Curious, what do people think of WI? (Milwaukee, Madison: hotel, to live)

[notmuch69]

The poop smell is ok if it isn't to strong.

[coffeelovr]

What I like About WI:

Very, very green countryside; beautiful!

A slower paced life; not as stressful as other, "busier" places, generally speaking.

Frozen Custard, yum.......

Some people in WI tend to be into hobbies and crafts - A positive way to spend one's leisure time!

The fun Summer fairs all over in every county, and ethnic/music festivals in Milwaukee.

Negatives About WI:

Small town areas seem to have few jobs (usually).

Brutal Winters

High DWI (driving while intoxicated) rates for both adult and juveniles

Lawyers do not have to be "bar certified" to practice law in WI.

And one last thing: (I have to be honest here, folks) A resistance to most things "new," including sometimes people who are new to the state who just want to get to know their WI neighbors and make friends with them! Wisconsinites can be very hard on outsiders at times. Please think about the "Golden Rule" next time you're tempted to shun a stranger: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
(By the way, I greatly appreciate the FEW Wisconsinites who BRAVELY befriended me and others from out of state who've moved here! You "bucked the system" and did not care what others thought, you determined to act kind and friendly to an outsider! As the "good book" says, "Your 'reward' is waiting in Heaven"!)

[hankejp]

People are always saying how Wisconsinite's aren't very friendly to "outsiders". I've yet to see this. Maybe it's my cheese goggles, but I don't think I've ever witnessed this.

We have some new neighbors moving in at the beginning of th emonth from W. Va. I'm pretty excited to meet someone from out of state.

[JoshB]

I'm like you Joe, I love to meet people from other places. It's so fun hearing how they compare their old location to their new location.

[NicePolishBoy]

The outsider problem, for the outsider, is true in Oshkosh. Milwaukee and Madison are like cities in a different world compared to Oshkosh, so it is hard to generalize.

[coffeelovr]

Originally Posted by hankejp

People are always saying how Wisconsinite's aren't very friendly to "outsiders". I've yet to see this. Maybe it's my cheese goggles, but I don't think I've ever witnessed this.

We have some new neighbors moving in at the beginning of th emonth from W. Va. I'm pretty excited to meet someone from out of state.

Sir, You've probably never witnessed this because you sound like you're a native and it (the rudeness) DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU! Either that or...
You've seen the rudeness but because you are "culturally trained" (for lack of a better way to say it) to stick up for "your own" even if they're in the wrong, you won't admit it. I think it is very hard to believe that you have "never" seen a fellow Wisconsinite being rude or hateful to an outsider if you have lived in WI all your life! Have you lived there all your life??

[notmuch69]

I think small town Wisconsin people are quite friendly but are often not so nice with non-white people.

[Cha Ching]

I'm a lifelong Texan who moved to Milwaukee about 2 years ago (we're practically in Wauwatosa-- right on the line).

I moved up here to work on a genealogy I'm writing of my dad's family, which was all over Rock County and dispersed from there. So I've seen a bit of the state (plus parts of Illinois) already. New Holstein, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Lake Geneva, Sussex, Wausau, Beloit, Janesville, Clinton, Madison, Lodi....

I've grown to really love it here. Yes, winter was a little insane my first year, but I've gotten used to it.

Things I love:
- The farmers markets, gardens, and huge attempt here to eat seasonally. At home, there are 2 growing seasons. But it just gets so freaking hot, people get disgusted and tend to give up when it hits the 95 degree mark. So I really love seeing all the gorgeous flowers and veg @ the markets.
- I love the commitment to recycling and green initiatives by the cities here. In our suburb outside Dallas, we were one of the few families that recycled, although people were given bins for it. People down there just don't give a crap. Here, people HAVE to do it. I like that.
- The light little rain showers we get here. At home, it's either nothing or it deluges for weeks at a time, the sky turns green, and here come the tornadoes.
- The beautiful green rolling hills, cows, and barns. We have hills at home, but they're brown, and the barns blend in. We have cows, but they tend to be brown Hereford rather than the jazzy black and white Jerseys here.
- The CHEESE, ya'll.
- The amazing sense of history here. The incredible old Germanic architecture from the 1850s that still stands. I am in awe when I see it. I want a turret on my house. Seriously.
- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. Better than EVERY STATION in Dallas, which is owned lock, stock and barrel by Clear Channel.

