SMALL COMMUNITY POPULATION CHANGES THE SPATIAL DIMENSION: WISCONSIN DENNIS M. RICHTER DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY

Transcription

1 SMALL COMMUNTY POPULATON CHANGES THE SPATAL DMENSON: WSCONSN DENNS M. RCHTER DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY UN VERSTY OF WSCONSN - WHTEWATER S\ALL COMMUNTY OVERVEW The number of cities under 0,000 in Wisconsin did not change very much between 1960 and There were 7 under 0,000 in 1960 and 64 in This includes communities classed as third and fourth class cities, and villages, with populations ranging from slightly under 100 to 0, 000. ~GON AL CHANGES N CTY POPULATONS FOR Wisconsin was divided into 9 regions, using generic divisions rather than physjcaucultural divisions (Figure 1). The cities with the largest increases between 1960 and 1970 were in the Southeast (SE), East-central (EC), and South-central (SC). The SE and EC had 1 1 cities each that gained over 00 residents while 0 cities n the SE increased by over 00 people. The southeastern quadrant also had the largest number of cities with population increases: SC - 6, C - 8, and SE - 0. Only 17 cities in this quadrant had population losses and only one city had a loss of over 00 residents. The strength of the manufacturing and retail sector in the SE, and a strong farm base in the EC and SC regions contributed to their overall city growth. This time period shows some declining city populations in the Driftless area and northern Wisconsin. This was due to continued loss of residents to larger industrial cities, increased farm mechanization, and decline in mining and timber industry in the state. The recreational boom of northern Wisconsin was just beginning, and year-round recreation was in its infancy. Communities that would benefit from recreation al development were still reflecting the loss of mining and timber enterprises in the northern counties. There were cities with population losses in the Northwest (NW), Westcentral (WC) and Southwest (SW); this was offset by growth in many small communities within the 0 to 100 population interval (Tables 1 A and 1B). Growth was experienced in the Wisconsin River valley communities and in the communter counties adjacent to the Minneapolis-St.. Paul metropolitan area. This is exemplified by the TABLE 1A NUMBER OF COMMUNTES WTH POPULATON DECLNES: NW 6 we 9N 1 NC C 1 SC 8 ~ 7 EC SE 4

2 WSCON SN REGONS /' CD.Q..AS iw... BA~ "'1.M..., ""'" ~. - \ coau ( ; ) t= ' " fw==l.~cl 'i'0cb r--... TAfU -...,...no o..w '... ~. ~., ~ DJOE ~ hit Be... L.llFA.-m HLES COt-f'UTER GRAPHCS LABORATORY,!l:PT. OF GEOGRAPHY. W-\,J DE~S RCHTER Figure 1, Wisconsin regions.

3 TABLE lb NUMBER OF COMMUNTES WTH POPULATON NCREASES: REGCN NW we &V 6 7 NC 1 C 46 8 SC NE 1 1 EC s:: WC region which had cities that experienced population losses of under 100 people. This was offset by 1 cities that had gains of up to 100 residents, and 1 cities had gains of over 100 people, including cities with increases of over 00 residents in Eau Claire, Pierce, and St. Croix counties. The SW region saw a decline in population within 6 cities, of which 1 were in the under 100 population interval. Offsetting the losses in these communities was the gain experienced by 44 cities, including 18 with gains of more than 100 residents. The historical mining areas of Grant County and some Wisconsin River cities that had developed recreational enterprises, or were near State recreational facilities, showed significant gains. n northern Wisconsin major losses were experienced by the communities of Ashland, Montreal and Hurley, but the majority of communities with losses/gains generally fell into the under 100 population interval. Two regions of Wisconsin that had net losses between increasing and decreasing city populations were the North-central (NC) and the Northwest (NW). n the NC 16 cities declined in population, including with losses over 00, while only 6 gained population. n the NW 6 declined, all in the under 100 population interval, while 4 increased their population, with the majority increasing by under 100 residents. Cities that lost or gained population are shown in Figures and. The regions with net gains in city growth represented the major retail, wholesaling, and manufacturing areas of the State. They were the prime employment growth areas during the 1960's, with jobs translating into population growth. Growth was expanding outward from the major urban centers of the southeast quadrant, gasoline was still cheap, and small town life was part of the American dream. The regions with considerable declines in city populations reflect the declining northern mining industry, increased mechanization of the timber industry, and only the early infancy of the present day large scale recreational development. FEGONAL CHANGES N CTY POPULATONS Frn ThiS decade saw the end of the Viet Nam war and a commensurate modest decline in the impact of the military/industrial impact upon city growth. t was also the dawn of environmental awareness with the first Earth Day, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and a strengthened Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. All regions in the State had cities that grew in popujation, however, growth was substantially slower than in the previous decade as inflation and unemployment increased, two energy embargoes affected the American economy and the world market competition impacted upon many employers in Wisconsin. The number of children per family was slowly declining, and the availability of employment and changes in life styles was affecting the growth of small towns in the State. 4

