Can I handle the winter? (Madison, Luck: houses, elementary school, living)

[helpfromsandiego]

I am a California girl, who went to grad school in Florida, and have therefore lived my entire life in a warm climate. I bought a winter coat for a trip to Boston last year.

My husband has been pursuing a job in Madison, despite me putting my heels in the ground. It sounds like a perfect place for us: two fairly liberal thirty-somethings, looking for a nice place to raise our elementary school aged children, in every other respect. But the weather isn't like a bad area of town that can be avoided.

We just hardly have winter here and I would be curious to hear how people with no winter experience, like me, adjust. It is so difficult for me to imagine.

[Bo]

I grew up in the lower midwest, which has a milder winter and I lived a few years in the south before I spent a decade in Madison. Invest in warm clothes and you'll do just fine with the winters. Fleece, ski jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts, leggings, long underwear, knit hats, balaclavas and hiking boots will all be good items to have on hand.

Make sure you have shoes on which you can walk on ice. Icy sidewalks are one of the biggest hazards of winter walking.

Kids in the Madison schools have recess outside until the chill factor drops below zero, so your kids will need the warm outerwear at least as much as you do. When my kids moved here to Texas, they found it hilarious that their teachers kept the kids inside from the cold when the air temperature was in the 40s.

The Lands End catalog and web site would be a good resource to get a look at the articles of clothing that will come in handy during the winter. Lands End is based about 30 miles from Madison.

[pinkgonegreen]

We moved here 5 months ago from Irvine (OC) and honestly, it is AWESOME here weatherwise! The summer is warm but not often hot, there is always a breeze through the trees, there are tons of evergreens so you don't really miss the trees too much, and really, jeans & a sweater are so comfy!!! You can't wear flip flops for too long outside now that its been in the 40s but you don't have to layer either. Everyone on here told me how cold it is here, but I don't think so. Given it is only fall now, but seriously, they are all walking around town in their HEAVY winter coats, it's ridiculous - I'm fine in my single layer sweater and jeans. I think the ppl here are just very temperature sensitive (too hot in summer, too cold in winter, never happy with weather) but they would be equally annoyed with eternal southern CA endless summer...the seasons are refreshing and although surprisingly a bit chilly at times, it puts a smile on my face because everything is living and seasonally changing, not just having chemicals dumped on it to keep it green unnaturally all year long. You'll be fine...give it a try, houses DO have heaters and so do cars...so are you just worried about the 10 seconds of cold to get from your house to your car?

[pinkgonegreen]

I'm sure I'll get a "just wait until it's winter" reply on this...but come on, anything below 30 just registers in the body as "VERY COLD" and so you put on a down filled coat and march out...it's not like you're doing marathons in the cold (at least I'm not)...but my hubby bicycles 14 miles each day in the 20s and is from Houston & OC and he is fine too...just 2 shirts & a thin coat. Pretty sure heaters stay on in the winter in the car and house, no biggie...and your energy bill will be less than CALI...no A/C, all heat!

[ImaloneJill]

Down comforter, down jacket, ski pants, fleece-lined boots, home or apt. with a woodburning stove or fireplace-these things help keep you snug.
Ice skating, sledding, snowmobiling, tobogganing, tubing, these things make the winter pass quickly.
And when you make hot chocolate for the kids, pour yourself one-with a shot of Kahlua in it!

[Angorlee]

Madison is between 2 lakes and is therefore on an isthmus. It gets really cold and bone chilling dampness from the lakes. Its a hell of a place in the winter but if you dress right you might be able to tolerate it. Problem is that winter is too damn long. It goes on and on and on. But when spring comes its like a major celebration. Just try it and find out.

[Megan1967]

The good news is that this is supposed to be an unusually mild winter.

[ranger17]

Originally Posted by Megan1967

The good news is that this is supposed to be an unusually mild winter.

of course mild to those from WI can still be bitter to one from CA!

We thought the 100+" of snow 2 winters ago was a fluke, like the 100 yr flood one hears about. Then it seemed to come right back last season and bite us once again in the ..... hence us hauling down to SC after being lifelong Wi residents.

As i've always suggested to anyone moving to WI; you have to try to embrace it. Madison has many things to promote and do. We lived there, but liked nothing about the winter months. Did not ski, snowmobile, ice fish, skate, etc. In fact hibernated waiting for spring to come back, the ice to melt, and get back out on the water and enjoy warmer temps. So for us it made sense to find a climate that we did like. So make sure you try things in the outdoors, bundle up the kids and take them sledding, etc; and the winter can be much easier to deal with. At least go there with an open mind, if you walk into the place planning on not liking it, that's what will happen. Good Luck

[ranger17]

oh, thought I would add: while it's been listed before that the proper clothing will get you by in the cold temps/snow; one other thing to consider is your vehicle. Not all cars in the southern states come with "all season" tires, which is the minimum you'd want/need up in WI for winter. If your ride has summer only or performance based tires, plan on different rubber for say Nov-March +/-. There are other threads with more info on driving tips in winter that can give you more info; so not something to 'worry' about now but something that should be on your list of things to check out if the move is made.

[starlight1980]

I'm moving to Madison from San Diego too (not until June). But I'm an Illinois girl and am very bored with San Diego weather (lived here almost 3 years). You do truly have to embrace the change in weather. I crave it now that its gone. Here are some of the things I miss, things you will be able to look forward to. Leaves changing in the fall, pumpkin patches (I gave up carving a pumpkin in SD- goes black on the inside in 2 days), playing in the snow, central heat (I do miss this when it occasionally gets cold in Cali- my whole house is the same temp as it is outside- record is 37F), getting to wear cute winter clothes and boots (just can't bring myself to wear fuzzy snow boots here although the locals have no problem wearing them to the beach), the holidays- a much bigger deal in the midwest- colorful lights, radio stations devoted to holiday music, etc, spring is very dramatic- everything goes from desolate and bare to bright green, thunder/lightening storms, and summer- also much more of a celebration w/festivals, bbqs, and the best thing of all- lightening bugs
But really, when its freezing, you're only outside to get from heated point A to heated point B. I've found that having a car with seats that warm (butt warmers) are a god send. Also, people are very warm-hearted in the midwest to make up for the cold weather.