Lincoln County (Wausau, Merrill, Antigo: violent crime, school, wages)

[JDCATONSVILLE]

I have recently been told that Lincoln County is the meth central for Wisconsin and that drugs in general seem to run rampant there. I was wondering if anyone could shed more light on this? I will be moving there soon with my wife and kids from Maryland and I would be interested in what my be instore for us when we do. Thanks for any information you could give.

[berries]

Either way I can tell you that right now you must do this


SETTLE DOWN!!!!!

First of all there is no meth capital in Wisconsin.
Second you will love it and will probably never ever see or deal with anyone on meth, it is an overblown concern I have read on everystate posting board on this site, and they are all the meth capitols.
Third, bring you long underwear, that will be more of an issue to you than meth or crack or pot or even beer!!!!!! And yes we do like our beer.

I hope this reduces your concrerns...

anymore questions let me know as I actually live up here

Good luck and Cheers

[berries]

as I can not stop laughing about this. Your moving from near DC with kids and have concerns about merill. I just can not stop smiling. Your in for a big change, and as far as kids, if they don't mind a little boredom and learn how to enjoy going about things slowly they will be happy as clams...If they like large shopping excursions and lots an lots of distractions then they will need to learn to slow down or drive the short distance to wausau. I think you are making a great move and am actually very excited for you!!!!! And if I see anyone up here on meth I will take a picture on my cell phone an let you know as in three years I have yet to see one!!!!

Once again good luck and I truly mean it

[JDCATONSVILLE]

I just wanted to say thank you very much for your information about Merrill. It's funny because I said to my wife that someone would probably respond with "your moving here from Baltimore and your concerned about the drug problem here". That's actually part of the reason we are moving to Wisconsin. Less crime, not as nearly as congested, much more affordable housing, less pollution, and generally a much better quality of living. That's why when someone mentioned about the supposed drug problem I was a bit concerned. As far as beer goes then I should fit right in because I enjoy my beer as much as the next person. Do you have any kids in school or know of anyone who does that could correspond with my wife or myself regarding the area school. I am really looking forward to moving there and can't wait. I appreciate the information and the good will jesture of luck. Thanks and I hope you enjoy your day.

[momandnurse]

Hi and welcome to the area...if you are here yet. I would just like to respond to your comment as I too live in the lincoln County area. Compared to a LARGE city the Merrill/Tomahawk area probably doesn't have as big of a drug problem, but they sure do have a problem! You will need to watch your kids and educate them. There are drugs here, and I have to admit I've often thought of the Tomahawk/Merrill/Antigo area as a major drug vein in Wisconsin. I think you can find the drugs and stuff anywhere, but don't relax just because you are moving to a smaller area...it is here! Despite what the other person said, drugs are plentiful here. I have kids in the school system and grade-school kids are doing drugs...however, I'm guessing you will find this anywhere today. The law seems pretty easy going on people around the area and seem to give them repeated chances and that is probably why the area does draw drug people.
Small town living has it's advantages too though, as everyone seems to know everyone and eventually you will know which people spell trouble.

[KateDaum]

We are moving to N. WI from NH. I think drugs are a problem everywhere. We live in a small town in NH and the amount of drugs and drinking among teens is skyrocketing. I don't know the answer but I know it is not a problem isolated to WI.

[berries]

I disagree with momandnurse as I just do not see all this drug activity. Where is it, I see one drug bust every 6 months in the paper. A few people pulled over on the freeway with pot in the sheriffs reports, and they are usually form out of the area. Where are all these drug addicts hiding if you never see them out and if they are hiding you don't need to worry about it to much ...do ya. I am sorry I just do not see it. Drunks is a different thing, they are everywhere so watch out for the drunk drivers. Teach your kids right and if they run into a drug situation they will know how to respond... and they will just say no

[aaragon]

I have to tell you a little bit about Merrill WI. I grew up there, graduated, went into the Navy, got my degree, moved around a lot with my husband, had children and moved back and stayed for 10 years and now live in a southern state which I am not enjoying so much! It is a wonderful place to raise children and there are so many dedicated parents there! You will not have all the conveniences of a big city but there are so many parks and activities for children! It is a safe community and as far as the drug problem, I never saw it and neither did my 11 and 13 year old! We only heard about it. My kids are devastated that we moved and we are contemplating moving back at least until they graduate. The school system is wonderful and the teachers are great! They have so much fun at school as well as have some of the highest ACT scores in the nation! Wages are low but the cost of living is relatively low too. You will find the people to be very friendly and non judgemental. People like to hang out and have a good time and tend to congregate at bars in the winter. It is certainly a unique lifestyle and grows on you! We moved because my husband got an outstanding job but now we are missing it so much and are thinking the money may not have been worth it. Hope you enjoy it! Take Care!

[tylerdrumr]

I was born and raised in Wausau Wisconsin (about a half hour away.) And
Merrill has had quite a problem with drugs and alcohol, dating back to Al Capone (he had several hideouts in Lincoln County.) So much so that the national news took notice a few years back, trying to name it “The Meth Capitol of the nation.” Sense then, over half the Lincoln county police department had been fired by the FBI during a random drug screening. I do think that this made a huge difference in the area, but as far as im concerned I still try to stay clear of the area.
Don’t get me wrong. There are some nice people from there but from my experiences they are few and far between.

[rocketrocks]

re: tylerdrumr

umm, take what you read here with a grain of salt.

meth capitol of the nation? hardly. google it and see how often lincoln county/merrill/tomahawk/etc. are mentioned. missouri led the nation with meth lab busts for 2007...

here's a current link to the dea site that ranks wis. 45th in the nation for violent crime and lists 4 federal meth lab "incidents" for all of 2007. DEA Briefs & Background, Drugs and Drug Abuse, State Factsheets, Wisconsin

as for the implication that 1/2 of the merrill police force was fired by the fbi (love that one) and that they were obviously spreading their meth wares all over the area...well...i'd ask for some documentation on that...

tylerdrumr, can you point to any references that back up your allegation? i've lived in the area for decades and haven't heard anything - ever - about this area being the meth capitol of the nation nor of small town police forces being fired wholesale for being druggies...

long story short: this area is a great place to live. problems? yep - just like the rest of the world. however, it's pretty important to put things into context - tomahawk, for instance, has had 2 homicides spanning 2007-2008. one was solved in less than a week (perp. knew the victim) and the second also seems to point to someone known to the victim. both tragic and completely unnecessary but compared to a more urban area where you can have 2 homicides a day/week/month, the citizens are not all living in fear of "being next".

as for drugs, tomahawk police recently ran a lockdown on the school complex and they netted, like, 11grams of pot, some prescription pills, some pipes and about 10 "criminals". no pounds of meth, no machine guns...

it's a pretty safe place to live and raise kids.