Why do Wisconsin folks dislike us? (Chicago, Oregon: sales, sales tax, to live in)
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Just what we wisconsinites expect from you Illinois folks. This is why we do not like you coming up.Your rude. And we dont have to drive 300 miles to get here. we already live here and yes we have money to . We make it by selling overpriced junk to people from Chicago. Used to sell in an antique mall in Wisconsin dells and I will tell you we got the biggest laugh at what you folks would buy and what you would spend on total junk we bought at a flea market for quarter. Yah you all are real smart living in that rat trap in overpriced houses. Some people never learn.
The above is part of the reason some Illinoisans don't much like Wisconsinites. We (I used to live in Ill) are not dumb. We know you're trying to fleece us. We know you make fun of us. Rude is not confined to Illinois, either.
Just what we wisconsinites expect from you Illinois folks. This is why we do not like you coming up.Your rude. And we dont have to drive 300 miles to get here. we already live here and yes we have money to . We make it by selling overpriced junk to people from Chicago. Used to sell in an antique mall in Wisconsin dells and I will tell you we got the biggest laugh at what you folks would buy and what you would spend on total junk we bought at a flea market for quarter. Yah you all are real smart living in that rat trap in overpriced houses. Some people never learn.
Just what we wisconsinites expect from you Illinois folks. This is why we do not like you coming up.Your rude. And we dont have to drive 300 miles to get here. we already live here and yes we have money to . We make it by selling overpriced junk to people from Chicago. Used to sell in an antique mall in Wisconsin dells and I will tell you we got the biggest laugh at what you folks would buy and what you would spend on total junk we bought at a flea market for quarter. Yah you all are real smart living in that rat trap in overpriced houses. Some people never learn.
People from Chicago are rude.You would fit in well there.
Sidenote:Not everybody from Illlinois is from Chicago.
I am a native of Wisconsin (the Milwaukee area) for much of my life. I am now in my young 30s, and have lived in the Milwaukee area for a great percentage of my life. For about 4 years or so until very recently, I lived in New Mexico, so I think I gained even more insight "being away"...
I think the truth is that a) a high percentage of Wisconsinites do not dislike Illinois folks, and vice-versa. I also believe b) a decent percentage of folks from both states do dislike one another.
Personally, I know that it is absolutely foolish for either states' citizens to dislike the other state. The fact of the matter is, in many regards, the two states need each other. Illinoisians/Chicagoans hate to hear that about Milwaukeeans/Wisconsinites...and vice versa...but it is true.
I think one of the main culprits of this rivalry is that the Midwest is so non-transitory. People have roots here that go back so long. Unlike places in the southwest, west, even parts of the SE's sunbelt or parts of the NE, so many Midwestern folks are born, raised, lived, and die in the Midwest. Huge quantities of transplants are not flocking to WI or IL (in IL somewhat the exception is Chicagoland, but even that is far different than other massive cities like LA) - a huge percentage of these states' populations are folks that "don't get out much"...eg: they've lived in either WI or IL for their whole lives.
Because of that, they have a very narrow view, and I think that leads to foolish regional rivalries like this that actually boil over to more than rivalries in some cases. It is all pretty much rather petty. Sure, Illinois drivers fill our highways on Fridays in the summer. Really, so what. Sure, Northwoods Wisconsinites might b**ch about Illinois folks buying up their properties - again, so what. It is all just pettiness - on both ends - if anyone really cares and believes in a rivalry. Neither side is "right". Both sides are though foolish.
Illinois needs Wisconsin for a) Milwaukee - a nice-sized big city (yes, a city with a metro of 1.5+ million is a big city) that isn't nearly as mammoth as Chicago, so they can come up here for festivals, sports events, etc., and not have to deal with the insane traffic, the long lines, the ridiculous prices, and b) the many recreational areas that Wisconsin offers.
Wisconsin needs Illinois for a) Chicago - a huge city with typical huge-city type ammenities that only a few cities in the US can offer, and b) the tourism and tax dollars that Illinois folks bring to the economy.
Really, truly, both states need each other, just like any productive region of the nation has inter-state synergies.
Anyone that thinks otherwise is just being very narrow-minded and quite frankly, silly. I like Milwaukee and prefer it here and would live in this area easily before Chicago, but that doesn't mean I don't readily appreciate having Chicagoland only 80 miles away with 2 large airports, sports, shopping and restaurant options, etc.
Excellent analysis! You are totally right EnjoyEP. You said it better than I could. I think the midwest would an even better place if more of the people were more like you. And yes, midwesterners whether urban or rural should get out and see other parts of the country!
