Thinking about relocating to Green Bay or Sturgeon Bay from Upstate, NY. Please Help! (Milwaukee: rental car, apartments)

[paperqueen]

Hey NY! Hubby and I relocated to Appleton from Jamestown, NY ten years ago. We are happy here; I would like to be in an area that was a little more hilly, more reminiscent of WNY. GB certainly is "hillier" (?? Is that even a word? ) than Appleton. I prefer Appleton to GB because I feel there is more "stuff" here; if you like to shop at all, Apltn has the (1st? 2nd?) largest mall in the state. But I understand your impressions of both cities, and based on what you are looking for, GB may be better for you.

We have always been impressed with what WI does with our money -- coming from NY, I'm sure you'll know what I mean. Instead of everything going to (NYC), WI builds parks, protects wetlands, and builds great bike trails. Most WI natives don't know what they have, and how much better it is here than elsewhere!!

I've always been impressed with the economy here, and I don't believe you'll have any problem finding a great job in either city. Personally, I'm currently "between careers", as I like to say, so what do I know??

I don't think you can go wrong coming to WI. Best of luck!!

Erin
PS: I liked your novel -- I'm the same way!

[NYGRRL]

Hi Erin, Thanks for your input. I know what you mean about what WI does with it's money vs NY - that's part of my attraction to the state - their environmental awareness and how they preserve their resources. I am encouraged about the economy too - upstate NY where I live is really suffering. Again, thanks for the encouragement! Bonnie - aka NYGRRL :-)

[DaBears]

I have an aunt & uncle that live in sturgeon bay...really nice area...used to go when i was younger...have you thought of living in DePere?

[WeLuvItHere]

Hey Bonnie-NYGRRL! I'm also an ex-Rochesterian! Went to U of R, moved to Wisconsin about 11 years ago. Now I'm in LaCrosse looking to move to Oshkosh/Appleton area.

Still a diehard Bills fan. Beating the Pack this season was especially satisfying.

I have considered moving back to WNY recently but like you said the economy there is dog awful! I've had multiple recruiters looking for me and no one could find a job with decent pay! So I guess we're staying in Wisconsin for good. Man I wish I could get season tickets to the Ralph though.

As for Wisconsin living, taxes are much lower here and is a great place to raise a family - if that's what you need. The more metro areas are more progressive and liberal - perfect for a WNYer. But when you get out to the rural parts of the state, you'll find life to be about 20 years backwards and very conservative. So like you, we're staying in the "bigger" cities. Not Rochester 1.5 million big, but 60K population is a decent size in Wisconsin.

Let me know if you need anything else!

[NYGRRL]

Dear WeLuvITHere - poor Ralph - the last 3 games have been blacked out here due to poor ticket sales. No one can really understand it cuz the Bills seem to be having a great season. You could probably pick tickets up for a song!

Don't know much about LaCrosse but I have friends in Appleton and have been there to visit. Nice, but I found it to be like Henrietta - very developed, sprawly and the traffic was murder. Plus, it was very flat and not a cow to be found anywhere! But the economy seems to be humming and the crime rate is very low.

Thanks for your thoughts re taxes and attitudes. Given that you know what taxes are like here, it's reassuring to get your take on it.

Just a question - why would you consider returning to WNY?

As for me - I'm leaning towards Sturgeon Bay if I can find a job. I'm just a country mouse at heart. Thanks again for your input! Any other thoughts are welcomed!

[Economist T.Shepster]

I don't have much time to leave much analysis this time but I'll give you a quick brief based on what I saw. I could go on for days about all the nice things GB has to offer, but since you're concerned let me just cut to the negatives to see if this is what you'd like to see in your community. Anywhere on the West side (the river divides GB in two) is nice. The East side has its pockets of increasing Hispanic populations. Surprising many store signs have more spanish than english. There is also a few schools that teach in spanish. The area is off of Danz Ave and right around that area of Baird Creek, along University Ave, and also areas around the middle of Mason St (E and W).

That's only the tip.. when I have more time I will explore other aspects. And the flirting areas around GB (DePere, Oneida (tribe land, but open to all), Howard, Ashwaubenon, ect. STAY TUNED!

PS- in regards to someone who said Schneider National is the largest carrier in the World - I used to work there and am flattered you'd think so.. but it's actually just the biggest in the United States. There's shipping companies overseas in Asia that dwarfs us. We showed profits of nearly 10 Billion. On the Discovery channel I saw how a Shin-hye (spelling?) shipping company made 800 Billion in Profits. Mind-numbing I know!

[NYGRRL]

Shepster - Thanks - I'll stay tuned - looking forward to thoughts on west side communities. I think Suamico stole my heart - loved being so close to all the nature preserves and Bay - any thoughts on it? :-)

[illwauk]

I don't know about Sturgeon Bay, but I wouldn't suggest Green Bay to anyone. It's a conservative hellhole where the people don't care about anything but drinking, bowling, deer-hunting and (of course) the Packers. Trust me, unless you're a football fanatic (not a fan, but a FANATIC) Green Bay is not the place you want to be.

[GreggB]

I believe Green Bay is sometimes reffered to as "A Drinking Town, with a Football Problem"!!

[lem]

Originally Posted by illwauk

I don't know about Sturgeon Bay, but I wouldn't suggest Green Bay to anyone. It's a conservative hellhole where the people don't care about anything but drinking, bowling, deer-hunting and (of course) the Packers. Trust me, unless you're a football fanatic (not a fan, but a FANATIC) Green Bay is not the place you want to be.

This guy must have had a bad exprience in GB. Conservative yes but BOWLING??? wtf is that, I live in GB and hate deer hunting as do most of my friends, actually I barely know anyone who goes deer hunting.From Jan. to July exclude Draft weekend you hardly hear **** about the packers unless it's free agency time or they sign someone.Poor fella fell off the beatin path and decided to rip a city he obiviously knows little about.