Hayward questions (Milwaukee, Rhinelander, Minocqua: waterparks, crime rate, houses)

[abanderson]

Has anyone lived in Hayward? If so, what did you think? What are the people like? Younger? Older? Any info is helpful as I've been there 1 time during the birkie in 2000. We're looking to relocate from MT. Thank you!

[GraniteStater]

I visited the town of Hayward last summer while I was vacationing in the northwoods of Wisconsin. The town is located in Sawyer County and is in a rural area by Wisconsin standards. The town of Hayward is fairly small with around 3,300 people living in the town. I do believe that the town does have a Wal Mart. Lakes are abundant in the area with outdoor recreation and sports revolving around them. The population is fairly diverse as well with a sizeable Native American population. The one key is that jobs are not abundant in the area according to the Census Data.
Here is some other information that is good to know about the town:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Hayward-Wisconsin.html

[spent]

Originally Posted by abanderson

Has anyone lived in Hayward? If so, what did you think? What are the people like? Younger? Older? Any info is helpful as I've been there 1 time during the birkie in 2000. We're looking to relocate from MT. Thank you!

It's alot like the Dells without the waterparks and with Native Americans!

[aussiegal]

We lived in Phillips when we lived in WI and still have very dear friends who live in Hayward. We visited many times. It's a very lovely town, lots of lovely lakes and a great standard of living. Our friends built a house on a lake and retired there from near Chicago. They also have a boat and we enjoyed the water just from "boating" around on it, swimming in it and fishing too. There is even a giant Muskie on the right as you go into the town near where the Lumberjack event is located. They serve great pancakes there. Our friends love Hayward and never plan to move.

One of our favorite restaurants is Famous Dave's BBQ restaurant. It's decorated so beautifully in native American prints - it's right on the water (our friends would take us there by boat) and the food is amazing. They serve a great dish on an upturned garbage can lid - a sampling of all their BBQ. It's so fun.

You didn't mention if you have jobs lined up or not? It's a super place to retire but if you don't have employment, then perhaps a less remote and larger town might work better for you? Of course, I don't know your circumstances.

[Drover]

Hayward is basically a resort town. There is a lot of urban money floating around there. A lot of people from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas have weekend cabins and lakehouses up there. Consequently the economy is heavily dependent on hospitality and tourism. Not a lot of solid job prospects in the area unless you like to wait tables, and only half of the year. Others have mentioned there are a lot of Native Americans in or near Hayward; this is because there is an Indian reservation in Sawyer County.

Famous Dave's is actually a nationwide chain; nonetheless a visit to the Hayward location is worthwhile because a) it is the very first Famous Dave's, and b) there's a whole resort built around it.

In short, Hayward is a neat place to visit, and a tough place to try to make a solid living.

[abanderson]

Thanks to all for all the information. My husband and I can move anywhere in WI. We didn't want big city. We want more of the "mountain-like" qualities that we have here in MT. Hayward seems to meet this criteria (minus the big mountains) We're avid cross-country skiers, runners, mountain bikers. We have 2 kids in grade school. Does anyone know anything about the schools system? Thanks again!

[Drover]

Hayward is a nice place to be. Just want to point out that the place gets SWARMED with tourists -- I mean THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS, on holiday weekends, particularly Memorial Day, Labor Day, 4th of July, and to a lesser extent, around Christmastime. There's always tourists buzzing around during summertime too, but not necessarily at infestation-levels such as on the aforementioned weekends. I'm not trying to discourage you from moving there -- if I had the means I'd love to hole up in a place like Hayward, tourists and all -- I just want to make sure you know what you're in for.

The best resources I know of to find info on schools is GreatSchools.net and SchoolMatters.com. I would have to imagine the schools are pretty good because there is a huge tax base supporting comparably few school kids. But that's just speculation -- check out those web sites.

[Kiwi]

abanderson,

I grew up 20 minutes South of Hayward in a town called Spooner. It was a great place to grow up. But, I've always wanted to live in the mountains, especially in MT. Curious as to why you'd want to leave Big Sky country? What part of MT are you leaving?

[upmovin]

My wife and I spent most of our lives in Hayward, with most of our family still living there. We just returned from a visit there, looking at moving back. Sadly, Hayward has changed, alot, and not for the better. The crime rate compares with Detroit, per capita. Drug use is at an all time high. It has one of the highest sex-offender ratios in the NATION. The public school system has one of the lowest ratings in the state, with at least one on-duty officer at the high-school at all times. They actually split the schools up a few years ago to keep the younger kids away from the drugs and guns.......Yes, I said guns. My advice is to do some research, look at police reports from Sawyer County. Maybe look at Minocqua, Rhinelander or Eagle River. These towns are very similar to Hayward, but with out the crime..............BTW, we were listening to the police scanner on Friday night, and from 9:00pm till 2:00am, we heard (3) stolen vehicles, a knife fight in McDonalds parking lot, several high-speed pursuits, a conflict involving a gun at Kwik-Trip, several burglary calls and the list goes on and on.........Good Luck!

[berries]

you have made a bad call

jmo

cheers