Where to move, Lacrosse, Madison areas, or anywhere else SW WI? (Milwaukee: low crime, unemployed)

[outdoorgirl]

Hello out there, my family of 4 will be moving in the next year or so due to overcrowding in Dupage County, Il. We know and love some areas of WI but are looking for pros and cons about the Lacrosse, Madison, or anywhere SW that sounds like what we are looking for. It would look something like this:

Low crime & good schools are equally important to us as employment. My husband has a BS degree in Construction Magmt but now unemployed and looking for a career change possibly in police work, DNR etc. I am a Forest Ranger (minus a gun, and probably not as glamourous as it sounds) in our county forest preserves with a BS in Parks and Recreation Mgmt. I could go in any recreational, outdoorsy avenue. We are looking for a relaxed, educated, outdoorsy, but not snobby area. We are 45 and 43.

My 19 year old daughter is studying nursing, and my 11 yr old son finishing up 5th grade is more about the outdoors than sports. We would love to find him a school that had a fishing team or club instead of soccer. Easier said than done in Chgo suburbs where you have to look for green space instead of blending in with it. We don't need Mayberry but we do need somewhere with family values. Family is our top priority.

We 're looking for space, peace & quiet; Rural but not too rural with the ability to get to school, shopping, etc within 15 min. Now everyone is right inour faces w/unavoidable traffic & lines. We’re friendly neighbors but keep to ourselves. We need some fresh air and to slow down. Scenic areas as opposed to flat farmlands would be really living if we could make a living there or somewhere not too far to travel to work.

As I mentioned earlier, we are outdoor people that enjoy wildlife, horses, fishing, boating, snowmobiling, 4-H, nature & scenery. In a perfect world we’d find 5 -20+ acres horse property with a pond, or with fishing lakes, streams and/or rivers nearby. A horse community near trails or with trail access would be even better, but we know there is no perfect world.

Manageable taxes, decent housing prices, and a reasonable cost of living to raise a family . . .

We are used to the WI weather, so no surprises there.

Any input or other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

We realize there is no perfect place but do believe it's possible to get close if you look hard enough and ask around.

Thanks!

[badger39]

Way more jobs in Madison area. Madison is more diverse socially, more to do, more restaurants, more everything college life related (ie sporting events,music, theatre). 1 hour from Milwaukee, 2 from Chicago.

LaCrosse is prettier. Between bluffs and located on the Missppi River. Lower taxes cost of living but again less job opportunties. 2 hrs from St.Paul, 3 hrs from Milwaukee, 2 hrs from Madison. Also has a much smaller, but very nice University.

I think both areas can offer you that Norman Rockwell type experience. Low crime, great places to live & raise a family. Personally, Madison offers more, and is still growing due the University of 35K students and high tech companies sprouting up around town. If you want small towns away from the city, look at Sun Prairie, Middleton. Or further out to Dodgeville & Sauk Prairie. I personally prefer Middleton & Fitchburg & Verona.

[krock1dk]

Avoid anywhere in Illinois!! Wisconsin is highly superior: lack of pickpocket toll roads, Chicago, not nearly the political corruption, the Daileys, the higher taxes, etc. I prefer the Madison area or around Kenosha.

[Sibley18]

I think you would enjoy the outdoors more in the LaCrosse area but the bigger city in Madison. Guess its up to whats most important to you.

[tully]

I always think Platteville when I think of SW WI (small college town in the Driftless Region) But I haven't been there in a decade or more. I recall it being reasonably well-kept and educated, by appearances.. as much so as most other small WI towns. It's an easy drive from there to Madison, Dubuque and Iowa City, too.

[outdoorgirl]

Thank you for all of your valuable opinions.

[BadgerGrl]

How about the Wi Dells/Lake Delton area? As long as you avoid the tourists, it's a beautiful area. I think you'd really enjoy Devil's lake state park. I'm not sure Madison would be the best fit if you are looking for a rural area that's also 15 min from shopping. And the crime has gotten worse in the past few years, from what I've noticed.

[zz4guy]

I would recommend Dubuque, IA. It is a small town feel with all the bigger city box stores and services. Traffic is much lighter than Madison. You'll rarely be stuck in traffic, even at rush hour. It has about 65,000 people. It's safe with good schools. Low cost of living for a city of its size. Job opportunities will be more abundant than anything else outside of the Madison area. It's also a very scenic area. 2.5hrs to Chicago. You should really consider Dubuque.

[JBoughton]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

I would recommend Dubuque, IA. It is a small town feel with all the bigger city box stores and services. Traffic is much lighter than Madison. You'll rarely be stuck in traffic, even at rush hour. It has about 65,000 people. It's safe with good schools. Low cost of living for a city of its size. Job opportunities will be more abundant than anything else outside of the Madison area. It's also a very scenic area. 2.5hrs to Chicago. You should really consider Dubuque.

I'm originally from Michigan, but I've lived in Dubuque for 27 years. I agree with all of these points. My only complaint, and it's gotten better in the last 10 years, is that there's a large segment of the population of "locals" that are very slow to accept outsiders. They're polite on the surface, for the most part, but I still feel like an outsider all of these years later.

Just a small point. Places like Madison with a lot of people who've moved in from outside the area tend to "admit" outsiders with less difficulty