4 r-- POPULA TON DECLNE WSCONSN: !Xl.<US 1a..,1f:ELO ~ 1 -r-' vlas MiDi" TDtOrJ 'AS>&a."J b- 6 fla1ui i 1,, \, r-ko ""'" P(J'lJLA non CHAtCE _ e lei' 00 \ 91 - J ~ ~ OVER 00 t CA' Tll -, 00 ~------~~E~~~~~ (;-;-= 1-? "'" """" '"..../ '" \._...! 1/._ 1,,- \ l ~L/';{ FOJ[1JL/>4, mn t~_ 1.. _ 1,- """ v...,.,.. L':~ ~ SOURCE \.lsconstn BLLE BOO(, 1961 A/() ( RSTNE VAN E r REE(E CCH'UTER GR~PHCS LABORATORY, EPT, OF GEOGRAPHY, U\.-\. \.EN)Y A/() E ~SOH Figure. Population decline in Wisconsin:

5 POPULA TON NCREASE W SCONSN: P(J'LA TON Je l SOO 1 -- :1! K''" ,."... OVfR e0 6 """ ANCE e - lee 1 ~ H - 90 ' J J... t 00 1 l J~ MLES SOURCE. WSCONS N BlLE OOO(S. 19tH A() ~ R S T! NE VA~ CE KREEKE C()of'JTER CRAPHCS LAlORA TQRY. CEl' T OF GE OGRAPH Y, \N-W WE/iJY AlUE RSON Figure. Population increase in Wisconsin:

6 n this decade the NW, WC. and SW regions witnessed the smallest number of cities with population losses: NW - 6. WC - 1. SW with all but two communities losing less than 100 residents. This must be tempered by the knowledge that the majority of these communities had populations of less than.00. therefore these losses represent significant change in some cities. The three regions also had 174 cities with population increases, NW - 4. WC 7. SW 9. almost 1/ of these being increases of over 00 residents (Tables A and B). The SC, SE, and EC registered large gains, especially the SE where cities gained over 00 residents, some increasing by over,000 residents. These same regions also saw the largest number of cities with population losses, includmg 4 in the SE that lost 400 or more residents. The growth in these regions can be attributed to continued flight to the suburbs and rural commuter communities in the Sheboygan-Kenosha corridor, the Madison metropolitan area, and the Fox Valley. Several of the major urban areas were undergoing decreases in population as shopping malls, industrial parks, and new residential development were sprouting in the cornfields and pastures of the southeast quadrant of the State. Counties with the most cities that registered population declines or increases during this decade are shown on Fgure 4 and Figure. TABLE A NUMBER OF COMMUNTES WTH POPULATON DECLNES: REGCN -.. POPULATON DECLNE NlERVALS OVER 00 NW 6 we 1 SoN 1 NC C SC NE 1 1 EC 9 1 1,,1 1 s:: 4 TABLE B NUMBER OF COMMUNTES WTH POPULATON increases REGCN... _... _...,J?QPU~TlQNJNG~~ 1Nll;8YA~..._... _...._ "..._...Q.:J..Q'O...1.'O..l::,gJtQ...~jt1..:.~.9"Q_... ~..Q..1~..4.Q.Q... 4.Q.,.::. Q.(L..._ O..vE~L~QQ NW we SW NC C 1 SC ~ 7 f\e 7 EC s: 6 6 7

7 POPULA TON DEC l_ne WSCONSN: <D.<US..." - A""ACl...a VUS 00HA "'-..., """ LMX1J -. bn..cj cua uoo...a...u ~..., 1 1 ~ -..u 'G"ULA r() CHNCE... B - i.oo ""'" Je1 1BB ',ll sae OVER 00 6 ~ e 80 au"""" HLE S scu\ce V[SC()SN BLUE 6(l():S AND C(l1'J1ER CRAPHCS LABORATORY. CEP T. OF GEOCRA'1Y,!J.''W 'WENDY ANUERS()j Figure 4. Population decline in Wisconsin:

8 POPULA TON NCREASE WSCONSN: ', ' L ii_ " ~ 1- POPULA TlON CHAtC ) / 6 ~ "" l1j, 1 1 ~ o ~ ~ ~01 - sea OVER 00 1~ t fj: ' Be 1 61:.. ~.MW - HḺES SOURCE, WSCOS N BLl.E BOOKS C()-f'UTER t:;raph CS L ABORA TORY. [' PT. OF GEOGRAPHY. WoW KRSTNE VAH CE KREErE Figure, Population increase in Wisconsin:

