FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — On a typical day in downtown Fond du Lac it's easy to find people who appreciate the city's small town charm.
But demographics are not on Fond du Lac County's side.
One in five residents is 65 or older, which is higher than both the state and national average.
Sadie Howell is the president and CEO of Envision Greater Fond du Lac and says bringing people in can be a challenge.
"We know that the only way that we have been growing is through net migration," Howell said. "Which means people from outside of Fond du Lac County moving into here, not through birth rates."
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Howell says that the company 'Make My Move' reached out to help them facilitate a new campaign using nearly half a million dollars worth of funding.
That includes $120,000 dollars from Envision Greater Fond du Lac, and another $346,000 dollars in state grant money.
Howell says families must go through a background check and meet certain criteria to be eligible.
"Number one, you have to be from outside the state of Wisconsin, number two, your current job has to make over $55,000," Howell said.
But if they stay one or two years, depending on their employment, they'll get $5,500 and up to another $4,000 in perks.
Howell indicated that they have around 30 people in the pipeline working through the approval process from states like California, Texas and Illinois.
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