Northwestern Wisconsin has been growing more than trees in the last decade. Census figures show that Ninth District counties were some of the fastest growing in the state.
Eight counties, roughly two deep starting from the Minnesota state line around the Twin Cities and heading north, saw population growth of at least 10 percent in the 1990s. St. Croix County, just across the state border from St. Paul, Minn., jumped 26 percent, second fastest in the state.
Analysts believed most of the area's growth is being driven by Twin Cities commuters looking for new housing. Five other counties in the northeastern part of the state—Florence, Forest, Iron, Oneida and Vilas—also saw 10 percent growth or better. But the remaining 13 counties in the district had growth of less than 10 percent, and six grew less than 5 percent.
—Ronald A. Wirtz
