Thinking of relocating from Michigan to Wisconsin... (Milwaukee, Madison: for sale, real estate market)

[MeaganInMichigan]

Hello everyone,

I'm originally from the Metro-Detroit area. I've lived in Michigan my entire life; it's a beautiful state. Nevertheless, job prospects here are slim, basically nil. Which cities are recommended for both entertainment and shopping? Ideally, areas with low crime rates, inexpensive real estate and moderate politics are desired. I'll be receiving a Master's degree in Special Education. Are there any school districts in dire need of teachers?

Thanks to everyone in advance! Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[WishIwereinChicago]

Shopping and entertainment: Appleton or Milwaukee.

Green Bay has a newer arena and most of the major shows, hot country and rock acts come through town. Plus,you have not only the Packers but UWGB,GB Blizzard Arena Football,GB Gamblers Hockey,etc for sports.

Outside of the Resch Center/arena your best bet for shopping and decent restaurants is Appleton.

Crime wise by far you want Green Bay/De Pere/Ashwaubenon. Unless you wanna live in the middle of nowhere up north and have to drive 50 minutes to get to anything.

Milwaukee has the big city vibe with plenty to do but the crime is atrocious. Milwaukee is so bad it's like,get into town...do what you wanna do and get the heck out. I would not feel safe just bumping around Milwaukee for fun. The crime seems to be very random and spread out not just limited to the bad areas. Go to jsonline.com any day of the week and read the news ticker...shooting,shooting,rape,shooting,shooting, beating,shooting...it's awful.

I would say your best bet overall is anywhere between GB through Appleton. Affordable housing,very low crime,if you are in GB you have the Resch and Appleton is only 25 minutes away for a night out on the town. Appleton has a nice Performing Arts Center,a great mall and just about any chain restaurant you'd ever want. GB is pretty weak on shopping but you'll eat well up there.

And,Milwaukee is only 2 hours away for a concert or game or whatever.

Jobs are pretty decent if you have an education. If you are a blue color person who never went past highschool it's pretty tough right now.

With your degree you should have little trouble finding a good job.

Madison is an area I know nothing about but I would guess the cost of living would be much higher than the Fox Cities. But,I don't know for sure.

It depends too,are you a 'big city' kind of person who likes energy and people and all of that? If so then I would go with Appleton. GB has the most depressing downtown you will ever see. Appleton has a cute little downtown where people are actually out and about and it has a nice little vibe you don't get in GB. Most of GB's 'action' is around the Lambeau Field bar district.

If I had to pick one city overall I'd say Appleton.

[msnjen23]

MADISON< MADISON<MADISON

I grew up in WI but have lived in Madison for the past 12 years. I was born and raised in the Milwaukee area, have family in the GB/Fox Valley area and went to school out on the other side of the state in LaCrosse.

Madison is by far my favorite part of the state. We are a pocket of the state where the economy tends to be pretty recession proof. Between the UW and the State government we have a very solid base of employment. Yes the cost of living is higher, but so is the average wage. Unemployment is lower here than most if not all of the state. (I don't know actual figures off the top of my head). Money magazine just named Middleton the best place to live in America.

It's an amazing area and if you are looking for "life" we've got it!

Madison has a great theatre/cultural scene and biking/exercise opportunities are abundant. Also we have amazing lakes that have bike and walking lanes all around them and through out the city--they all link up to make it a long bike ride or a short one depending on your mood. So many neighborhoods with lots of little fun stores and cafes. Downtown by the capital has some great condos and lots of shops/coffee houses that are fun too. Concerts on the square every Wednesday night in June. Farmers market on the capital square all summer and into the fall. Taste of Madison was just this weekend. Badger games...the list goes on!

I don't know alot about schools but I have plenty of friends who are teachers in several different districts around here. My neighbor is actually the head of the teachers union in one of the local districts so she would be a great source of information as well. PM me and I can see about getting you some email addresses and you can go right to the source!

[Drover]

Originally Posted by msnjen23

MADISON< MADISON<MADISON

I'm not so sure that the most expensive real estate market in the state of Wisconsin fits his "inexpensive real estate" criterion...

