Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband has accepted a job in De Pere. We're moving from Roswell, GA, which is a northern suburb of Atlanta. We both grew up in the Midwest (Chicago and Detroit suburbs) so we already know the weather we're in for. What we're not sure about it whether we should live in De Pere or Appleton. Appleton is larger, has more options for shopping and entertainment, but on our one and only trip there during the interview process, I felt like it was a little... dirty. Now that opinion could be due, in part, to the fact that the weekend we were there happened to be the weekend when the guy brought a chicken to the Farmer's Market in protest of the guys the weekend before who brought their guns to the Farmer's Market. We went to lunch at Cozzy Corner and low and behold, we walked right into what appeared to be a "meet up" of people - men and women - who openly carry their weapons legally per the open carry laws in the city. I have to admit, I'm all for the right to bear arms, but if my kids had been with me and 20 people carrying assault rifles walked in to Cozzy Corner, I'd have to get up and leave. I don't know those people from Adam and it makes me VERY uncomfortable to be around a stranger with a loaded gun. I almost felt like telling those people that because of this protest they're all gung ho about, I had, then and there, decided NOT to move to Appleton so that I never have to run into them again. But I digress....
We really want a character house, so there is no way we will live outside of the city. We liked the Erb Park area, but really any of the character neighborhoods around the parks were great. The school ratings worry me a little, but we do plan to send our two daughters (ages 3 and 18 months at present) to Catholic school when the time comes. We spent most of our time looking in Appleton and did like what we saw, but on the last night, we decided to check out De Pere. Driving up Broadway, I felt like I was back in the prestigious Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe! The homes were beautiful and the cars were nicer. I really liked the Historic District area. The downtown was cute, but small. Not even a Starbucks, which isn't that big of a deal because I don't really care for Starbucks, but still, too small for Starbucks? That concerned me a little, and being from larger cities, I worry that we will get bored. I do love that St. Norbert College is right in town. Great babysitter options for our girls!! My husband is an avid tennis player and there are a few options, but definitely not what we're used to in Atlanta, or even Chicago. And, in both Appleton and De Pere, there's no Whole Foods, so I'm worried about where I can shop for organic groceries. (I do know that there is a great grass fed farm within an hour drive.)
We did visit only the one time, but my husband will be traveling there over the next few weeks before we officially move in early December. So, just wondering if all you great Wisconsin bloggers can share some insight with us about which city we should live in, what the commute might be like from Appleton to De Pere on a regular basis (how often snow will be an issue, etc.), and whether or not we'll feel underwhelmed by De Pere. I'd prefer for my husband to have a short commute, and the school ratings are better in De Pere, so I'm really leaning toward De Pere. And, we do keep saying that if ever we feel like it's too "small town", we can hop in the car and be back home in Chicago in 3 hours, or even to Milwaukee or Madison for a happy medium.
We did get in to Green Bay and went to Hinterland Brewery, and that was EXACTLY the type of place we like to go. Good beer, farm-to-table. I just hope that's not the ONLY place in Brown County! We also went to Nicky's in De Pere, and that's also the type of place we would regularly frequent.
Any help you might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated! We're excited about getting back to the Midwest and starting our new adventure in Wisconsin!
Don't move to Appleton. ... there are a bunch of trees and birds and things here and way too little traffic for you. I see you've sampled the most Chicago/Milwaukee diner that Appleton has to offer and you ended up having to sit near a bunch of peaceful people with assault rifles... Trust me, every single diner everywhere in this city is full of gun-toting "2nd amendment" people... And holy balls, a lot of Appleton people do not drive decent cars, and can't afford to carefully chose houses with 'character'... You'll hate it if you come here. Most of my neighbors won't even let me shovel my own snow, always some jerk has to go by with a snowblower at like 4am and ruin my whole pre-work struggle. Also, there is no sense of distance from the natural world. You'd have to feel like you were an Earthling, instead of that lovely exhaust laden concrete covered security one feels when the nearest tree is an hour worth of bull**** traffic away. And if you want to get mugged... that's the end of it. There's no real "ghetto" here, and people kinda... are friendly and stuff... again, you'd hate it. Erb park? Stay away from it. It's way too laid back and generally safe. I'd say get a big old showboat mansion right up next to the highway in De Pere, and you'll feel right at home. Just chop down any filthy old trees you might have in your yard and pave it over. WHAM! Instant concrete laden city life!
Oh, wow, sorry. I truly didn't mean to offend anyone. But, it looks like I have. I'm very sorry. I was really looking for some true, honest feedback about which city to live in. We're moving our whole family here, to an entirely unfamiliar place, and I thought the other threads I had read on this website were able to gather really great feedback and details.
We are moving to that neck of the woods from North Georgia too! I'm originally from the North as well, but never wanted to go back(just love the warmer weather is all). Lo & behold my husband got a job there in Appleton. I've not been there yet, but will be in 2 weeks. My husband is already living there. It seems like a great place. I suppose I don't have the exact requirements as you do, but that isn't to say I don't wonder the same things. I live in the country now and prefer the quiet peaceful lifestyle, so I'm not looking for any 'big city' wonder. I'm just curious about what part of Appleton should I be looking at is my question for Wisconsin natives? I have a junior in high school and 6th grader so which schools are preferred?
Anyway, I will post elsewhere to get my answers but it was nice to see there will be someone else from Georgia there too
Good luck with your move! We thought we were the only people from Georgia moving back to the north!! We found some really nice parts of Appleton, like around Erb Park. Our Realtor told us the nicest areas are around the parks. But, she did drive us around outside the city lines in the newer construction areas and those were nice, too. Just not the old craftsman style we're looking for. The surrounding cities are really nice, too, like Little Chute and Neenah. You can look at Zillow and see the Great School Ratings for each house. The schools outside of the downtown Appleton area have higher ratings. I kinda think all the schools are good there, though. Maybe the lower ratings have to do with larger class sizes or something. It would be good to know how those ratings are actually determined. If you like the terrain of North Georgia, you will LOVE the whole Fox River area. It's SO beautiful. It's really magnificent. I'm so excited to get there! Good luck to you and your family!
There really is a lot to explore in the Appleton area. I grew up in the Oshkosh area, lived in Fond du Lac most of my adult life, traveled to Appleton at least once a week. There are art museums (the Trout being a great one!) And many different types of restaurants (try Sai Ram Indian Cuisine if you like Indian.) There are a lot of shopping areas... both big box and smaller boutique type places. College Avenue has many stores that are interesting. I have never felt unsafe in the Appleton area and in fact, have many relatives who currently reside there and are very happy. I'm sorry I can't help you with your De Pere research, since I haven't spent enough time there to make a judgment. My family and I recently moved from Fond du Lac, WI to Beaufort, SC. I was in WI last week and it was good to see that not much has changed. :-) Best of luck to you.
Look for houses in East De Pere, tons of character! Great city to raise a family and schools are excellent. There is a Starbucks in West De Pere (across the bridge). Green Bay is 4 miles from De Pere and is growing like crazy. Funny you should mention Whole Foods, they were just in town talking to the Mayor for two days on a possible location this week! We also just got a Costco which means more businesses will follow. You will not regret living in De Pere, safe for families and you can take a walk at night without worrying! Obviously it will be different than living in a bigger city but you may come to find to like it better!
Thanks for all the help! I "friended" the Green Bay Gazzete on Facebook and was really happy to see that Whole Foods had been in town!! I think as more and more people move to an organic lifestyle, it'll only be a matter of time before Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc., move in to the the Green Bay area. I cannot tell you how excited I am to move to De Pere! The more I read about it, the more I love it. Were we live now is a very safe suburb of Atlanta with a very small, historic city center. It actually reminds me a lot of De Pere. So I think we will really like it there and it will be a smooth transition. We don't get into Atlanta very much anymore anyway. I will miss the airport, though. ATL is the busiest airport in the world and you can travel nonstop to basically anywhere on earth. I have found there are some good economical options in and out of GRB, ATW, MKE, and of course worst case, CHI. I'm thinking of our family coming to visit from all over. It'll take some advance planning to get good deals, but at least there are options.
I'm ready to move! And ready for a White Christmas! Thanks again for all your help! And keep the posts coming. Any information is good information!!
De Pere is quieter, Appleton is more like a city. I worked in GB, lived in De Pere and eat/shop/drink in appleton. West De Pere is only 20 minutes away from Appleton, the commute is bad with construction and snow storms.
[quote=Sandra1277;32181948]Thanks for all the help! I "friended" the Green Bay Gazzete on Facebook and was really happy to see that Whole Foods had been in town!! I think as more and more people move to an organic lifestyle, it'll only be a matter of time before Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, etc., move in to the the Green Bay area. I cannot tell you how excited I am to move to De Pere! The more I read about it, the more I love it. Were we live now is a very safe suburb of Atlanta with a very small, historic city center. It actually reminds me a lot of De Pere. So I think we will really like it there and it will be a smooth transition. We don't get into Atlanta very much anymore anyway. I will miss the airport, though. ATL is the busiest airport in the world and you can travel nonstop to basically anywhere on earth. I have found there are some good economical options in and out of GRB, ATW, MKE, and of course worst case, CHI. I'm thinking of our family coming to visit from all over. It'll take some advance planning to get good deals, but at least there are options.
I'm ready to move! And ready for a White Christmas! Thanks again for all your help! And keep the posts coming. Any information is good information!!
[So happy to hear that you're excited about your move. De Pere is a nice, small town. Just keep in mind that the area is very very different than Atlanta or almost any city for that matter. Although families keep busy, there aren't activities like other cities like Milwaukee or Madison and not many community spaces where festivals or events are held. Just an FYI since I'm not sure what you're used to, so there might be an adjustment there. But if you're looking for a quiet place to spend time with family then it will be just fine. In my opinion I think it will be a while before Whole Foods or any other high end store comes to the area, but you never know. I think it would fit in with Appleton a little better since it has more foot traffic around the downtown area. As for airports, GRB is super convenient. I love it for that reason. But fare costs can be double or triple that of Mke. I just purchased tickets to the west coast and GRB were $300 more than MKE. The drive down hwy 43 goes fast though, so it's not that big of an issue. A white Christmas is beautiful.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
