Should I move to WI? (Milwaukee, Madison: buying a home, buying, high school)

[Jonnyjovial]

WIsconsin is one of the lowest paid teacher salaries in the country. If you want to start out low, make the move, and the cost of living isnt cheap like Alabama, where they pay is equivalent to the cost of living. Average starting pay is 29k-31k. In Illinois it is 37-39k.

[chuckwheat]

property taxes are a rip.

280k house in Middleton: RE taxes are well over 5K per year

300K house in a border or southern state: RE taxes are 1100 per year or less.

+cost of heating a house+cost of gas+higher prices on about everything.

If you move, get a real job and work for the government. They are a special class of workers who get more because the stupid tax payers give it to them....The elderly taxpayers are being forced out of their homes.. RE taxes support the bloated government at all levels. Indians keep the big profits from the Casinos. No hope for tax relief.

[Bigfamilyof6]

Okay the following is just my opinion you can take it or leave it.

I was raised in Denver Colorado and I Loved it! I actually even went to high school in Littleton Colorado and It was so much better than Wisconsin!!!

Here is the downlow on Wisconsin, when you come here to visit the people seem so down to earth and nice but they are really a bunch of hillbilly's. They do not accept people who were not born and bread here. The same with Minnesota. Where all of my family is from. Not to mention they are always angry because they are stuck in their houses almost all year long!!!

As a mother of 4 small children, I never considered homeschooling until we moved to wisconsin. My 9 year old daughter has been sexually and physically harrassed by another classmate for about 1 1/2 years now. I have complained more times than I could count. They do not care. They openly say we have a bullying problem but continue to do nothing. When we moved over here from another town in Minnesota it was the middle of the school year and my kids were ahead of the kids in Wisconsin so much so that they pretty much did nothing for the remainder of the school year. They learned absolutely nothing new that year. That gives you an idea of how far behind the schools are.

As for the housing...Oh sure you can buy yourself a cheap house and you get all excited. The State of Wisconsin wants you to feel like you got a real good deal. Then the property taxes kick in....For example, we have a 77 year old house with 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom we paid 80K for which was not even worth the money our house sits on the smallest lot imaginable and our property taxes are $1700 a year. RIP OFF!!!

And as for the weather....IT SUCKS! You spend about 8 months out of the year trapped in your house. Not even wanting to go outside to your mailbox. Constantly shoveling snow and I mean alot of snow! And then here comes summer...it is incredibly hot and humid and if you are not a bug lover.DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!You cannot even go outside at night without being attacked! We have spiders and beetles here that you would think were on steriods. Ear wigs everywhere! But I guess if you like to live with bugs you could move here and be happy.

Needless, to say in the 2 years we have lived here it has been a miserable experience. And thank God that we will be moving out of here in the next year. I will never reccommend anyone to move here. It is terrible.

[Atalanta]

Kickapoo Valley area is gorgeous, and if I remember right, rated one of the best small towns to live in.
Rolling hills, streams, bluffs.
http://www.viroquamainststation.com/...ss_region.html

[bored]

I was raised in waukesha, wi. i hated every minute of it. the school system is trash, although most argue that. I was in the school system and i saw how bad it is. (class of '03 grad) waukesha and the area are so close to milwaukee that the filth spreads out. i hate milwaukee with a passion. dont ask for directions, dont drink the water, hell unless u are over-paying for a meal at a nice place... i wouldnt eat the food either.

i am a generally nice guy, i dont ask much from people. the people of milwaukee are some of the worst ive ever met. now why would i go to milwaukee if i hate it so much? i try to avoid it as much as possible, but there is nothing to do in this area at all.

my 2 bedroom apartment runs 700 dollars but its a decent place in pewaukee WI (borders waukesha). i spend all my time working to make rent and support myself. i will have to leave this area because i will never get ahead and hence never get back into school, which is common in this area.

the city of madison is fun, i wouldnt drive there if u paid me... but a walk around the area could be enjoyable. milwaukee had like 7 shootings in one weekend recently so yeah... if ure looking for the big city feel id go toward madison as the school keeps everything moving. milwaukee is a loss and will never be repaired as the people there dont give a **** and like the filth they've made.

All of this area is loaded with drugs, drug dogs walk the halls of Waukesha North High School often, and find drugs when they do... waukesha WEST high is the "richer" school but kids use drugs in class there... waukesha SOUTH is a loss. the amount of kids at my school that were not encouraged to try (actually awarded for not trying in my opinion) leads to false numbers in the school ratings. waukesha north would graduate just about anyone and that was shown when i walked down the grad line with people who were high at the time.(true story)

im not saying drugs and crime arent everywhere because they are, but i think that the people writing the ratings for these cities need to get out of the million dollar subs and walk the schools, and streets, and parks. it is rare that i see a family at the local park. the parks are there and pretty well kept(compared to milwaukee) but i think this is a bad place to raise a family.

there is much to do here shopping wise, shopping malls lace the footholds of I-94 in either direction, delafield and brookfield. the delafield police dept is corrupt from what ive seen, there is enough money in brookfield that its ok there. with gang activity coming into delafield from racine and milwaukee the police choose to ignore it rather than answer any of the calls (another true story)

as far as the average weekend goes, this whole area is a drinking spot. if u dont like pubs, sports bars, and night clubs this whole area will be boring if ure lucky enough to work 5 days a week. i work 6 min to get by.

well this has been a rather random rant, but all is truth from what ive seen. the other areas people praise above would be my advice because no one who lives where i have is happy, most are depressed and overweight. i worked in a pharmacy for 3 years, the depression meds here are a gold mine and a worthy investment as its only increasing daily.

