imark Journal
Kathy shares her thoughts when inspiration strikes.

February 9, 2009

I live in a microcosm. I said these words last week in response to my Uncle’s comments about how much his town, Nashville, has changed over the last decade

The city and surrounding suburbs of Nashville are moving at a fast pace. As cited in MyMidwest Magazine, more than 110 people relocate to Nashville every day (that’s more than 40,150 people a year). The Fox Cities (a conglomeration of small cities in Northeast Wisconsin) experiences one percent growth, maybe four percent in specific towns.

I’m not complaining about living in Wisconsin, but the population growth issue scares me. I’ll take our quality-of-life in our area versus metro cities like Nashville any day. I would appreciate an influx of people from other areas of the country, though, to spice things up a bit.

I’ve always said that Northeast Wisconsin could benefit from the boomerang effect. We need to encourage Wisconsinites coming home to raise their children after developing their careers in other cities to bring back five or six “non-natives” with them.

Hey New North, here is your new mantra. Relocate your families and your businesses to Northeast Wisconsin! Many of our residents are friendly, honest, and hardworking. Our schools are strapped for cash, but they are still good quality. We are starting to experience big-city issues, but are addressing them. You’ll pay high property taxes, but your trash will be picked up and your water will be safe to drink. Home prices are reasonable and we have a thriving arts community. Too bad that seems like a microcosm for people living in other cities. Let’s use that sentiment to our advantage.