Need suggestions for small, rural, family town in WI... (Madison: real estate, low crime)

[pearlsnspurs]

My husband, 6 month old daughter and I are planning on relocating from icky Florida to Wisconsin. We are looking for very specific things in a place to live :

-Small (under 5,000 residents)
-Rural (we would love to have a hobby farm over 10 acres)
-LOW CRIME! (I want my kids to feel safe riding their bikes in town)
-PICTURESQUE downtown and neighborhoods.. It may seem superficial but I am a sucker for a cute little downtown with flowers hanging on the street posts and the whole 9 yards.
-Seasonal festivals, farmers markets and community events
-High quality schools ( I know most of Wisconsin fits that bill!
-Grocery stores, retail stores within 30 minute drive (Target, Wal Mart, etc. for budget shopping)
-Preferrably within a 30-45 minute drive of Madison (my favorite) or Eau Claire (my husband's commute)
-Affordable (we will have only one income.. and are hoping to spend less than $200,000 on our land or farm)

Any help you can give would be much appreciated. We are hoping to get out of here before July 1st!

[mawipafl]

Wish I could help, but I only know the area west of Madison, and that wouldn't fit the bill for an Eau Claire commute.

[ali&ajsmom]

a couple that i can think of would be

Alto-unincorperated about 2 miles from waupun, 20 minutes to fond du lac
(wal-mart, target, best buy, mall & lots of others)

Juneau-in the county seat, 30 minutes from madison, farmers market around
the court house.

Waupun-appx 10,000 people small town feel, 45 minutes to madison 20
minutes to fond du lac, avenue of angels around christmas (very
pretty at night),

Brandon-10 minutes to fond du lac, 60 minutes to madison, close ripon
(kmart)

Randolph-30-40 minutes to madison, 30 minutes to dells close to beaver Dam
shopping (wal mart, shopko, ect)

these are a few of the smaller towns but is would suggest that you take some time and visit some of the smaller towns and get a feel for what you would like. I actually live between alto and waupun and I love it. I can let my kids play outside and not worry about them (except when they into the horse pasture) I am assuming that you have looked some up on CD. Good luck in your home search.

[KateDaum]

Welcome to WI. I will look through my husband's relocation stuff and see what I can find. Columbus is a nice town but I'm not sure if you will find something with land for around 200,000.

[dreamhunter65]

Maybe Chetek area, Cameron, or Osseo, Augusta and those areas around. Smaller communitys but Chetek,Cameron areas probably cheaper on land but then again anything up here is cheap as nothing selling now. I would say Ladysmith but 60 minute drive to Eau Claire..

Also may check out Cornell, Jim Falls, Cadott and some areas around them.

Welcome to Wisconsin.

[JoshB]

I'd go more towards Eau Claire if that's where your husband works. Plus I think you'd find land cheaper that way as well.

[ali&ajsmom]

Originally Posted by JoshB

I'd go more towards Eau Claire if that's where your husband works. Plus I think you'd find land cheaper that way as well.

I agree do agree with you it is alot cheaper to find land around eau claire. if you are lucky and want fixer upper you may find a home near columbus but not likely. you may get lucky we found our home a fsbo with 19 acres for about 225,000. so i am not saying it cannot happen. ( in my last message i put areas i am familer with) I used to sell real estate in the area of randoph, beaver dam, waupun columbus and ect and the farther north you go the better prices you are going to find and if you are not right on top of a larger city.

are you currently in wisconsin? just wondering because you would get a better feel for certain areas and find out about local events that communities you like have annually.

again good luck in your search.

welcome to wisconsin

[KateDaum]

Checking through my husband's files I agree that the Eau Claire area would be a cheaper rural area. Bloomer might be another one to check out. Eau Claire is a really nice area.

[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.

[pearlsnspurs]

also, does anyone have info on Ft. Atkinson? I have heard great things about festivals and family involvement there. But I'm not so sure about affordability..