Fond du Lac (Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton: fit in, construction, school district)

[Appleton]

I moved to Appleton for a job and absolutely hated it ihatefondulac your exactly right. I have lived in four different cities and by far that area was the worst. The people have their own little clicks and don't except newbies, I felt like I started high school all over again. The people I worked with all they ever thought about was drinking, that was the hot topic everyday. How can your life revolve around alcohol and sitting in a stinky smoky bar all the time. I lived in Minneapolis for years and loved it there, the people were wonderful and most of the folks from the Midwest are very friendly but the Fox River Valley that's a whole different breed of people. They do the most bizarre things such as have big parties on the lake in the winter when its freezing outside, I guess any excuse to drink beer. I live in Colorado now and love it, the winters are great and the sun shines almost everyday. Its not gloomy like WI in the winter where the sun barely comes out and the snow doesn't stay on the ground very long either. The housing market is expensive though so if you move here be prepared to pay a lot for a home. The property taxes are reasonable so it probably averages out to the same. I don't think "ihatefondulac" gives MN people a bad name either. Most of the people in the fox valley have never been away from there and just don't get it. You should all take a look at yourselves and realize how you treat new people that move into your cities.

[sunnyskies]

I grew up there and don't get me started. Left home at 18 and returned for a few years in my 20s and then left again and never returned. Didn't fiit in very well. My father said, "you are too independent." Thank god I am. Would've never survived had I not been. "If the shoe fits" as the saying goes. Still looking for that perfect fit and actually Crocs are not bad at all.

[newbie810]

I just had to jump in here. My family moved to FDL in June of this year from another state. I was and still am absolutely astounded at how friendly everyone is! Whether it's in a store, a restaurant, passersby in town, everywhere I go, everyone is so nice. I've not met a single person who was rude, had a chip on their shoulder, or that even came across as more of a private person. Everyone has been talkative and welcoming. (this is coming from a person who's traveled to 27 states, lived in three of them, and 11 foreign countries, and at this moment still has out-of-state plates on the car!)
The school district here is fabulous compared to others I've known. They offer much more to students than in alot of areas, with the arts, more phys. ed classes (our country surely needs that). The communication between the teachers/school and parents is wonderful. The technology training for the students is excellent, and I'm thrilled to see Apple computers in the school. I can't say enough good about the schools.
The town is overall very clean and safe and quiet. I find it to be much like a n older farming/small town feel here. The fall festival downtown was fabulous! My children had so much fun. I'm a folk musician, and I know there is plenty going on for music in town as well (and of course Oshkosh and Appleton are close enough to enjoy what they offer as well.)
I'm sorry there are people who have not had the experience we've had, here in FDL. We were transferred for work, it wasn't a situation that I wanted or planned to leave my homestate by any means, but I'm very pleased that we are here.
I'm not saying it's the perfect city. I've done my fair share of research on the water situation and I'm still not happy about that. The taxes are much higher than where I'm from, but luckily not has high as other places in WI. I am missing certain stores, I have to run up and down highway 41 to Oshkosh and Appleton for the stores I need (Sam's Club, Hobby Lobby, Big Lots.) There are no donut shops here. For us that's culture shock!
I think FDL is fairly central to alot of very nice parts of the state. Sheboygan was beautiful, with Lake Michigan. The WI Dells are close, heck even Chicago is close. And Milwaukee and Madison offer much big-city culture without having to drive too far.
For preschool moms, I've just discovered the local MOPS meeting (mops.org) and the women there were so wonderful. I'm sure I'll meet a lot of really nice friends in the near future there.
I will admit, I didn't just jump in and buy a house in FDL, I looked at all the surrounding cities and villages and looked at what they had to offer, taxes, schooling, how far the commute would be for my husband...and overall, we chose to buy a home here. I've not regreted it.
In this day and age, it would be difficult to move anywhere and automatically overnight click and magically have loads of friends and hobbies, etc. It does take some work on the newcomer's part. I can't say I have many friends yet but it takes time! I've spent more time in the house unpacking than out and about, other than shopping. And no, there may be a zillion bars here (all over WI I'm told) I haven't been to any of them.
I'll say what I've always said: Life is what you make it. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% your reaction to it. Look in the right spot, you'll find happiness. There are ways to make friends and be involved wherever you live. If you have no idea where to start, call a church or visit one. I know everyone's experience is different, but such an extreme negative reaction is disappointing to read. The best of luck to everyone who's posted about this.

