Thematic Map Display of Wisconsin and Minnesota: Comparing Urban Environments and their Populations

Total Population by county 2000 Percent of Population Considered Urban Population Per Square Mile

Percent Black Population Per Capita Income by CountyPercent College Educated by County

Ross GuidaGeog 280

December 2007

A l l m a p s w e r e c r e a t e d u s i n g A r c M a p G I S

A l l m a p s w e r e c r e a t e d u s i n g A r c M a p G I S

Poster CreatedUsing Adobe Illustrator

Population Maps The goal of the �rst row of maps is to show the urban areas of Wisconsin and Minnesota using only population variables: total population, percent of population considered urban, and the population per square mile of each county. As you can see, the maps do exactly what was intended. They show Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis-St. Paul as the big urban centers that they are. They also did a good job of showing how populations build out from the big cities in concentric rings. In other words, the further you get away from the cities the lower the populations will be. The �rst two maps showed the cities most accu-rately. The second shows population is concentrated in Minnesota around the Twin Cities while the popula-tion in Wisconsin is concentrated around Madison and along the whole eastern side along Lake Michi-gan. The Maps all do a good job showing population distribution throughout both states.

Demographic Maps The maps in this row show the statistical data in the states by county. I tried to show urban areas through something other than overall population statistics. The �rst map shows percent college educated. It highlights mostly urban areas but also shows where college towns are located and the areas where people move upon graduation. The largest percentages are in urban areas. The second maps shows where the highest income levels are. Again, these tend to be urban areas. These days, rural areas tend to be lower income. The map does a good job showing how overall income in cities and their suburbs is higher than other areas. The last map shows percent black population. As much as we like to believe we’ve come a long way black populations are still concentrated in cities, espe-cially in the northern United States. So, this was also e�ective in showing urban areas. Overall, these maps are e�ective showing demo-graphics of urban areas.

% College Educated3.70 - 9.009.01 - 12.0012.01 - 16.0016.01 - 22.0022.01 - 34.20

Total Population 20004134 - 5000050001 - 7500075001 - 100000100001 - 200000200001 - 1116200

% Population Urban 0.00 - 25.0025.01 - 50.0050.01 - 75.0075.01 - 100.00

Pop/Sq. mi.3.5 - 50.050.1 - 150.0150.1 - 350.0350.1 - 700.0700.1 - 3891.8

% Black pop.0.0 - 1.01.1 - 2.02.1 - 5.05.1 - 10.010.1 - 24.6

Per Capita Income13611 - 1600016001 - 1900019001 - 2200022001 - 25000

25001 - 28000