Why are people leaving Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Madison: for rent, house, to buy)

[medicalmom]

Hey everyone! so I've been doing a years worth of research into moving to Wisconsin. I have studied Schools for me to further my education, cities that would be favorable for me and my family. I've looked into homes that will be coming up for rent when I move, but now getting nervous because I have seen that Wisconsin ranks number 10 as one of the states people are moving out of also there seems to be a lot of haters that live in Wisconsin that or telling me "don't do it " which is something I tell people about Oklahoma . Why are people moving away? I don't know what to do ,because I really want to get out of Oklahoma! I hate it here, but I don't know what state will be a good fit. I definitely want to move to a state that has a winter the length of winter I don't care about,long as it does not have 6 months of Summer, which I deal with now. I want to stay where there's no gun shots every night near your house,and that you can't even walk to the store without worrying about somebody robbing you which happens an awful lot where I live now. Access to really good Public Schools is a must. Rent must be reasonable ,if you can't get a 3-bedroom house for no less than $1,800 a month that's a little too much in my opinion. And before anyone suggest I should buy a house yes I know that but I got to get to a place in my life where I can afford a home to buy. Any feedback on Wisconsin is very helpful. Any suggestions on other states, if you feel Wisconsin is not a good state to move to is also helpful.

[WINH]

There is nothing wrong with Wisconsin. It is only in the eye of the beholder. Wisconsin is not #10 in moving out and their population is still increasing. The cold winters will scare some people away but other states have the same issue. Younger people see other areas as greener but unless you are in the warm climate zones people will continue to leave 60% of the other states. Wisconsin has a lot going for it as far as beauty, crazy but nice football fans etc, safe communities for the most part, many lakes and outdoor recreation opportunitys. No state is perfect as I have lived in many states and chose to retire where I grew up in Wisconsin. I suggest making a visit to the state and see for yourself

[Milwaukee City]

Originally Posted by WINH

There is nothing wrong with Wisconsin. It is only in the eye of the beholder. Wisconsin is not #10 in moving out and their population is still increasing. The cold winters will scare some people away but other states have the same issue. Younger people see other areas as greener but unless you are in the warm climate zones people will continue to leave 60% of the other states. Wisconsin has a lot going for it as far as beauty, crazy but nice football fans etc, safe communities for the most part, many lakes and outdoor recreation opportunitys. No state is perfect as I have lived in many states and chose to retire where I grew up in Wisconsin. I suggest making a visit to the state and see for yourself

Well actually it is...More people are migrating to west of the US shows study | Daily Mail Online

People that move from Wisconsin is to pursue something else, a better job a better climate or just want to live somewhere else. Don't take it personally and just because people are leaving Wisconsin doesn't mean we are doing anything wrong. I love Wisconsin but weather wise, I'd much rather live somewhere else. I enjoy wide open spaces and wildlife, face it in Wisconsin we have deer and some elk and a wondering moose every once in a while. Not much in terms of wildlife. Taxes, despite Walker's improvements we still are a high tax state and high property tax state. I will probably live in Wisco forever but let's be honest, our state isn't the greatest or even a Top 10 state to live in.

[ccjarider]

That study is pretty simple. It is just a % of moving trucks leaving a state vs coming into a state for one company. I would not put much stock into a silly article for making life decisions.

When looking at your requirements, WI is a good, viable candidate.
overall safety
reasonable housing cost
good public schools
limited summer weather
WI offers all these - but so do other mid-western states.

From my experience having lived in WI for 40 years, most people leave WI for better jobs or wanting to get away from winter. There were also plenty of people moving to WI for better jobs. The "better job" thing is personal, not a reflection on the state. I seldom met individuals or families who just plain hated WI.

As far as haters go, you hate Oklahoma and yet it probably would be a great place for many people.
Most haters have some very personal reason or issue that seldom translates for others. I have literally heard haters claim reason for their hate of an area is because the neighbor had a barking dog or the traffic on my road was too much or the ex wife is from there or something else just as silly. Really??? People are nuts - don't take too much from others. Go visit, interview for a job or two, drive around the state and make your own decisions.

We have moved around country and enjoyed our locations. We also knew we could always pack up and leave again if it did not work out or we just felt like going. Look at life as an adventure and don't overthink. Go to WI for a few years and try it. it is a really nice place with nice folks. I would like to live there again someday (but not in winter).