9 FEGONAl CHANGES N CTY POPULATONS FOR The era of Reaganomics, high energy costs early in the decade, increasing inflation and unemployment in the latter part of the decade, and the impact of the Rust Belt decline impacted less on small towns in Wisconsin t han in the rest of the country. The development of the modern tourism industry in northern Wisconsin into an all season recreation area blunted the loss in more traditional areas of employment. ncreased four lane highway access to northern Wisconsin via highways 4, 1, and offset the loss of rail access for small industrial development which is more reliant on truck transportation. The recreation and transportation factors, combined with the State's efforts to assist small cities in attracting industry and small business, kept unemployment levels below the national level. n the southeast the closure of several large employers such as Allis Chalmers and Chrysler Corporation manufacturing plants was offset by increased jobs, albeit lower paying, in the retail and wholesale sector. The NC was the only reg ion to show a net decline in city population, with 14 communities increasing and 17 declining. The NE saw a net gain of cities, 10 increasing and 7 declining (Tables A and B). The other regions saw some large increases but not at the levels of the 1970s when 1 cities increased by over 00 population compared to only 0 during the 1980s. Locations of cities that declined in population is shown in Figure 6 with no real pattern apparent. Some West-central cities had losses of over 00 residents within a TAB LE A. NUMBER OF COMM UNTES WTH POPULATON DECUNES: _1.Q1.::..?~ t#o 1 6 we SoN 8 4 NC C SC 1 0 NE 7 EC s:: B. NUMBER OF COMMUNTES WTH POPULATON NCREASES: REGO'J..._....."..... p.oe.,)jat!qn..r~.g.""jn~..!n.t!;hy.a]"s..._ _ q.~j..q.9..._..j.qj..:.?.q.q..._~q.t~...q.q...~j..:: q. J.. ::.~.Q.Q... Q.Y.~.8... 'O NW we 1 &N 4 NC 1 0 C 46 SC 4 NE EC 8 s::

10 POPU 'LA TON DECLNE WSCONSN: POP\..LA lion CHANGE B '110 ' ~01-00 OVER sea 6 ~ \ 0 80 HLES.,11..,... SOURCE, WSCONSH BU E BOOKS, 1981 AND C()t'U1ER GRAPHCS LABORA TORY, DEPT. OF GEOGRAPHY, ljw-w ~ S R!CHTER Figure 6_ Population decline in Wisconsin:

11 POPULA TON NCREASE WSCONSN: POPU...A Tl()j CHANGE 6 e le - ge 91 - ll J 91-4e OVER 00 t 6., 1 ~ ~ ee HLES SOURC E>.SCQHSl4 BLLE BOOKS, 1981 AND 1991 CCH'U TER GRAPHCS LABORATORY, [E'T. OF GEOGRAPHY. lj.i-\.j RHQ()A SUCYS Figure 7. Population increase in Wisconsin:

