Work commute taking longer? Stores and restaurants crowded?

As you may have noticed, the once-small community of Oak Creek is no longer small. So much so that, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 report, Oak Creek led Milwaukee County in population growth.

The population is now nearing 35,000, making it the sixth-largest community in Milwaukee County. That's nearly double the population from 1980.

It's been a steady climb up, with several consecutive decades of population jumps. Between 1970 and 1980, the city grew 21.6 percent, followed by 15.2 percent in 1990 and a whopping 45.8 percent in 2000.

Last year, this trend continued with a 21.1 percent increase. It was the largest jump in the county, followed by Franklin with 20.2 percent. From there, it was a big drop-off: the third-highest increase was St. Francis at 8 percent.

In fact, many cities decreased in population. The average drop was 2 percent, with Shorewood and Fox Point the largest at 4.4 percent.

Past to Present

The southern region of Milwaukee County has a proud agricultural heritage. During an era of Milwaukee expansion, these communities rallied together to stop southern annexation of land. Today, the rural area has exploded with more people, industries and commercialism.

Resident Pam Schuerman, of Burrell Street, moved to Oak Creek 37 years ago to start a family.

"We chose to move here a while ago for the half acre lots and our house at the time was 28,000 dollars," Schuerman said. "We loved the area's openness. When our kids were young, we would lay down bases in a nearby field and they would play baseball."

At that time, Oak Creek still consisted of vast pastures, fields and farms. Since then, many new apartments, condominium complexes, industrial and retail businesses and even mini-malls have been built in the city. In the past year, Oak Creek saw new businesses such as Dunkin' Donuts and O&H Danish Bakery open their doors and more, such as Noodles and Company, start construction.

"That's just how Oak Creek is growing," Schuerman said. "The city has physically changed. Many of the farmers and large property owners sold their land to businesses and apartments. Today, I have more shopping choices, but I didn't mind driving to another city to not have the traffic in my neighborhood."

The job creation spurred by new business may have helped Oak Creek's unemployment rate compared to elsewhere around the state. The city dropped its unemployment rate half-a-point from 6.6 to 6.1 percent, according to data from the Department of Workforce Development.

Schuerman said that she she wouldn't mind the growth if it wasn't for the fact that it transformed the community. Where her children used to play outside, there are subdivisions. Where there were fields, there are three lane roads and busnesses making navigating to her home near Howell a hassle.

Others, however, have welcomed the change. The late Mayor Dick Bolender, despite owning a farm, was outspoken in his belief that the city needed to continue to evolve, which to him meant encouraging more business and home-building.

Only time will tell what the Oak Creek’s future growth will be, but if the population continues growing by about 20 percent, the city will have 41,341 residents by 2020.