Is Mineral Point as cool as I suspect? (Milwaukee, Madison: home, to buy)

[Lotus Gal]

Okay, this is likely to be long...but if anyone has the time to read it, I'd appreciate some frank advice. As much as possible!

I'm 28, and my husband is 30. We're both native to small Midwestern towns. We've done our share of casting about, so now we're looking to find a place to buy our first home, put down some roots and start a family. About five years ago I took a weekend trip to Mineral Point with my parents, and I thought it was just about the sweetest place I'd ever been in the Midwest. I had a premonition that I might end up there, but I didn't think about it too hard. Now I'm starting to think about it again. It seems ideal. I am a writer and an art lover and just generally interested in anything that's beautiful and old (often beautiful and old). I want to be someplace where people are kind and open-minded, and where supporting the arts is important in the community. My husband is a history buff who cherishes quiet and being able to see stars at night. We like the lovely, gentle landscape of southwestern Wisconsin. We love the idea of being in a rural area where we would also be in relatively close proximity to three major metropolitan centers (Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago) for convenience and an occasional change of pace. We think we can handle the winters. I just wonder about a few things:

For one, we're not from there. Would it be hard as "carpet-baggers" to really become part of the community? I have been moving around ever since I graduated from college and I'm ready to be part of a community I can really call home and invest in. Is Mineral Point clannish? If so, is there any hope that we could become part of the clan? I understand that anywhere you go, you have to earn your stripes. But I don't want to be fighting a losing battle, you know?

Also, I'm of mixed ancestry. My father was Indian (from India) and my mother is Scandinavian (my husband is Scotch-Irish). I'm very proud of both sides of my ethnic heritage. The city we live in now has proved to be very pointedly and disturbingly dedicated to racism, sadly. There have been multiple ugly incidents and there is often a hint of hostility existing just below the surface in everyday interactions. It hurts my heart. I don't think I could take much more of that kind of tension, especially not in the place we call home. I guess it's stupid to make any assumptions, but I tend to think that artists are...I don't know...groovier about that kind of thing. Like, more progressive and open, or whatever. Mineral Point is an Art Town, right? Is it safe to make that assumption that Mineral Point is going to be pretty racially groovy? Will I be okay there?

Lastly, we would like to be able to support organic agriculture wherever we go. Are there going to be CSA's to join/participate in anywhere in Iowa County?

This has been long-winded, so thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any information you can provide. Don't mince words! I want the real scoop!

[aadunn]

My husband and I are 32 and we moved here almost 3 years ago from Madison though neither of us are from Wisconsin. We absolutely love it here.
To answer some of you questions:
Most of the artist community is "new" to town and I must say the community is very open to them. Of course there are the "old" Mineral Point families but they are very accepting of new people. You can tell they care about their town and want it to thrive.
Mineral Point is very homogeneous. That's one think that I would like to see change. So please come and help us out
Organic veggies are very easy to find here. (In the summer that is. Not the best grocery stores for winter produce.) You can find organic locally grown produce at the Mineral Point farmers' market every Saturday morning May-Oct. Plus you could sign up for a CSA, too.

Final note -- this town really is great. We have open mic once a month, a summer concert series at the Gundry house. Pub night twice a year. Gallery nights. Good restaurants. A film society that meets once a month. Shake Rag Alley to get out your creative side. Live outdoor theatre in the summer. Knitting night. A ballet school. I could go on and on.

Oh, one more thing. We have made so many friends just like us. Young 30's, not from here, who just fell in love with the town.

Come again to check us out! This probably sounds weird but I'd be happy to take you around.

mineralpoint.com

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I grew up on the south side of Milwaukee and currently reside on the west side of Milwaukee. So I'm city-boy through and through. But my in-laws live on a farm near Dodgeville, which is 7 miles away from Mineral Point. I've been going out there on a regular basis for the last decade and even lived out there for a little while some years back.

I know that if I lived out there, I would dearly miss the everyday variety and bustle of city life. But if I were to move to a small town or a rural area, I would definitely move to Dodgeville or Mineral Point. The area holds a special place in my heart and really is my "second home," due to the incredible friendliness and hospitality of the people I know there.

Compared to other small towns, Dodgeville and Mineral Point have a bit more going on, due mainly to the presence of the Lands' End global Headquarters in Dodgeville, and strong tourist trade in Mineral Point, which supports the many art galleries, restaurants and shops along the main street. Both towns have a strong sense of history and local identity, but are open to "outsiders."

You mentioned the delicate subject of how a person of your complexion would get by in a town like Mineral Point. While I love these towns, I do have to present some honest observations I have about that subject:

It is rare to see a person of color in Dodgeville or Mineral Point. Since people are so friendly out there, I doubt you would encounter any overt hostility. A few years ago I brought a good friend of mine from the big city to visit the farm and the surrounding towns out there. This friend of mine is a very dark complected black woman, and she did not report feeling any strange vibes or stares from people in town. Although in one grocery store we went in, the cashier may have never seen a black person before, because he couldn't stop staring at her. I noticed this, my friend said she didn't.