12 ~ community size of under,000, while a few Milwaukee metropolitan area cities saw losses in city population of more than 400. The growth in the WC and SW can be attributed in, part, to the continued growth of the Minneapolis-St. Paul commuter suburbs in Pierce, Polk and St. Croix counties, and retired farmers moving into the small towns of the SW region. Some of the communities in Grant, Sauk, and owa counties also have attracted small industry because of the clean air, water, and rural way of life, and the quality of the available work force. The SE region which had cities with large increases in the previous decade had only 4 cities with increases of over 00 residents. This region saw a rise in numbers of cities with increases of up to 00 residents, cities in the 1980s versus 1 in the 1970s. The SC region had 6 cities with increases of over 00 residents, with Dane County having of those cities. The strength of the State's economy is obvious from the map of cities that grew in population during the 1980s with the exception of the northern 11 of Wisconsin. Growth of population in cities under 0,000 took place over a large part of Wisconsin with concentrations in the two southern metropolitan suburban areas and the extreme west-central part of the State. SUMMARY FOR n a regional context 10 cities declined by over 00 residents over the 0 year period while 1 increased by 00 residents. The regions with the largest number of cities with population losses were the WC and SW wit h 4% of all the declining cities. Over 0 cities in each region had population losses, however, 9 n the WC and 46 in the SW experienced population gains. The NC and NE had the smallest number of cities with population gai ns, while the EC. SE, and SC had cities with the largest individual population gains. Over cities in these regions had cities with population gains of over 00 residents. TRENDS FOR SPECFC TME PEROOS Period: The end of the Viet Nam war! rise of environmentalism, escalation of the Cold War, and the fjrst oil embargo characterized this time period. Growth cities exceeded declining cities within the State, with the SE having 17 cities experiencing a growth of over 00 residents each. The NE and NC had a balance between growth and decline, while the SW and C regions saw gains exceed losses by a :1 ratio. The WC and NW had gains exceeding losses by a : 1 ratio Period: A second oil embargo, increasing inflation and the decline of the Rust Belt's manufacturing core had a decided 'impact on Wisconsin. Most increases in small cities were under 00 residents and declines of more than 00 were common in the SE, EC, and SC. This southeast quadrant had over 1/ of the declining cities. especially towards the last two years of the decade when the SC and SE had many communities with population losses above 00 residents within a two year period, 1978 to The counties with major city population losses included Dane, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington. and Waukesha, areas that today are generally viewed as long term growth areas. Some cities in the area were one industry communities, e.g., a foundry or dairy was the main employer, and when these closed the exodus of resident to towns with employment opportunities took place. The most stable regions. and those with the largest number of increases, were in the western regions. The NW, WC, and SW had few cities with major losses, 90% of the losses being fewer than 100 residents, and in half 0 f those cities the loss was fewer than residents. Gains in the western cities were not as large as for the early 1970s, and not concentrated as in the earlier 1970s. The increases in population for some of the s: counties were associated with recreational homes that became retirement homes for former residents of Chicago and Milwaukee Period: High energy prices and the introduction of Reaganomics did not appear to affect the growth of small cities in WisconSin during the early part of the decade of the The number of cties with declining population actually decreased during the period, perhaps attributable in part to the fact that energy prices were easing. and that some small cities were finally coming to the realization that merely doing nothing would not resolve the problem of lost manufacturing and retailing jobs. Activism in seeking manufacturing firms willing to relocate, State aids, and some dissatisfaction with metropolitan living all contributed to the modest declines in small cities in Wisconsin. Cities with diminished populations were

13 scattered throughout the State, with modest concentrations in the southeast quadrant in the period, and the SE and SW during the period. Those cities with increases show a similar pattern to past years, most growth occurring in the southern half of the State, with increases in the period in the commuter belts of the SC, SE, and WC Period: This time period saw the end of the Cold War and a rebound in some industrial categories in the former Rust Belt. However, the period also saw rising inflation and unemployment, decline in consumer spending power, and an increase in lower paying retail and service jobs at the expense 0 f high paying industrial jobs. n Wisconsin this period saw small fewer cities increasing their population, especially in previous areas of higher growth, and a definite increase in cities losing population. The trend escalated in the period when for the first time only the SE region had more cities gaining than losing population. GENERAL SUMMARY OF SPATiAl TRENDS SNCE 1970 Dedine in population of small communities has been especially noticeable since 1970 (Table 4), with peak decline periods taking place in , , The majority of the population losses have been fewer than people, however. some communities have undergone dramatic population declines since Some of the population declines can be attributed to loss of a major industry, such as in Oconto, which lost over 00 people between 1970 and Population loss may result from annexations by other communities, or creation of new communities with a commensurate decline in population of the original community. This appears to be the case of Monona which witnessed a decline of over 1,600 people during the period. Some losses are due to a dectine in job opportunities through time and the flight of younger people from the community, with a corresponding change in the age of the communities population and a steady decline in retail and manufacturing jobs. The number of cities with increases in population declined during the entire period 0 f the 1970s (Table ), rebounded in the first four years of the 198Ds, and have declined dramatically since Whether the 4 declining numbers of cities with increasing population in the 1970's can be attributed to small rural oriented populations, and the steep TABLE 4 POPULATON DECLNE TME SPAN # OF COMMUNTES decline in cities with increasing populations in the mid- and late 1980s can be attributed to political policies of the federal and State government is arguable. Each region of the State has special characteristics that make such generalizations somewhat debatable. The opening and closing of facilities such as the Badger Army Ordinance plant near Baraboo, a dramatic change in the gasoline tax, and further industrial mergers and movement to/from the State can have dramatic impacts on the population of small towns. TABLE POPULATON NCREASE TME SPAN # OF COMMUNTES What should be noted is that the popular perception that the western areas of the State are witnessing a serious decline in city populations may not be entirely correct. Nor is the often espoused view that northern

14 Wisconsin is seeing considerable growth in population apparent with respect to the small communities that are prevalent in that area of the State. t is generally correct that the southeast quadrant has seen gains in small city population. Some of that is attributable to suburban growth and flight to small towns by urban dwellers in the urban centers of Wisconsin and the Chicago to Kenosha corridor. The aggressive development of industrial/business parks by small towns in this part of the State has also had an impact on their population growth.