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Agree! I think that's Wisconsin's best quality. If you're not all about money and style, small town life in Wisconsin can take a lot of stress out of life. A house in the country on some acres actually feels like a home, something you become attached to and pass on to generations. Unlike living right next to someone in the city. I wouldn't trade our life in the country for any amount of money.
I am not all about money and the "glitz", but I kind of like cities better than the country. I am the type of person who needs something to do most of the time.
I am not all about money and the "glitz", but I kind of like cities better than the country. I am the type of person who needs something to do most of the time.
I guess it depends on what you like to do. The main reason I like the country is because it always gives me something to do in all seasons. I like doing outdoor activities, and they're endless when you live in the country.
I guess it depends on what you like to do. The main reason I like the country is because it always gives me something to do in all seasons. I like doing outdoor activities, and they're endless when you live in the country.
I choose cities, mainly because having experience in rural areas, I tend to get bored easily. That and I don't drive, so living in the city makes sense.
I choose cities, mainly because having experience in rural areas, I tend to get bored easily. That and I don't drive, so living in the city makes sense.
Not driving would definately be a factor. I liked the city for social reasons when I was single but that's the only reason. Now that I'm married, the country is great and being able to ride ATVs to the little bars in the country for some socializing, and going to the small town festivals is quite fun. The weekly 30 minute drive to the city for shopping is actually fun too since we don't deal with the city every day.
Last edited by notmuch69; 07-15-2009 at 01:57 PM..
I lived in Milwaukee and now live in Burlington VT. There are millions of people in the US looking for the life Wisconin can offer, they just don't know about Wisconsin. Don't get me wrong, I'm not painting Wisconsin as any kind of Utopia, but Wisconsin offers a lot, especially for someone not rolling in dough.
Wisconsin is one of the few states that still offers that 60's type small town with a Main St that functions for the residents. Most nice small towns in the US with neat Main Streets are now aimed at luring yuppies into town with Bed and Breakfasts and antique stores. Or they are priced for wealthy folks. Towns like Port Washington, Plymouth, Sheboygan Falls- places that are clean, safe, inexpensive with good schools just don't really exist anymore in most parts of the country. I can assure you they do not exist in the Northeast. Small towns, (I'm not talking about suburbs, big difference) in the northeast are either dying and run down, or thriving and very expensive(like where I live). And they're usually fueled by a college in the town with wealthy students( again like where I live).
I've travelled through the US extensively, small town America is not pretty. Drive around Pennsylvania and upstate NY and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Wisconsin and perhaps Minnesota, although not to the same extent as Wisconsin, are really the only places I know that have nice clean small towns, with good schools and safe streets for people living on an average income. The houses may not be anything special, but they're neat and landscaped. I think it's the German, Dutch, Swedish etc... influence.
So many people in this country are living in dicey towns with poor schools because they don't make enough for a nice life in their areas. I love where I live but it is outrageously expensive. One day I'll be back in Wisconsin. If it wasn't for Wisconsin, I wouldn't know where else to go for the lifestyle I can afford and want.
Question is, what is sustaining these towns and keeping their schools well-funded? For many of them, the answer is tourism and weekenders. If that ever dries up, these towns are in trouble. (Many small towns off the tourist beaten path and too far from major employment centers for a practical commute are struggling almost as much as the rest of small-town America.) And if the weekender activity, especially property ownership, keeps up its long-term trends, the nice little towns may start to become expensive little boutique towns kind of like those in New England. Lakefront property in Wisconsin is already expensive, and some towns are already tough to afford as weekenders buy up property (Eagle River, Minocqua, Sturgeon Bay, etc.), especially with tourism providing the main source of jobs. That doesn't exactly pay well unless you're one of the shop owners -- and even then, only maybe.
With a lot of well-to-do baby boomers about to retire, and with more than a few from Chicago/Milwaukee/Twin Cities having their eye on Wisconsin as a retirement destination, it remains to be seen how affordable small-town Wisconsin will be in the future.
Question is, what is sustaining these towns and keeping their schools well-funded? For many of them, the answer is tourism and weekenders. If that ever dries up, these towns are in trouble. (Many small towns off the tourist beaten path and too far from major employment centers for a practical commute are struggling almost as much as the rest of small-town America.) And if the weekender activity, especially property ownership, keeps up its long-term trends, the nice little towns may start to become expensive little boutique towns kind of like those in New England. Lakefront property in Wisconsin is already expensive, and some towns are already tough to afford as weekenders buy up property (Eagle River, Minocqua, Sturgeon Bay, etc.), especially with tourism providing the main source of jobs. That doesn't exactly pay well unless you're one of the shop owners -- and even then, only maybe.
With a lot of well-to-do baby boomers about to retire, and with more than a few from Chicago/Milwaukee/Twin Cities having their eye on Wisconsin as a retirement destination, it remains to be seen how affordable small-town Wisconsin will be in the future.
