Looking for Utopia in WI (Milwaukee, Madison: house, rent, hotels)

[jessjoanaz]

My husband and I are originally from MN, moved to AZ and are ready to move back to the midwest (but not MN---too close to family). We are looking for the perfect suburban area to move to...not too close to the big city, but not too rural. I want to be near a University and good school district for my son to go to school (and for me to find a job!) We'd love to be able to buy an affordable house with a few acres of land. We are sick of gangs, crime and crazy people.

Does this Utopia exist in WI? Where is it?

[Drover]

Seems like you might want to look in the Whitewater area.

[galfromwi]

After living in several cities in Wisconsin, I found my "utopia" in Appleton and the Fox Cities. The Fox Cities are about 1.5 hours from Milwaukee, 2 hours from Madison and 3 hours from Chicago. Appleton is home to Lawrence University, UW Center Fox Valley and Fox Valley Tech college. Also, UW-Oshkosh is about 30 minutes away, as well as UW-Green Bay. Appleton has a good school public school system, with many charter schools to choose from, and also has reasonably priced homes-you can even get something on a few acres in the country, just out of the city limits, for under $200K. mod cut nearby towns include Neenah, Menasha, Greenville, Hortonville and Freedom. Appleton and the surrounding cities has everything a big city can offer (a great mall, stores, entertainment and the arts, good hospitals and healthcare, an abundance of jobs) but with a small town feel. In fact, I rarely have to or want to venture out of Appleton since I moved here 10 years ago. It is a safe community with lots of stuff for families to do. I have four kids and we always have more than enough activities to do here. I could go on and on about how wonderful it is here, mod cut By the way, I have a sister who also resides in AZ. She and her family are planning on moving to MN (as to not be so close to WI family!) or back to WI in the next year or two. -Michelle

[nanannie]

What about outside of Madison ? Mount Horeb, New Glarus, Oregon ?

[ekg56]

There are many areas in WI that will fit your requirements. La Crosse has some great small towns. Madison is also a great and I love the Mt Horeb area. Whitewater is also nice. Eau Claire also has some nice some small towns too.

[mistymoonlight]

I grew up in Tomah WI and live in AZ now - I sure do miss it there. I liked Tomah - not too big, but had LaCross nearby. You're close to Fort McCoy. I went back a few years ago for my Aunt's funeral and the place was booming! Though, it was mostly booming with cranberry marshes and there was this strange fog all over at night. Weird.

[BacktoNE]

I would recommend either Eau Claire or LaCrosse. Friendly people people and much more scenic. Or way up north in the Bayfield area. If Kate Daum sees this, she can fill you in on that area.

I'm in Appleton and don't recommend it at all unless you want to attend Lawrence University or have a shopping addiction, in which case this would be a good option.

[galfromwi]

Originally Posted by BacktoNE

I would recommend either Eau Claire or LaCrosse. Friendly people people and much more scenic. Or way up north in the Bayfield area. If Kate Daum sees this, she can fill you in on that area.

I'm in Appleton and don't recommend it at all unless you want to attend Lawrence University or have a shopping addiction, in which case this would be a good option.

jessjoanaz: I went to school in LaCrosse. It is beautiful, but VERY much a college party town and it is a far drive to any major city. I don't know about the job market in LaCrosse. I also lived near Eau Claire and would choose Eau Claire over LaCrosse based on your needs. Eau Claire is a college town but it is only about an our or so to the Twin Cities. Seeing as though you are from MN, this might be a nice choice. Bayfield is nice is but pretty small isolated, I would recommend just vacationing there, espeically if you have a family and are looking for a good school system and family activities. I would still highly recommend the Fox Cities, Appleton Area. Although there is plenty of shopping here, Appleton is not just about retail--we are by no means a major city! There are plenty of wonderful parks and outdoor activities here. I actually rarely go shopping! As I mentioned previously, there are two other colleges in town besides Lawrence University, and two more universities just 30 minutes away. It's nice to have the option of a UW system school, a tech school and a private university to choose from, right in the same town! Besides, Lawrence is a beautiful campus, which is an asset to the entire community. It is located near wonderful City Park. You said you wanted something not too near the big city, but not too rural. I truly think this area would be great for you! I love the fact that I can live "out in the country" on the outskirts of town, but have conveniences only a 10 minute drive away. We are very centrally located to where a trip to a large city or to the beautiful Northwoods of Wisconsin can be no more than a two hour car trip. BTW, Appleton is a city of about 80K. You should pay Appleton a visit. I find the people here very friendly. If there are residents here who think the only thing to do here is shop and tour Lawrence University, they clearly do not get out much and are really missing out on all this great area has to offer! -Michelle

[regrets]

I am not sure there is a Utopia in wisconsin unless you like paying taxes. This state kills people with taxes. Also be careful picking a small town. We live in Poynette and will regret raising my kids in this town. The schools priority here is MONEY, MORE MONEY. Our school could not afford to enter a spelling bee or give ONE extra egg to a group in family living because of budgets they tell the kids, but we can send a losing basketball team to MN for a weekend tournament and spend hundreds putting the team up in hotels. MONEY then WINNING at all cost. This school will not blink twice at leaving kids on the bench a whole game (basketball or football) which is against the rules, I am talking grade school age, or violating WIAA rules just to win. This is a very sorry example of schools in Wisconsin but more may be like this then I think. A very good ole boys mentality here.

[KateDaum]

I think Appleton is also great. We found a lot to do when we visited and it was a lot more then shopping. We went to the Fox Valley Symphony, watched the Timber Rattlers play and loved the Bubolz Nature Preserve. It is also not far from Door County, which we love and close enough to Milwaukee.
In the short time we have lived in WI we have not been bored. I look for festivals or museums or concerts within an hour or so of where we live. I ski, walk, hike and snow shoe. I've joined a book club and I will start my new job next week.
I think people need to get out of the house and enjoy what is around. I love going to small towns and checking out their chili or spaghetti dinners. It usually supports a good cause and it is fun to check out different places. I went to 4-5 different holiday concerts at churches in schools.
I really like all areas of WI. La Crosse/Eau Claire is beautiful. But so is the northern part of the state.
Taxes are lower then where we came from and schools are better. We feel so lucky to live here. We are glad we made the move.