What are the people like in Wisconsin? (Green Lake, Scandinavia: how much, lawyers)

[lidiapl2003]

I was just wondering: What are the people like in Wisconsin?

[Dea13]

Well, we're like people everywhere. Most are nice, friendly, and make good neighbors. Some not so friendly. Really depends. In the cities people are more reserved with strangers and usually in a hurry. Smaller towns are where people say hello when you pass them on the streets or where they wave when you drive by - even if they don't know you.

There are well educated and those not so well educated. Liberals, conservatives. Many different ethnic groups. Farmers, bankers, lawyers. Is there a particular area you're wondering about? Or a certain trait you're looking for?

Dea

[radraja]

I'm sixth generation WI. I've seen it all. Dea is right on target, but there are some things that almost all Wisconsinites have in common:

1. A large attraction to beer. Or alcohol in general, really. WI has the highest alcohol consumption in the country. Pub culture is huge.

2. Very casual lifestyle, even in the city. Things are a lot less formal in WI. It's socially acceptable to walk around in sweats and a t-shirt (so long as it's a UW or Packers t-shirt).

3. Packer fever to the extreme. If you support any other team, hah, good luck.

4. A Wisconsin accent. To varying degrees, of course, but a lot of the time it'll be pretty thick. The funny part is that, being from out of area, you'll get tons of comments on your accent (whether you think you have one or not). Whenever I bring friends from out of town up to the area, it's a riot.

It's also important to note that, although not everyone is religious, there is a strong religious presence. Catholicism is really big in southern WI, Lutheranism is big in northern WI. A number of the cities have church bells ringing throughout the day.

[7G9C4J2]

I'd agree with Dea and radraja, although there are a few more comments I could make as well. I've lived in other parts of the country as well as in Wisconsin, and I think I have a slightly different perspective than I would if I had lived here all my life.

In general, and with the important exception of football and Packers-related topics, I don't perceive Wisconsin natives as being as ready to pick a fight with others as is true elsewhere in the country. If you browse the threads in the Wisconsin forum, then do the same thing elsewhere, I suspect you'll see less confrontational talk and fewer flame-wars going on in Wisconsin discussions than might be the case in other forums. Of course, the moderators try to keep a limit on that, but what a Texan might consider acceptable is likely to be a bit different from what a Wisconsinite would think reasonable.

Another distinction that might help you understand what Wisconsin's people are like is to look at their origins. Wisconsin was settled largely by Northern European types, people who emigrated from Germany, Scandinavia, and some of the Baltic states. There are also people of Cornish descent in Wisconsin, from the Cornish tin miners who settled here in the 1800's. That has a lot to do with the predominance of Lutheran and Catholic churches in much of Wisconsin, and it also contributes to a lot of the cultural norms and expectations that you'll find here.

Those ethnic origins also have a lot to do with the type of food you'll commonly find in Wisconsin. Of course, everyone knows about Wisconsin's cheese, and certainly dairy-based foods are big here, but there are also a lot of food traditions that are rooted in the ethnic heritage of so many Wisconsin natives. For example, the Friday fish fry that is such a huge and important tradition is related to the old injunction against eating meat on Fridays. You won't find a lot of heavily spiced foods in Wisconsin, either, as that was not a characteristic of the cooking of the Norwegians and Germans and Cornishmen who settled here a century and a half ago.

[BacktoNE]

Originally Posted by lidiapl2003

I was just wondering: What are the people like in Wisconsin?

Are you already located somewhere in the midwest? Or are you on one of the coasts? I ask because that will probably make a significant difference in how much culture shock you experience.

[berries]

we drink alot, we do not care about foreign affairs and we eat children. We go to bed early and wake up late. We let out garbage pile up and we do not shovel our walks. We are rude in public and we belch alot. we are very superficial and we all act like we are rich when in fact we are dirt poor.


Ok just joking............we are cold and covered in snow that does not seem like it wishes to leave this year, other than that we are pretty much like everyone else.

We are white, black, red and yellow. we are women and men and children. We are short, talll, fat and thin. We are young, old, sick and healthy............but most of all we are Illinois bashing cheeshead wearin, packer lovin beer drunk good folks

and very intolerant of stupid questions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JoshB]

Wisconsin is the place where people walk downtown on a Friday night and run into an old time friend and you enjoy a few laughs. Wisconsin is the place where you can count on a good fish dinner on a Friday night. Take a drive around Green Lake and you will be greeted with many smiles and waves from the Amish. There is many retired farmers that sit in the old cafes and talk about what yields will be made. I think Wisconsin seems to be like that place where there is white picket fences and tall Oaks. Green Valleys and Blue Lakes.

[ptroy]

People from Wisconsin are generally nice, case in point my dad has season Tickets , and we were at the Seattle vs. Packers game for the playoffs, giving these Seattle guys some crap. They said they was amazed at how civil we were about it. They said I got to say you Packer fans are nice to the opponents compared to other away games I've been at, and I've actually had a very enjoyable game. So, I mean although that might have been a rare occurrence at a Packer game, I like to think that others are like that as well.

[KateDaum]

We have found the people of Wisconsin to be very nice. We have lived in quite a few different states, out west and out east. If you show an interest in people they seem to respond back.
Honestly, I don't notice an accent to be strong. I hear it in isolated pockets. Not like out east where everyone sounded the same.
We only tailgated at a Packer game and didn't actually attend but found the fans to be very respectful of the Giant fans.
I thought the people out east were actually more defensive about their football teams. And they would talk about it daily. Got bored pretty quickly listening about Brady this and Brady that.
Wisconsin seems to be a more sports oriented state. I have heard a lot of Brewers and Badger talk lately. They seem to love sports in general, high school, college and professional.

[ali&ajsmom]

if you like friday night fish fries (which most sit down restaurants have) and are polite and friendly you will find that you will get a positive responce. There are alot more good friendly people than there are not so friendly people. and before I forget welcome to wisconsin the cheesehead state