Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Most Wisconsinites live in urban and suburban communities, but the state’s landscape is dominated by rural areas where farmland and forest predominate. But what makes a given place rural? What about small towns or exurbs or "up north" tourist destinations? And when is a place even considered small in the first place? Defining the continuum between rural and urban areas is complex and can be a contentious matter. It is also continuously in flux as people grow older, have children and move between places in pursuit of different opportunities. The demographics of rural Wisconsin are changing rapidly, with populations aging and overall numbers decreasing in many areas. These shifts have profound implications for the state as a whole, and will shape its economy, politics and culture.

Series: Growing Rural Wisconsin's Economy

Report: Population Decline In Wisconsin's Rural Counties Is Getting Worse

Audio:

Rob Mentzer

Wisconsin Public Radio

Shared via

WPR

Two-thirds of Wisconsin's rural counties lost population between 2010 and 2018, according to a report from Forward Analytics. It's a trend that's likely to get worse in the next decade.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Series: Wisconsin Historical Society Press Excerpts

A Midcentury Revolution In Farming Would Change Wisconsin Forever

Jerry Apps

Technological changes — electricity and mechanization — in the mid-20th century would revolutionize the practice and business of agriculture in Wisconsin, and set into motion economic and demographic changes that continue well into the 21st century.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Series: UW Applied Population Lab: Wisconsin's Demographics

How Wisconsin's Past And Present Population Will Shape Its Future

Malia Jones

UW Applied Population Lab

Wisconsin's population structure is dominated by the magnitude of the baby-boom generation, and their presence is strongest in rural areas.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Along The Mississippi, Wisconsin Sees Stark Demographic Shifts

Julie Grace

WisContext

Pepin, Buffalo, Trempealeau, La Crosse, Vernon, Crawford and Grant — these seven counties running north-to-south along the Mississippi River comprise nearly half of Wisconsin's western border.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Wisconsin's Modest, Uneven Population Growth So Far In The 2010s

Scott Gordon

WisContext

It's a time of profound change for Wisconsin's population — where it's concentrated, where it's moving, which age groups and racial and ethnic origins it reflects, and what kinds of lives all residents are seeking to live.

Series: Wisconsin's 21st-Century Workforce

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

How Has Wisconsin Recovered From The Great Recession?

Video:

Frederica Freyberg

PBS Wisconsin

Economic trends in Wisconsin have recovered considerably a decade since the Great Recession. UW-Madison economics professor Noah Williams discusses what effects are on the workforce, particularly between rural and urban areas.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Fast Facts: Population Shifts In Wisconsin

Video:

Marisa Wojcik

PBS Wisconsin

New data from an annual U.S. Census report show that some regions in Wisconsin had significant shifts in population from 2016 to 2017.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Series: UW Applied Population Lab: Wisconsin's Demographics

Where Cows and Deer Outnumber People In Wisconsin

Malia Jones

UW Applied Population Lab

Given their prominence in Wisconsin's traditions, where cows and deer can actually be found around the state can serve as a lens to examine rurality.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Series: Growing Rural Wisconsin's Economy

5 Crucial Differences Between Job Growth In Rural And Urban Wisconsin

Tessa Conroy

UW-Madison

When it comes to jobs in Wisconsin, there are unique differences between the urban communities of Milwaukee and Madison, with their legacy-industry manufacturing and government-education tandem, respectively, compared to agriculture-, manufacturing- and tourism-intensive rural counties.

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Wisconsin's Tangled Rural-Urban Commuting Patterns

Samantha Nash

PBS Wisconsin

While perceived social and political divides between the urban and rural areas of Wisconsin remains a frequent topic of discussion, gaining a better understanding of the relationships between the two is very influenced by where people work.