relocating to or near Baldwin, WI (Eau Claire, River Falls: apartment complex, condo, wage)

[stacymae]

Hello. I live in S St Paul, MN and me and my boyfriend are looking to relocate to or near Baldwin, WI. (to be closer to his new job) We need information on apartment renting. Also are there any jobs available- home care or nursing homes, even restaurant jobs??
Your help would be greatly appreciated!!

[angelaf]

Hi Stacy,
I moved from west-central MN to Baldwin and have lived here for almost 3 years now. (I don't like it here and will be leaving before it snows again, but it's mainly a matter of personal opinion.) There aren't a lot of apartment complexes in town, but there are a few older ones and a few newer ones. There are also some twin homes or condo-type places that have been built recently.
As for jobs, there is one nursing home here called (I think) the Baldwin Care Center. In Hammond, 3 miles to the west, there's another nursing home. As for restaurant jobs, in Baldwin there is Shelly's Northside Cafe, which is a tiny little place where farmers go for breakfast mostly-- they have weird hours there, open from like 5:30am til 2pm most days I think. They probably pay minimum wage and your tips would be very little. There's also a newer place called Cafe Tango, it's a little coffee shop/cafe. They might pay a little better. They keep changing their hours but I think they're open from about 7am-5pm. There's one other restaurant down by the interstate called the Coachman, maybe slightly better tips there too. Then there's Hardee's, DQ, McD's, Subway and A&W.
Oh, and as far as home care jobs, there aren't any home health care companies based in Baldwin (this is a very small town) but there are several around. I work for REM out of River Falls myself. I have clients in River Falls and Hudson. Unless you find a job in Baldwin, Hammond or Woodville (both Hammond and Woodville are 3-4 miles away) or Roberts (10 miles away) everything is at least 20 miles from Baldwin (New Richmond, Hudson, River Falls, Ellsworth).
Your best bet for jobs and apartments would be the classifieds at rivertowns.net--the Hudson Star Observer, the River Falls Journal, Pierce County Herald and New Richmond News are all available there and will all have ads for Baldwin (if there are any). There is also a weekly paper here called the Baldwin Bulletin but it's not available online, and there's the Bargain Bulletin that comes out on Saturdays and has all the job and apartment listings in it. If you have any other questions, let me know, I'd be glad to help!

[joylynn]

If you are looking for jobs and available housing/renting options, I would recommend Hudson . There are many opportunites for both and yet you are close to the cities for additional shopping and entertainment. School in Hudson have always been excellent and the town is booming. With the current housing situation it is DEFINITELY a buyers market.

[DaisyMae06]

If you are from St. Paul, you will hate Baldwin-Woodville. If you are not born in either community - you will be treated like an outsider - forever!
If you are not Dutch you are outside of everyone in Baldwin. If you are not Norwegian you are outside of everyone in Woodville!

There are no jobs here. The only way to get a good job is if someone dies or moves away. Everyone is related to each other here and they tell each other about the jobs before they hit the papers. Pay scale is terrible here. You can't live on it and the rents are way too high for the low pay scale.
Everything is expensive and you have to drive to Hudson 22 miles or Menominee 22 miles to shop. Groceries are very expensive. People are very clique' and nosey. Gossip is abundant in these small towns. Everyone is into your business.

I have lived here for eight years. My X-husband grew up here. I can't wait to move back to Eau Claire ASAP! I have lived all over the world and this area is the worst place I have ever lived. Germans were friendlier than these people! Most of them have never lived anywhere else. The farthest they have been is St. Paul or Minneapolis. Ultra conservative yet Democrats mostly. Farmers, or retired farmers or farmers children. They don't want progress. Don't frequent new businesses so they fail and shut their doors six months after opening. Libraries are poorly stocked. Taxes are high. THEY DON'T TIP! If you get a quarter or a dollar you are really lucky!

Move to Hudson so you have easy access to Woodbury or St. Paul!!!! Better job opportunities and pay. Hope this isn't too late.