I want to reply to both of these posts. My family and I have often travel back from out present home in MN to our childhood homes where our parents still reside in southern IN and southern IL. So we get to see that 39/90/94 logjam headed north out of Chicago. On our trip we cross into WI with a much smaller version of the Chicago logjam coming out of Minneapolis heading into Hudson WI. It's all the Gopher's heading to their western WI lake homes. But it usually only lasts about 20 miles until we hit US 63 and then they start dispersing. by Eau Claire, 60 miles into WI on 94 all we see are WI plates. From Eau Claire to the Tomah split ( where 90 & 94 come together if you are going east bound or split if you are headed westbound) things begin building on the other side of the freeway. Then sixty miles east of Tomah all hell breaks loose on the west bound lanes. Of course that's Dah Dells! From the Dells to 39 about another 20 miles it's a continuous stream coming at us. But one of the things I can not figure out is --- was it mandated by god that all Wisconsin freeways have to converge on that section of road between Poratage and Madison called the 39/90/94 corridor! That is only one of two places in the US interstate system where three routes run concurrently. The other spot is in East St Louis, IL (55/64/70) but it is only 2 miles long - NOT 30! Wisconsin needs to bring all of US 12 from Madison to Baraboo up to interstate standards, this would alleviate some of this overusage. But having digressed - come on Chicagoans is Wisconsin really that wonderful that you would put yourselves through that kind of pain on that stretch of road. Often the traffic is at a dead stop! and then it tends to move in waves.
There are some wonderful attractions on the other side of Joliet, believe this or not! More than just corn and beans. First off being from the "Land of Lincoln", if you want to be truely Lincolnized, go to Springfield. In Spfld there's the Lincoln law office, Lincoln's home, Lincoln's Tomb (make sure you rub his nose on all his statuary for good luck), the new Lincoln Presidential Library. Twenty miles to the west of Spfld is Lincoln's New Salem. A rebuilt log cabin town that Lincoln lived in in his twenties. Besides Lincolnorama, ther are the old and new state houses. The Frank Lloyd Wright Dana house. The birth place of Vachel Lindsey, and the state fair in late August.
Lindsey was a black poet. Other noted Illinois literary figures, are Carl Sandburg in Galesburg, and Edgar Lee Masters in Petersburg.
And Illinois has had 2 former state capital cities. One is Vandalia, and the other is much disappeared Kaskaskia near present day Chester IL.
Chester lies in the french belt of IL. That is the area in southwestern Illinois along the Mississippi (following IL route 3) from Grafton, IL to Chester, IL. At Grafton, is a monument to the French explorer and Jesuit priest Pere Marquette. Illinois largest state park and lodge is also found in Grafton and named for Marquette. Then in Cahokia IL there is the Cahokia courthouse built in 1740. The oldest building west of the Alleghanies! And more French colonial architecture is found at Prairie Du Rocher and Dupo (formerly Prairie Du Pont). At Chester is the home of French Canadian Pierre Menard (he was Illinois first Lt governor) it is of classic French colonial design with a veranda running around the whle house. There were also two French forts, Fort Kaskaskia and Fort des Chartres. Both are now state park sites. Fort des Chartres has been reconstructed to appear as it did in 1753. (We are talking pre Revolutionary War era stuff here folks! IN ILLINOIS!).
Enough history - oh before I forget google Cahokia Mounds State Park - it's a world heritage site!
Now lets talk geography. Yes about 85 percent of IL is as flat as a tabletop and BORING! But the other 15 percent is rolling hills and knobs and drop dead gorgeous! Those areas are found in the three driftless areas of Illinois. They are called driftless, because the ice age glaciers did not "drift" in and flatten them out! The first driftless region is far NW IL. Mainly Jo Daviess county. Most provincial Chicagoans have even heard of this are because of Galena, IL. Galena is an old lead ore town that went boom and bust. Going to it is like going back in time to the 1850s. Near Galena there is skiiing in the winter at Chestnut Mountain. They have great rates between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you get there also cross over the Mississippi to Dubuque, IA and go on the world's shortest railroad line. and to Dyersville, IA home of the field from the Movie "Field of Dreams".
The second driftless area is a pennisula (you Chicagoans love your penninsulas - think Door County) found between the Mississippi and the Illinois Rivers. It is mainly Pike and Calhoun Counties. Lots of river bluffs, eagle watching, deer hunting, and fishing to be found in this area. To get into Calhoun county by land, you enter from the north through Pike county. To get into Calhoun county from the east, there are three options to cross the Illinois River, the bridge at Hardin, the free ferry at Brussels and the free ferry at Kampsville. To get into Calhoun from the west, there are only two options, the Golden Eagle Ferry or the Winfield/Batchtown ferry. You can't get there from the south, because that is where the Illinois River dumps into the Mississippi. It ain't an easy county to get into but thats what makes it so fun! Its beautiful in the fall, thats when the apple orchards there are in full swing and the trees llok like New England. It's also pretty around Tax Day (April 15th) thats when the redbud trees and dogwood trees are blooming.