[livefromwi]

Fond du Lac. I have just moved here as well, and I agree with you about the water (seriously, who drinks radon water?!). However, the rest of my experiences do not match yours. I have only met nice people so far, and I have found a lot of things to do here that I was not able to do in my home town. I would like to suggest to you and everyone who lives in Fond du Lac that they visit the Fond du Lac Center for Spirituality and Healing. They do yoga and things like that. It's an awesome place with very nice people. The website is www.fcsh.org.

[snowlandcook]

I am applying nationwide for jobs in my field and was considering applying for a job in FDL. But before I did, I decided to do some investigating, which led me here.

After reading these posts, I want to say thank you. You spared me from making what might have been a big mistake. I've lived in towns where I've felt like the outsider, and I don't want to go through that again. I've also lived in towns where everyone is related to everyone else. No thanks. I don't drink, and hanging out in bars is not for me either.

There are enough opportunities in other towns/states--I'll stick to those.

And for the FDL folks who have told ihatefondulac to "get a life" or that she has something sharp up her rear--and then followed it with how friendly and nice FDL people are, I'd like to say that your comments prove otherwise. If that's considered "nice" in FDL, I'll stay away, thank you.

[montyc]

I was born and raised in Madison. My only experience with Fond du Lac was dating a girl that lived there. I visited the city roughly 20 times. During my visits, my impression of the city was that of hard working people....most of whom were friendly to me. They don't have much of a mall, that much I remember. The downtown area is nice, full of some good restaurants. The only drawback to the town that I could see was the condition of many homes throughout the city. Many were quite old and in need of a rehab. Other than that, I wouldn't have any problem living there, given the option.

Later,

Monty

[Alpharetta,GA]

Originally Posted by snowlandcook

And for the FDL folks who have told ihatefondulac to "get a life" or that she has something sharp up her rear--and then followed it with how friendly and nice FDL people are, I'd like to say that your comments prove otherwise. If that's considered "nice" in FDL, I'll stay away, thank you.

Sadly, I noticed this very same thing.

[karynann]

Sorry to hear that you hate FDL so much, but may I ask... Why in the hell are you letting your kids ride their bikes in the street? As far as the rest of your post, I know it is hard to find a place to live, but let me tell you, I have lived in MI, TN, NC, and CA, and not one of those places is any better than what you said about FDL. Perhaps you just haven't looked in the right place for the right people. If you are so against drinking, which is not a bad thing at all, perhaps you should seek out someone in need of help getting over an alcohol problem. You could make a good friend there! As far as the driving thing... you don't have one thing to say until you have driven on the CA freeways with all of the Asians!

[fondy]

Fond du Lac is not that bad. Its actually pretty boring and needs a little action once and awhile. The people in here saying

"I now hear from my brother in law how the gangs are beginning to infiltrate the area"

What a joke! Gangs?! Heck, if you want gangs go down to Milwaukee to where I use to live. Gangs in Fond du Lac?! What a joke!


Another problem with fond du lac is that the drivers usually go under the speed limit and can't drive worth a ****. Thats why there are so many accidents on the new Bypass. There is nothing wrong with the road, you can see down it for miles. Its the horrible driving skills a lot of people have in Fond du Lac. Most fond du lac people wouldnt be able to drive in Green bay, let alone milwaukee if their life depended on it.


Otherwise, Its fine. Good place to live but boring and poor driving skills are the main problems, not gangs.

[Fenderchick13]

Do you happen to know why they can't afford to go and pick everyone up for school? There are over 2,000 kids at Fondy. I couldnt even imagine if everyone had to take the bus. For the year that i took the bus, it was mostly country kids. And there were almost 3 to a seat for every seat. There are plenty of clubs to join at fondy. Key club, math club, swimming, football, soccer, science, open jam, alot of choirs,orchestras,concert band, marching band, jazz, plays,forensics, drama,french club, spanish club, german club, student council, S.W.A.T (students working as teachers), Enviromental club, national honor society,salsa club, republican and demacratic club( this year they joined to formed together to form one gov. party club), newspaper, chess club, math team, rocket club, studen custodians, bowling, science olyimpiad,freshman mentors, peaceniks, CSI, DECA, POPS, Gay straight alliance,yearbook, golf, volleyball,cheerleading, dance,basketball, tennis, cross country, wrestling, skiing, hockey, track, softball, and baseball. That long enough list for you? Most of these clubs meet after school, or before school so that should be some time. Plus there are the games to go to, to support your school.
I agree on the water. I do not drink from the water bubber at school. Only maybe after gym class.