Eau Claire Metropolitan Area Eau Claire, WI MSA | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Eau Claire | |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Wisconsin |
| Principal cities | Eau Claire Chippewa Falls Menomonie |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
TheEau Claire metropolitan area refers loosely to the urbanized area along theChippewa andEau Claire Rivers, in west-centralWisconsin, with its primary center atEau Claire and secondary centers atChippewa Falls andAltoona.
At a ribbon-cutting for the opening of the final stretch of the newly 4-laned section ofWIS 29 betweenGreen Bay andElk Mound, in 2005, Gov.Jim Doyle referred to the region, including Menomonie to the west, as "Wisconsin's Golden Triangle."[1]
Because theUnited States Census Bureau uses only counties to define census statistical areas outsideNew England, the official Eau ClaireMetropolitan Statistical Area (which includes Chippewa Falls) encompasses all ofEau Claire andChippewa Counties. These counties, combined withDunn County to the west, coextensive with theMenomoniemicropolitan area, comprise the Eau Claire-MenomonieCombined Statistical Area, with a 2015 population of 210,133.[citation needed] These three counties, especially the cities of Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire and Menomonie comprise the economic and cultural core of west-central Wisconsin'sChippewa Valley region.
For practical purposes, the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area extends only as far as those municipalities directly adjacent to the incorporated cities and villages in the core area, with the notable exception of the Eau Claire Countytown of Pleasant Valley, which is included because so much of its population is suburban rather than rural. (The Town of Pleasant Valley was one of Wisconsin's fastest-growing political divisions in the 1990s, posting a population increase of over 28%.) The Chippewa County town of Anson is also included due to its proximity to Chippewa Falls. This is the definition used by the Chippewa-Eau Claire Metropolitan Planning Organization. According to the 2015 census estimates, this core area had a 2015 population of 129,665.[citation needed] This population comprises 78.3% of the Eau Claire-Chippewa County area, and 61.7% of the Eau Claire-Chippewa-Dunn County area.[citation needed]
The Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area is served by theChippewa Valley Regional Airport. As well as by theMenomonie Municipal Airport and several smaller private airports.
Regular shuttle service is also available toMinneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, the closestinternational airport, approximately 85 miles distant.[2]
Although the Chippewa River once served as an important transit route for the area, river transit is no longer feasible from theMississippi River.Hydroelectric dams within the metropolitan area, one in Eau Claire and two in Chippewa Falls, further limit its ability to be used as a transit route. The rather shallow Eau Claire River is dammed at Altoona (as well as 20 miles further upstream atLake Eau Claire). The rivers, as well as thereservoirs formed by the dams, are used today principally for recreation.
Many of the primary roadways serving western Wisconsin run through the metropolitan area. Among these are:
 Interstate 94 |
 U.S. Route 12 |
 U.S. Route 53 |
 Highway 29 |
 Highway 37 |
 Highway 85 |
 Highway 93 |
 Highway 124 |
 Highway 178 |
 Highway 312 |
Freightrail traffic to and from the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area is via lines formerly run by the inheritors of both theSOO andChicago & North Western Railways. The rail network in the metropolitan area was much more extensive until the late 1980s and early 1990s, when many lines were first abandoned and then slowly converted to a network of biking and recreation trails[1], including theChippewa River Trail, which follows much of the old route of theMilwaukee Road railbed, from downtown Eau Claire toDurand.[3]
The only localmass transit serving the metropolitan area is theEau Claire Transitbus system, which has service only within the cities of Eau Claire and Altoona.
Flixbus,Greyhound,Megabus andWisconsin Coach Lines have multiple bus stops throughout the Eau Claire MSA including the Eau Claire Transit Center (Downtown Eau Claire) and Chippewa Falls Holiday Gas Station (2750 120th St.) The ticketing depot is near the junction of I-94, US-12 and Wis. 312 in a McDonald's (6251 Truax Ln.) About a dozen other regional tourism and transportation buslines serve the greater Chippewa Valley region.
Amtrak service is only available by travelling to theTwin Cities,La Crosse orTomah, although in the past several years there has been discussion of making a new Amtrak line that would serve the area directly.
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Great Lakes megalopolis as defined by theRPA | ||
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Includes all metropolitan areas that have a population of 150,000 or greater according to the most recent national census. | ||
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