Why do Wisconsin folks dislike us? (Chicago, Peoria: environment, travel, work)

[ben242000]

I live in central WI (Stevens Point) and we joke about Illinois people, but it's nothing serious, just kidding around. I'm on 51/39 all the time and do see a lot of Illinois plates going north, but it doesn't bother me. I really don't like the tourist towns up north (well some things like the michigan/wisconsin golf course in land o' lakes and paul bunyan's in minocqua). I actually prefer Illinois drivers because they are faster and don't dink around like Wisconsin drivers. The main thing I hate about Illinois are the toll booths, but those obviously aren't the citizens' fault.

[Dolly]

I have decided upon the bumper stick I am going to create while we are stuck in Wisconsin with our Illinois plates. "we're FIBulous and proud!" (Crossing my fingers to be out of Wisconsin and back home to Illinois by June!)

[JoshB]

The only beef I have with Illinois people is when I'm driving up I-39, as I may also call it the The gateway to the north. Any ways, when I'm doing 75 and someone slams on there brakes because they missed there turn and they want to do a u-turn. That's quite annoying and dangerous. But I will say there are alot of good Illinois people out there. The whole thing about Northern Wisconsin hating Illinois people is because when you get up by Minocqua and Manitowish Illinois people are buying all these homes and building fancy new cottages and driving up taxes. Now I know its not all Illinois people but a majority of them are.

Other than God Bless you Illinois people for spending money here, I don't know what our economy would do without your money!

Thanks, Josh

[Katiana]

And who is selling these homes and cottages? Their Wisconsin owners, no?

[chasseresse]

You bet it does, Steve-o! Sometimes, I even amaze myself!

[arimor]

i never heard of such thing, maybe its a sports thing which is stupid

green bay vs chicago
brewers vs cubs/white sox??

the nba teams are not worth mentioning at this point on neither side, !

[linicx]

Illinois has better cooks. Jokes aside, the Wisconsin folks are very proud of their German heritage and also their traditions. I think you run into the clannish side during tourist season. And you can run into trouble when you don't show proper respect the elders! - and it also depends upon which part of the state you are in. Some of the best times I ever had in Wisconsin was in the Green Bay area, and also in the thumb BEFORE tourist season.

[Plains10]

Originally Posted by Katiana

And who is selling these homes and cottages? Their Wisconsin owners, no?

The northwoods counties of Vilas and Oneida are rather popular areas with the Chicagoland crowd. They bring along "urban money" to that region. Door County is also a popular spot during the summer months with all of the shops and towns along the lake.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by linicx

Illinois has better cooks.

Nah, Illinois has better crooks.

[trizkutt]

I'd like to weigh in on this issue...

I'm a sophmore at UW-Madison and a lifelong Wisconsin resident. This fact, however, has not kept me from seeing a huge chunk of the earth. I've been to 15 or so countries on four different continents, so I'm not some provincial Wisconsin hick. I've been to great cities of the world, including Paris, Milan, Beijing, Chicago, NYC, LA, etc.

I think I have a unique perspective on the issue because the "Wisconsin vs. Illinois" debate real plays out here at UW (you can extrapolate this to "Wisconsin vs. everyone", really). Anyway, what I've noticed in my own experience seems to be true for most Wisconsinites. We are simply different than them. We have different values, different personalities. It seems (though this is a gross generalization) that most Illinois people feel a need to constantly show-off and show-up the competition. They have an incessant need to stand out and be flashy. They value money over almost everything else, and it shows in their lifestyle. Wisconsinites on the other hand (including me) really don't see things that way. We are taught to be courteous, humble and gracious...or at the very least not "flashy."

This isn't really a case of the "haves" vs. the "have nots." I come from a pretty wealthy upper-middle class family. I have been lucky enough to have a very comfortable ubringing. A lot of my WI friends are like this, as well. But we don't flaunt it. A lot of Illinois people don't really have this quality. This doesn't just apply to money, but really a lot of aspects in life. They flaunt wealth, friends, ego, etc.

In sum, it's a fundamental difference in personal values and outward behavior. In these respects IL and WI people simply don't see eye to eye. I don't know which one is objectively better, but for me, I would (obviously) take the humble midwesterner over the obnoxious, loud, entitled FIB.