Green Bay ~ The good, bad, and .... (Madison: employment, live, best)

[Moosemom]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

Have you moved to Green Bay yet? How is it going?

My husband found a job in Green Bay in July after only looking for 2 weeks. Here in Michigan, we had been looking for over 2 years.

The boys, dogs, and I will be moving by the end of the year, as we just found a 2-bedroom house to rent that will take our pups. We had a 2-bedroom apartment lined up, but that tanked as it was a pit.

As for the drinking, driving ~ that happens everywhere. I lost a fiance' to a drunk driver, so I have felt first hand the effects ~ I have also been clean for 19 year, sober for 18 years ~ so I don't think we will have an issue with drinking in our home.

As for the doing nothing part ~ it is what you make it. My life experience has been "book worthy" or at least I have been told. So having quiet in my life will be wonderful. I just want a better school system for my boys, as well as a neighborhood where I don't have to worry about drive-bys.

My husband came back to Michigan over Labor Day weekend and he couldn't wait to get back to Green Bay. This coming from a person who grew up in the middle of Detroit.

Thanks for asking how we are doing ~ your asking about our well being is one of the major differences between Wisconsin and Michigan ... it wouldn't have happened in Michigan.

[Radical_Car]

Im from Minnesota and all the people i've come in contact with around Minnesota and Wisconsin are very friendly. I couldn't stand people in Florida around Orlando when I went there a few years ago. Im glad to live in Minnesota.

[Buffchik]

Originally Posted by think first

I'm going to go try to think of a town in WI were the people aren't fond of bars, beer, and brats.

I'll get back to you. Be patient, it might be a while.

15 seconds later: Answer, NONE.

There are considerable numbers of the Wine and Cheese set in Madison and Milwaukee who you would have to tie down to force a brat down their gullet.

[Jay F]

I disagree with the negative comments I read about Green Bay on this site. I spent a week there and thought it was very nice. Perfect sized city. I liked evrything about it. As far as beer and brats go, I find the lack of pretentiousnes to be very refreshing.

[Buffchik]

Originally Posted by Jay F

I disagree with the negative comments I read about Green Bay on this site. I spent a week there and thought it was very nice. Perfect sized city. I liked evrything about it. As far as beer and brats go, I find the lack of pretentiousnes to be very refreshing.

True,the only real drawback to GB is a lack of high culture ,i.e. classical music, which of course is only important to 2-3% of the population in the first place.
Nevertheless, the reason I moved from there to Minneapolis.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Buffchik

True,the only real drawback to GB is a lack of high culture ,i.e. classical music, which of course is only important to 2-3% of the population in the first place.
Nevertheless, the reason I moved from there to Minneapolis.

This is what I liked about Pittsburgh when I lived there. Most of it is just as unpretentious and blue-collar as Green Bay but there's also still a lot of old-school industrial money floating around there that helps to support world-class cultural institutions. Even though I personally never availed myself of symphonies and operas and the like when I lived there, IMO they made the city a better place for being there -- or perhaps more accurately, Pittsburgh was a better place for having a few well-heeled patrons of the arts. It brought a broader variety of institutions, restaurants, nightlife, etc., to the city that provided more options not just for the rich but for everyone. It gave the city more curb appeal too. I realize Green Bay is much smaller than Pittsburgh, but even Madison which is also a lot smaller at least tries to be cosmopolitan. It mostly falls short, mind you, but it's much better off for trying than if it didn't bother. Green Bay doesn't even seem interested in trying, and that's my biggest fault with it.

[bay2bay]

Originally Posted by Drover

Green Bay doesn't even seem interested in trying, and that's my biggest fault with it.

You've made this statement before and I don't think it's really true. Green Bay is the last city to obtain a UW and that was no small task -- they did so in the 1960's and if not for pushing hard for it they could have lost it to the Fox Cities. It was a joint effort between UWGB and community investors in Green Bay that made the Weidner Center happen. The restoration of the Bay Theater (originally built as a Fox Theater) into the Meyer Theater was a locally driven effort. The CityDeck downtown was just built between the Main Street and Walnut Street Bridges and featured weekly lunchtime dining of local restaurants on the deck and was highly successful. The city is currently building a roller-coaster at Bay Beach which will have Bay Beach prices! Broadway continues to draw new entrepreneurs opening innovative shops -- the Press Gazette reported 6 new shops that opened up or are about to. The Broadway Farmers Market has been so successful they no longer have the vendors on the sidewalks but close down the street and draw large crowds. The NEW Zoo in suburban Suamico was built through the efforts of many volunteers in the community. There are plenty of good restaurants around the city -- Hinterland which is a top restaurant in Milwaukee has their only other location in Green Bay, there is even a "raw" food restaurant in Green Bay. The KI Convention Center, The Resch Center, and the Lambeau Field renovation didn’t just happen: It took the efforts of the people of Brown County stepping up to make it happen. And remember, this is a county with less than 300,000 people. And despite Green Bay's "reputation" as being insular, it continues to diversify. A quick check of City-Data stats from 2008 shows Green Bay now is 76% white compared to Madison at 79% (both cities were 83% white in 2000).

[Buffchik]

Originally Posted by Drover

This is what I liked about Pittsburgh when I lived there. Most of it is just as unpretentious and blue-collar as Green Bay but there's also still a lot of old-school industrial money floating around there that helps to support world-class cultural institutions. Even though I personally never availed myself of symphonies and operas and the like when I lived there, IMO they made the city a better place for being there -- or perhaps more accurately, Pittsburgh was a better place for having a few well-heeled patrons of the arts. It brought a broader variety of institutions, restaurants, nightlife, etc., to the city that provided more options not just for the rich but for everyone. It gave the city more curb appeal too. I realize Green Bay is much smaller than Pittsburgh, but even Madison which is also a lot smaller at least tries to be cosmopolitan. It mostly falls short, mind you, but it's much better off for trying than if it didn't bother. Green Bay doesn't even seem interested in trying, and that's my biggest fault with it.

Very true and very well put!

[bay2bay]

Originally Posted by Jay F

I disagree with the negative comments I read about Green Bay on this site. I spent a week there and thought it was very nice. Perfect sized city. I liked evrything about it. As far as beer and brats go, I find the lack of pretentiousnes to be very refreshing.

You're not alone -- there's a reason so many people visit Green Bay! Excellent post!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by bay2bay

You're not alone -- there's a reason so many people visit Green Bay! Excellent post!

There's really only one reason why so many people visit Green Bay, and that reason rhymes with "slackers." There's really no other compelling reason to visit unless you're there on business.