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Wauzeka’s young adult population increasing quickly

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By Rachel Mergen

 

“The beautiful area and small community is amazing. [It’s] so close you can’t go anywhere without running into someone you know. It makes Wauzeka very welcoming and a great place to live,” Kylie Zimmerman, Wauzeka resident, exclaimed about the community she calls home. Zimmerman is a member of the young adult population in the small municipality of 721 people.

Recently, University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates and faculty declared the town’s Millenial and Generation X population as one of the fastest growing in the state. 

The goal of the study, titled the Engaging Young People Research Project, is to “find how positive forms of community development attract and retain young adults,” according to the group of researchers who took the lead.

Two different lists were made for every town, village and small city in Wisconsin, totaling over 1,800 municipalities. 

The first list was based on a retaining measure. The 1990, 2000 and 2010 populations of 20-39 year olds in each community were examined and an average was taken. A list of the top 20 retaining municipalities in each of the 11 workforce development regions of Wisconsin was created. The workforce development regions map was chosen so that all areas of the state would be equally recognized.

Next, a top 20 attracting communities list was determined. This list was formed based on the increase of 20 to 39-year-old populations from 1990 to 2000 to 2010. 

After both lists were decided upon, overlapping locations—areas on both lists—were included on a final list, one that would be studied more in-depth. This list included 118 communities. According to the study’s research, at least five areas were represented from most districts, but region seven in the northwest, which includes cities like Hayward and Eau Claire, had no overlappers. To defeat this problem, overlappers were chosen out of the top 30 for each list. In addition, more municipalities had to be taken from the north in regions five and six, because most standout locations were in the southern areas. After these special circumstances were recognized, a list of 130 communities was compiled. 

Wauzeka, along with other nearby places like Platteville, Holmen, Onalaska and Lone Rock, were included on this final list. The studies show that many of these locations are clustered around watersheds, main transportation lines and large metropolitan areas. University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates and faculty, in the near future, will study these localities more in depth to learn why they have a faster-growing young adult population than others.  

According to 2014 Census Bureau data, Wauzeka’s median age is 31, as compared to the average age of all Wisconsinites, 38.

More information on the project is available at www.apl.wisc.edu/shared.eyp.html.

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