The four northern counties of Wisconsin (Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Iron) have experienced a perceived surge of home and land sales since 2020, yet the causes of this increase in property sales are unknown. Causes could include the Covid-19 pandemic, urban social unrest, extreme storms, heat, and wildfires in addition to more typical reasons like being near family. These push and pull factors may contribute to why people are moving and buying property in northern Wisconsin. However, the uncertainty of why new landowners chose northern tier counties leaves communities uninformed about new landowners’ needs for amenities, services (medical facilities or schools as examples), and future needs if this is indeed a migration trend that may affect many of our small rural communities.
Through realtor interviews this study examined why people are purchasing property, from where they are coming, and what prompted them to purchase property and/or move.
Read the report.