Local Culture News

Is Eau Claire the new "it" city for artsy millennials? The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel thinks so...

Mike Paulus, photos by Nick Meyer |

Today – on the front page of its Sunday edition – the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel joined a growing list of publications to profile Eau Claire. But while most other magazines focus on Eau Claire as a travel destination or a weekend getaway, this piece, titled "Renaissance: Eau Claire new "it" city for artsy millennials," focuses on downtown's explosion in development over the past few decades, and especially the past five years. It (of course) mentions the Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival and Justin Vernon, and how younger people from around the country may be attracted to living here, but it also goes pretty in-depth on the Confluence Project, tracing its history, its key players, and the opposition mounted against it during 2014's referenda votes.

Overall, it's a pretty positive look at the city. Writers Erin Richards and Karen Herzog say …

Development experts in other Wisconsin cities are taking notes on Eau Claire, even as they acknowledge its unique blessings: a longstanding arts community, ample natural resources, a welcoming political atmosphere, some famous and successful young natives, and a committed university partner.

Read the full piece.