[Milwaukee City]

I will add this, I had a ton of friends move away for college and jobs after college and some to take a job a start up in LA and virtually every single one has moved back. Wisconsin has a great quality of life even if we are boring.

[RenoViking]

Here is my take. I was born in Oakland, Ca, and raised in Reno, Nv. I took the first chance I could to move out of state, which happened to be Seattle, Wa, when I was 19 (and I constantly state that's where I grew up). I hate Reno, being raised here, and I still feel the same way about this place, even though I had to move back for *reasons* beyond my control. Of course other people don't feel the same way I do, and some people actually love it here, including my father. Early this next summer we plan on moving to Wisconsin, because the state has more to offer than this hellhole. We are going to make it work the best for us that we can. We have been researching what we can from here , and truly think it will be better.

The point I'm trying to make is, a lot of people hate the area they grew up in, and jump on the first opportunity they can to get away. Sometimes people grow out of it, sometimes not. I am a true believer in making the best out of what you can. Do your research, and if it still feels right, then go for it.

[wiscokay]

People are different and have different preferences. Just because some people hate Wisconsin, it doesn't mean all people do. You want to get out of Oklahoma, but I know people who have moved there and love it.

As for me, I moved to Wisconsin 5 years ago. There are a lot of things to love about the state. I like that the city I'm in (Madison) is clean, the people are active and there are numerous things to do, especially outdoor activities. I like the landscape, hills and trees (I came from a flat, treeless eastern South Dakota). I, however, will be leaving Wisconsin in the foreseeable future. While there are a lot of things I enjoy here, I can't put up with the winters anymore (albeit better than South Dakota). I'd be happy to never see snow again (or at least have it melt after a couple days). Just because I want to leave, doesn't mean I'd put down Wisconsin to others that are contemplating moving here. I understand that I'm a warm weather person, but others may not see weather as such an important factor, or they prefer the colder winters like you said you do.

Wisconsin has a lot of pros, some cons. You just have to decide what's best for you and your preferences. I would highly recommend Wisconsin to anyone who asks, I'd just give them fair warning of the weather (oh and the high property taxes, too). Other than those two things, I don't really have much of anything negative to say about Wisconsin or the people that live here.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[brrabbit]

Originally Posted by wiscokay

People are different and have different preferences.

I lived in different countries, and in USA - I lived in both East and West coast for extended amount of time. I met a lot of people, and being not native to the places I lived, I met a lot of non-natives as well... I came to the conclusion, that everyone is either a positive person and generally likes any place (prefers to focus on good things and tolerates what he cannot change or move on), or is a negative one and focuses on his misery...


It's not in a place, be it Wisconsin, NYC, Los Angeles, Oklakhoma, or Detroit - it's in the person.

[sub]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

.....let's be honest, our state isn't the greatest or even a Top 10 state to live in.

Well, it's at least a top 15 by just about any measure.

I think the "haters" tend to be people who:
A. Don't like the cold.
B. Don't like Walker.
C. Don't realize the grass really is not greener.

We used to live up in that region of the country, moved "back home" to the south, and are planning our move back to something more fitting for us, Wisconsin being high on our list.
I've lived literally all over, travel extensively for my job, and I must say that the north-central region of the country is one of the nicer, cleaner, more civilized parts of the country. It's also down-to-earth and generally affordable to boot. That overall combination is surprisingly hard to come by.
Wisconsin is in my personal top 5-7 states for any metric, not just to live.
To the OP: I realize some people love Oklahoma and it's not all bad, but Wisconsin would be a substantial improvement to anyone who doesn't particularly like Oklahoma, especially for the reasons you listed.

[ranger17]

When we moved out of WI for about 6 yrs down to SC, it was purely due to the climate (we hate winter).
Overall loved what we had down there, but family and a grandbaby drew us back north.
Was the grass greener in SC? Well i can say it allowed me more months to mow said grass lol. Not to mention being on the lake in Jan meant boating and not ice fishing, and cruising top down did not cause frostbite.


Seriously, every state we researched and/or visited for that relocate had pros and cons, no different than here in WI. From politics to climate to recreation to general living, we could make a case for about anywhere to work or not work out.

Now that we've been back here for 3 years; I still hate winter, I am not happy with some of the changes Madison has seen recently, and don't always agree with the political climate (on either side). But being minutes from family counters all of that.

It is all in one's priorities. I can only add that for anyone looking to relocate to a new spot that is a true unknown, visit first and spend some time there.