What I Don't Like:
- The Mexican food isn't the same. I REALLY miss Chuy's.
- Sometimes, it seems a bit rural to me, and I need to head to Chicago to get my fix of big city-ness.
- No IKEA! :P
- Not being an airport hub. I got really spoiled being able to fly just about anywhere non-stop or 1-stop from DFW. But the Milwaukee airport is just the right size, and it has a Starbuck's and a cool old bookstore in it. Can't ask for more than that.
- Missing my friends and old haunts. But half those are gone too, so it's no biggie.

[JoshB]

Originally Posted by Cha Ching

I'm a lifelong Texan who moved to Milwaukee about 2 years ago (we're practically in Wauwatosa-- right on the line).

I moved up here to work on a genealogy I'm writing of my dad's family, which was all over Rock County and dispersed from there. So I've seen a bit of the state (plus parts of Illinois) already. New Holstein, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Lake Geneva, Sussex, Wausau, Beloit, Janesville, Clinton, Madison, Lodi....

I've grown to really love it here. Yes, winter was a little insane my first year, but I've gotten used to it.

Things I love:
- The farmers markets, gardens, and huge attempt here to eat seasonally. At home, there are 2 growing seasons. But it just gets so freaking hot, people get disgusted and tend to give up when it hits the 95 degree mark. So I really love seeing all the gorgeous flowers and veg @ the markets.
- I love the commitment to recycling and green initiatives by the cities here. In our suburb outside Dallas, we were one of the few families that recycled, although people were given bins for it. People down there just don't give a crap. Here, people HAVE to do it. I like that.
- The light little rain showers we get here. At home, it's either nothing or it deluges for weeks at a time, the sky turns green, and here come the tornadoes.
- The beautiful green rolling hills, cows, and barns. We have hills at home, but they're brown, and the barns blend in. We have cows, but they tend to be brown Hereford rather than the jazzy black and white Jerseys here.
- The CHEESE, ya'll.
- The amazing sense of history here. The incredible old Germanic architecture from the 1850s that still stands. I am in awe when I see it. I want a turret on my house. Seriously.
- 88.9 Radio Milwaukee. Better than EVERY STATION in Dallas, which is owned lock, stock and barrel by Clear Channel.

What I Don't Like:
- The Mexican food isn't the same. I REALLY miss Chuy's.
- Sometimes, it seems a bit rural to me, and I need to head to Chicago to get my fix of big city-ness.
- No IKEA! :P
- Not being an airport hub. I got really spoiled being able to fly just about anywhere non-stop or 1-stop from DFW. But the Milwaukee airport is just the right size, and it has a Starbuck's and a cool old bookstore in it. Can't ask for more than that.
- Missing my friends and old haunts. But half those are gone too, so it's no biggie.

Great post! Glad you like it hear.

[Cha Ching]

Thanks Josh.

And I'll chime in on the "unfriendly" Wisconsinites part. Now, this is Milwaukee, so it may be different here, but this is my perspective as a relative newbie.

We had some internet friends up here when we moved up. The night we got in, we had a "We're here, everybody come over" party. They brought another internet friend we had never met before. She brought us a "new place" offering of Wisconsin beer, cheese, and frozen custard. I thought that was incredibly nice and super thoughtful!

Our next door neigbors are not to be believed. For the first four months here, my husband and I had to live apart while he got our house sold in Texas. So I was having to walk the dog multiple times a day, hold down a full time job, do all the snow shoveling etc alone.

When our next door neighbor found out I had MS, she began snowblowing our driveway every time we had a storm. We were so grateful, we bought them a Sendik's gift certificate for Christmas. And invited them to our Halloween party. I never want to move!