leaving wisconsin survey (Milwaukee, Madison, Manitowoc: salary, tax, suburban)

[UW Badgers]

All that don't like living in Wisconsin can take our house in Iowa. You'd learn real quick that Wisconsin isn't so bad...Been here 5 long years after living in Wisconsin our whole lives. We are slowly trying to get back HOME. We will not be here another 5 years, not even another 2.

I know Wisconsin property taxes are high but other states that don't have high property taxes probably make up for it somewhere else.

Yeppers. We just had a city wide vote for a 1% sales tax hike to help rebuild from the flood we had a a year ago(in Cedar Rapids). The council said if it didn't pass our property taxes would go up in 2010. So everyone fell for it and passed it and they still raised our taxes anyway. Now property taxes here are cheap, though talking to natives they would tell you otherwise. Our's are about $1600 and my brother in Brown Deer pays $4000 for the same size house as us. We have a bigger yard too. So now we are at 7% sales tax. Oh and that money won't go to where it should either. The city hasn't done crap to help anyone who needs it. Hundreds of homes are sitting and rotting.

Car resgistration. We paid for both our new cars around $300 bucks each. I don't even know how it works here. Something either on how much it is or what it weighs. It goes down as the car gets older but not much. I think we paid $286 for each of cars this year.

Our car insurance was also higher then in Wisconsin and we sticked with the same company we have been with for 24 years. We couldn't believe how much it was.



Wind..get it all the time here too. What are ya gonna do. Certainly something I don't complain about especially because there are a thousand other things I could complain about here. This city rots. I'll trade places with you Wisconsin haters any day of the week.

[notmuch69]

I love everything about the country life in WI. Jan and Feb are a little extreme and the bugs can get bad but that's a small price to pay for all of the positives. Go Wisconsin!!!!

[susancruzs]

Someone mentioned water/trash bill! I pay an average of 75.00 a month in Two Rivers which includes, water, sewer, garbage pick up and electric. It might be 90.00 in Jan. and maybe close to 100.00 if I used the a/c. Last year I used my a/c twice (when I had company and they were complaining)!

We do recycle, bin was here when I bought the house. Garbage pick up once a week, recycling at the same time if you want, your choice. I notice some people on my block never recycle. Garbage does require a sticker $ 2.50, no special container, I use a large black bag every week, would be $ 125.00 a year, big deal!

[notmuch69]

$75 including electricity, WOW! We may get by with $150 in the winter. It's not uncommon for people to have a $500 monthly electric bill here in the summer.

[Milwaukee City]

taxes and weather are just killer here.

[susancruzs]

I should mention I'm by myself and I live in a small cape cod house! A family of 4 say the bill would be quite a big higher I'm sure and that is an average plus lately rates are lower rather than higher (compared to last year).

[BadgerGrl]

We pay $130 for 3 months of trash & recycling pickup in MN--is this high compared to WI? What really bugs me is they are so picky about what they'll take. They pick through the bags and sometimes leave a few behind. How the heck can they tell what's in there? It's never anything you can't throw out. What do they expect ppl to do with trash they won't take--keep it? Sometimes we take things to the in-laws out of town b/c their trash guys take anything

[notmuch69]

That sounds quite anoying.

[susancruzs]

Its high compared to where I am but I'm not sure about bigger towns, closer to Madison or Milwaukee, what their policies are or what people pay.

We have to bring yard waste, branches, etc. to a compost place. In fall, they will pick up leaves put by the curb. Of course, people putting a black plastic bag out for garbage can put anything in there, I guess. I use the compost place, not that big of a deal, 4 mis. out of town.

I've had stuff left behind in my recycle bin before, even if it has a 1 or 2 on it, I just try it again the next week!

[Central Illinois 1]

Best things about WI: Great people generally, relatively low cost of living (outside of swank areas in and around Milwaukee and Madison), good educational system, lots of outdoor activites, beautiful terrain in many parts of the satte (esp. Door Co., along the rivers, and Baraboo/Dells area).

Worst things about WI: the weather - yuck! (esp. November, December, March, and usually April - lots of gray, dreary, 40 degree "see your breath" weather - good times to go to FL or CA for vacation), little in the way of any glitz and glamour culturally, if you're from anywhere south of Chicago, people think that you are a "southerner"