Vilas County

[muskyhusky]

Flatlanders? That's a new one on me, I'll have to ask my daughter if she's heard the term, she works for a private Resort up there...

[uwsupergirl]

I can see that this thread is disolving into cynacism but this is a common problem here in the Northwoods. This is a great place to visit. It is beautiful for fishing, wildlife watching, and lake sports in the Summer. If you like to snowmobile or ice fish, it is a great place, if the weather cooperates, which, for snowmobiling, it has NOT in the last few years. I have had some wonderful things happen to me since I moved here in 1991. I have met some wonderful people-but I agree with fxsts, though I am not perhaps as bitter-YET. Our population here, is high in the over-50-years-old category. There is NO SUCH thing as a $35,000 house here anymore, not even a trailer! We have spent MILLIONS on new schools-the K-8 in Eagle River in around 1995 cost over 10.5 MIL, then the outlying elementary schools over 3 MIL then the new high last year at over 20 MIL. Several years after the new K-8 building was erected, the flat rubber roof failed and the company who had put it on was out of business. We had to pass a referendum to come up the about a quarter million to replace it. Now the fireworks just severely damaged it again! These beautiful schools are facing DECLINING enrollment, and the St. Germain school last year no longer participates in the SAGE funding,(SAGE made K-3 classes smaller by incentive) and had to combine grades because of lack of students. We just lost about all of our music teachers, which hasn't even been covered in the news, because who cares if we don't have any music or arts in the schools as long as there is hockey? People my age watch as their children, if they are smart and ambitious, grow up and leave the area, rarely coming back to live. There are people with money here, usually people who have large businesses, or invested in property years ago, when it was cheap, and made big money selling, when the boom came. Also here, are people who made their money in Illinois or Southern Wisconsin, and then moved here WITH their money! Many people work 2 or 3 jobs, and still qualify for food stamps and medicaid. I am now in college as a 40-year-old, attending Nicolet, and as soon as I get my degree, I am out of here. I have already put 6,000 miles on my van that I bought at the end of April this year. I want to be where I can attend a play or concert, browse in a decent store, have a meal that does not consist of a hunk of steak or fish fry and not have to drive 20 miles one way, just to get to a high school, theater, decent store, or library. Living up here has given me many gifts but I just can't stay. There is an "Us against them" mentality with the tourists sometimes but for the most part, it's a friendly relationship. I just envy them, that they get to leave! I came here, as many people did, after loving it here while on vacation. Now, I feel like I am in some perpetual vacation hell and can't get back to real life! (Ha ha) But I did try to leave the area and wasn't prepared, because I need to be able to afford a place to live, and that was rough for me at the time. So I should have enough equity in my house and the education to go out and do well in roughly three years, and hopefully the housing market will turn around by then. I always discourage people from moving their families here unless they don't like culture and stuff to do besides 'vacation' stuff. Also, once you move here and try to live off the tourist industry, you might find it hard to have time to enjoy fishing, waterskiing, etc...Try paying for your kids to go Go-Karting, skiing or fishing on my income!

[lisaha]

Wow, I'm a little surprised by some of these comments?
Granted, I don't live there year around so I may not know the hardships that that may cause. I do however own a cabin in Phelps (I'm not from Illinois, that seems to be a hot topic) and I can't imagine not owning it. It is so nice to "get away" and relax with such beautiful surroundings. There is nothing like sitting around a campfire or listening to all the wildlife around you. These are some of the things that are "taken away from you" so to speak when you live there year around because of course you are busy with everyday life such as work, raising kids, paying bills ect.... For those of you who live there year around just try to understand that the reason some of us buy property up there or take vacations is because for us who can't experience that everyday it truely is "paradise".
My husband and I have no intention of selling our cabin to make a profit.
We purchased it when it was still being built and are in the process of finishing it ourselves. We want our son and his children to enjoy it long after we are gone. We always try to keep our purchases locally to support the smaller businesses. Maybe that doesn't really help, but we would like to think it does. As for the residents in the area, we have never had a bad experience with anyone. Even if they don't like tourists, they certainly don't show it.
Please everyone, just respect that different people like different things and be decent. Also, try to keep in mind that your "hometown" is someone else's "paradise" and smile knowing that! People are envious of you!

[bestpackerfan]

It depends on the people i guess. I am nice to everyone and usually people are nice to me. Sometimes vacationers get upset when a lane at the store is opened and a friend from town is invited first. I don't blame them, but also I don't blame the cashier. I like meeting the people on vacation and hearing about where they are staying and where they are from. We have differences but it's because we are from a small town and others are from a city. We don't honk unless it is a friendly honk because we know just about everyone. We drive slower because we aren't really in too big a hurry. People in a city are used to hurrying along. That is alright. I like it here and I am happy other people like to visit. just don't tell me you don't like our Packers!