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Growth spurt: Village of Waterford leads way as county population expands

Posted on: Monday, 14 July 2003, 06:00 CDT

Growth spurt: Village of Waterford leads way as county population expands

By TOM KERTSCHER tkertscher@journalsentinel.com, Journal Sentinel

Sunday, July 13, 2003

Comfort, safety, accessibility and good schools top the attractions in the Village of Waterford, say two leaders of the Waterford Area Chamber of Commerce.

The village posted population growth of 7.2% between April 2000 and July 2002, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released last week. That was the highest rate of growth among the 18 cities, villages and towns in Racine County.

Neither Jackie Strehlow nor Mike Sonnichsen was surprised.

"I think people just want a better quality of life, and you can find it out here," said Strehlow, the chamber's first vice president. "People do commute and it's worth it."

Improvements over the years to Highway 36 have eased the commute to Milwaukee, added Sonnichsen, a board member of the chamber.

"I think it's as simple as that," he said.

Waterford's population has more than doubled since 1980, when it was 2,051. The census figures released last week showed further growth.

In April 2000, the village had 4,048 residents. By July 2002, the population had grown 7.2% to 4,339.

The Racine County community with the next-highest growth rate was Yorkville, where the population grew 5.5% to 3,472.

West of I-94, every community but the Village of Rochester -- which lost only five people -- grew during the roughly two-year period. East of I-94, six communities lost population, the highest rate being in Racine, where the population dropped 1.4% to 80,712.

Waterford, which incorporated in 1906, has grown because people are willing to commute to a country setting that is clean, safe and offers great schools and other good activities for children, said Strehlow, who has lived in the village for nearly 10 years. She works as a human resources representative for Runzheimer International.

"The subdivisions are just popping up left and right," Strehlow said.

Sonnichsen, branch manager for A.G. Edwards in Burlington who lives just outside of the village, predicted that Waterford's population will more than double again in the next 10 years. He also praised the schools and said the Fox River is another important amenity.

"It's a great little town. I think it's very attractive to people, especially people with kids," Sonnichsen said.

Other facts from the census figures:

-- Racine County's population between April 2000 and July 2002 rose 1.2% to 191,012.

-- In terms of the number of people who moved into Racine County vs. the number who moved out, the county posted a net loss of 208 people.

-- Mount Pleasant, which had nearly 500 fewer residents than Caledonia in April 2000, pulled ahead by July 2002. Mount Pleasant grew 4.4% during the period to 24,171 and Caledonia grew 1.1% to 23,883.

CENSUS

GROWING COMMUNITIES

New estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show the Village of Waterford is the fastest-growing community in Racine County. Here are the municipal statistics.

APRIL 1, JULY 1, NUMERICAL PERCENTAGE 2000 2002 POPULATION POPULATION MUNICIPALITY POPULATION POPULATION CHANGE CHANGE

Burlington, city 9,991 10,531 540 5.4 % Burlington, town 6,329 6,489 160 2.5 Caledonia, town 23,614 23,883 26 1.1 Dover, town 3,908 4,090 182 4.7 Elmwood Park, village 474 470 -4 -0.8 Mount Pleasant, town 23,142 24,171 1,029 4.4 North Bay, village 360 257 -3 -1.2 Norway, town 7,600 7,767 167 2.2 Racine, city 81,855 80,712 -1,143 - 1.4 Raymond, town 3,516 3,678 162 4.6 Rochester, village 1,149 1,144 -5 -0.4 Rochester, town 2,254 2,334 80 3.5 Sturtevant, village 5,287 5,280 -7 -0.1 Union Grove, village 4,322 4,466 144 3.3 Waterford, village 4,048 4,339 291 7.2 Waterford, town 5,938 6,085 147 2.5 Wind Point, village 1,853 1,844 -9 -0.5 Yorkville, town 3,291 3,472 181 5.5 Racine County 188,831 191,012 2,181 1.2

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Journal Sentinel

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