Former Wisconsinites...where did you move to and how do you like it in comparison to WI? (Green Bay: places to live, cost of living)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Around the Atlanta area I'm seeing more and more Wisconsin license plates. Interestingly, alot of Wisconsinites I met around Atlanta are not from Milwaukee, but from Appleton or Green Bay. Now that I'm thinking about this, I'm wondering if the Kimberly-Clark facility in Roswell, just north of Atlanta, has anything to do with it. Alot of Milwaukeeans I've met in Atlanta are African-American.

There are a lot of paper industry facilities in the Fox Valley and Atlanta, some companies with facilities in both, so I would imagine there's a bit of personnel shuffling between the two areas.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Drover

There are a lot of paper industry facilities in the Fox Valley and Atlanta, some companies with facilities in both, so I would imagine there's a bit of personnel shuffling between the two areas.

That could be part of it. It might explain the large number of residents from the Fox Valley area. No one moved to from Fulton County,GA to Winnebago County,WI in 2008,, but 14 people moved from Winnebago County to Fulton County. According to a map I used, alot of migrants are coming mainly out of these counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Dane. However, Winnebago County has also come up. Cobb County, where I live, has had a sizeable migration from Dane County.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

That could be part of it. It might explain the large number of residents from the Fox Valley area. No one moved to from Fulton County,GA to Winnebago County,WI in 2008,, but 14 people moved from Winnebago County to Fulton County. According to a map I used, alot of migrants are coming mainly out of these counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Dane. However, Winnebago County has also come up. Cobb County, where I live, has had a sizeable migration from Dane County.

I guess it's not too surprising most come from Milwaukee, Dane, and Waukesha Counties since they are the three most populous counties in the state respectively. Between the three of them they form just under a third of the state's population.

[ranger17]

even in SC, we've ran into those from WI. In fact in the 2 neighborhoods we've lived in down here since our relocate, both have had Wisconsinites as neighbors. A couple from the Dane/Columbia county area like us, but most we talk to are from the Milwaukee-Oconomowoc areas with a few from the fox valley. But i guess it would make sense that most transplants come from the areas that have the most population.
Funny, the 40+ years i lived in Wi, i dont recall ever meeting someone who was originally from SC, but on any weekend down here if i'm in my Badger or Packer gear i usually run into someone who has ties to WI.

[mrs.cool]

^^ That could very well be. If people "Up nort'" get a chance to transfer within the company to a warmer climate, they'd probably jump at it.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by mrs.cool

^^ That could very well be. If people "Up nort'" get a chance to transfer within the company to a warmer climate, they'd probably jump at it.

And the converse is true for me. I'm living in the South and I would jump at the chance to live in a place with snow in the winter.

[ranger17]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

And the converse is true for me. I'm living in the South and I would jump at the chance to live in a place with snow in the winter.

snow can be dealt with and even enjoyed, as long as the person will adapt and do outdoors activities (skiing, snowmobiling, etc). My first 47 years were in WI, last 3 in SC. I never cared for outdoor stuff in winter, just sort of dealt with it. Madison's avg snow was usually in the 40"+/- range each season. The last 2 winters i was there, what was the "once in a lifetime" winter with 100+ inches of snow was followed up by, well, another "once in a lifetime" snow lol. So when the option to relocate presented itself we jumped at the chance.
of course a year into it here they got a freak 8" snowstorm that shut everything down. So hear are the differences i noticed:
"Southern snow": roads suck, stores are wiped clean from essentials, no snowblower is needed as it melts in a day, and it's pretty to see snow on a palm tree.
"Northern snow": roads can still suck, snowblower may be needed, several times if the city plows you in, you need to wear thick clothing as the wind chill could hit below zero, and after the first time snow is no longer pretty as it may last until April.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by ranger17

