To the people of wisconsin (Milwaukee, Oak Creek: safe area, living in, safe)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by snowgirl

Dover, I forgot to ask, do you know anything about living in Galena or the business side, out there ?
Again, thank you...........

Galena's economy is heavily reliant on tourism, of which it receives plenty. It is an "old" city by Midwest standards, with many homes and buildings in the downtown area pre-dating the Civil War, giving the town a very quaint, old-fashioned feel. The business climate in Galena reflects these two facts. Many businesses offer consumable goods: ice cream shops, delis, fudge/candy shops, a winery, et cetera. Hospitality is a big industry there too, particularly in the form of bed & breakfasts, conventional hotels, full-fledged resorts, bar & grills, and bistro-type restaurants. There are a lot of antique shops, as you'd expect in a city full of 150+ year-old houses. Finally there several novelty shops that sell souvenirs and nick-nacks. Lead mining and the Civil War are two common themes among the novelty shops.

Real estate in downtown Galena is a bit steep for a small town. The reasons become immediately obvious when you see the place; and considering what you get for your money, the aesthetics of the surroundings and the overall quality of life, it actually seems like a bargain. Prices drop as you leave the core of the historic district and then pick back up again in outlying areas where a lot of newer, upscale development has occured/is occuring. Expect a 2-bedroom starter home (1000sqft or less) to start at $100K; expect a modest (1500-2000sqft) turn-of-the-century brick home in the historic district to start in the $175K range; a contemporary 1 to 2 bedroom condo/townhouse in the outskirts of town will start at about $150K; a larger, 3-bedroom townhouse starts at about $200K; Civil-War-era mansions in the historic district will run anything from $300K for a "modest" (read: 3,000sqft) fixer-upper up to $750K-plus for a fully renovated three-story Italianette of 5,000 to 6,000sqft.

[snowgirl]

Dover,
I just found your message NOW. I did not know about this one as we keep talking under the other thread. And, you are right regarding the prices, this is exactly what I found when I went there this week.
However, I discovered something I did not expect. While the 150 + old houses look somewhat run down or abandoned, inside there are all redone and looking like new. I was shocked at the difference. I guess for being historical homes and registered, owners are not allowed to touch them on the outside.
It made me feel almost like I was in Italy again. Only then you would see such a "discrepancy". You look at the hundreds yr. old buildings and when you go inside, they are luxurious and modern like new built.

[elizabeth45]

Hmmmmmm, let's see Monrovia = few jobs at low pay (Thanks Swiss Colony), decline in economic growth, little shopping, few restaurants, the schools are not as good as they used to be (there is a threat for many cuts to come if a spring referendum does not pass) And coming from Monroe, but not born there, (thank you very much) the people there are not that friendly.

Close to Madison? Want good schools? Try Waunakee, Verona, Middleton.... small town, but not like the Monroe bubble. Yes it is more costly to live in Dane County, but THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THAT.

Originally Posted by MonroeMama

If you want a small-ish town that's warm, welcoming, has a lot of city-wide events going on and great people, and not too far from Madison (about 50 minutes), Monroe WI is the place for you.

We recently (year or so) moved here and it's wonderful -- the best town around. It's slower paced than Madison and Milwaukee, but with a lot of perks -- we have a family YMCA, a number of beautiful parks, a very active community, medical clinic and hospital, community college, nice schools from the looks of things, not to mention a very active homeschooling community, if that's your choice.

Monroe has a population of about 10,000.

LOL I keep thinking of more to write, and editing to add.

Here's a link.

http://wicip.uwplatt.edu/green/ci/monroe/

[mousefrei]

Originally Posted by snowgirl

Yes, snowflake73, I am not that far from Kenosha or Racine and you are right, I never heard anything good about these 2 places.
However, it seems that no one knows what's like to live in Door County
I'm still hoping though............that one day..........someone...........might be so kind to ..............TELL ME

Snowgirl,
I grew up 3 miles from the door county border in a small town called Dykesville. I do like Door County, but it is very expensive to live there, also the traffic was rediculous on Hwy 57 in the summer months. I think it is a very good place to vacation, but I don't think I would like to live there.
My father & brother both work in Door County, but live in Kewaunee County. It is much more practical to live in Kewaunee county, cheaper to live. They both live out in the country. They are close to both Door county and Green Bay.

[TaraMoon]

Snowgirl,
All of the northern half of Wisconsin is gorgeous but, as everywhere, wealthy people can afford to take care of their property and poor working people can not. If you live in the country, your choice is to live next to small farms, some of which are well maintained and some of which are not, or next to corporate farms which are foul-smelling cruelty factories with neatly mowed lawns. The same principle holds for small towns. They usually include a cross-section of people. The ninety-year-old woman who lives in the house she was born in probably isn't able to maintain the property. The stockbroker from Chicago who owns a second home there probably can. A "real" Wisconsin town is likely to contain a nice home built next to one in poor repair, with a trailer across the street and a mini grocery or tire store on the corner. In other words, they aren't planned communities and there's no lawn maintenance gestapo. The property in Door County is well-maintained because it's tourist-ville.The prices are out-of-sight and pretty much limited to the wealthy.

[icons391]

Originally Posted by SleepingDragon

I would recommend not living *anywhere* in Wisconsin.
The accent alone will drive you crazy. JMHO
my bad, sorry :S

All that from someone from the "land of no" .. good gosh, have you ever listened to your neighbor? Oh well .. it is the melting pot indeed! Nothing is natural!

[icons391]

Go back to sleep . .the WI accent is really quite cute. Have you listened closely to the accent in MD? Nope .. probably not because everyone is from somewhere else.

[BadgerNut]

Fond du Lac is a great place to live. It's on the bottom of Lake Winnebago, the world headquarters for Mercury Marine boat motors (lots of jobs) and other very flourishing businesses. It's a little bigger than what you're probably looking for (40,000 people) however it doesn't feel that big. Walleye Weekend is a big yearly festival held at beautiful lakeside park. It's one hour from all the major Wisconsin hubs (Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay). And if Fond du Lac would be too big for you, there are a lot of smaller communities that surround it. Hope this helps. Funny thing is, I've lived here all my life (42 years) and I'm looking to move out of state (job).

[nena salas]

Muchos Saludos to people from West Salem WI, a great`place, I lived there in 1986. The backyard was Lake Neshonoc, excellent winter and summer so hot. I missed my american family. I live in Mexico. LOVE to go back soon and love the accent. Kisses to everyone in West Salem High School .

[mom2kcmd]

I've been living on the outskirts of Milwaukee near Oak Creek for about 5 years and love it. I do have to warn you though avoid living in the city of Milwaukee if you can.