Sheboygan Falls (Fond du Lac, Howard, Baraboo: low crime, living, area)

[needtogetout]

i lived in sheboygan for 13 years. very small town, closed-minded attitude there. nothing to do if you're not a drinker. moved to green bay thinking it would be different and it's not. been in green bay for 7 years now and am looking to get the hell out of this state altogether as soon as i can!

[Wisco_#1]

I lived in Sheboygan for about 4 years.
I loved it
Its an interstate drive from both Milwaukee and Green Bay.
Lake Michigan is great and theirs a nice place to golf near bye (If you into that stuff...........Im not)

[LadyPilot]

I've lived in Sheboygan for over 40 years and I think it's great. The only people who get bored here are those who have to be entertained to be interested! Sheboygan has affordable housing, adequate shopping, excellent schools, a beautiful lakefront with more miles of accessible public beach than any other city on Lake Michigan. During the winter (outdoors) there is sledding, ice skating, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, etc. During the summer months you can golf at world-class courses, swim in either the Quarry which has a huge water slide, or in Lake Michigan at one of three public beaches. You can bike along the Old Plank Trail for miles and miles. There are softball leagues, volleyball leagues, horseshoe leagues to join. There is something going on nearly every night at the Wildwood complex. We have a local "bush" league baseball team that is great fun to watch.

If you prefer professional sports - we have major league baseball, NFL football, and NBA basketball teams an hour away. There is also pro soccer, hockey and arena football to watch. There are opportunities to visit casinos (also an hour away), or wager on our own Wisconsin State Lottery.

We have an AKC affiliated Kennel Club, and a Dog Training Club. We have service clubs ranging from JayCees to Kiwanis. We have churches of every denomination (except Wican), good day care, lots of great restaurants serving everything from charcoal grilled brats and steaks to gourmet Northern Itallian. Trust me, if you want to stay busy, you can stay busy.

Then there is our library - one of the best in the state, and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center where you can learn to paint, sculpt, weave, etc. There is a hands-on kid's museum, an historical museum and a historical research center that has an outstanding collection. There are two excellent hospitals and a state-of-the-art clinic.

What we don't have is a high crime rate. You can actually go to bed at night and forget to lock the front door and no one will murder you.

Most of the people who moan about Sheboygan's short comings have never been anywhere else. I've traveled around the world, spending months at a time in Europe, South America, Africa and Australia. It always felt good to be back in Sheboygan.

And I wasn't born here, either. I am a transplant.

[NOTintheCITY]

I lived in Sheboygan for almost 17 years. I am only 27 now, but I have watched that city take a turn for the major worst. Good parts of the city go bad (drugs, crime, garbage, vandalism) in a short time, about 5-7 years.

I have since moved to Sheboygan Falls, the furthest I can get at this time, but once I have the chance, I am gone. LadyPilot made some good points, but I would have to say may be "blind" to the GROWING drug problem. And we all know that with the drugs comes more crime (burglary, armed robbery, even murder) as we have seen in the recent years.

Falling asleep with your door unlocked, I am not sure this should ever be an option. People have been beaten, tied up and robbed at gunpoint, by people they don't know, but may know them through someone else. All the criminals have to know is if there is anything valuable in the home. They'll be there. It's tough to watch the city go to the dog's, but it's the reality of it.

Blue Harbor is a last ditch effort, maybe the space station can turn a few things around, but the way this city spends money and doesn't take care of the people who LIVE HERE (instead of the ones visiting), you can bet I won't be around to watch it turn into a "copy-cat Milwaukee" with less that 100,000 people.

You could say that I am running from a problem instead of being proactive about it, but in this country (one that doesn't want to fight the drug war), I am afraid we have no choice. The drugs push people OUT. Pretty soon, inner city Sheboygan will be nothing but homes in shambles (which we already see) and businesses that can barely survive on minimal street traffic. So many more are moving away from the city or closing the doors for good. The little shops that built Sheboygan are being pushed out like the people who live there. Note to the mayor and etc: Reduce the drugs and the people will come back, it's just the way it is.

I couldn't wait to get out. Being young, there is little to do. UNLESS you like one or two specific things. Golf, fishing, bars softball.....etc. But there isn't any ways for the teens to unwind and express themselves outside of highschool activities. A skateboard park was finally built not that long ago. Just an example of what I mean. We need more things like this that bring the teens together in social situations. There is a tension no matter where you go, you can feel it. Look at someone the wrong way, they are all scared of the same things, NOT being in newspaper the next day, or week later for that matter.

This is just my opinion of course. How I have felt for over 15+ years about Sheboygan in general. From the standpoint of a 27 year old, take it however you wish, but don't sugar coat is at all. Talk to anyone else and they may feel the same way. Get out of your own little "circle" and see what's really happening IN SHEBOYGAN, not near it, IN SHEBOYGAN.

Enjoy!

[sillygal]

I lived in Sheboygan for almost 25yrs.........I miss it at times, it does have a wonderful lakefront, and the cost of living is very affordable. I don't have children, but my nieces and nephews grew up there along with their kids and never complained about the schools. I never had any problems with crime, or gangs........I wouldn't be afraid to walk alone there at night even downtown that is for sure......and I am a older lady. I have only been away for 12yrs now but when I go home to visit I don't feel any different than I did.

[baked bean]

Originally Posted by Pickled

The only places you should avoid are along the Illinois border, Fond du Lac, and the north side of Milwaukee.

what's wrong with beloit, janesville and whitewater? all of those are pretty close to the illinois border. can someone clarify?

[ihatefonddulac]

I'm really curious why Pickled said to avoid Fond du Lac. Unfortunately, I have lived in that dump for a year, and I can't stand the place!!!! I'm just curious as to why they think it should be avoided.

[clferver]

I love Sheboygan. We lived there for 2.5 years before we moved to Eau Claire and I still miss it 6 years later. I love the lake, I love the lack of crime, I love the rural area, I love the fact that it's close to Green Bay & Milwaukee (about 65 miles from each) but not so close that you have their problems. Great little city. Cindy

[limoncello]

I live in Manitowoc, just north of Sheboygan. I moved here from Madison, and it was a bit of culture shock. Even though it's still Wisconsin, the Lakeshore area is much more conservative/religious than Madison. But, you know what else it is?? CHEAPER! We bought a lovely home for half what we'd have paid in Madison (so, um, yeah. Those who are complaining about cost of living in east central WI are kind of confusing me).

I have heard from coworkers that Sheboygan is not their choice of places to live, partially due to the growing drug problem referenced above. These friends have chosen to live both north and south of Sheboygan itself, in smaller communities (Manitowoc, Elkhart Lake, New Holstein, etc). Not sure how you feel about the small town living, but that might be an option. Also, as with any city, there are good and bad areas to live in.

There are some really nice restaurants in Sheboygan, and Kohler's resorts/golf courses are in your back yard. There are some great state parks nearby, and Milwaukee and Green Bay are close too (Milwaukee being the better option for shopping/night life, of course!)

Good luck!

[NOTintheCITY]

Does anyone watch the news or read the www.sheboygan-press.com website? I beg to differ on the tolerable crime level.