Towns similar to Madison? (Milwaukee, Appleton: real estate, home builders, neighborhoods)

[berry987]

We are looking to relocate to Wisconsin with our two young kids. We have family throughout the midwest, but no one lives in WI (part of the draw -- close, but not too close!). We both love Madison and initially thought it would be great to live there. Environmentally friendly, open-minded people, lots of biking and walking trails, good schools, and the beautiful old Craftsman style homes. We like the smaller, older neighborhoods. The problem is that we can't spend more than about 350K on a house and with Madison, that puts us out in the burbs. We'd like to be more in the heart of things.

Does anyone know of other towns that are reminiscent of Madison without the housing costs? We really don't need a city - so a place small and off the beaten path would be great. We are self-employed so access to jobs is not an issue.

[mayfair]

There really is no other place in WI like Madison. You can find elements of it in other places but not all of it. What are your top three priorities?

[berry987]

Our top three priorities:

-- low cost of living (relatively speaking -- we live in Washington, DC metro area right now; we are looking to spend about 350K for an old house with some charm, 3 or 4 bedrooms)

-- good public schools

-- open-minded, environmentally conscious types living around us

[galfromwi]

Lacrosse may be the most similar-it's a liberal college town and is very beautiful-but it is not really located that near to a larger city, which is important to some people. I can't say enough good things about Appleton WI, which is where I live (about 1.5 hrs from Milwaukee, 2hrs from Madison and 3 hrs from Chicago). You should consider it! You can check out the websites below. Like anwyhere in WI, the property taxes are high, but here, your dollar can go a long way in terms or purchasing a home. 350k will buy you luxury here! The Erb Park area has some nice older homes, so does the area near City Park, and also Prospect Ave--big old beautiful homes there. There are biking trails and nature centers. Near to Theda Clark Medical Center-a trauma center (flight for life hospital) is there, and there is also a division on Childrens's Hospital of Wisconsin there (top rated pediatric hospital). You don't need to stay directly in Appleton, there are lots of surrounding cities that make up the Fox Valley. Public schools are good here, and there are lots of public charter schools to choose from too. Great, growing downtown area. People are friendly here! Need any more info, let me know! Good luck! Michelle

Welcome to Appleton, Wisconsin (Appleton: A Great Place to Live!)
Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group – Homes, Residential, New Construction, Relocation
Valley Home Builders Association > Green Building
Official Outagamie County Web Site
Calumet County Official Website, calumet county, wisconsin, wi
Appleton Area School District
Fox Cities Convention & Visitors Bureau
Appleton Post-Crescent: Your Fox Cities News Source
Lawrence University Home
UW-Fox Valley
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
The New North > Home
Appleton Downtown, Inc. > Home
Fox Cities P.A.C. A Gathering Place for the Community
the Building for Kids: Home

[galfromwi]

Also, Appleton itself is smaller than Madison-about 80K people. With the surrounding cities-Neenah,Menasha,Ohskosh,Kimberly, and others, the population is about the same size as Madison. I currently live on the edge of town--a mile up the road there is a county park with disc golf, then a couple more miles up there are farm fields and an apple orchard/pumpkin farm. So I feel like I have the best of both worlds. There is only a few miles between country and city life. You could also own a lakeside cottage/cabin retreat as little as an hour away if you wished!

[tanyagail]

An old neighbor of ours moved from Eau Claire, WI and really like it. Says it was like Madison but smaller. University town, pretty scenery, family-oriented. Might be another option to look into?

[Drover]

Have you considered Asheville NC? (Don't know about the schools there though...)

[sunflower53072]

Burlington, Vermont is also supposed to be like Madison.

[berry987]

Thanks for all the great advice so far. I will definitely look into Appleton and the surrounding areas and Eau Claire. It's funny that someone mentioned Asheville and another mentioned Burlington. Those were also on our list. Our jobs allow is to live anywhere east of Minnesota and from North Carolina to Maine. We are still looking into Asheville...I think Burlington is off the list because the culture in Vermont might be a bit too "rough" for us. Hang out on the Vermont forum and you'll hear lots of stories about "flatlanders" complaining about people driving around with dead deer on the roofs of their cars. Hmmm...I'm from Washington, DC...we don't see a lot of dead deer.

[Drover]

Well, dead deer is a staple of life in Wisconsin too. (In fact, bowhunting deer season is on right now. Gun season starts later this week.) Not so much in Madison proper or LaCrosse proper, but it becomes so very quickly once you leave the city limits. Come to think of it, it even makes its way into the city. Go to the farmer's market in Madison and you're bound to find venison products on offer. Ever watch a Packer game at Lambeau Field? Half the crowd is dressed like Elmer Fudd.