Section 1: Issues and Opportunities

ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES ELEMENT

The Town of Wheatland is located in west Vernon County in the Mississippi Valley in southwest Wisconsin. The Town borders the eastern bank of the Mississippi River and is largely part of the Rush Creek Watershed and the Bad Axe River Watershed. As of the 2000 United States Census there were 533 people residing in the town. The Wisconsin Department of Administration estimated than the town population was 631 in 2008.

The town conducted a property owner survey, referred to as the 2009 Comprehensive Planning Survey (Appendix 1); to ensure public awareness and solicit participation in guiding the town's planning process. The town's property tax roll revealed 591 land owners and 38% of them were not full time residents of the town. Interestingly, there was no statistical difference between full time resident property owners and those who own property within the town but are not full time residents. Although property owners raised concerns which will be addressed in the comprehensive plan, 79% of the respondents rated the quality of life in Wheatland as good/excellent. The 2009 Comprehensive Planning Survey revealed a significant percentage of these seasonal residents were attracted to the town for its scenic beauty, natural resources, recreation, and potential as a future retirement site.

The majority of the town can be generally described as rural. The town contains the unincorporated settlements of Red Mound on the Highway 82 ridge, and the settlement of Victory located along the Mississippi River on Highway 35. Overall, the town is primarily rural, contracted agricultural farms, and woodland intermixed with low density residential development.

There are 27.62 square miles of land within Wheatland, with 1.10 square miles of this being classified as water area. A significant recreational and tourist attraction is the Black Hawk Park which is located within the town. Responsibility for this area is shared among several entities: town, county, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), United States Army Corps of Engineers, and private property owners. The town lies within the Mississippi Valley and benefits from the natural beauty and resources of the surrounding river bluffs and valleys which are part of the unique geography of the driftless region, "the land missed by the glaciers".

1.1: COMMUNITY VISION STATEMENTS

The Town of Wheatland will maintain and enhance our sense of community, historical heritage, rural and agricultural life style, and sustain our natural resources and scenic environment.

The Town of Wheatland will encourage economic and redevelopment opportunities that preserve and promote the integrity of our farm lands, natural resources, scenic beauty, and historical heritage.