FOREST COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Adopted May 17, 2011 PREPARED BY: INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY: NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE: (Comprehensive Planning) Karl Tauer, Chairperson Bucky Dailey Dieck Johnson Jimmy Landru, Jr. George Stamper County Staff: Cindy Gretzinger, Land Conservation FOREST COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Table of Contents: Chapters: Background & Demographics 1 Natural, Agricultural, & Cultural Resources 2 Housing 3 Transportation 4 Utilities & Community Facilities 5 Economic Development 6 Intergovernmental Cooperation 7 Land Use 8 Implementation 9 Attachments: Public Participation Plan A Intergovernmental Committee Resolution B County Board Resolution C Chapter 1: Background & Demographics CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND & DEMOGRAPHICS 1.1 Background ............................................................................. Page 1 A. History B. Physical Geography C. Climate D. Public Participation E. Planning Context in Wisconsin F. County Planning Process 1.2 Demographics ......................................................................... Page 9 A. Population B. Age Distribution C. Households D. Educational levels E. Employment F. Income levels 1.3 Issues & Opportunities ........................................................... Page 18 A. Planning Issues B. Chapter Format C. Goals, Objectives, and Policies Tables: Table 1: Total Population Table 2: Persons 17 Years of Age and Younger Table 3: Persons 65 Years of Age and Older Table 4: Total Households Table 5: Persons Who Have Completed Four Years of High School or More Table 6: Persons Who Have Completed Four or More Years of College Table 7: Total Employed Persons Table 8: Median Household Income Table 9: Per Capita Income Map: Map 1-1: Planning Context Adopted - 2011 1.1 Background This is the first of nine chapters that comprise the Forest County Comprehensive Plan. The plan provides detailed information on the county and also includes information on all fourteen towns, the city, and the two tribes. Data and text related to geography, climate, and demographics came from the 2003 Forest County Soil Survey, and the 1990, 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census, and NCWRPC. Forest County is located in northeastern Wisconsin; and is bound on the north by the Upper Peninsula of the state of Michigan; on the east by Florence and Marinette Counties; on the south by Oconto and Langlade Counties; and on the west by Oneida, and Vilas Counties. See the Planning Context Map 1-1. Forest County is predominantly rural forestland. Nearly half of the county is part of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Two Native American Tribes also inhabit the county. The largest settlements of all county residents include Wabeno, Laona, and the City of Crandon, which is also the county seat that has a 2008 estimated population of 1,984 people. A. History Native Americans inhabited Forest County when the first European explorers, missionaries, and fur traders traveled into the county. These traders followed a centuries old route from Green Bay to the copper rich area of Lake Superior. Settlement in Forest County was further spurred by the U.S. Government, which in the 1860’s built a road to transport military forces from Fort Howard in Green Bay to Fort Wilkins on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Many of the communities were established in the 1860’s as trading posts and later as railroad towns to support the timber industry in the county. These communities include: Argonne, Armstrong Creek, City of Crandon, Laona, and Wabeno. After the majority of the timber had been harvested, and the Great Depression arrived, most of the lumber mills shut down. In the 1920s, the Nicolet National Forest was established in 10 counties on over 1,500,000 acres of land, and numerous land companies purchased the abandoned lands for a second wave of settlers. In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established, and enrolled men performed forest fire control, tree planting, road construction, recreation area construction and maintenance, installation of telephone lines, fish and wildlife habitat improvement, timber stand improvement and surveying. After several decades of growth, the cutover land is again harvestable. Tourism has joined the timber industry as the driving economic forces to this day. Background & Demographics - 1 - Forest County Chapter 1 Comprehensive Plan Adopted - 2011 B. Physical Geography The county has a total area of 669,863 acres. Of this total, about 647,471 acres is land and 22,392 acres are water bodies that are more than 40 acres in size. Forest County is located entirely in the Northern Highlands physiographic region, which was glaciated during the Pleistocene Age. The latest glaciation by the Langlade Lobe has determined the physiography, relief, and drainage The elevation in the county generally ranges from about 1,800 feet above sea level in the west and northwest to about 1,300 feet in the southeast. The third highest point in the state, Sugar Bush Hill, is a drumlin east of Crandon. It rises about 1,938 feet above sea level. The west end of McCaslin Mountain, a Precambrian quartzite isolated rock hill in the southeastern part of the county, is about 1,610 feet above sea level. C. Climate Winters in Forest County are very cold, and the short summers are fairly warm. The short frost-free period during the summer limits cropping mainly to forage crops, small grain, and adapted vegetables. Precipitation is fairly well distributed throughout the year but reaches a peak in summer. Snow covers the ground much of the time from late fall through early spring. In winter, the average temperature is 14 degrees F and the average daily minimum temperature is 4 degrees. The lowest temperature on record, which occurred on January 17, 1982, is -39 degrees. In summer, the average temperature is 63 degrees and the average daily maximum temperature is 76 degrees. The highest recorded temperature, which occurred on July 26, 1955, is 100 degrees. The total annual precipitation is about 30 inches. Of this total, more than 21 inches, or about 70 percent, usually falls in April through September. The growing season for most crops falls within this period. In 2 years out of 10, the rainfall in April through September is less than 18 inches. Thunderstorms occur on about 34 days each year. The average seasonal snowfall is about 67 inches. The greatest snow depth at any one time during the period of record was 56 inches. On the average, 93 days of the year have at least 1 inch of snow on the ground. The number of such days varies greatly from year to year. The sun shines 65 percent of the time possible in summer and 45 percent in winter. The prevailing wind is from the southwest. Average wind speed of 12 miles per hour occurs in spring. Background & Demographics - 2 - Forest County Chapter 1 Comprehensive Plan Adopted - 2011 D. Public Participation A variety of public participation efforts were conducted to involve as many viewpoints into the planning process. A formal public participation plan was adopted outlining these efforts. See Attachment A. E. Planning Context in Wisconsin Planning and zoning has been a function of local units of government for over 50 years in Wisconsin. Over the years almost every city, village and county has developed various plans, from land use plans, to master plans to development plans. Existing authority for planning is provided in state statutes, including §59, 60, 61 and 62. Recently, however, at the national level, there has been concern over the effects of extensive development patterns (“sprawl”) that have become more prevalent in both urban and rural areas. Many causes ranging from government policies, such as the construction of the interstate highway system, to trends within the economy, such as increased reliance on trucks for the transportation of goods and consumer preference for suburban housing, have been blamed for this phenomenon. Whatever the causes, many of the effects – traffic congestion, loss of open space, abandonment of central cities, degradation of air and water quality, and increased reliance on the automobile as the only viable transportation alternative – have become increasingly troubling for a large segment of the public. These issues have led to a discussion on land use planning. As early as the 1960s and early 1970s, several study committees and commissions were created to examine the need for land use reform in the state. Of particular importance were the Tarr Task Force, the Knowles Commission and the Wallace Commission. Although these efforts and their recommendations were never incorporated at the time, they were not forgotten and would influence later changes. The Tarr Task Force was the first to look at the planning laws. It reviewed state statutes and problems related to municipal boundary changes, regional planning, and area wide service provision. They developed several recommendations in the area of boundary review and annexation. The Knowles Commission found the state’s land use laws to be complex and outdated. The report summarized that “a steady rise in population, a pattern of urbanization and sprawling subdivisions, an increased appetite for the outdoors, and economic expansion continue to consume our land resources”. It went on to conclude that “Land use regulation is basically a local matter, and that only certain resources and uses were of wider significance. The model proposed was that state and Regional Background & Demographics