would like insight on Hudson, WI (Mountain: apartments, house, neighborhood)

[robjfoley]

My wife and I live near Denver, CO, and she has been offered a job in Hudson, WI. What's Hudson like? We are in our mid- and late-twenties and like doing things outdoors...what sort of outdoor recreation activities are around? How sunny is it during the winter, and how harsh are the winters? (We've lived in Maine and DO NOT like how cloudy it was all the time.) We currently live in an apartment in Colorado, but would want to possibly do the house thing in WI - what kind of home could we get for around the $150k price? Any surrounding areas that anyone would suggest...or even across the river into MN? Any ideas about apartments in Hudson or surrounding areas? Also, I would be looking for work - I have experience in the non-profit world, hold a masters degree in Theology, and wouldn't mind teaching, church work, or positions involving writing...any insight?

Thanks so much...

[MN55]

It is basically a suburb of St. Paul so you might have more luck in the Minneapolis-St. Paul thread. It is more Minnesotan-ish than it is a part of Wisconsin, although it does have the high property-tax rates of Wisconsin.

Anyways, you could probably get a small single-family home in a decent neighborhood for 150-175K. There is a nice classic downtown along the river, and along I-94 there are many big stores like Target, Wal-Mart, Best-Buy, etc. For everything else it is about a twenty minute ride into downtown St. Paul.

The winters are cold, but it is generally pretty sunny (more so than the northeast, and places like Michigan and Ohio). The winters are harsher than in CO, but it still shouldn't be a huge shcok coming from there, unlike a place like Florida or Texas.

The St. Paul metro has a lot of Lutherans and Catholics, but I don't really know how that applies to your job situation. The Twin Cities metro has been hit be the economy just like the rest of the country.

Also there are a ton of recreational activities in the area. The St. Croix river goes right through the town and is amazing for canoeing, boating, and fishing. There are also numerous big lakes in the area, especially accross the St. Croix in Minnesota. Golf is big in the area, so if you are into that, there are many private and public courses close by. There are numerous bike trails and hiking trails, both in MN and WI. In the winter, the snowmobiling trails are very good, and there are number of smaller skiing places about an hour north such as Wild Mountain and Trollhaugen. Afton Alps and Welch Village are about an hour south and are even better places to ski, but more expensinve. If you like the outdoors, the St. Croix river valley is a great place to be.

Accross the river you should look at Stillwater and White Bear Lake; both are very similar to Hudson. Stillwater might be a little out of your price range, but it is an EXTREMELLY nice town with and amazing downtown area and is pretty easy to get into Hudson. White Bear would be a good fit for you, but it is a bit of a haul to get to Hudson (like 30 minutes).

Anyways, yea, I think you would probably get more replies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul forum. I would post this there.