"Oconto Co. leads in population growth
By Kent Tempus, Leader Editor
Oconto County is among the fastest growing areas of the state this decade, according to figures released by the state of Wisconsin.
Other areas of the Wolf River Region aren’t quite keeping up with average growth statewide, with many rural townships and villages —especially in western Shawano County and northern Waupaca County — showing slow growth or even declining in population.
But Oconto County’s population is up 10.1 percent from the 2001 Census to 2008, according the state Department of Administration.
“It’s unbelievable what’s happened in the last few years,” said Lee Rymer of Oconto Falls, the chairman of the Oconto County Board.
“We’re happy to see it grow, and we’re pleased with that 10 percent figure, that’s for sure,” he added. “We’ll probably hit 40,000 in the next few years.”
The two most southern townships in Oconto County — Chase and Little Suamico — are showing far and away the highest increases in population.
“It’s mainly people moving from the Green Bay area up to us,” said Kevin Hamann, the county’s administrative coordinator. “There’s new homes and subdivisions popping up all the time.”
The next tier of townships in Oconto County — Morgan, Abrams and Pensaukee — also posted large gains in population. The growth can be seen weekdays in the early morning, as motorists jam Highway 41 and other roadways on the way into Green Bay to go to work, Hamann said.
“They know Oconto County is a very nice place to live, everyone knows that, so they all want to live here,” Hamann said.
Oconto County has been gaining population from people moving from Green Bay for the past 10 to 15 years, he added. Rymer said the influx is slowly moving north from Green Bay.
“Years ago, it was Suamico, then Sobieski, and now it’s Abrams and Morgan,” Rymer said.
Rymer said better real estate values and better home values contribute to attracting people from the Green Bay area. For many people, it’s an easy commute.
“It’s a half hour back home and to work,” Rymer said. He added the housing slowdown hasn’t hit the county as hard as other areas.
Hamann also noted that townships in the northern side of Oconto County — Townsend, Riverview, Doty and Breed — are also posting gains in population. That’s a reflection of more people retiring to those areas, he said.
Towns and villages in Oconto County experienced declines in population or low growth, mirroring what’s happening in much of Shawano and Waupaca counties.
Much of Shawano County’s gain of 4.8 percent occurred in a handful of locations —the towns of Angelica, Bartelme, Hartland, Lessor, Richmond and Waukechon, as well as the city of Shawano and the village of Cecil.
The city of Shawano was up 5.5 percent, while Cecil increased nearly 23 percent to 572.
Shawano city administrator Jim Stadler attributed the gains in the city and Cecil to development of new multi-family housing.
Next year’s estimate for Shawano will likely have the city going over the 9,000 mark for the first time.
“We’ll have a substantial increase,” Stadler said. “With the Wescott Sanitary District 1 we annexed, those individuals will be in our estimate next time.”
That area — north of the channel and west of Highway 47, was annexed by the city this past summer. The area has about 270 residents.
In Waupaca County, the increase between 2000 and 2008 was 4.5 percent.
Declines in populations in villages and cities in northern Waupaca County were more than offset by gains in the townships in the south, including Fremont, Lind, Iola and Mukwa.
“I really see the Chain of Lakes (just southwest of Waupaca) being a draw,” said Dick Koeppen of Clintonville, the chairman of the Waupaca County Board. “Many people are moving here from the larger cities to build a home around the Chain.”
Koeppen said the city of Waupaca is a big draw for the county. Its population is up 6.2 percent.
“There’s a smorgasbord of businesses, and I think people live in (the nearby townships) because of the Chain of Lakes.”
Statewide, Wisconsin has added 311,441, or 5.8 percent more residents since the 2000 U.S. Census.
The Department of Administration produces population estimates each year as required by state statute. The estimates are used by state and local officials for a variety of purposes including the distribution of state funds, district attorney allocation, and calculation of voter turnout.
State demographers use vehicle registrations, tax filings, school enrollment, changes in housing units, institutional enrollment, and records of births and deaths to make their estimates. The report shows that the state's population was 5,675,156 as of Jan. 1, 2008.
Wisconsin’s growth rate remains strong compared to other Midwestern states, ranking second behind Minnesota in the region and fourth out of all 12 Midwestern states, the DOA said. Unlike other states whose population growth has centered on large metropolitan areas or one particular part of the state, Wisconsin’s growth has extended to communities of all sizes, Gov. Jim Doyle noted." Shawano Leader
Will the County board spread the wealth to the poorer areas of the County? Tax relief for some townships? Oh, that's right, Barack will spread the wealth for them. Stupid me!
On a serious note, there are some townships that are struggling to keep their taxes low. Interesting problem.
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