[mel55880]

I completely agree, Baldwin doesn't have much to offer people who are moving. I would suggest you move to Hudson or River Falls, it would be closer to Baldwin then where you are living now, but you would also have more opportunities for work and more apartment rental options.

All these areas are small towns, but I also worked in the Health Care area and found several Group Homes in the Hudson area and they pay pretty decent. There are tons of restaurants there too where you could work... Perkins, Denny's, Country Kitchen, Applebees... the list could go on and on.

I grew up in Hudson and lived there for 20 years. The town is nice and growing at a rapid pace. You might find your treated like an outsider at first, but you'll eventually fall into things and people will begin to accept you. I have to say it's definitely a better option then moving to Baldwin.

[mel55880]

Here is the link to the Hudson newspaper... They have job listings in there!

· Hudson Star-Observer ·

[webby]

My husband's job brought our family here just about a year ago. We build a home in Berkeseth Heights and couldn't have better neighbors! Our children attended the community preschool here in town and the teachers as well as the other children's familys are great. If you have a smile on your face, chances are the people here smile back. Yes, it's a small town and anything you want to do is 20 min. away (including groceries; because they are expensive here); but it's a no hassle community with kid friendly neighborhoods. I was truely blessed when I got a local office job. The fact is that most people aren't from here either and those who are, just want to know you're not going to insult the way they live. I'm from a big city and I miss the convienience, taxes are too high, but I wouldn't give my house up, my neighbors, or the people I work with. Look at foreign countries, how people pay big money to live in secluded areas. I just see this as an opportunity to raise my children in a safe neighborly area. Hudson is about as far away as driving across a med. sized city and they have plenty of ideal jobs.

[crazyme4878]

I would much rather live in Baldwin then Hudson. Hudson has a much higher crime rate (although I suppose its still low compared to large cities). It also has a reputation (from surrounding small towns) for being snobby, although I have absolutely no evidence of that. I just shop there once in awhile!

I grew up in a town near Baldwin. I think attitude is everything. If you act like you hate the place or that the people couldn't possibly be smart or hip or progressive because they are farmers' children, then they will not make you feel welcome. Its the same everywhere--people don't want new people to come in and tell them everything that is wrong with them. So, look at your own way of life and attitude. If you are really married to the idea of a large city, then, yes, Hudson would be much better for you. But if you are "up for anything," enjoy your time there, learn new things and decide whether small town living in the long run is really for you or not.

By the way, I don't know about Baldwin in particular, but most small town rentals are houses or a house split into two apt. (upper and lower). I've always had luck in other small towns with the local "free" paper. Otherwise, get the newspaper to mail you a few recent copies.

[Marshpodin]

Originally Posted by DaisyMae06

If you are from St. Paul, you will hate Baldwin-Woodville. If you are not born in either community - you will be treated like an outsider - forever!

That's the truth, especially if you happen to not be white. It's kind of a closed community. That being said, my husband and I lived in Woodville for two years. There was nothing to do, and nowhere to go but the bars. I was lucky finding a job-my best friend's parents owned the grocery store. There are nursing homes in both Baldwin and Woodville, both having a high rate of employee turnover.

I would follow the above suggestions and consider Hudson. That way, you're in a decent-sized town, plus it's a short drive to the Cities.

I wish you well, and have a good move!

[CountryGal27]

Originally Posted by Marshpodin

That's the truth, especially if you happen to not be white. It's kind of a closed community. That being said, my husband and I lived in Woodville for two years. There was nothing to do, and nowhere to go but the bars. I was lucky finding a job-my best friend's parents owned the grocery store. There are nursing homes in both Baldwin and Woodville, both having a high rate of employee turnover.

I would follow the above suggestions and consider Hudson. That way, you're in a decent-sized town, plus it's a short drive to the Cities.

I wish you well, and have a good move!

"Nowhere to go but bars"

That pretty much sums up EVERY small town in NW WI.