One friend of the family is married to a man from Mexico, and she says her husband is little reluctant to travel out to Southwest Wisco because he feels like he stands out. While the area is overwhelmingly white, some things are changing. Many of the farm families I know out there in recent years have hired Mexican farmhands. There are too few of them around at this point to support anything close to a taqueria or Mexican food store, but they are around. And, I have to be honest, I am sometimes perturbed by the way people out there talk about "the Mexicans." They are seen as hardworkers, family oriented, but still very "foreign" and somewhat suspect. What gets me the most is that I very rarely hear people refer to their Mexican farm workers by their names. They are simply referred to as "Mexicans," as in "yeah, so I hired a new Mexican last week, the other one quit a few months ago...." and "do you guys have a Mexican? Mine has a brother looking for work." It's all very disturbing to me, and if there wasn't such pressure out there to "be polite," I would say, "you know, your 'Mexican' probably DOES have a name!"

Iowa County is split between farmers and those who commute every day to office jobs in Madison, Platteville or Dubuque. My experience is mainly with the farmers, so the other Iowa County crowd may be a little different.

[everwinter]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee Ronnie

There are too few of them around at this point to support anything close to a taqueria or Mexican food store, but they are around.

Darlington, the next town south of Mineral Point recently opened a Mexican grocery, church, and restaurant. Lots of Mexicans flooding in.

[Lotus Gal]

This is really good, direct information. Thanks, everybody! And it makes my heart happy that we can all talk about race so honestly and yet peacefully. Really. It's heartening. Sometimes the comments I read on here give me terrific heartburn.

I thought of one other thing. We've gone through a hard winter here in Illinois, and I have a friend in Madison who said this winter has been mind-bogglingly cold, dark, and snowy.

What is the culture like in Mineral Point/Dodgeville during the winter? A snowy holiday season is appealing, but wintry weather into March and April sounds harsh. What does everybody do to stave off the winter blues? Or does everybody just hibernate until May?

And Monica, thanks so much for the friendly advice. I may need to ask for help when we visit this summer and I would love to see the town with somebody who knows it better than we do!

[KateDaum]

We love the outdoors so we thrive on winter weather. Actually we are up north and didn't have as much snow as the southern part. We also had tons of sunny days.
We ski, snow shoe, skate, and take walks in winter. We also checked out tons of community events. We went to plays,museums, concerts, exhibits, basketball and hockey games. There are many things to do in winter both indoors and out. You decide if you want to make the effort to get out and discover what winter offers.

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

This winter has been HORRIBLE.

Madison this year has broken their all time snow record by over 30 inches. I mean think about how insane that is: not only have they had more snow this winter than any other winter in recorded history, they've had almost three feet more snow than the old record! It's crazy!

Here in Milwaukee, we've had (so far) the second snowiest winter ever. The only winter with a higher snow total was the winter of 1885! Again, I tell you: this is crazy! The only time our city has had more snow in a single winter was when horse and buggies plied the streets, most of the city had no electricity and Chester A. Arthur was president!

You asked what folks in Dodgeville/Mineral Point do over the winter months. This year, they've hunkered down. It's been such a miserable winter, most of us are just trying to make it through. Most folks I know out there are farmers, so they're hit especially hard. My in laws are up to their noses in snow (almost literally), they've lost some livestock to disease, the barn is flooding on warm days. It's a mess.

But this is not your typical year. Most winters are lot more manageable than this one. In the winter months people can do a lot of outdoor activities such as cross country skiiing, snowmobiling, or ice skating, especially at Governor Dodge state park, just north of Dodgeville. The winter usually doesn't seem to slow down the Mineral Point arts scene too much, although the tourist trade is a lot more active in the warmer months.

Most winters have some snow and ice, but people are still able to live a halfway normal life. This year has been historically bad.

[KateDaum]

We are planning on visiting Mineral Point this summer. We heard that the cornish pasty is something everyone should try. We want to check out some of the state parks in the area.
The southern part of the state was hit hard with snow. We are in the northwestern part of the state. We had about 60 inches of snow. I know Madison had 100. We had a nice slow melt with no flooding. It was enough to let us get out and enjoy our winter sports, snow shoeing, skiing, even a little ice fishing.

[montyc]

Originally Posted by everwinter

Darlington, the next town south of Mineral Point recently opened a Mexican grocery, church, and restaurant. Lots of Mexicans flooding in.

I'll bet the Native Americans said that about the white man back in the day. Who cares if Mexicans are "flooding" in, as long as they're legal and willing to be a contributing member of society.

[TheModCottage]

I know this post is older, but if anyone reads this I'd love any specific advice on where to go, where to eat in Mineral Pt. and the surrounding area.

My Husband and I are originally from northern Illinois and are going "home" to visit the parents October 21-28. We are considering a move back to the Midwest (from Norfolk, Virginia) and I have always been fascinated with Wisconsin. I am an artist and am especially drawn to communities that support the arts and Mineral Pt. sounds almost too perfect with it's artists and everything!

If any locals can give me some perspective on this wonderful sounding small town, I'd like to hear that too!

Thanks!