[msnjen23]

Interesting observation! Average price of a home in Madison is $264,000. However, there are currently 194 homes for sale under $160,000 in Dane county and 625 Condos! I'd call that pretty darn affordable.

[B'Goshboy]

Originally Posted by MeaganInMichigan

Hello everyone,

I'm originally from the Metro-Detroit area. I've lived in Michigan my entire life; it's a beautiful state. Nevertheless, job prospects here are slim, basically nil. Which cities are recommended for both entertainment and shopping? Ideally, areas with low crime rates, inexpensive real estate and moderate politics are desired. I'll be receiving a Master's degree in Special Education. Are there any school districts in dire need of teachers?

Thanks to everyone in advance! Any advice is greatly appreciated.

If you've lived in Detroit, then Milwaukee would be a breeze! Teaching jobs should be very easy to get in Milwaukee, primarily because so many of the students are thugs. Most school districts are looking for every way to cut back on teachers because of funding problems, but Special Ed teachers are hard to come by. I'm a bit partial to Oshkosh, but I think that Wish...Chicago did a fine job of selling Appleton. But really anywhere in the Fox Valley is just fine. Pretty much from DePere to Fond du Lac, with lots of smaller towns to the west. Milwaukee schools are the only that I'm aware of that have a residency requirement, so you can probably teach in A'ton and live in Neenah or Winneconne.

By moving to Wisconsin, you will get to cheer for a much better college football team, also.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by msnjen23

Interesting observation! Average price of a home in Madison is $264,000. However, there are currently 194 homes for sale under $160,000 in Dane county and 625 Condos! I'd call that pretty darn affordable.

Dane County and Madison are not interchangeable. For $160K, you're going to get a house that is either a) out in the cornfields, b) seriously run-down, or c) both. As for those condos near the capitol you mentioned in your prior post, do you have any idea how much those things cost? I have an acquaintance who bought one last year for nearly $400,000. And his was a "medium-sized" unit. Not my idea of affordable. Probably not the OP's either.

[brewtown12]

Originally Posted by WishIwereinChicago

shooting,shooting,rape,shooting,shooting,beating,s hooting...it's awful.

Milwaukee has a very low rape rate,lower than the national average and much of the rest of Wisconsin.

[MidwesternBookWorm]

Originally Posted by Drover

For $160K, you're going to get a house that is either a) out in the cornfields, b) seriously run-down, or c) both.

With all due respect, Drover, that's a bit of an exaggeration. While I'd absolutely agree that real estate in the Madison area is still over-priced, it is not impossible to find a $160K home that is in reasonable condition, even in the city itself. And I don't mean a 1-bedroom hovel in the Allied Drive neighborhood, either, although you also won't find a 4-bedroom 3-bath house with attached garage for that price. But if you want a 2 or 3 bedroom bungalo, 1,000 to 1,200 s.f. on a normal-sized city lot on the east side, $160K can get you a pretty decent place.

MeaganInMichigan, my family and I are originally from Michigan, and both my spouse and I feel that Wisconsin, particularly Madison, bring us the things we loved the most about Michigan, but with a robust economy and a bright future. We've lived here 8 1/2 years, and have never regretted our move here.

I wish you all the best as you assess your options, and I hope you wind up in a place that offers you as much as we've found in Madison.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by MidwesternBookWorm

With all due respect, Drover, that's a bit of an exaggeration. While I'd absolutely agree that real estate in the Madison area is still over-priced, it is not impossible to find a $160K home that is in reasonable condition, even in the city itself.

OK, I just did a quick MLS search for the city of Madison. Without any regard whatsoever for size or condition, about 10% of the available single-family housing stock is listed at $175K or less. Add in the standard "decent condition, not a shack and not in an iffy neighborhood" caveats and I suspect it drops below the 5% threshold. So, literally speaking, no it's not impossible. But practically speaking you'll be very hard-pressed to buy a house in Madison at $160K without a catch. You get what you pay for.

And at any rate, all this is arguing over minutia. I don't think it's a stretch to say that, for all its other charms and attributes, Madison is not the first answer that comes to most people's minds when someone says they're looking for inexpensive real estate in Wisconsin. If the OP thinks he's going to catch a price break in Madison versus the Detroit metro, he will probably be in for an unpleasant surprise. That's the only point I was really trying to make.