Waukesha, WI needs a new school admin. although i will say that the police of waukesha are usually on top of things, as a teen i was hassled a lot but at least they took the time to see what was goin on. i can accept and respect that. i have never had a time in waukesha where i needed police and they didnt respond. the pewaukee police are even more helpful, once an officer helped me get into my car in the middle of winter when my remote locks decided to stop working. many depts in this area refuse that survice unless a child is locked in the car.

well i dont know if this made any sense at all, but good luck.

[thinboy]

Originally Posted by Bigfamilyof6

Okay the following is just my opinion you can take it or leave it.

I was raised in Denver Colorado and I Loved it! I actually even went to high school in Littleton Colorado and It was so much better than Wisconsin!!!

Here is the downlow on Wisconsin, when you come here to visit the people seem so down to earth and nice but they are really a bunch of hillbilly's. They do not accept people who were not born and bread here. The same with Minnesota. Where all of my family is from. Not to mention they are always angry because they are stuck in their houses almost all year long!!!

As a mother of 4 small children, I never considered homeschooling until we moved to wisconsin. My 9 year old daughter has been sexually and physically harrassed by another classmate for about 1 1/2 years now. I have complained more times than I could count. They do not care. They openly say we have a bullying problem but continue to do nothing. When we moved over here from another town in Minnesota it was the middle of the school year and my kids were ahead of the kids in Wisconsin so much so that they pretty much did nothing for the remainder of the school year. They learned absolutely nothing new that year. That gives you an idea of how far behind the schools are.

As for the housing...Oh sure you can buy yourself a cheap house and you get all excited. The State of Wisconsin wants you to feel like you got a real good deal. Then the property taxes kick in....For example, we have a 77 year old house with 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom we paid 80K for which was not even worth the money our house sits on the smallest lot imaginable and our property taxes are $1700 a year. RIP OFF!!!

And as for the weather....IT SUCKS! You spend about 8 months out of the year trapped in your house. Not even wanting to go outside to your mailbox. Constantly shoveling snow and I mean alot of snow! And then here comes summer...it is incredibly hot and humid and if you are not a bug lover.DO NOT MOVE HERE!!!You cannot even go outside at night without being attacked! We have spiders and beetles here that you would think were on steriods. Ear wigs everywhere! But I guess if you like to live with bugs you could move here and be happy.

Needless, to say in the 2 years we have lived here it has been a miserable experience. And thank God that we will be moving out of here in the next year. I will never reccommend anyone to move here. It is terrible.

agree 100% then they will also try to create a illusion for you to make it that you are from here, happen to me when i went to high-school. now in collage with one ye remaining and cant wait to get out of dodge

[Atalanta]

Oh my thinboy, sounds like you had a bad experience. Sorry

As with anywhere, you need to adapt and adjust to the weather.
I'm used to it here, but if I moved to Mexico, I guess the year round weather would be hard.

It seems drugs, crime, and rude people are increasing everywhere in the USA.
Gosh, I read thru some of the state's posts here by people and it is frightening.

[scotth911]

If anyone is looking to move to Wisconsin, I know where to go. Elkhorn, Wi is a small town right in the middle of walworth county. Not much goes on around here other than the fair which is pretty much the main thing to go to. The crime is very low here. The schools are very good too. I am recently attending Elkhorn Area High School. It is a great school. So for you who are looking to move to Wisconsin, move to Elkhorn. You wont regret it.

[TornadoAlley]

Originally Posted by antipode12

Hey everybody --

After 32 years of living in New York (Long Island), I'm taking the plunge. Everytime I ask about places to move, I hear about WI. Milwaukee is a metropolis; Madison has a vibrant culture; Sheboygan is apparently a great place to raise a family.

Or at least that's what I've heard.

Truth?

I'm a high school teacher. How are the schools? Supported by the communities? Strong? Failing? In need of teachers? How tied are the schools to the property tax base? Do people resent the schools?

Mainly, I'm looking to get out of myopic, conspicuously consuming, rude, arrogant, testy, and petty (and oh so overpriced) NY. I'd like to land in a place where people have some civility and kindness, some education, and where there's culture, entertainment and recreation.

How do you think I'll fare in WI?

Thanks in advance for any insights,
Justin

Tell me how do you like where you live Had to post that....Sorry. Wasn't being rude, more laughing with you.

[kuJhawksfan]

Hi. I moved to De Pere, Wisconsin (Green Bay Area) a few years ago from Omaha, Nebraska. If you are looking for culture (other than football) and diversity, Green Bay is not the place to go. If you go to De Pere though, there is a lot of history and great education. There are more educated people in De Pere (more than many other parts of the state), and there are a wide range of places to live, from an apartment to a mansion on the banks of the Fox River. There is also the Fox River Trail in the area. It is a great fitness trail that looks like a mini street, complete with stop signs. There is also a private, Catholic, liberal arts college. It is St. Norbert College, and it's the 3rd best liberal arts college in the nation. It only has about 2,000 students, but there are many sporting events (the hockey games are a lot of fun) and plays. De Pere has about 23,000 people living within the area. If you are looking to build in De Pere, there are some fairly new communities full of subdivisions in De Pere. They have become large enough now to have a name, and they are Lawrence and Ledgeview. De Pere is seperated by the Fox River, and is the only city in the state of Wisconsin to have two seperate school districts. There is a HUGE East De Pere/West De Pere rivalry. Despite the fact that "downtown" is not much of a downtown, it is a thriving part of town. If you've got kids, De Pere is a wonderful place to raise them. The median income is now about $60,000 and the median real esate somewhere around $100k (don't quote me on that though).