snow can be dealt with and even enjoyed, as long as the person will adapt and do outdoors activities (skiing, snowmobiling, etc). My first 47 years were in WI, last 3 in SC. I never cared for outdoor stuff in winter, just sort of dealt with it. Madison's avg snow was usually in the 40"+/- range each season. The last 2 winters i was there, what was the "once in a lifetime" winter with 100+ inches of snow was followed up by, well, another "once in a lifetime" snow lol. So when the option to relocate presented itself we jumped at the chance.
of course a year into it here they got a freak 8" snowstorm that shut everything down. So hear are the differences i noticed:
"Southern snow": roads suck, stores are wiped clean from essentials, no snowblower is needed as it melts in a day, and it's pretty to see snow on a palm tree.
"Northern snow": roads can still suck, snowblower may be needed, several times if the city plows you in, you need to wear thick clothing as the wind chill could hit below zero, and after the first time snow is no longer pretty as it may last until April.

Different things for different people. For me, summer is a nightmare in Atlanta. There's a reason Atlanta is called Hotlanta.

I remember the freak storm. It hit the Atlanta area too. I could not have been happier. I love playing in the snow when I get a chance. I walked around the campus while the snow was blowing. Sunday night, 9 January 2011 was pretty much an exciting night for me. I went around getting in snow fights, got hugged by a random woman. It turned crazy when some students got into fights, mainly because students were throwing snowballs at cars.

The next day is when things got crazy. School was closed for a few days, when class was suppose to start at Kennesaw State University. My job, also at KSU, was suppose to start, but it didn't because school was closed. Georgia was pretty much shut down. Stores were running out of stuff because trucks couldn't come in. I remember being so angry and often complaining "Why can't Georgia be more like Wisconsin when it comes to handling this"? My father was singing the same tune as me, as he is a Wisconsinite, a Milwaukeean specifically. He was telling me about how plows would be out in the streets if snow was predicted, and that Georgia should do that, especially Atlanta, a major transportation hub. We didn't even have salt trucks on the roads as far as I know. Some people told me "we're not spending tax money on winter equipment because it was be a waste in Georgia". At that point I thought "Why not keep the equipment around for that freak event"?

Basically, you have a point. Snow in the South means stores get wiped clean. That is what happened during the freak storm. Actually, that is what happens when 1(ONE) inch of snow is on the ground. Roads not only suck, but alot of drivers get crazy, as most Georgia-born drivers aren't accustomed to driving in snow. For one, most never have to drive in snow. My father didn't want to go driving. Even thought he was used to driving in snow and knew how to handle it, he knows most Georgians don't drive in snow, therefore, aren't as used to it. He was scared of other motorists.

Southern snow also means schools close down for the day.

[DENCOS]

I escaped Wisconsin when I graduated from high school, best move I ever made. I have lived all over the West. The person who compares Boulder to Madison is probably correct, but the original poster is writing about Colorado Springs. Even Denver has a lower COL than Madison. Durango is extremely expensive. All in all CO beats WI for living. I now live in AZ, and it's great. COL is a whole lot lower than WI. The climate (high desert) is similar to MSN, not like PHX at all. But, the days are clearer and the snow doesn't last more than 3 days. The poster from NM is close to being right, but there's a lot of crime in the ABQ area. These are my own opinions and observations, backed up by several friends and relatives.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by DENCOS

I escaped Wisconsin when I graduated from high school, best move I ever made. I have lived all over the West. The person who compares Boulder to Madison is probably correct, but the original poster is writing about Colorado Springs. Even Denver has a lower COL than Madison. Durango is extremely expensive. All in all CO beats WI for living. I now live in AZ, and it's great. COL is a whole lot lower than WI. The climate (high desert) is similar to MSN, not like PHX at all. But, the days are clearer and the snow doesn't last more than 3 days. The poster from NM is close to being right, but there's a lot of crime in the ABQ area. These are my own opinions and observations, backed up by several friends and relatives.

No, cost of living in Wisconsin is not high compared to many coastal locations. The taxes sure aren't low, though. Comparing costs of states in the interior West to the Great Lakes region is an apples to oranges proposition. They have nothing in common.