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Seattle has a "new city" feel wtih a growing tech economy, but the weather would bring me down. More expensive than MKE and kind of remote, but seems smarter and more focused on the future. Good career opportunities, but can I ever go to the beach again if I live there? Further from family.
Milwaukee has rough weather, but it has four seasons and not as much greyness. Cheaper than Seattle and located closer to the east coast business centers, but with a population that has a provincial mindset and seems not to be very motivated to move into the future. Modest career opportunities in lmiited industries. Closer to family.
Temperature in Milwauki right now: 17 degrees.
Temperature in Seattle right now: 54 degrees.
We had a light drizzle this afternoon for a few minutes, with clear sunny skies over the past weekend, and sunny skies for the next weekend. Oh how ever do we tolerate such "horrific" weather?
(I love how non-locals have no clue what our weather is really like)
Milwaukee has rough weather, but it has four seasons and not as much greyness. Cheaper than Seattle and located closer to the east coast business centers, but with a population that has a provincial mindset and seems not to be very motivated to move into the future. Modest career opportunities in lmiited industries. Closer to family.
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised by the changes happening in Milwaukee. A lot is happening, and it's a good time to be there. Plus, easy access to Chicago.
That said, obviously Seattle is bigger and has more opportunities.
I lived in Seattle for 4 years and have been in WI for one year (Madison area though, not Milwaukee). Where are you moving from? My husband is from WI and he had a hard time with Seattle winters because of the darkness/dreariness. It's farther north, so days are shorter in December/Jan. He would rather it be 10 degrees, windy and sunny. I, on the other hand, would pick Seattle winters any day.
I didn't find Seattle to be remote at all. There's plenty to do in the city and surrounding area, plus you're close to Portland and Vancouver. The natural beauty of WA state is pretty amazing. Do you have to travel to the east coast frequently for business? If so, I could see it getting tiring, and Milwaukee would be easier for that. How often would you like to visit family?
Seattle vs. Milwaukee also depends on your career prospects. If you and your spouse can get high enough paying jobs so that you can manage to live there comfortably, Seattle has a lot to offer. If it would be a struggle, I'm not sure it's worth it. We moved to WI (from CA) in large part because we felt we were only getting by and not saving enough for our kids' college, emergencies, and our retirement. Salaries are lower here and our careers may stall out, but the much lower cost of housing more than made up for it.
There are some cultural differences between the PNW and Midwest. Where would you and your family feel more comfortable?
I like Wisconsin, don't get me wrong. But, if proximity to family & COL weren't big factors, I would choose to live on the West Coast in a heartbeat. My husband on the other hand, genuinely prefers WI to WA.
I lived in multiple parts of the Milwaukee area for a total of 28 years... Moving away in 2013.
One poster said that Milwaukee "is changing"... Which is partially true, but mostly a stretch.
Milwaukee has always been a city of proposals. They put ideas on the table and for one reason or another, they always stall out.
The state is also run by an absolutely terrible governor who repeatedly has passed up federal grants on progressive projects while cutting hundreds of millions of dollars on education spending - more than once.
In his four years since he took office, Wisconsin has been in the bottom half of job creation and has placed LAST in the Midwest three out of four years.
Milwaukee cost of living may be cheap compared to California as one poster mentioned (what state isn't cheap compared to CA), but if you plan on owning a nice house in a nice neighborhood, be prepared to be bent over by the state in property taxes... And the state income taxes are extremely high as well.
As far as weather goes, this one is a no brainer... Milwaukee is a place of extremes where the Summer highs and Winter lows can have a range of well over 100 degrees. In Seattle, you pretty much have moderate temps with a lack or true extremes.
The infrastructure in Milwaukee is also severely lacking as well. The Hoan bridge is literally falling apart, the lakefront gateway project is going to take years to complete... The zoo interchange is torn up and they want to expand the 94 East/West.
The downtown streetcar just got approved and that is going to be a mess as they get that going as well.
Scenery/nature goes to Seattle as well... Milwaukee has Bradford beach, but that can only be used 4-7 months a year. The Milwaukee area is quite flat... It is, however, full of parks... But keep in mind, those types of things are only enjoyable there roughly half the year.
Seattle, where do I begin. Lets start on the cost of living. If you dont make well over 100k a year, don't even bother moving here. And its even getting worse. This has become a very high tech city, and with that comes high tech, high paying jobs. The middle class suffers.
The government is ran by over the top liberals who have a war on cars. They want you to either ride a bike in the rain, or place you on a bus next to a homeless person who might have just pissed themselves. Sales tax here is almost 10%, property taxes are high, not as high as Milwaukee though.
The schools in the Seattle area are horrible. You will find better schools on the "East Side" (Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah and Snolqualmie).
People of Seattle are not friendly. This is not the midwest, people here are cold and seldom will engage in a conversation with you. If you are not an extreme liberal, you will not find you views being excepted here.
Seattle, where do I begin. Lets start on the cost of living. If you dont make well over 100k a year, don't even bother moving here. And its even getting worse. This has become a very high tech city, and with that comes high tech, high paying jobs. The middle class suffers.
The government is ran by over the top liberals who have a war on cars. They want you to either ride a bike in the rain, or place you on a bus next to a homeless person who might have just pissed themselves. Sales tax here is almost 10%, property taxes are high, not as high as Milwaukee though.
The schools in the Seattle area are horrible. You will find better schools on the "East Side" (Redmond, Bellevue, Issaquah and Snolqualmie).
People of Seattle are not friendly. This is not the midwest, people here are cold and seldom will engage in a conversation with you. If you are not an extreme liberal, you will not find you views being excepted here.
I would take Seattle every day all day. I've only visited Seattle, but live in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee has a pretty high cost of living considering the mid-size population of the city. Housing is very expensive unless you want to live way out in the suburbs or a 50 year old house.
As far as the roads and public transportation goes, I don't see much of an issue with the roads in Seattle. I've lived in Phoenix, AZ and getting stuck in rush hour could turn a commute into well over an hour instead of 20 minutes and Phoenix probably has the best freeway system in the country....it's an issue with almost every big city. Public transportation in Milwaukee is pretty much only used by the poor or college students around the university...outside of the university area it's almost exclusively used by those in extreme poverty and does not feel safe.
The school system in Milwaukee is absolutely terrible, you will not find anyone who says Milwaukee Public School System is anything but horrible. It's almost a must to have your kids go to schools in the outer perimeter of the city or outside of it.
If someone likes winter and cold weather, Milwaukee is good. Personal preference, but I'd take cloudy and rainy over the brutal cold winters.
Honestly, I could not ever recommend Milwaukee as a place to live to anyone. It's a depressing city. I am in a position to hire employees for healthcare in a specific field and there is not a large ambitious talent pool of employees. There are severe issues with talent and ambition in Milwaukee. Some of the top hospitals have major issues finding quality employees.
Seattle has a feeling of ambition and moving forward. I believe it's a much better place to raise a family and for professional growth. There is a lot more to do in Seattle than Milwaukee. Not just in the city, but the area. Sure Chicago is less than 2 hours away from Milwaukee, but Chicago is only fun for shopping and museums once in a while. The lake is ok, but other than that there is no comparison for natural beauty between Seattle and Milwaukee. The midwest is nothing but flat land and lakes, there aren't any exciting or interesting national parks, mountains, oceans, or anything else near Milwaukee.
That's my take on it. I'm hoping to move pretty soon as I only moved here for family reasons and it's just depressing living in the midwest.
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