Thinking of moving to Green Bay (Milwaukee, Madison: apartment, amusement park, low crime)

[aakoch]

Hopefully I'm adding to the thread instead of hijacking it..
What I should have said is that I am considering a job in Green Bay. So, perhaps the better question is are there reasonably nice places to live that are within commuting distance of Green Bay?

[jjacobeclark]

Originally Posted by aakoch

I am also considering moving to Green Bay. I did a quick MapQuest of Green Bay to Appleton and it says it's about 30 minute commute. Does that sound right? Is it a reasonable commute to work in Green Bay and live in (closer to) Appleton?

Originally Posted by aakoch

Hopefully I'm adding to the thread instead of hijacking it..
What I should have said is that I am considering a job in Green Bay. So, perhaps the better question is are there reasonably nice places to live that are within commuting distance of Green Bay?

30 minutes sounds about right. It is very common for people to commute that far for work, I have known people who commuted to Milwaukee everyday from Green Bay (straight shot down I-43). I used to commute to Oshkosh everyday from Menasha. It's entirely up to you what you think is reasonable. If gas goes back to $4 a gallon it could be a deal breaker. Living in Kaukauna or Kimberly would put you a little closer to Green Bay while still being a part of the much nicer Fox Cities Area.

Another place to consider is DePere. It's the nicest suburb of GB, one of the only nice places in or around GB IMO. It's the home to St. Norbert College and it's also near Ashwaubenon, where all the major retail in GB is going to be located.

[Aylalou]

Bigger city - Milwaukee
Small beautiful area - Door County
among the rest of those mentioned here.

[awf82]

Originally Posted by aakoch

I am also considering moving to Green Bay. I did a quick MapQuest of Green Bay to Appleton and it says it's about 30 minute commute. Does that sound right? Is it a reasonable commute to work in Green Bay and live in (closer to) Appleton?

From the west side of Green Bay near hwy 41 to northern Appleton near hwy 41 yes. if you have to drive very far into town either way that time can easily double. Keep in mind commuting out here is far different than large cities. A commute from green bay to appleton involves 30 miles of highway at an average speed of 60 to 70 mp before you even venture into town, so you burn a LOT of gas. making that commute every day.

[awf82]

Originally Posted by gbrulz

I have lived in Green Bay for the past 11 years and I'm trying to leave! It's a great place to raise a family, but it totally lacks things to do and the nightlife is a joke. If you want to experience WI for the outdoor activities, I would suggest the Northern part. Lots of lakes for fishing, ski and snowmobile trails in the winter and the main ski hills are also near the WI/MI border.

Scenic wise, Lake Superior is the most beautiful. But the bluffs along the MN border are breathtaking as well.

Oh and be prepared to deal with 5 months of winter. That is the main reason why I want out of here. Winters are too long. We have leaves on the trees from May to October, the rest of the year is brown, cold and snowy. I've had enough !!

I agree I've lived my entire life here in both the rural north and Green Bay area. There are some really nice areas in far northern and western WI (and they are spectacular during the 4 months you can enjoy them) But unless you are independently wealthy or can work from home don't expect to be able to live in those places unless you want to work for peanuts ($6 to $8 an hour) or commute 1.5 hours plus a day. Expect to be equally far from basic shopping like a Walmart and a real grocery store with fresh produce.
Most people here (not all but truely most) are fat and live sedate lifestyles. Drinking beer and eating are the most common passtimes and are usually combined with sports watching (mostly football and NASCAR). Snowmobiling is the most common outdoor winter activity and is usually done while bar hopping. During the winter you can never quite shake the cold. It's a deep unrelenting cold.... My ankles are always numb from Nov until May even when I am indoors.
Bottom line is its an amazing place to vacation in and would be ideal for someone who enjoys cold weather and doesn't mind the lack of sunshine for 3/4 of the year. If you were to live here I agree with others though Madison is the best place to live.
Allthough Green Bay has a relatively stable economy and housing market, (even now) and the schools are good. Like you said a great place to raise a family but a painfully cold and boring place to live your life. My wife and I are leaving in 2 weeks for the Desert Southwest and 335 days of sunshine a year!

