Maybe Madison? (Oregon, Greenville, Luck: crime, unemployment rate, neighborhoods)

[JLR29]

I have been looking at this board for a while and have posted on some other cities but this represents my first foray into the Madison Forum. My wife and I are both 33 and in the medical field. We are from South Carolina, but now live in Ann Arbor, MI, which we like (except for the winter). We are an interracial couple (I am black, my wife is white). We like some outdoor stuff, but we are not to into it, and probably our favorite thing to to would be walk our 2 dogs, then walk to local watering hole and have a beer, maybe before a show.

The time has come for us to move and we have narrowed it to 3 choices, Madison, Tampa, and Portland, OR. Assuming comparable jobs, I have some questions...

I don't like the winter in Ann Arbor, but have grown to tolerate it and am willing to trade it for the beautiful summers. Is it similar in Madison, or would I be getting myself into a significantly worse winter.

Would we be OK as an interracial couple? It has been my chief reservation about going back home, but was not a problem in Ann Arbor.

Would Madison work for us? How about compared to the other places?

I would appreciate the opinion of anyone who has lived in any or all of the above cities for some perspective. Basically, I just am trying to find the right fit for us. Thanks in advance for your time.

[Milwaukee City]

I vote for Portland!

[Bo]

Madison has the harsh upper-Midwest version of winter. The last two have been particularly brutal. I'm not familiar with Michigan weather, but Ann Arbor is just a few hundred miles away and at a similar latitude to Madison, so they must have similar weather.

It seems the general consensus among folks who post here is that Madison is tolerant of minorities in the extreme and loves to consider itself to be diverse, but it is not diverse. In other words, the presence of minorities is celebrated in Madison, but there aren't large numbers of any minority group.

[Nala8]

Most people in Madison are racially tolerant and therefore tolerant of interracial couples. You may come across a few people here and there who stare or don't quite know how to respond, but in my experience (as a Black woman who dates interracially), this is rare. As with any other city, you and your wife will discover that certain parts of the city are more or less tolerant than the others. Which is fine. I prefer the downtown area and the near east side. You will find your social niche, and learn to let other people (again, relatively few) stare or whatever they need to do. Trust me, in Madison, it's so minor that it will not put a dent in your life. It's just annoying at times, imo. In those instances, I have found that if I just hang in there, do my own thing, be patient, be friendly, gently set boundaries when necessary, and let people get to know me (and my date/partner), it all turns out well. I'll be moving back to Madison at the end of August. I am counting the days. Hope this helps.

[oregonhawk]

Hey JLR 29. Ann Arbor is a great little city. My wife and I currently live in Portland, OR. and just adore it. Funny thing is, we are having our first child in 3 months and have considered moving to the midwest to be closer to Family. Madison is 1 or 2 on our list. If Portland wasn't so far from family, we'd probably stay. Amazing neighborhoods, unbeatable public transit and bike friendliness, great weather w/ access to coast and mountains and fantastic food and beverage culture, w/ the beer being second to none! Its not really a diverse city, more eccentric and hipster than culturally diverse, but like Madison, it also celebrates its hospitality to ALL. Portland has its pockets that are more diverse and crime is relatively low.

Let me know if you'd like to know more. I have a friend that lives near Tampa and they like it. Hot Humids Summers, but you're right on the water.

Good Luck

[ComfortablyNumb]

Portland is not as great as people here are making it out to be. Oregon's economy in general isn't even nearly as good as Wisconsin's, and Portland's economy, as hard as it is to compare, is probably not as good as Madison's. Portland has always had a very high unemployment rate. It also has the highest teenage homeless population in the entire United States. Drug addicts, prostitutes, and other such characters, bless their souls, are visible pretty much everywhere you go in the city. You also can't pump your own gas.

[Harpoon]

Portland gets my vote as well. The Pearl District is amazing. The rain during winter isn't too great though, and the drought during the summers.

[ryanj0]

Originally Posted by Nala8

Most people in Madison are racially tolerant and therefore tolerant of interracial couples. You may come across a few people here and there who stare or don't quite know how to respond, but in my experience (as a Black woman who dates interracially), this is rare. As with any other city, you and your wife will discover that certain parts of the city are more or less tolerant than the others. Which is fine. I prefer the downtown area and the near east side. You will find your social niche, and learn to let other people (again, relatively few) stare or whatever they need to do. Trust me, in Madison, it's so minor that it will not put a dent in your life. It's just annoying at times, imo. In those instances, I have found that if I just hang in there, do my own thing, be patient, be friendly, gently set boundaries when necessary, and let people get to know me (and my date/partner), it all turns out well. I'll be moving back to Madison at the end of August. I am counting the days. Hope this helps.

Well, whenever I date I always get stares whether the person I'm dating is within or outside my race.... But I suppose that's what happens when you ride a Segway everywhere... So, if you date someone outside of your race with a Segway, don't get offended if you get tons of stares, it's not because of race...

[Nala8]

Originally Posted by ryanj0

Well, whenever I date I always get stares whether the person I'm dating is within or outside my race.... But I suppose that's what happens when you ride a Segway everywhere... So, if you date someone outside of your race with a Segway, don't get offended if you get tons of stares, it's not because of race...

cute... ha ha ha

(Who said anything about being offended? Hmmm... There are plenty of reasons to stare at me. Oooo la la)

[dlk33]

My suggestion would be to visit each city you're interested in to get an idea which feels right to you. I'd also do some online research about cost of living for cities you're interested in, I'm sure there will be some differences. Madison is very liberal & accepting of most things, from my experience of living here over the last 20 years. If you'd like a break from the frigid long winters, I wouldn't choose Wisconsin at all. We're planning on moving to the Greenville, SC area for a lower cost of living, lower property taxes, better weather(esp. winter). We also look foward to many outside possibilities for hiking with so many state parks close by. It really comes down to what's important to you.