Why is Montello, Wisconsin so mean?

[ranger17]

i moved to Montello in 70's while in HS, never had a problem getting along as a teen. And we still have family and friends up in that area.
I would say it's tough to compare small 'rural' towns in WI to it's 2 largest metro areas. Totally different situations. You can have a much higher transient population in cities, so you'll have more chances to meet different people with different likes/views/etc ( as that person you just met could be new there as well ). But when you move to a small town, many of those locals are born/raised there; and not as many transplants. So they may be more firm in their views, & one could stand out more as an outsider.
A life long resident of WI until recently, I've lived in many areas of the state and could not pick out one town that was that difficult to get along.
Obviously that's not the case with others; just my .02

[susancruzs]

I'm almost tempted to drive to Montello, just for the heck of it! Ranger thanks for your positive post, I can not believe when people state almost all of Wisconsin is not friendly. Doesn't make sense to me but each person has a different perception or perspective.

[gossi1]

My husband has lived in WI most of his life. I've lived over half my life here. Montello is the only unfriendly area that we have lived in. Yes small towns can be cliquish(sp?). My husband is German and Norwegian; the comment about how Germans can be stoic is kinda off. None of the ones we know are like that, except around Montello. It's just a weird vibe around here.

[ekg56]

Susan go ahead and drive down. We have eaten there many times and found the people very friendly. We have struck up conversations with many locals and they were very nice. My husband's former job had him doing a lot of business in the area and when I told him about what people were saying about Montello he laughed. He loves eating there and he said he stopped 2-3 times a month and was treated very nicely.
Susan, you are like us,moved to a small town in WI after living in IL. We have never had a problem fitting in.

[KateDaum]

Last fall after reading this thread we went to Montello. We ate at the Granite Falls Supper Club. If Mike is what Montello is all about it is a great town. He was very friendly and helpful. The food was really good and the staff made us feel very welcomed. We talked to quite a few people and asked for different recommendations on what to see and do in the area and everyone was great about talking about favorite places.
We will go back!

[montello child]

I grew up in Montello. Lived there for 18 years. My family still lives there. I have since moved on and lived in several large cities and now live out of state.

When I was little I over heard a lot of complaints that the locals said about all the "city folk" that would come to the area in the summer. I worked at a campground and thought the "city folk" were just fine.

I have seen the people of Montello do some remarkable nice things for their community. I've also seen them do some pretty stupid things.

I have to say, going back to Montello now, it is a different place. Maybe it's because I have grown up, but mostly I think it's the people that live their now. Yes, a lot of the same families are there, but there are a lot of new ones. A lot of families from the cities thought Montello would be a great place to raise their kids. They thought they would get away from the crime and start a new life. Problem is, they brought all their problems with them and they expected too much.

I look at the school now and can't believe how the kids act! Although, I admit I think this about a lot of schools. I know people who work at the school and from the stories they tell me, there is no school pride anymore. There are some teachers there who have been there before I was a student and it sounds to me like they suffer from 2 ailments – they are burnt out and they think they are gods. They expect to be paid big city salaries in a small town. They want raises in a economy where most people are losing their jobs. I live in a city where teachers are losing their jobs and whole schools are shutting down. Some teachers at Montello need to understand that they ask too much of their community. It is a poor town. Most people cannot afford higher taxes.

All that said, when I read comments people make about Montello residents being mean. Well, that is just plain wrong. People move to a small town and expect it to be like the movies. Neighbors come over with baked good and are interested in your every move. Life ain't the movies! People move to Montello with a chip on their shoulder and then wonder why the residents don't like them! They probably had one run it with a grumpy resident and them judged the whole town as mean...now who's the judgemental one?

If you want to experience the nice, friendly side of Montello, then you yourself have to be nice and friendly. No one is going to be nice to a rude, arrogant person.