Now for the third driftless area - southern IL! the Illinois Ozarks! This are has the Shawnee National Forest - yeah the part of IL without corn or bean fields. Sites there are the Giant City State Park and Lodge, Lake Rend, Garden of the Gods, The Tunnel State Bike Trail (40 miles long with an abandoned 500 feet railroad tunnel), Bald Knob, Cave In Rock State Park (a cave on the Ohio River where pirates would hide and hi jack flatboats as they came down the Ohio River), Pyramid State Park (a great park for canoeing - full of lakes which are actually abandoned strip coal mine pits from the 1920's), Devil's Backbone in the Mississippi River, the Karmac Cypress Swamp (no you don't have to go to the states of Alabama or Mississippi to see Cypress Swamps!).
I've been all over Illinois.I've been all over Wisconsin.Sorry.If you like the outdoors Wisconsin kicks Illinois's butt.Almost all Illinois lakes are man made and overcrowded.The Illinois DNR is lightyears behind the Wisconsin DNR as far as outdoor recreational areas.I've lived in Illinois all of my life and visited many of those places you mention. My impression is still the same.My family and my wifes' family have always vacationed in the Hayward area.Wisconsin is a beautiful place and I've always enjoyed the people I've met there.I haven't run across too many people that have an Illinois grudge other than joking
around.I'm sure there are plenty of ignorant idiots in both states to go around.I think as stated above,if you act like a jerk,you'll get treated like one.I really can't think of too many places in Illinois worth visiting more than once.I just can't say that for Wisconsin.
I've been all over Illinois.I've been all over Wisconsin.Sorry.If you like the outdoors Wisconsin kicks Illinois's butt.Almost all Illinois lakes are man made and overcrowded.The Illinois DNR is lightyears behind the Wisconsin DNR as far as outdoor recreational areas.I've lived in Illinois all of my life and visited many of those places you mention. My impression is still the same.My family and my wifes' family have always vacationed in the Hayward area.Wisconsin is a beautiful place and I've always enjoyed the people I've met there.I haven't run across too many people that have an Illinois grudge other than joking
around.I'm sure there are plenty of ignorant idiots in both states to go around.I think as stated above,if you act like a jerk,you'll get treated like one.I really can't think of too many places in Illinois worth visiting more than once.I just can't say that for Wisconsin.
I certainly agree, there are plenty of "idiots" in both states
Excellent analysis! You are totally right EnjoyEP. You said it better than I could. I think the midwest would an even better place if more of the people were more like you. And yes, midwesterners whether urban or rural should get out and see other parts of the country!
Thanks.
Yeah, it is a real mixed-bag having the Midwest trait of people living here their whole lives and not really experiencing day-to-day life in a different area / region. Part of that is actually a good/great thing - it is what gives the Midwest its history, its uniqueness, its ties and bonds, etc. It is why so many of us who DO leave end up coming back! However, it also a real negative often times I find and leads to real narrow-mindedness and tunnel vision.
I am looking at the whole picture; you're looking at the Randall Road picture; and again, it is only along the Randall Road corridor that the two cities can be said to be remotely similar. Valley View is unincorporated; I believe it is technically part of St. Charles Township but not part of the City of St. Charles. Yes, it's that little redneck haven down by the Fox River, and that redneckness continues unabated right across the river to the South Elgin side.
Let me clarify some mistakes in your post. First of all, South Elgin is not across the river from Valley View. South Elgin extends to both sides of the river and lies north of Valley View. South Elgin was originally settled in the early 1830's and has grown since then into an individual community. Valley View was never intended to be a full time community. It started as vacation property sold or given away with subscriptions by, I believe, the Tribune Company. Since it was never meant to have full time residents, it never developed the requirements of regular communities. Building codes were lax, lot sizes were too small, and utilities, including sewers, were inadequate or nonexistent. South Elgin never developed a downtown area, like St. Charles and Geneva, because of it's proximity to Elgin, it's larger sister. St. Charles is, approximately, centrally located between Aurora and Elgin and is far enough away that it developed separately. Remember in the early to mid 1800's, 10 miles was a great distance. If you want to make a comparison with South Elgin and another community, the closest would be North Aurora. It grew up much the same way as South Elgin, being in the shadow of a larger community. All of the areas of South Elgin, good and bad, can be found in all of the towns along the Fox River because they all started and grew up at about the same time and in much the same way. I would hope that in the future, before you make disparaging remarks about any community, you make sure you know your facts. And one last thing, in July 2007, Money Magazine named South Elgin #82 on it's list of 100 of "America's Best Places To Live".
Last edited by k950; 10-16-2007 at 11:07 AM..
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