[yo vanilla]

Originally Posted by aakoch

I am also considering moving to Green Bay. I did a quick MapQuest of Green Bay to Appleton and it says it's about 30 minute commute. Does that sound right? Is it a reasonable commute to work in Green Bay and live in (closer to) Appleton?

well it's about 30 minutes from the north edge of appleton to the south edge of green bay. figure in another 5-10 minutes if you live on the south side of appleton, and/or a good 15-20 minutes if you're working downtown green bay, or on the east side. not to mention that any time it snows, the radio is reporting accidents on hwy 41 or 172 up in green bay, so account for that too. and sure many people do it, but i wouldn't say it's strikingly common, nor the commuters can't wait to get in their car and make the drive. personally i would rather die a horrible death than commute to green bay every day.

[Capt. Dan]

When I was in Green Bay there was a street, Broadway I think. that seemed to be nothing but taverns. Tavern after tavern. One was called The Kings X i think.

[Double]

I'm surprised to hear the poor opinions of Green Bay. A small area of working-class, semi-dense neighborhoods were built pre-1960. The rest of the city is what most people would consider suburban-style.

The city is down to earth and simple. By WI standards, it's a medium-to-large city, but that shouldn't fool anyone into thinking it's a crime-ridden city. It is actually very safe. The lack of nightlife is a common complaint, but for a city this size there is plenty of nightlife and it attracts people from all over the northern portion of the state for shopping, dining and entertainment.

[mopaper]

Originally Posted by avsfanatic

I currently live in Littleton Colorado, which is just oustside of Denver. I have live here my whole life. I sill enjoy it, but I want a change of scenery in my life. I have always wanted to live in Wisconsin as I heard good things about the whole state. I have done a little research, but wanted some advice from people that have lived there.

I was thinking about Green Bay or somewhere up north. I heard that the nothern part of Wisconsin has the most to offer as far as outdoor activities are concerned.

Any help would be much appreciated.

It's really not reasonable to commute either way between Appleton and Green Bay though many do it because jobs are more plentiful in Appleton. It could be rough in the winter either way.

It is a 30 minutes commute and it's not exactly a scenic route. They did some improvement of roads between the two cities but still, commuting everyday in winter is going to be hard when weather is bad and that's often.

I live in Green Bay. It's a nice place to live but there are better choices in Wisconsin. Someone said Door County. It is beautiful and creative but jobs are another thing.

Madison I've visited only twice and both times it was great. More diverse and active.

Green Bay still has no downtown to speak of which is very weird. No places to shop or have fun. It's crazy. It's boring, lifeless and bars are the only activities.

Green Bay is a nice place to raise children while they are young, but that's it. Public transportation is a sad affair. Getting around town is a nightmare especially in winter. If something happens to your car hope you can rent one until it's repaired.

The Packers are still the main conversation of everybody. They love their history and are rather stuck in it which is why there is probably such poor planning and development.

Basically its a large suburb with a football team living off of former glory. I don't know why other cities like Madison and even Appleton seem to be more alive and the oldest city, Green Bay just seems to be asleep.

Most city development takes place around the Packer Stadium. It's very crowded in that area with businesses of every kind for obvious reasons. The rest of the city suffers from boredom.

Sorry to paint such a dismal picture. It has it's good points but it is stuck in the past unfortunately and they don't recognize the population is growing, wanting more diverse options on every front.

To give you an idea of how out of touch they are, bus routes are available on Saturday until 5:45 P.M. On Saturday mind you. When you mention it, even to many passengers they go back twenty years and give you the history of it. You might want to do a little more exploring before making that move unless boring appeals to you.

[jjacobeclark]

Way to show-off that Wisconsin pride you guys! Seriously, I know everybody thinks WI is the worst place on earth, but most of you who hate it so much have never even visited, let alone lived in any other states. I have a whole new appreciation for what Wisconsin is and what it has to offer.

As far as commuting between Green Bay and the Fox Cities, it is very common, don't listen to these numb skulls. People in Beaver Dam commute to Madison. People in Kenosha commute to Chicago. People in Eau Claire commute to the Twin Cities. Long commutes to large employment centers is very, very common. Is the concept of exurbs completely foreign to all of you?