does anyone out there love wi? (Milwaukee, Waukesha: living, dangerous, move)

[nanannie]

To be honest,there are still many places in Illinois that you can still leave doors unlocked.And there are places in Wisconsin you would never ever leave them unlocked.Illinois and Wisconsin are big states,with cities and troubled towns,and wide open friendly farms and safe country life.

[carmac]

Originally Posted by shannonM

all i hear is people moaning and groaning about the negatives of wisconsin i'm just wondering.......is there anyone out there that loves wi? i am living in california and want to move to your beautiful state lord willing but it would be nice to hear some positives!! thanks

Look what you started ShannonM...lots of positive things being said about Wisconsin...some negative...but, I'd say mostly positive...I'd say a lot of people out there do love Wisconsin!

[115db]

I loved it and only have been there twice. Yea, I know, people ask me how I would tolerate the winters there, being the 'skinny' person everyone says I am, but what does it matter? We have weather issues no matter where we live, out here its the extreme heat. It was 117 degrees today. And thats not too far of a difference from the rest of our summers here. Springtime and fall maybe just in the 90's or maybe just above the 100 mark. Get my drift?
Next visit out there, hopefully, will be up a little maybe towards Appleton, maybe De Pere or Osh Kosh, just to see other parts of the beautiful state.
Country life, friendly people and wide open farms.

[UpeoWaMacho]

Love:

Scenery--Most of the state is just gorgeous to look at (yeah, even miles of fields, from a rise)
15,000 lakes (take that MN! Canoeing and kayaking spots abound!)
Wildlife (Deer invade towns some evenings--and WI has wolves!!!)
No toll roads
Traffic (even in Milwaukee)
Relatively low crime (though the corridors between Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis are seeing an increase in gang/drug related crime)

Hate:

Doyle (governor)
Inability to legally protect oneself (concealed carry ban--not just difficult to get, outright banned--one of two states in the nation--IL being the other one--where it is banned. All other 48 states have concealed carry of some form--some more difficult to get, certainly)
Taxes (the sheer inefficiency of spending by the WI government is staggering)

The last two unfortunately finally forced me to move on....

[lizmagee]

Yes, WI can be pretty conservitve. But when you get closer to the college towns (Eau Claire for example) you will see quite a different side, it all depends on where you are.
I grew up in a somewhat small town of about 13,000 people and loved every second of it. The smaller towns in the north west part of the state are a great place to live and a great place to raise kids. Just like other people have said before me, what I might love (beautiful city parks, driving 5 miles in any direction and being in the country, fall colors in the woods, friendly people) might drive others insane.
If you're looking for a good place to live I suggest the Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire area. Eau Claire has a population of about 60,000 has good schools, a university, lots and lots of shopping, and tons to do year round. If you're looking for the smaller town experience, Chippewa is great. Population is about 13,000 and there's tons to do there as well. A great park, lakes and rivers, shopping, a fair every year, etc.

[geekduo]

Originally Posted by jackie cox

--------------------------wisconsin is ok if you have lots of money to pay for the system, be prepared for legal fees and unbelievable taxes, also affirmative can really trip you up, legally, what a civil servant can do, given the opportunity is amost unbelievable---Only in Wisconsin-Pretty for 3 months, not worth the risks of legal intanglement and biggotry---The taxes required to feed and house a significant part of the population whose 70% children are born out of wedlock-and take crack cocaine before giving birth so the friend social worker will declare the child a crack baby, worth 1200$ per month, This is only one way into the system, another, refuse to read, a slow learned gets 1200$ per month too. Start your family at 13, by 25 you can have 5 or 6 soon to be registered voters who can be bussed around to the different presincts for getting something affirmative going---Thats what I'm talking about---D--- a-- m----- f-----

Hey, obviously you seem to have had a bad experience where you live. That doesn't mean that you need to bash the whole state in general. Judging from your other posts, you live in Milwaukee and hate it. Ok, that's your opinion. But, don't go around making sweeping generalizations and insults based on your limited experience.
Maybe you had a bad attitude to begin with and that has affected your experiences?
Drop the chip on your shoulder and go travel into the rest of the state. You might just be surprised by it's natural beauty and friendly people!

[cavewoman]

I think sometimes we all need a place to whine... sometimes I may have written bad about Wisconsin, perhaps when I first moved there. However, after living in Minnesota a year, Wisconsin seems like heaven.
I actually live just a few miles from Wisconsin, and prefer to reference Wisconsin versus Rockford, which is to the South of me.
The Winters are a tad colder and longer than other suburbs outside Chgo., but not really much.

[115db]

Here we go again. Desert dwellers talk about the severe winters, while those of us who cant handle the heat complain of the 110+ summers of the Calif deserts, NM and Az. while Californians complain of 'tornado country' while we build homes and buildings according to earthquake standards. No matter you live, there are going to be weather issues of some sort and everyone will use that as a factor as to why they dont like it there (funny, most have never even been to some of those places, lol). Personally, I talk of the places that I have been and can relate to one issue or other. But its not like some of these disasters happen on a daily basis either.
Nonetheless, I loved Wisconsin and out south of Madison is probably one of my two favourite places that if I could, would live. Fireplaces and wood burning stoves serve well indoors, and with cold, you can always bundle up, while in an oven, you can only take off so much of clothing.
Simply put, I love the midwest!

[jessysunshine]

Originally Posted by UpeoWaMacho

Love:

Scenery--Most of the state is just gorgeous to look at (yeah, even miles of fields, from a rise)
15,000 lakes (take that MN! Canoeing and kayaking spots abound!)
Wildlife (Deer invade towns some evenings--and WI has wolves!!!)
No toll roads
Traffic (even in Milwaukee)
Relatively low crime (though the corridors between Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis are seeing an increase in gang/drug related crime)

Hate:

Doyle (governor)
Inability to legally protect oneself (concealed carry ban--not just difficult to get, outright banned--one of two states in the nation--IL being the other one--where it is banned. All other 48 states have concealed carry of some form--some more difficult to get, certainly)
Taxes (the sheer inefficiency of spending by the WI government is staggering)

I am right there with you on the "loves" and the "hates," although I don't like to use the word "hate" as it is just too strong for me, but you get the point.

I love Wisconsin! There are so many things to love about the state...
the people
the environment
the beauty
the lakes
the cabins on the lakes
the farms
the festivals
Maxwell Street Days
the wildlife
Friday Night Fish Fry
cheesehouses
the leaf trees
the old towns with neat old buildings
Kohler-Andrae State Park
the attitudes
the pride people have in their homes
the bluffs
the Dells
the down-to-earthedness
the varied and exciting weather
my family that all lives there WAHHH! I wanna go home to Wisconsin! Soon, very soon, we will live there. I can't wait!

[agatehunter]

Yes I love Wisconsin with all my heart. I have lived in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Washington State, and have travelled all over this
wonderful country of ours and still think Wisconsin is the most wonderful place. I currently reside in Missouri, and can't wait to get back to Wisconsin.