[glenn lambright]

I Believe this also true of Watertown,WI. THE most unfriendly town in America(let alone WI) There are many many FAT people here (Sixty Min could ccome and do a report on the breaakdown of humanity in the US) AND also German. Problem is they dont have any reason to be unfriendly,they aint that kool![They throw apples at me(and firecrackers on the 4th of July) when I walk down the hwy, though some girls did whistle one day(Ialmost passed out)I want to get out
Glenn
I live about 20 miles north of Montello and attend bi-monthly meetings there of a new Marquette County tourism promotion group (Marquette NOW). I work both as a marketing assistant at Prairie Nursery, northwest of Montello, and as a piano teacher. Montello is the county seat, so my lawyer has an office in Montello. My veterinarian practices in Montello. Therefore, I do believe I am qualified to have an opinion about the friendliness, or lack thereof, in Montello.

In my experience attempting to sell advertising to Montello business owners, I have detected more than a little hostility within that community. The Montello Chamber of Commerce dissolved about a year ago due to lack of agreement. Marquette NOW is trying to reorganize the business community to promote itself to the many campers, hunters and fishers who come to the area from the Fox Valley, Milwaukee, Madison and northern suburbs of Chicago.

Only about 30 miles north of Wisconsin Dells, merchants in the Marquette County hospitality and tourism industries would love to have some of the cash that place attracts! Nevertheless, it is very hard to get people in the community to forget their small differences in favor of a larger goal. It is hard to get any of the restaurant owners to stay open on Mondays.

On a wider scale, I grew up in Waupun - about 50 miles east of Montello. That community is SO unfriendly that I never felt at home there, despite living there from 2nd grade to high school graduation - which I did early, just to get out of town!

Perhaps it's the German ancestry so prevalent in Wisconsin, perhaps it's just a general desire to be left alone that has carried through the generations from the original settlers. I am not being facetious. There's an ongoing community rivalry between New Glarus and Monticello (not to be confused with Montello...), Wisconsin that began when the original group of Swiss settlers splintered in about 1846. I doubt any present-day rivals know what the original disagreement was about. They just know they don't like those other people.

Before moving to central Wisconsin, I lived for more than 30 years near Brooklyn, about 20 miles south of the state capital of Madison. I worked for awhile as a weekly newspaper editor in New Glarus, a community that also tried to develop a tourist trade. In all of the four communities to which I refer here, Waupun, New Glarus, Monticello and Montello, there are merchants and community leaders who would love to welcome visitors with open arms. On the other side are residents whose motto is, "If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?"

In all my years trying to engage people in conversation, and I've traveled all over the US, I've learned what another poster to this thread has noted: What goes around comes around. It never hurts to paste a smile on your face and develop an interest in other people. This approach often succeeds. But not always. Some people just want to be left alone!

Finally, I do believe there is an essential conservativism in these communities. It is religious, political, and capitalist in nature. If you are a professional or a "legitimate" business owner, attend and contribute to a Christian church regularly, belong to the local Republican Party, and live in a traditional family unit you will make all the friends you can ever want! Ditto for state employees who belong to the local Democratic Party. The latter can usually get away with not going to church and having an alternative lifestyle. I don't know; maybe this is because so many of them are correctional officers. Wearing a uniform gives you a special kind of dispensation.

If you do not fit into any of the above categories, and you seek acceptance, I'd suggest you move to the country, or to a larger city, where you and your neighbors don't have to interact as much as in a small town.

Annie[/quote]

[poko101]

Montello Sucks!! Get a Life.

[jjmatuszak]

I just bought some property in Montello. The town is not mean at all. The people are great. Marquette County is on the last bastion of a simple great life, and Montello is the center of it. This area is a huge unkept secret, given is proxmity to Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. The wildlife is wonderful and the people are great. It does take a bit to appreciate the place, but once you really check it and get some understanding of the history and area, it's unbelievable. I don't hunt, but the fishing is terrific. Despite being a small town, its a really busy place. The people always seem to have something to do. This place really grows on you quickly. I just wish their soccer team the best, they seem to be struggling.

[Wellstone]

Its proximity to nowhere makes it truly unique. If you like being 50 miles from anywhere I guess it is paradise.