Reasons why I miss Wisconsin

[BarrettAnthony24]

Originally Posted by nonexpat

I posted this last year, but I'm reposting it since it is moving season, and I want people who are moving to Wisconsin to know what I miss. In other words, some things that make Wisconsin a wonderful place to live.

Reasons why I miss Wisconsin in general and Madison
I have lived away from Wisconsin for 18 years, but I come back to visit twice a year. I'm starting this thread to counter-balance some of the scarey, over-the-top threads I have read here. I won't say WI is perfect, no place is, but if my husband could find a job here I would move back. Here are some of the things I miss about Wisconsin in no particular order of importance.

1. Fall; Autumn. The beautiful foilage and hillsides covered in blazing colors, the fresh snap to the air.

2. Holy Hill in the fall.

3. Apple orchards in the fall. How I miss the scent of fresh apple cider being pressed, and then drinking said cider later that day.

4. American Players Theater in Spring Green--a forty minute drive from Madison. I wish I were walking up the hill to see a Shakespearian play right now. The sound of the whipoorwills and crickets under a starry sky while watching "A Midsummer's Night Dream" by some of the best actors in the business--well life doesn't get much better than that for me.

5. Madison Rep. Theater. Small, intimate with very good plays.

6. Badger football games. I'm not a huge sports fan, but the sea of red and the amazing marching band always does it for me.

7. Friday night fish fries.

8. A brandy old fashioned sweet before the fish fry.

9. Living somewhere with mainly Catholics and Lutherans...they don't try to convert you constantly. I moved to Texas and all of sudden my neighbors were asking me which church I belong to. I'm Jewish,and don't necessarily feel like announcing my religion two minutes after meeting someone. Nobody once ever asked me what church I belong to in Wisconsin.

10. The excellent public schools. My kids have attended great schools in Texas because we have lived in very affluent areas, but WI schools don't just teach to the test--the teachers are encouraged to use creative teaching styles and to encourage creativity in students. I have been to the Destination Imagination Global finals three times with my kids' teams, and I was amazed at how many WI teams were in the top five in their categories. This from such a small state!

11. Sitting in the house at night watching giant snowflakes come down--so cozy.

12. Walking at night during a snowfall. There is a muffled hush on an evening like that and only the crunch of snow under your feet can be heard.

13. The many festivals and art fairs during the summer. Any weekend in the summer you can find a festival or art fair close to Madison.

14. Concerts on the square in Madison.

15. Being able to wear a light jacket in the summer. What a relief!

16. High school football stadiums that look like they belong to a high school, not a college, because education, not football is the priority.

17. Bratwurst.

18. The little towns that look so neat and tidy and charming.

19. Being able to ski on a week night after work. I could drive up to Devil's Head or Cascade Mt. and be back by 10 pm. Sure they aren't mountains--just hills, but that's a lot of fun.

20. Lakes, lots of lakes. How many wonderful hours did I spend sailing, water skiing, or just lying out in the sand next to many beautiful lakes in Madison and the surrounding area. I'm thinking about Devil's Lake right now.

21. Hiking and jogging by the lakes and in the woods.

22. The pretty green rolling hills of Southwest WI.

23. The fact that WI is a swing state. Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican your vote really counts. In many states, like Texas, you are out of luck if you are in the opposing party. I'm a Democrat, and my vote hasn't counted and will probably never count.

24. The freedom kids have. My sister lives in a suburb of Milwaukee and her children and her neighbors are outside all day on their bikes, running around. There weren't "play dates" when they were young. Some kid would just come knocking on the door like when I was a kid.

25. The mixture of older and newer homes. When you live in new suburbs of big cities, the houses are very cookie cutter. In WI, there is a variety.

OK, that's 25 reasons off the top of my head. Wisconsin isn't perfect, but it has a lot of great attributes that I truly miss. I'm sure when I move to Albuquerque next month, there will be many wonderful things about Texas I will miss too.

Wisconsin is one of the states I want to move to, thank you for posting. What part of Wisconsin do you think would be best for a 21 year old to locate to?

[bay2bay]

I wouldn't mind moving back to Wisconsin if I could afford not have to stay in state January -- April.

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by BarrettAnthony24

Wisconsin is one of the states I want to move to, thank you for posting. What part of Wisconsin do you think would be best for a 21 year old to locate to?

If I were a 21 year old, I would live in Milwaukee or Madison. I assume you want a social life, things to do, right?

[disastermouse]

This thread makes me so glad I'm coming back to Wisconsin. I grew up between Northern Wisconsin (Goodman, Homestead, Florence) and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Iron Mountain/Kingsford).

I've been living in the South too long. We'll be moving to Madison (south of where I'm from, obviously), but still Wisconsin. Good beer, great brats, and cheese! The air just 'smells wrong' here in SW Virginia.

And heck, to me the winters will seem mild in comparison to where I grew up.

[WINH]

Was in Wisconsin for a week 2 weeks ago looking for housing for our move back. New England has great seafood but went for a Friday nite fish fry and man did it seem like home again.