I Love Milwaukee But I Gotta Leave. (college, pros and cons)

[FormerCaliforniaGirl]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

Okay here are the facts about Milwaukee weather. May through Sep. is nice to bearable. 5 months aren't bad but 7months are cold. I consider April cold many here do not, it's a toss up. Same goes for Oct it depends who you ask.

I pretty much agree with you. I'd say it's 50/50 though. For 6 months of the year, the weather in Wisconsin is pleasant. And for 6 months of the year, the weather is awful.

I've just about survived my second winter in Wisconsin, and I'm not dead yet. I think I'm getting a bit tougher though. When I first moved here, I thought 45 degrees was just plain frigid. But now I'm like, "Woo hoo! It's 45 degrees today; it's downright balmy!"

I guess it's all what your priorities are. I could never leave Wisconsin for San Diego...even if the winters are long and do suck in Wisconsin. Believe me, San Diego is WAY WORSE in many other ways. In my opinion, the weather is the only thing San Diego has going for it.

[Kabrasco LaFonz]

Not that you're considering a move to Las Vegas (feel free to roll eyes... now) but I can pass along some of my thoughts as someone who moved from Milwaukee to a warmer town about 5 years ago.
Was in my 20's, family and friends in Milwaukee but no dependents to speak of, felt like checking out a new town out of sheer curiosity, and the weather factor too.

I've been lucky enough to be able to come back to midwest frequently, even for stays of up to 3 months. I'm hoping be even more "snow bird" in the future since some business opportunities have dried up out here (5 months MKE & 7 months LV would be ideal).

Weather: No contest, LV way better. Extreme heat isn't really a burden the way cold is. There are so many tiny errands that accompany the cold, and the transition of the seasons. Here I wear shorts and t shirt 8 months a year. When it's winter and I notice it's nippy at night, I pop a jacket on. When it's summer and obviously oppressive heat, I turn the car AC on instead of windows open. That's it... there are no other errands. My car's wipers have not worked in the 5 years I've owned it, but I've never bothered to replace them because it didn't matter. One might say "but that's only a 20 minute bother if you're somewhat mechanical", and that's true, but picture how many tiny annoying tasks you have to do because of the weather (cold and rain specifically) you can probably see how much easier it is to simply consider the whole scene a back of bricks, and set it down.

People: No contest, Milwaukee way better. I've found it harder to meet people in town here than elsewhere. People you do meet tend to move out within a year at an abnormally high rate. When you move or visit a new city I think it's natural to stick to commercial establishments (bars, paid entertainment, etc) to socialize until you feel integrated enough to start going to house gatherings and things like that (especially if you don't know anyone yet). Unfortunately, Las Vegas is an entire city of people that just got here, so it makes meeting people have a very cold and paid for vibe that almost everyone I've ever met agrees is a major negative here. Milwaukee on the other hand I would feel perfectly comfortable stoping by a "friend of a friend's" house out of the blue simply because I heard they were grillin'. The higher level of intelligence in the north is very obvious too, people just don't get sarcastic humor and whatnot as easily here, and since a huge % of people here speak english as 2nd language, I've found on the whole I just don't use "big words" while in public because it'll just get awkward sneers.

Living Situation: Different. It's definitely cheaper to own a home out here. Upkeep is low, houses are new. Post bubble our foreclosures are selling for less than replacement costs. The much talked about MKE taxes do hurt the bottom line, upkeep due to older homes and changing seasons takes a bite too. However, it is quite cheap to rent in MKE (using a 2BA/2BR upper for an example) compared to most places, so that's a bargain. Ideally, I would own a house in MKE as well as out here, but the numbers just make the monthly costs too high, even with a filled lower of a duplex helping out.

Restaurants: Edge to LV here. I have become absolutely spoiled by the wide ranging cuisine for quite cheap. Gambling subsidizes everything out here, bars and restaurants that have gaming use food, drink, and entertainment as a loss leader in order to get you in the door and gaming. If you are able to maintain without stumbling into an expensive gambling habit (a bigger IF than you might think until you move out here) you can eat like a king by becoming a whiz at happy hours and casino promotions. Milwaukee has a great food scene, but LV is off the hook in a really unique way. And I have gotten very spoiled by the food and drink 24/7 thing. I never understood the 9 pm liquor store, and 2 am bar close thing in Milwaukee.

Culture: No contest, Milwaukee is way better. Way more mid level concerts of the type I am into, in LV you have $150 a ticket pop star shows, and low/no cover bar bands... but not much in between. It's way easier to simply hang out in public in MKE too without feeling like you're going to be shooed away for loitering. One bright spot in LV is the $1 beer $1 late night bowling that is common at most local's casinos (another casino loss leader). I don't have kids, can't imagine why on earth you would raise them here in LV, so milwaukee definitely up on that one too I would think.

Parking: Virtually no parking tickets or pay parking anywhere makes LV way better, but you can still get towed if you don't watch it.

