nepomucene in 1836 and eventually saw the arrival of thousands of Dutch immigrants, creating a unique Catholic Dutch-American community. The population was 10,476 at the 2000 census. It is the home of The Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival and the Dutch festival of Kermis.
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,476 people, 3,878 households, and 2,803 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,538.0 people per square mile (979.4/km²). There were 3,956 housing units at an average density of 958.4/sq mi (369.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.96% White, 0.10% African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.
There were 3,878 households out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $49,500, and the median income for a family was $57,090. Males had a median income of $39,019 versus $24,579 for females. The per capita income for the village was $21,181. About 5.0% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.