Has anyone lived in both Milwaukee and Portland OR?? (Waukesha: sales, house prices)

[jhhportland]

I currently live happily in Portland OR, but have received a fantastic job offer that requires me to move to Milwaukee. I'm really torn, since I've never even been to Milwaukee...Can anyone offer a personal comparison of the two cities - culture, people, stuff to do etc? I'm afraid I don't have much time to make up my mind. I am an educated female senior executive in high tech, in my mid forties and unmarried, with a love for the outdoors in my spare time.

[karfar]

I'll warn you right now that Portland does not compare to Milwaukee, you guys have an excellent transit system & your city is much more pedestrian-friendly. For whatever reason, some people here fear change & are very closed minded to getting a better transit system. But other than that, there's lots of outdoor stuff to do, hiking trails nearby, kayaking, skiing, tennis courts, roller blading (Oak Leaf trail is excellent for that), camping, etc. Chicago is close enough that you can do weekends there, or head up to the North Woods which is always fun. People here are friendly for the most part & in certain areas you'll be pretty popular once people find out your from Portland, it's a destination for numerous people here

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Portland and Milwaukee are about the same size, but there are major differences. Milwaukee is a majority minority city that struggles with the hangover of deindustrialization that hit so many similar cities in the Midwest. This is not to say the city is dying; to the contrary, Downtown Milwaukee and several adjacent neighborhoods are seeing an impressive wave of redevelopment. There are beautiful parks, bike trails, vibrant neighborhoods, great architecture and a good mix of restaurant and shopping options. Milwaukee is a major city and it has the amenities and variety you would expect in a major city.

But unlike Portland, Milwaukee has harsh economic realities to overcome. The city was built on heavy industry, much of which is long gone. Contrary to the popular Rust Belt image, however, the city has updated its economy. The problem is that huge swaths of the population have not updated to meet the changing needs of the new economy. For instance, where there may have once been a massive factory employing 10,000 workers, most of them without high school diplomas, there is now a smattering of smaller engineering and technology firms, employing 5,000 people with college degrees. This means that there are indeed "new economy" jobs in Milwaukee, but what happens to the remaining 5,000 people that once would have worked in the factory, but now have no work and no education? That's Milwaukee's dilemma, one that Portland does not face. I cannot think of any other city that has faced this dilemma that has actually solved the problem.

[ninja3077]

I moved from Portland to here Milwaukee) exactly a year back and my situation too is exactly the same as yours. I am a high tech executive, single, 30's and was living happily in Portland until a fantastic job (or so I thought) brought me here.
People - Extremely friendly and sweet - but so are Oregonians aren't they? But no, Milwuakee is much more friendlier than Portland...just that Portland is getting into the 'busy' lifestyle a bit, while Milwaukee still has the small town culture kind-of
Place - After living in Portland you'll HATE the way this city is built...there is no comparison to beautiful, clean, organized Portland. The roads throughout the city are pathetic and worst in the country and that is no exaggeration.
The city has a deserted, old look with just pockets of it nicely developed.
Cost of living: probably a little more than Portland - unlike the midwest notion of being cheap.

But then again, great things -
way too many hangouts (pubs and clubs) than I have seen anywhere else (portland just does not compare to the number)
FREE tennis and volleyball courts throughout the city (and I love that!) - that's because of the beautiful 'park system' this city is developing.
A few hours drive and there are things around to see...

Workwise - you are in IT too...you'll see Milwaukee is a lot more laidback (midwest culture) and I am saying this of the few companies that I have visited consulting and talking to people in other companies - a little less stress for you...but then boring if you like faster and much much more professional atmosphere in Portland as I did.

Overall, if you are OK with the rains, I would stick to Portland.

My reasons to move - well, the rain did bother me, but the winter here depressed me.
I felt a little disconnected in Portland, having a lot of friends on the east coast and mid west. A drive or a small flight is possible...

If the above sounds discouraging, sorry didn't mean it that way - Milwaukee is a great city with lovely people But the whole look is COMPLETELY different from beautiful portland.

[everwinter]

Cost of living: probably a little more than Portland - unlike the midwest notion of being cheap.

[/quote]


???

Example - $75k in Portland would be equal to making $64k in Milwaukee-Waukesha. In other words it's 14% cheaper to live in Milwaukee than Portland.

Cost of Living - Cost of Living Calculator from CNNMoney

West coast cost of living is ridiculous & to me not worth it.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Ronnie

Portland and Milwaukee are about the same size, but there are major differences. Milwaukee is a majority minority city that struggles with the hangover of deindustrialization that hit so many similar cities in the Midwest. This is not to say the city is dying; to the contrary, Downtown Milwaukee and several adjacent neighborhoods are seeing an impressive wave of redevelopment. There are beautiful parks, bike trails, vibrant neighborhoods, great architecture and a good mix of restaurant and shopping options. Milwaukee is a major city and it has the amenities and variety you would expect in a major city.

