|
When I took a job Stevens Point in 1996, I bought a house in Wisconsin Rapids because I could get much more house for the money. Technically, I'm in Grand Rapids Township, but it's part of the same community. I have a modest three bedroom ranch that was built in 1995. I have a three-stall completely finished heated (gas forced air) and air-conditioned garage/body shop, an 80 sq. foot storage building, and a 240 sq. foot storage building for my car hobby. (Not ugly sheds - all of the buildings match the house). It all sits on a 1/2 acre lot (the minimum size allowed in Grand Rapids) and the whole neighborhood is nestled among towering 100-year-old white pines. My property was appraised in 2005 for $110,000, and the house next door sold for $115,00 in 2006. My propery taxes are about $1,800 a year. If you have richer tastes, there are a number of homes in the $200,000 to $500,000 bracket.
Most everything I need I can get in town. For the rest, Stevens Point, Wausau & Marshfield are 30 to 45 minutes away. I can be in the Fox Cities (Neenah/Appleton) in an hour; in Eau Claire, Green Bay, or Madison in 90 minutes; Minneapolis/St.Paul in 2-1/2 hours and Milwaukee in 3 hours.
Wisconsin Rapids was built around the paper mills, which have recently been purchased by foreign investors and downsized, but to say the town is "going down the tubes" is a gross overstatement. Renaissance Learning, a developer of educational software, and WoodTrust, the largest privately owned bank in Wisconsin, are both headquartered here. Home Depot built a new store here in 2006, and many other national chains have opened stores here recently. They wouldn't be doing that if their analysis of the local economy was not favorable.
|