Should I move to WI? (Milwaukee, Racine: live in, moving to, manufacturing)

[KateDaum]

Taxes are a lot cheaper here then when we were in NH. Schools are better too. We have lived in a few other states and enjoy the quality of life we have here in WI.

[kmb41]

I've lived in Wisconsin all my life and here we are pretty well rounded in a lot of areas. For those who say schools are ''bad'' in big cities.. that is not true. I grew up near Green Bay, and the Green Bay/Appleton areas (fox valley) have many public and private high schools. Most of the ''good'' schools are located in growing areas. Milwaukee has always had a poor school system because they are so over populated with not enough teachers so you cannot compare it to the rest of the state...suburbs of Milwaukee may be an option though.

As for weather, we're very well-rounded. If you're looking for getaways in the state, I'm from Door County, and we have many visitors each summer and its beautiful if you're looking to get away and relax.

My suggestion is the fox valley area, that is, if you don't mind the Packers. You'll probably grow to love them and the spirit that football season bring not only the Green Bay area but the entire state as well.

Madison is full of 50,000 college students basically. Opportunities, yes. Thats all there is to say about that city.

Good Luck with what you decide.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by kmb41

For those who say schools are ''bad'' in big cities.. that is not true. I grew up near Green Bay, and the Green Bay/Appleton areas (fox valley) have many public and private high schools. Most of the ''good'' schools are located in growing areas. . .

These are not exactly "big" cities.

[FormerCaliforniaGirl]

I am a recent Southern California transplant currently living in Oshkosh. Wow! What a shock it was moving from San Diego to Wisconsin. It has been quite an adjustment (still in progress), but I have many good things to say about Wisconsin.

To begin with, this is a beautiful state. Growing up in the desert as I did (and San Diego IS a desert climate), to now be surrounded by so much greenery and so many beautiful trees, is wonderful! I also love the wide open spaces that are so abundant in Wisconsin. After having spent my life encompassed within a concrete jungle, the openness of Wisconsin is a breath of fresh air.

And speaking of fresh air...it's way less polluted here than in many of the bigger cities around the U.S.

My commute to work used to be about 90 minutes (and that was traveling only 26 miles). My commute now is about 10 minutes. I love that I'm no longer spending hours in my car sitting on a freeway every day.

Coming from San Diego, I have to laugh at the posters who complain about the cost of living in Wisconsin. Ha! I used to rent a 1-bedroom, basic apartment in a so-so area of the city for $1,400 a month. I now own my own home for LESS than I was renting a dumpy apartment in San Diego!

Now, for the bad part. Sigh...the winters. I hate them. I'll never get used to the snow, ice and cold. I basically just catch up on all the DVDs I've put off renting and read a lot of books. I also do a lot of cooking.

Oshkosh is a nice city, but the downtown area is very run down and looks like a dump in many areas. I wish the powers that be in this city would do something to revitalize the area. It's kind of depressing.

Also, the restaurants here are so basic and so boring. There are so many different types of restaurants in San Diego, and I got very used to so many different types of food. Here, it's just the basic IHOP, McDonald's etc. It gets kind of boring.

But would I move back to San Diego? Absolutely not. Never. While San Diego has many good points (mainly, the weather). It also has MANY bad points: traffic, pollution, ludicrously high cost-of-living, high crime rate, overcrowding, complete lack of greenery and trees, etc.

Wisconsin is worth a try. Like any other place in the U.S., it has its good points and bad points. It's what you make of it and what you're looking for.

[almost3am]

Originally Posted by FormerCaliforniaGirl

Oshkosh is a nice city, but the downtown area is very run down and looks like a dump in many areas. I wish the powers that be in this city would do something to revitalize the area. It's kind of depressing.

I went to school and worked in Oshkosh for a while, then moved up to Appleton (then moved away a long time ago). I just visited again this summer and agree that Oshkosh could be a lot more than it is. There are all those old storefronts downtown, if only they would make them cute it could be a really fun city, but the majority of the population may not really be into that. Sadly, most of the development has gone on by the highway, which I always found annoying. When I was there I was very active in sports (lots of volleyball), both indoor and outdoor, so that is what I did with my time in the winter.

I found Appleton to be a little nicer and the downtown a little better. There were also a couple of good restaurants in Appleton, not sure if they are still there. Still, I went down to Milwaukee at least once a month on weekends to go out to restaurants and hit some bars.

[Drover]

^^^ I wonder if Oshkosh is struggling a bit because Appleton is stealing all of the area's thunder.

[FormerCaliforniaGirl]

I agree that Appleton's downtown area is a lot nicer than Oshkosh. And the restaurants in Appleton are better too.

It seems that all the good stores and restaurants prefer to be in Appleton. For instance, there is now a Fuddruckers and a Panera Bread being built there. They also just opened up a Chipotle Grill. It's frustrating because it seems that Oshkosh only gets the basic fast food places, like Burger King.

[suecen]

Former CA Girl: Interesting reading your post as my mom's neighbor who has lived here all her life (60 years maybe) has put her house up for sale and is moving to San Diego (actually Temecula). IYO do you think it will be a culture shock to her? Two of her sons moved there and that's why she's going. She says it's now or never.

[FormerCaliforniaGirl]

Originally Posted by suecen

Former CA Girl: Interesting reading your post as my mom's neighbor who has lived here all her life (60 years maybe) has put her house up for sale and is moving to San Diego (actually Temecula). IYO do you think it will be a culture shock to her? Two of her sons moved there and that's why she's going. She says it's now or never.

Well, I'll give you my honest opinion about Temecula.

Temecula is about 45 miles northeast of San Diego (it's actually in San Bernardino County, not San Diego County). Temecula is very dry, very hot (it's near the desert) and totally overcrowded and overbuilt. It's also the favorite destination of illegal immigrants from Mexico, which has affected the communities in that many many very poor people are living in the surrounding canyons in tent camps.

Trafiic getting in and out of Temecula is awful. The main artery is Interstate 15, which is complete gridlock during morning and evening rush hour. There's very little employment in Temecula, and most people commute to northern San Diego or Orange County. And the commute is long and tedious.

I'm sorry to be so negative, but of all the places to live in Southern California, Temecula would be on the bottom of my list.

If your mom can afford it, she should consider Rancho Bernardo, which is about a 45-minute drive south of Temecula (in San Diego), and is a MUCH nicer area. But it can be pricey.

Hope that helps.

[suecen]

Thank you - I find your points VERY interesting and helpful!! Never knew any of that!