Need suggestions for small, rural, family town in WI... (Madison: homes, schools)

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by pearlsnspurs

Thank you all for your replies! We are unsure whether he will be working in Eau Claire or Madison, but Eau Claire jobs look more promising at this point. We are in Florida right now unfortunately but are planning a week long trip up there when he gets some interviews lined up. I have family I could send out to scout (They live in Whitehall, Minneapolis, and Madison area) but I'm hoping to make my rounds and get a feel for some different towns.

Does anyone know much about
-Boyceville (Is it a good family community? How bad/long is the commute to Eau Claire?)
-Green Lake

Whether he gets hired in Madison or Eau Claire, we are hoping to keep the commute under an hour.

If anyone is familiar with the town of Northfield, MN.. think of it 10-15 years ago.. that is pretty much my perfect town, I wuold love to live in a town very similar to that but with a smaller population and grwoth sprawl than there is now. As far as downtown, I probably couldn't paint a more perfect picture in my mind of my dream town!

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I will look into each of the towns you all mentioned.

Prescott Wisconsin is similar to Northfield but too far away from where you are looking. It might help some other people in Wisconsin make suggestions though.

Downtown Hudson is also similar to Northfield if that helps anyone (again, too far away for you though).

[bernitt]

Check out the attached link.
If you follow Highway 29 East from Eau Claire you will find many towns that fit what you are looking for. Cadott, Stanley, Thorp, Owen-Withee. I prefer O-W because of the school ratings and the opportunity for students to join the "youth options program" in WI this allows high school seniors to start their first year of college and finish their senior year at the same time and the school pays for all college costs except housing. The school board determines but O-W has an excellent record of many kids taking this option.
The commute time you have given works with many of these towns. The land costs are cheaper, most of all the small home town you're looking for can be any one of these towns, check them out.
Owen-Withee (broken link)

[JoshB]

To the OP, I wouldn't consider Green Lake, that town is overpriced! Many, many tourist. The area there is quite beauiful but realistically, its farther than 1hr. from Madison and more for Eau Claire.

[berries]

with gas prices the way they are why on earth would you stick your hubbie in a car for 2 hours a day. why not live 5 minutes from a job and take a bike. It is not like eau claire and mad town are hotbeds of crime

[pearlsnspurs]

he will be in a sevice truck, gas and maintenance paid, plus he really enjoys the driving time to unwind after a long day. I love downtown Madison, I think it's a great place to raise a family, but we see ourselves and our family in a teeny litte town with a family farm. downtown anything is not our style besides the occasional day trip to visit. we need elbow room and room for our toys and animals! it's true, though. gas prices don't favor such a lengthy commute.

[pearlsnspurs]

thanks everyone for your help! the hwy 29 area looks appealing to us.

[bernitt]

Things you can't find on the internet.
One last word of advise. If looking for a hobby farm or land you are much better off going to the area and checking out places for sale by owners, not realtors. There is more for sale not listed with a realtor than listed. The deals are worth looking. I also lived in Madison 13 years and moved to northern WI. I will never regret that move. I bought a 85 acre hobby farm, with barns and executive home. Listed with a realtor for $115M, after the listing ran out I bought it from the owner for $74M. The deals are out there, you just have to look. I have a good laugh when I see the listings of property on the internet. It's worth it to take a trip to the area, visit little cafes and ask around but if you want to find out about the real deals, stop at the local taverns, relax, have a drink and get to know the people. Small town taverns are still the meeting places for people in northern WI. Always have been, always will be.

[pearlsnspurs]

Originally Posted by bernitt

Things you can't find on the internet.
One last word of advise. If looking for a hobby farm or land you are much better off going to the area and checking out places for sale by owners, not realtors. There is more for sale not listed with a realtor than listed. The deals are worth looking. I also lived in Madison 13 years and moved to northern WI. I will never regret that move. I bought a 85 acre hobby farm, with barns and executive home. Listed with a realtor for $115M, after the listing ran out I bought it from the owner for $74M. The deals are out there, you just have to look. I have a good laugh when I see the listings of property on the internet. It's worth it to take a trip to the area, visit little cafes and ask around but if you want to find out about the real deals, stop at the local taverns, relax, have a drink and get to know the people. Small town taverns are still the meeting places for people in northern WI. Always have been, always will be.

Thanks for your advice! We will be renting for the first year or two to make sure that everything is solid before we venture out and buy, so we will definitely take your advice and explore and really delve for the best deal.

Wow, $74M? Does the M stand for million? I had no idea there were properties for that much in the area! That must really be a gorgeous property.

[bernitt]

Actually M is for thousand. $74,000.00 for 85 acres, 40 acres wooded, executive home, 2 barns and 2 car garage. That's why I laugh when I see the real estate listed on the internet.
Good luck with your journey.

[pearlsnspurs]

Oh! I thought that sounded a little high. I'm just used to seeing K for thousand. That's an amazing price! We will definitely have to talk to the locals to find that kind of a deal. The Owen-Withee area is beautiful and very convenient to Eau Claire from the looks of it, thanks for that tip.

Do you have any livestock or crops on your property? If so, do you have any problems with wild animals taking out livestock? We have a small child and many more to come, plus two chihuahuas and more animals to come when we get up there and I'm curious about what kinds of precautions I may need to take to keep them safe.. We will have an American Bulldog and Newfoundland for some protection, but is a tall fence necessary as well? Sorry for so many questions