Should Wausau incentivize people to move here?

Local leaders weigh in on a program that helps small communities attract a young workforce

There are two housing metrics that seem to be paradoxical: Wausau/Marathon County’s population is shrinking but the number of needed housing units is in short supply.

It always baffled me, until another metric brought the paradox to rest: That’s because households are getting smaller. According to Community Development Director Randy Fifrick, city leaders used to project 3.5 people per household - that’s now more like 2.5-2.2 per household.

In other words, more people are living alone, meaning there can be more demand for housing units even with a stagnant or slightly shrinking population size, creating workforce challenges. (Fifrick also says there are issues with the 2020 Census projections, and he says more accurate projections have population in Wausau slightly increasing toward the 40,000 people number.)

That also keeps demand high, which keeps rents high. That’s also exacerbated by a low inventory of single-family homes, which The Wausonian covered in our post Is Marathon County real estate becoming unaffordable?

Housing is considered a major issue in terms of workforce development. Attracting people to the area is a challenge every city is facing right now.

I’ve long questioned the narrative of “build it and they will come.” An idea that went around during the Millennial generation was that people will move to cities big or small because they have cool stuff to do/seem hip and happening. They choose cities first then look for work afterward, the adage went.

I bought into that narrative at first, then I questioned it. Last year when I surveyed my readers who’d moved here asking what brought them to Wausau, nearly all of them cited some kind of connection to the place. Either they had family here, or their spouse did, or they were from here originally. The ones that didn’t? They came for a job.

I’ve met one person in real life who told me they literally researched a new place to live online, came across Wausau, liked what they saw and decided this would be their new home. It has become my hobby to ask people who just moved here why they did so, and that’s the only time I’ve gotten this response.

So my eyes perked up with some interest when I came across a story in The Free Press about a website catering to GenZ. It’s called MakeMyMove, and it allows city leaders in lesser-known cities to incentivize residents to move there. Think Muncie, Ind. or Pittsville, Ill. (There are plenty of Midwest cities on the list of communities but as of now, no community in Wisconsin has a listing.)

The story, titled The Good Life, According to GenZ, makes the case that this new generation of young folks cares less about the big city life and are interested in living in smaller communities where they have a better chance of being connected to the community and enjoy a quieter, simpler life. (This post from writer and consultant Vanketesh Rao on GenZ now seems downright prophetic.)

That last part is relevant - because the program behind MakeMyMove isn’t just about paying people to move. The cities/villages also work hard to connect people with the community. In one community the mayor has coffee with every new person who moves there via MakeMyMove. It’s more about community connection than incentives, argues Noblesville’s mayor:

When I spoke to Mayor Chris Jensen, he told me: “This whole program is aimed at capturing a change in culture.” In his view, most young people aren’t relocating for the money. “Our incentive package has really minimal cash to it,” he admitted. (The relocation grant for Noblesville is $5,000.) Instead, he said, “A majority of our package is focused on integrating you into our community.” New residents get golf passes, memberships to the chamber of commerce, concert tickets, park passes, and memberships to local clubs. Mayor Jensen also has coffee with all of the new residents.

Wausau would seem to be perfectly set up to attract young GenZ movers of this mindset. While we’ve covered the challenge of housing prices, comparatively Marathon County is still doing much better than most of the state. Outdoor access is a short drive away, and Wausau is big enough to have mountain bike parks, disc golf, a music and art scene, and plenty of events. And someone with a remote job would be able to take advantage of geo-arbitrage — having a big city salary while living in a place with a low cost of living.

Would something like MakeMyMove work? Listing on the site seems like it would function as marketing for new workers/taxpayers/residents. You’re in front of people who are literally looking to move. There’s a cost, sure, but anyone who runs a business knows you need to spend on advertising that brings ROI.

I decided to ask area leaders what they think of this approach.