Most I've met that lived in Miami or SD had good things to say about them, they seem nice when I visited each a couple times. Remember that you can always move back or try to do a modified snow bird routine (depending on your work situation) if the warmer digs just don't "click" for you. Mil-town will always be there I've found, good luck.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

So you all know my story that I'm "if it ain't milwaukee it ain't cool" kind of guy. Big City kind of guy who loves milwaukee and everything that it is and isn't. I have to confess I hate living here in winter, I can't stand the weather even 40 degress is freezing to me. I don't care for change of seasons and never did like fall anyways. I wish I could stay but I'm too much of a pansy to stay and put up with this weather for more than half my life. 3 months of summer is not enough for me. My wife graduates from grad school in 1-2yrs and the at that point where ever I can convince her to move that's where we will go. She loves San Diego and I love South Florida and having lived in both I prefer South Florida. I dig the latin flavor or carribean feel it has vs mountians and cool weather, SD is just to cold for me. I know head scratcher. I don't want to spend more than half of my life in cold, dreary, snowy, gray weather. I know I'm just whinning b/c it's winter and probably wouldn't be in summer. So until we move I'll keep posting on CD and when I move either SD or MIA I'll have to change my screen name. Would you ever leave for weather and have you ever done it? I have once and I should've never moved back to Milwaukee. I relocated to Boca Raton and loved my time there. Why not live somewhere where people go to vaction? My perfect world would be Miami in winter and Milwaukee in summer but what kind of job or life would that be for my future kids. I really can't believe people actually like this weather, I think their either too proud to admit it sucks or there afraid to move. Another reason I hate winter, it's very depressing in the winter. I find myself not motiaved and I have more bad days in winter, I need sun to live.

1-2 yrs and counting....

If you know me and knew that I love the snow too much, it might sound odd coming from me, but I can understand your feelings. The reason I can understand is because my father is from Milwaukee. He likes his home town, and compared to the state of Georgia, he would prefer Wisconsin. With that said, he left in the 1980's because he took a job in another state. He still has fond memories of Milwaukee. He tells me the food is better up there and that the air is cleaner in Milwaukee. I think he misses Lake Michigan. With that said, he does not want to shovel snow. He could put up with it, but he isn't completely fond of subzero temperatures. He doesn't hate it, but he just isn't into it. I have tried pizza in Milwaukee. It was quite good.

[stilldoll]

i miss milwaukee, i wanna come back

[Milwaukee City]

Where are you now? and why do you want to come back?

[Arkadin]

Originally Posted by FormerCaliforniaGirl

I

I guess it's all what your priorities are. I could never leave Wisconsin for San Diego...even if the winters are long and do suck in Wisconsin. Believe me, San Diego is WAY WORSE in many other ways. In my opinion, the weather is the only thing San Diego has going for it.

How is SD worse?

[mickd]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

What about mickd who lived in Phoenix, at 75th Avenue and the 101 loop? It's a very nice area, but it's suburbia, more so than many other areas in Phoenix. Judging Phoenix based on Glendale, AZ is like judging Milwaukee based on a combination of Brookfield (Arrowhead area of Glendale, AZ), West Allis (lower/middle of the road Glendale, AZ), and a nice, violent chunk of the North Side (ghetto Glendale, AZ). It's relevant only to like areas, not to the city in general. And it wouldn't be fair of me to judge Milwaukee based on Bluemound Road in Brookfield. Not only that, he's another guy, like so many others, who moved to Phoenix without realizing the most simple, obvious characteristics. It's alarming how many people move to Phoenix without really knowing the first thing about it, then get pissed off with the desert landscape and the heat.

You assumed I only was familiar with the area I lived in. I am an MRI/CT service engineer and in the Phoenix area I had sites in Sun City, Glendale, Avondale, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale, and Tempe. I also had sites to the north in Cottonwood (near Sedona) and in the Indian reservation in Ganado. I have seen much of the area and am not basing my opinion on Phoenix just on the Glendale area. As far as metro Phoenix goes, I think the northwest Glendale area is one of the better parts of the city, and I liked Tempe also. It's funny how you mention Brookfield, I grew up in Brookfield but spent much time in Milwaukee, more so than many others I know who grew up in the suburbs. You also mentioned Bluemound Rd., I grew up west of Brookfield Square and visited my folks there often. If you think the traffic on Bluemound Rd. is bad, stay away fom Phoenix. Bell Rd. in particular is insane.
I did have a good idea about what Phoenix is like before I moved. I have an Aunt and cousins who have lived there 20+ years. I think Phoenix is misrepresented in many cases. I was drawn by the thought the intense heat, "dry heat" as many say, was more tolerable. 115 degrees is 115 degrees, no matter how dry it is. I moved to Phoenix in June and the temps only started coming down in the day by the end of October. I had researched the climate and the temperatures reach or exceed 100 degrees an average of 110 days a year. This is extreme heat, Milwaukee does not have extreme cold this many days, but I guess it's all relative to what you are used to. I don't understand why so many midwesterners move to the Phoenix area, I thought it would be a good change. After my first week there I new I wouldn't stay long for the reasons I stated in my earlier post.

[Fishtacos]

I don't understand why so many midwesterners move to the Phoenix area,


I can take that one. Whether you agree or not, etc...the reason many Midwesterners move to that area is two-fold:

1) The sun shines over 300 days per year as opposed to the less than 200 days per year in Milwaukee. That's months and months more sunshine.

2) Many people prefer to not be bundled up, and prefer to wear less clothing.

[Drover]

There are plenty of places you can move where you don't have to bundle up all the time that aren't hotter than 38 suns either. It's the jumping from one extreme to another that I don't get -- just as I wouldn't understand someone who moves from Phoenix to Duluth just to get away from the heat.

[Milwaukee City]

I never said Phoenix, I was talking about San Diego or Miami which has never had a day over 100 degrees.