Would you relocate because of Wisconsin Winters? (Milwaukee, Montana: apartment, rent)

[Milwaukee City]

If you could just pick up and leave would you? If your job relocated and you had the means to move could you leave all your family and friends?

[Milwaukee City]

If I wasn't married I would already be living in South Beach, FL. I could be back in Florida if I hadn't met my wife during a Christmas break while back in Milwaukee, I let her know this everyday. I was living in South Beach when I met my wife, I will get her to move.

[EnjoyEP]

I can't vote in this poll (and thus didn't) because my view wasn't represented.

As I guess more documented on the forum than I would've even guessed (or intended), I do deplore overall the winters in the Milwaukee area.

Today/yesterday with the highs hitting 40 degrees (and actually doing so with SUNSHINE rather than hitting 40 due to persistant low, heavy cloud cover and amazing amounts of rain) were like God touching a piece of manna on the tongue of the starving. It really was welcomed. And how pathetic is it that we hit 40 and it is like dancing in the streets????

Having said that, I would prefer to live in Milwaukee metro over somewhere where, as noted in this poll, it is "65 to 75" year round.

a) I very, very likely would prefer to live in the greatest country of all time - the US. Thus, my choices for "65 to 75" are pretty limited...San Diego pretty well sums that up.

b) But let's say the intent of the question is to places where it never (or very rarely) gets cold - eg: San Diego, LA, SoCal in general, South Florida, Miami, Tampa/St. Pete, maybe the Gulf Coast, maybe Phoenix, etc.

I would choose Milwaukee - with my utter distain of the winters so noted - over most of these places, certainly to those along the coasts.

Why?

If I am still having to work (unless I won the lottery in this scenario, in which case then I would choose the coastal places), I would not want to deal with $700K mortgages for crummy houses, extreme traffic/congestion every day, mega-packed areas everywhere one goes, the superficial/materialistic way of life that is just the norm in most of these places.

Milwaukee offers a couple of distinct mega "anti" quality of life factors (winter's length and severity being forefront)...however, it also offers *numerous* "pro" quality of life factors.

I am just not willing to live in a virtual shack while shelling out $2K per month and commute 1.5-hours one way in congested traffic just to live in temperate weather.

The lands I particularly love - even more than MKE - Albuquerque and that region - offer much more mild, sunny, temperate weather but also many of the quality of life things MKE offers (low traffic, low housing costs, good cost of living, fairly non-materialistic, etc.).

I would take ABQ over Milwaukee, but unless I were a millionaire, I would take Milwaukee over South Beach or LA (as much as I lust for the weather there).

[karfar]

I'd move, but I'd move to either Colorado, Montana or the pacific northwest. Just for a chance in scenery, I like the mountains.

[gold*dust1]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

If you could just pick up and leave would you? If your job relocated and you had the means to move could you leave all your family and friends?

Yes, I most definitely would given the scenario you describe...in a HOT SECOND!!!!!!

[Iburytheliving]

You bet... i'm moving to LA this summer for this exact reason

[almost3am]

Family is more important to me than weather, so I would only move if my parents and brother moved, too. Being away for 10 years I also frequently missed my friends, and now being back it is great having them around.

[Ron Burgundy]

Is it really 6 months of legitimately cold weather though? It's probably 6 months of below 40 average temps, but only two or three months of the wretchedly cold weather everyone hates.

I remember November being very mild this winter. October and mid-March/April are usually very moderate-to-pleasant temperature-wise. You might get an isolated snowfall here and there (but certainly not every October/March/April), but nothing like the prolonged stretch of sub-freezing weather we traditionally associate with a Wisconsin winter.

[quijote]

Culture and quality of life are more important for me than just weather. For a lot of the reasons EnjoyEP put forth, I'd rather live in Milwaukee than most places in the temperate zones in the U.S.

I grew up in the SF area and really like that area, but (echoing EnjoyEP) given my career path and financial limitations, the cost of living and the length of commute would pretty much kill all of the cultural and other benefits I would hope for. With an equivalent (adjusted) salary I could rent a tiny apartment somewhere, but I'd have much less money for savings and recreation. And if I want a house, forget it. I'd have to live in Merced or something like that and commute. Why would I want to live in Merced and have unattainable culture nearby when I could live in Milwaukee and have Chicago down the road? The SFBA weather is great, but not that great.

Outside of the coastal areas, there aren't too many places that beckon. I've never been to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, so perhaps they would win me over.... But in the meantime, I'll take the cold and snow for a few months in exchange for affordable living, cultural opportunities, and other amenities.

[BacktoMilwaukee]

People are laughing at me because I'm coming back from Orange County, CA. I grew up in Northern IN, and went to school in Milwaukee, so I'm well aware of what I'm in for (been gone 5 years....the whole absence makes the heart grow fonder may be in effect). But like I always tell people- I'm not going back for the weather! The weather is just a con to deal with (like every location has a con)- but to me, it's a priority to be closer to my family, and to be able to live in a place that I can afford. Plus, I really miss living in a city.