But unlike Portland, Milwaukee has harsh economic realities to overcome. The city was built on heavy industry, much of which is long gone. Contrary to the popular Rust Belt image, however, the city has updated its economy. The problem is that huge swaths of the population have not updated to meet the changing needs of the new economy. For instance, where there may have once been a massive factory employing 10,000 workers, most of them without high school diplomas, there is now a smattering of smaller engineering and technology firms, employing 5,000 people with college degrees. This means that there are indeed "new economy" jobs in Milwaukee, but what happens to the remaining 5,000 people that once would have worked in the factory, but now have no work and no education? That's Milwaukee's dilemma, one that Portland does not face. I cannot think of any other city that has faced this dilemma that has actually solved the problem.

There are other things to consider too. I here that in many northern states, there is a commuter tax where you pay a tax to a certain city if you work there but do not live there(what I call out of towner tax). I suspect Milwaukee might have this. I also know that alot of people qualified to work the new jobs live in the suburbs with their own services and their own taxes. The attitude of "Why should I go to the big city when I can work right here in my sheltered suburb and not pay the commuter tax to another city?" prevails. I believe Milwaukee's dilemma is that it is trying to build from the insde out and it isn't working that well. If I am wrong I am sorely mistake.

[karfar]

Originally Posted by ninja3077

Place - After living in Portland you'll HATE the way this city is built...there is no comparison to beautiful, clean, organized Portland. The roads throughout the city are pathetic and worst in the country and that is no exaggeration.
The city has a deserted, old look with just pockets of it nicely developed.
Cost of living: probably a little more than Portland - unlike the midwest notion of being cheap.

Overall, if you are OK with the rains, I would stick to Portland.

My reasons to move - well, the rain did bother me, but the winter here depressed me.
I felt a little disconnected in Portland, having a lot of friends on the east coast and mid west. A drive or a small flight is possible...

If the above sounds discouraging, sorry didn't mean it that way - Milwaukee is a great city with lovely people But the whole look is COMPLETELY different from beautiful portland.

The roads this year truly suck because of this horrific winter we had. Don't get too discouraged, this winter was totally surreal, we haven't had this much snow in a very loooong time. The winters may be hard to deal w/, but summer here really makes up for it, plus the change in seasons. There's so much to do here in the summer & when the weather switches in spring or fall, everyone seems to just be in a great mood. Just hang on, you'll get used to it!

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I don't agree with all of ninja's comments, but I do agree that Milwaukee has a very laid back culture. I just spent the whole day yesterday down in Chicago on business, and I notice today my legs are sore -- without even realizing it was practically running everywhere, hustling from train station back to cab, cab to meeting place, meeting place to El, El to restaurant, so on and so forth. The pace in Milwaukee is much more relaxed. I work Downtown and I'm about to take a nice leisurely stroll for lunch. People aren't in as much of a hurry as in other cities.

[ninja3077]

Example - $75k in Portland would be equal to making $64k in Milwaukee-Waukesha. In other words it's 14% cheaper to live in Milwaukee than Portland.

Cost of Living - Cost of Living Calculator from CNNMoney

That is EXACTLY what I thought - and took up a job at the same pay I was getting in Portland just because this company had a great model and profile (or so it seemed, again)
simple small comparisons to start -

Rent - same
Tax - Portland has no Sales Tax. Doesn't mean Milwaukee has lower State Tax. Well, I'll still let this go.
Health Clubs - better clubs at better price. What is surprising is even the same chain of club has great looking and better maintained clubs in Portland. I went to 24 hour fitness - awesome facility same price I pay for a much lower maintained Bally's here and which is closed half the week.
Go to any Bally's in Portland and they are all nice.
Ciggarettes - Portland much cheaper.
Restaurants - Portland cheaper.
Gas - don't know much.
Auto Maintenance/Dealers - Portland much cheaper - My Mercury dealership in Portland was extremely fancy with high class facilities and great professional people.
The one's in Milwaukee are like any other local garage
What's more - All dealerships in Portland - charges you about $85 for diagnostic and then do not charge if you get the work done.
Mailwaukee charges about a $100 and that is irrespective if you get the car fixed or not - that is standard in the city - any dealership any garage.
Electricity - about the same, but you get bigger bills in Milwaukee (of course)

House Prices - wll milwaukee is a little bit cheaper....not a big difference as I thought. Its just a small difference.

All this was just the price comparison - How does that make Milwaukee cheap? Looking at the infrastructure we have in Portland, I'd be willing to pay a little more to stay there. But it cringes to see where does all my tax money go?
I am more surprised as Milwaukee is home to more companies than portland and is the headquarters for 6 huge corporations. Where does all this money go??