Would Milwaukee be a good place to live for my husband and I (see details) (Madison: apartments)

[mjmcgrath]

Hello!

My husband and I are looking to move by next summer. I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama and we recently moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I have a heart condition that makes me get very sick and faint in the heat. It's been so bad here in Louisiana that I can't go out until after 9 pm and have to work from home (which my employer isn't happy about). Needless to say, I need to find somewhere cooler to live.

I am a 23 y.o. white female and my husband is a 33 y.o. hispanic male. We are definitely "city people" and love to live close to work/lots of things to do. We go out to bars sometimes, but generally enjoy more low-key activities like going to the movies and working out. We also LOVE asian food, so an area with good Vietnamese or Thai food would be a nice fit. My husband and I have no kids yet, but would like to start a family within a year or two of moving.

My husband works construction doing painting right now, but has also done roofing and forklift work. He is currently going through the immigration process so he does not yet have his residence card, but once he receives it he would like to work in a factory. Are there many factory or construction jobs in Milwaukee?

I do insurance work so I can work pretty much anywhere. How are the summers generally in Milwaukee? I'm looking for somewhere less humid and hot than Baton Rouge, preferably staying in the low 80's or high 70's in summer.

Thanks!

[northbound74]

I think you'd like it. Being on the lake helps to moderate the temps a bit, plus being up north the really hot days are few and far between. It does get hot, but only briefly with frequent cooler spells.
I too am from the south and always dreded summers before moving up north. They're generally quite nice in Milwaukee.
Factory work/blue collar work shouldn't be hard to come by.
Do your homework on finances. It CAN be a bit pricey compared to the south.
Otherwise, a fantastic place for raising a family. Not hard to find good schools, and it's community-oriented.

[mjmcgrath]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I think you'd like it. Being on the lake helps to moderate the temps a bit, plus being up north the really hot days are few and far between. It does get hot, but only briefly with frequent cooler spells.
I too am from the south and always dreded summers before moving up north. They're generally quite nice in Milwaukee.
Factory work/blue collar work shouldn't be hard to come by.
Do your homework on finances. It CAN be a bit pricey compared to the south.
Otherwise, a fantastic place for raising a family. Not hard to find good schools, and it's community-oriented.

Does the lake help to warm the temps in the winter? I think we'll be able to manage financially as long as we save up before we move. How much do apartments generally cost there? I live in Baton Rouge and our older, 2 bedroom apt is $700 a month plus insane utility costs. But we could do a 1 bedroom instead of 2 in Milwaukee.

Is Milwaukee or Madison generally a better area for finding jobs?

[jessxwrites89]

I think you'd like it. I have a health condition myself where I can't tolerate the heat either and I am looking to relocate to Wisconsin from Pennsylvania. I'm not sure what an apartment goes for in Milwaukee since I'm looking around Green Bay, but Green Bay ranges from $475-$900 (maybe a little more). Prices compared to places here in Pennsylvania aren't bad at all - I'm not sure how they are compared to NOLA or Birmingham, though.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by mjmcgrath

Does the lake help to warm the temps in the winter? I think we'll be able to manage financially as long as we save up before we move. How much do apartments generally cost there? I live in Baton Rouge and our older, 2 bedroom apt is $700 a month plus insane utility costs. But we could do a 1 bedroom instead of 2 in Milwaukee.

Is Milwaukee or Madison generally a better area for finding jobs?

Yes, it moderates weather extremes year-round, sometimes fairly dramatically. But you would have to live near-ish the Lake - Madison's weather is not affected noticeably by the Great Lakes. One of the neighborhoods on or right near the Lake in Milwaukee is your only choice in terms of this effect (between Milwaukee/Madison).

You can rent a decent 2-bedroom in Bayview for $700. Some neighborhoods are higher, some a little lower. Others would be more helpful regarding rent prices.

There's a good-sized Mexican neighborhood west of Bayview; northwest there are some small Asian enclaves, but Milwaukee doesn't have a sizeable Thai/Vietnamese community. There are still options, of course. There are 1.5 million people in the metro and a little bit of nearly everything.

[mjmcgrath]

What are the names of the neighborhoods near the lakes?