Wisconsin

Wisconsinites say their state is full of people with energy and a positive, can-do attitude. Government officials say Wisconsin is a phenomenal place to live with hundreds of things to do. You can sail or fish in one of the states 15,000 plus lakes and rivers, choose from a plethora of golf courses (there are more than 500), or be a cheesehead and take in a game at Lambeau Field, home of the NFL's Green Bay Packers or down at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee is a city full of ethnic diversity. Each summer Milwaukee hosts a large music festival as well as several ethnic festivals. Two Rivers, a deep water sport fishing port and the birthplace of the ice cream sundae, are places for residents to enjoy the outdoors. In Racine, WI residents can eat a Kringle, a Danish pastry, before visiting Reefpoint marina, the local petting zoo and S.C. Johnson headquarters. Residents of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, take pride in their state capital building modeled after the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Door County, WI, to many people's surprise, has more miles of shoreline and more lighthouses than any other county in the nation.

Wisconsin Real Estate

Wisconsin real estate has remained strong in the past few years. Wisconsin housing in 2006 was the second strongest year in Wisconsin's real estate history. The real estate market in the state is expected to remain strong throughout 2007 due to relatively low home mortgage rates and a low unemployment rate in the state. Median home prices in Wisconsin in the fourth quarter 2006 dropped 1.2 percent to $160,000 which was still less of a decline than the Midwest overall and the rest of the nation, which experienced a 4.2 percent and 2.7 percent drop, respectively.

The volume of home sales, however, has recently slowed in several of Wisconsin's 72 counties. The lowest decrease in home sales was in the northeast with only a 0.7 percent decrease in sales. The central region's real estate sales dropped 5.8 percent, and the west experienced a 9.6 percent decrease. South central Wisconsin had the highest drop in home sales with more than a 10 percent decrease. In 2000, 68.4 percent of the population owned their own homes, an increase from 67.4 percent in 1990.

Wisconsin Population and Demographics

Wisconsin's population of 5.36 million, according to 2000 U.S. Census, is expected to experience rapid growth in the next two decades. Statewide population is expected to grow by 19.6 percent. Seventy of Wisconsin's 72 counties will experience growth, according to statistical projections. Price and Iron Counties are the only two areas expected to see a decline in its population because the number of deaths are expected to outnumber the number of births from now until 2030. St. Croix is expected to see the most growth with a 67.9 percent increase in population between 2000 and 2030. Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha, and Racine counties will continue to be Wisconsin's largest communities. The median household income in Wisconsin was $43,791 in 2000 a 4.7 percent increase from 1990.

Wisconsin Economy

Most of Wisconsin's industry is concentrated in the southeast especially in the Milwaukee area home of Pabst and Miller breweries. Several Fortune 500companies including Bemis Company, Johnson Controls, and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance have headquarters in Wisconsin. Tourism, agriculture and manufacturing are the top three industries in Wisconsin. Tourism alone contributes $13 billion in travel expenditures. Wisconsin leads the rest of the nation in the production of mining equipment, power cranes, and low horsepower gas engines. Known as American's Dairyland, Wisconsin, is one of the largest providers of milk, butter and cheese. Wisconsin leads the nation in the production of cheese, producing 350 different kinds of cheeses. Let's not forget the berries. Wisconsin produces 48 percent of the nation's cranberry harvest, leading the nation in cranberry production.

Wisconsin Education

Wisconsin has 67 college and universities located throughout the state. The University of Wisconsin alone has 13 campuses. Nearly 86 percent of the population age 25 and older had a high school degree or higher and nearly 23 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher.