We want to move to Wisconsin?? WTF?? (Milwaukee, Madison: for sale, low crime)

[theycallmeoj]

Hi,

This is my first post. My wife and I, along with our 3 children, currently live in Indiana, and totally hate it. We are in our later 20's, and are currently working; going to school and should be done with it in 2-3 years.


I spent the first 12 years of my life growing up on the southside of Milwaukee before moving here. My wife has always lived in Indiana, just a different area than where we are now.

We plan to move to Wisconsin after we are both done with school, and work the normal jobs that pay, and we are also looking to have a small hobby farm (10-40 acres depending on price).

We are looking to narrow down the state to area's that fit the description of what we are looking for. Here's the basic criteria:

Affordable (under $200K)
Minimum of 10 acres (pasture land would be great. No heavy wooded areas)
Good Schools
Small town a MUST. Prefer under 5000 people.
Decent amount of things to do. Bars, local sports, markets, etc.
LOW Crime.

In a nutshell, Wisconsin has the "lifestyle" we are seeking to raise our family. Now we just need to narrow down the list to 4-8 places to visit in the next couple years and research more.

A couple areas we've looked at online which seem to fit the bill:

Ashland
Ladysmith
Chetek
Black River Falls
Sugar Camp

Any input would be appreciated! I can't wait to get back to the land of cheese

[ANewChapter]

Originally Posted by theycallmeoj

Hi,

This is my first post. My wife and I, along with our 3 children, currently live in Indiana, and totally hate it. We are in our later 20's, and are currently working; going to school and should be done with it in 2-3 years.


I spent the first 12 years of my life growing up on the southside of Milwaukee before moving here. My wife has always lived in Indiana, just a different area than where we are now.

We plan to move to Wisconsin after we are both done with school, and work the normal jobs that pay, and we are also looking to have a small hobby farm (10-40 acres depending on price).

We are looking to narrow down the state to area's that fit the description of what we are looking for. Here's the basic criteria:

Affordable (under $200K)
Minimum of 10 acres (pasture land would be great. No heavy wooded areas)
Good Schools
Small town a MUST. Prefer under 5000 people.
Decent amount of things to do. Bars, local sports, markets, etc.
LOW Crime.

In a nutshell, Wisconsin has the "lifestyle" we are seeking to raise our family. Now we just need to narrow down the list to 4-8 places to visit in the next couple years and research more.

A couple areas we've looked at online which seem to fit the bill:

Ashland
Ladysmith
Chetek
Black River Falls
Sugar Camp

Any input would be appreciated! I can't wait to get back to the land of cheese

Well, I am actually from Indiana (was born there) but live in Wisconsin now in a very small town, well technically village, with a population of about 1200ish I used to live in North Manchester, IN. I can't say I enjoy WI, but that's probably because I'm a wimp in the winter and am moving to FL next month haha but I do like the people here. When I go back to Indiana to visit I notice that people in WI are more friendly and easy to talk to even if you don't know them. There are some in Indiana, but I just find more of them in WI. Good luck with your move!

[kg1701d]

I reccommend looking in the Green Lake area. Costs might be a bit higher than other places BUT the schools are fantastic, Green Lake is gorgeous, its a small friendly town. It was a quaint feel and summers there are tough to beat. Also, its a quick drive to Madison, Milwaukee and the Fox Cities if you need or want to drive there. There's a ton of things to do, Opera House, markets, cute mom and pop shops, summer festivals, boating. I've loved all the time I've spent there and if I was looking rural WI, thats exactly where I'd go.

[Trabbz]

If it were me looking, Chetek would be the place for me. It is surrounded by lakes and PLENTY of outdoor recreation. Always new people around as the populations explodes in the summer from people staying at their cabins and lake houses. It is a very safe area. People are friendly and there is always something to do! If you love camping, fishing, hiking, biking, dive restaurants and bars you will be right at home.

[Wellstone]

towns under 5,000 population are generally not going to have much in the way of places to shop unless they are a nearby suburb of a larger city.

the town i can think of that most fits your description is menominee. mount horeb would also not be a bad choice

other cities that might fit the description:

pulaski (somewhat close to green bay)
waupaca
marathon
mosinee
baraboo (although population is closer to 10k)

i wouldn't recommend ashland - it's kind of a dumpy town and i think drug use is quite high up there

the thing about most of the cities you have listed is that many of them are in the middle of nowhere and if you are looking for that "nowhere" feeling you don't have to be 80 miles from the nearest large city to get it.

the reason i listed the cities i did is because either they have above average retail or are in close proximity (10 to 40 miles) to a larger city.

[WisconsinIght]

Originally Posted by theycallmeoj

Hi,

This is my first post. My wife and I, along with our 3 children, currently live in Indiana, and totally hate it. We are in our later 20's, and are currently working; going to school and should be done with it in 2-3 years.


I spent the first 12 years of my life growing up on the southside of Milwaukee before moving here. My wife has always lived in Indiana, just a different area than where we are now.

We plan to move to Wisconsin after we are both done with school, and work the normal jobs that pay, and we are also looking to have a small hobby farm (10-40 acres depending on price).

We are looking to narrow down the state to area's that fit the description of what we are looking for. Here's the basic criteria:

Affordable (under $200K)
Minimum of 10 acres (pasture land would be great. No heavy wooded areas)
Good Schools
Small town a MUST. Prefer under 5000 people.
Decent amount of things to do. Bars, local sports, markets, etc.
LOW Crime.

In a nutshell, Wisconsin has the "lifestyle" we are seeking to raise our family. Now we just need to narrow down the list to 4-8 places to visit in the next couple years and research more.

A couple areas we've looked at online which seem to fit the bill:

Ashland
Ladysmith
Chetek
Black River Falls
Sugar Camp

Any input would be appreciated! I can't wait to get back to the land of cheese

Well I may recommend DePere. It's actually about 20,000 people, but it's one of those towns where you feel at home anywhere you go. It's also got many good places to eat and drink :].

Local sports? Yes oh my! Lambeau is about 20 minutes away. There is also the UWGB women's and men's teams, which play right around Lambeau, the Green Bay Gamblers, a hockey team (don't know much about them, we are not really a hockey-fan family), and high school sports are great! Kids love going to the games and it's a good social event for the moms :]

I am SURE you'd be able to get 10+ acres anywhere in DePere. I was raised on a 32 acre farm and my parents just sold it for 215,000 dollars. You probably wont get a nicest home for only 200,000 and 10+ acres, but if you search you may find!

I hope this helped, and you enjoy moving back to the home of the Pack!!

[WisconsinNative]

Can I throw out another possibility? New Holstein. Population just over 3300 (2000 census). Surrounded by farmland. Not far from Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and Kohler to the East. Green Bay is only about an hour away.

[KateDaum]

I know the Medford area still has small farms for sale that are reasonable. We looked there before we went further north. There schools just received an award. It is close to Wausau.

[soda_14]

I agree with the Green Lake County area. I have grown up here all my life and it's a gret area to raise children. A town that comes to mind is Ripon. Small town feel, with enough to do and you are centrally located to nice sized towns such as fond du lac and oshkosh both about 20 minutes away. If interested, I know of a very ncie new constructed house that may fit a family such as yourself great!

[uwsupergirl]

I don't know much about Ashland but I think it is too far north and have heard about drug use there from some people I knew that went to college there. I have lived near Sugar Camp since 1991 and it seems more like a 'suburb' or Rhinelander. There's really not much of a town to speak of-a couple of taverns, restaurants, a lumberyard and I nice little landscaping place. But I heard some recent complaints of the elementary school there. There is a large bully problem and I experienced it first hand with the 3rd-5th grade basketball teams, where the students were quite aggressive and when our coaches complained, one of their parent/coaches got into our lady coaches face and called her a B%*!@. You get the picture. I am not sure why anyone would move up this far north-I was dragged her by a spouse and am plotting my escape. This area is narrow minded, alcoholic, and boring. Now if all you want to do is fish, hunt, snowmobile, ski, boat, and drink you might be a kindrid spirit with some of the people here. I am not. I prefer wine, theater and museums. That said, it's not all bad. It is safe, and there are all kinds of people here but I prefer south of here. Medford is not a bad suggestion. I know someone who grew up there and went with her a couple of times. I have heard great things about the schools. It is near Wausau, which is a town which I do enjoy-they have the Grand Theater there, which offers awesome culture, they have a couple of musuems and more than decent shopping-everything you need is in Wausau. MOSINEE has a stench-I think from paper mills, so I would stay away from there. I haven't been to Green Lake so I am not sure, but I have visited Fort Atkinson, and that was quite enjoyable but possibly too busy for you. Another area to examine is outside of Steven's Point. Steven's Point is a really nice city, and there are some rural areas a stones throw from there which, though I've only driven through seem decent. You'd have to check on the schools. If you were near Point, they have nice shops, Target, Fleet Farm, etc.. plus culture and the University. I also agree with WisconsinNative that the Sheboygan area is worth a look-I have spent some time in Kohler and at the Blue Harbor Resort. I grew up vacationing in Cleveland Wisconsin. I think you would really like that area and there are jobs and lots of hobby farms. Good luck!