Interesting point. I understand what's making towns like Eggharbor/Fish Creek and Cedarburg operate. Tourism. However, there are a few nice towns sprinkled through the state such as Plymouth, Baraboo, Port Washington etc that are doing it mainly on their own, although they have some tourism. How long can they keep it up?
Wisconsin has always been a little behind the times, and I don't mean that it a negative way. I'm speaking literally. When I went to Marquette in late 70's and early 80's, Milwaukee was remarkably clean and safe. Most other American big cities were rotting and decaying - Chicago and New York were particularly bad. Years later, Chicago, New York and many American cities have made it through the hard times and recovered nicely. Milwaukee, being behind the times, is now going through it's trying time. Hopefully it will recover as well.
In the 80's and 90's American jobs went overseas. For whatever reason, Wisconsin seemed to be the only place left cranking out american products-particularly strong were tractors, lawnmowers and engines. Even Kohler was making most of their stuff in Wisconsin. Port Washington is the kind of town that a lot of people want to live in. An appealing downtown, on the water, relatively clean. People on the east coast pay big bucks to live in such a town. But the Simplicity factory just closed, as have many factories in surrounding towns. Kohler is now making more and more of their stuff overseas. The town that was supported by toilets is becoming more and more supported by wealthy golfers from elsewhere. What will these towns look like in ten years? Can they buck the trend?
So the question is, why does Wisconsin have such nice, reasonably priced small main street communities while most of the country does not? Perhaps because they've experienced many of their problems after everyone else, and their small towns will look like small towns in other states in ten years. I hope not. But for now, I credit the people of small town Wisconsin who have preserved their towns nicely. There seems to be an appreciation for the simpler things in life and they haven't fallen into the traps many americans have-giving up and blaming their problems on the government and the economy.
I drive through upstate NY and Pennsylvania and I'm amazed at how crappy these towns look. Yes this country is experiencing hard financial times, particularly small towns. I realize old homes are expensive to maintain when it comes to home repair. But these towns would look so much better if people just spent a weekend cutting the grass, getting the crap out of their yard, and investing in a few cans of housepaint- maybe plant a few flowers. Maybe the difference is Wisconsin folks still take pride in their homes and towns, and their small towns will continue to flourish.
I guess it's a trade off. Live in a big city to make more money, but deal with the traffic, crime, crowds, sirens, etc. Or, live in a small town (<5K population) and have less money, but live a more quiet, simple, peaceful life.
There wasn't any tourism supporting the the small towns in Clark County Wisconsin where I'm from, mainly just farming.
I definately think a small town is better for raising children. I remember when our school in Owen Wisconsin was rated one of the top 200 schools in the country. No gangs, stabbings or shootings, drugs were very minimal with maybe a little "pot". About the most serious thing that would happen in our school would be someone smoking a cigarette in the bathroom. A great place to raise a child without many of the negative big city influences.
Quickdraw, I don't know that Port Washington or Baraboo are really apt examples of "doing it on their own." Baraboo survives mostly by being right in between Devil's Lake and the Dells, two of the state's most frequently visited tourist destinations. How would Port Washington be doing right now if it were in, say, Waupaca County instead of right on Lake Michigan?
Wisconsin is fortunate that there's a lot to see there, from the Northwoods to the north to the Driftless region in the west to the Lake Michigan shoreline to the east to Milwaukee and Madison to the south. Without these, the place would be another Illinois. So let's hope people remain interested in seeing what Wisconsin has to offer.
I am from wisconsin and moved to naples florida richest lil comunity in the world and yes the town looks like a story book for rich people and there are golf corses everywhere but the rules and associations are outta control they have weather to ride atvs all year long but dont have a spot for you to ride and you get into trouble riding anywhere. wisconsin is better and im found this website while im looking for a house in wisconsin i just had a daughter 1 month old and she will not be growing up in florida she is going to see snow and ice fish and ride her fourwheeler when she wants, yes i bought a lil redcat 70 cc atv for her thats the good thing about florida all the dealers are giving away the atvs cus there really is no place to ride!! see you in wisconsin i cant wait to smell the dairy air!!! jason 21x
Wisconsin is fortunate that there's a lot to see there, from the Northwoods to the north to the Driftless region in the west to the Lake Michigan shoreline to the east to Milwaukee and Madison to the south. Without these, the place would be another Illinois. So let's hope people remain interested in seeing what Wisconsin has to offer.
Wisconsin has always(from the time it was formed by a glacier, to the time it was inhabited) been one of the most beautiful states in the country. As long as the developers leave the land alone where the tourism is the greatest, it will be fine for many years to come. Illinois really never had anything to offer. You have to agree that Wisconsin is a sportmans' paradise with the hunting and fishing.
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Owen in Clark County Wisconsin
