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.

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.

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

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

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 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

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: 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.