Relo from WV to Wisconsin... (Milwaukee, Madison: rentals, how much, vacation home)

[grad2003amd]

My hubby might be taking a job in New Berlin, right outside of Milwaukee. I have lived in WV all of my life, and to be honest will be very sad to leave. Being my first time moving away (my hubby has lived in WV and Seattle) I need to know what to expect. We are going to make a trip up sometime in the near future to make sure it's someplace we want to be and check things out, but I need some input from people from around the area! I apologize if some of my questions have been answered before, but I am just trying to get all the info I can in one place!

Weather...In WV winter usually starts in late October/early November, with the coldest and snowiest months being january-march. Our temps usually stay around the 20s with some in the teens and single digits. Every now and then we will get below zero, but if we do it doesn't stay that way for long. When I was a kid, I can remember getting foot upon foot of snow, but the last few years it doesn't seem it's been that bad. I think this year the most we had at one given time was MAYBE 10 inches. I don't mind snow at all, the only thing I think I might have trouble with is the cold. lol So when does the snow/cold start in WI? How much snow should we expect? Do they upkeep the roads pretty regularly with plowing and salt/sinders?

Travel...I plan to come back home pretty often to visit my family. I would be coming with me and my 2 year old daughter. My husband doesn't want me to drive, because he is afraid I will break down (I'm not scared) and he thinks the drive would be boring. I am not very worried about that, because I would be plenty busy driving anyway. Other than driving we can fly or use amtrak. Flying with a toddler by myself doesn't really sound like a good time, so I am leaning more toward amtrak. Does anyone have any experience with Amtrak? I have never been on a train, so I don't know how the stops/transfers would work.

Lake activities...I would be super stoked to live so close to Lake Michigan. Are there fishing boats you can go on? My hubby likes to go on boats and fish, so I am sure that would make him happy.

Neighborhoods...My hubby would be working in New Berlin, so what kind of neighborhood would be good for a newbie with a toddler? We would be renting and we have 2 cats and a larger dog. The commute I would say would have to be less than 30 min.

I am sure I have more questions, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[admiralsfan24]

Winters in WV sound a lot like the winters here. Probably a little more snow but overall it starts around late October or early November though most of our snow is probably December-February. They do a good job on the roads with both plowing and salting.

I don't have any experience with Amtrak but if your car is well taken care of you shouldn't have much problem driving back if that's what you want to do.

You can rent pontoon boats (my favorite) which I'm guessing you could fish off of but I'm not completely sure on that.

Riverwalk Boat Tours & Rentals - Boat Rental Rates

I would also suggest renting a boat on Pewaukee Lake (about 15 miles Northwest of New Berlin). There are a ton of muskies in there that I'm sure your husband would love to catch.

New Berlin is a nice area. I'm guessing there's probably something there that you could find that would be suitable for your toddler and pets.

[grad2003amd]

Thanks for all of the great info. I am sure my husband would love to catch muskies, we don't have a lot of luck here, bluegill is about all we can seem to catch. LOL Are the winter temperatures around the same as here or coldeR?

[Ralph Shinners]

Yes, it is significantly colder here than in West Virginia. For example the average high in January for WV is 42 degrees, whereas for Milwaukee it is only 29.

It will snow more in Milwaukee too, but the municipalities are pretty quick with the snow removal and salting, especially on the major streets.

I don't know what your budget is or your personal taste in neighborhoods - but probably you would like New Berlin. It is generally considered a desirable area and has highly rated schools.

[grad2003amd]

Sounds good. If we do end up moving, we would be renting in a random place and then decide where we want to move from there. Our daughter is only 2 so we have a couple years to figure out the best school district. I think I saw Pewaukee had a good school district? Correct me if I am wrong. I honestly know nothing about the area except what I have read on this forum and on wikipedia. LOL

I mean, we still want to rent in a safe area, but it's not necessarily where we will buy a home....

[admiralsfan24]

Here's what I found for average high and low temperatures.

January

New Berlin 28-11
Huntington 42-25

February

New Berlin 32-15
Huntington 47-28

March

New Berlin 43-24
Huntington 57-35

April

New Berlin 56-35
Huntington 68-45

May

New Berlin 68-45
Huntington 75-53

June

New Berlin 78-55
Huntington 83-61

July

New Berlin 82-60
Huntington 86-65

August

New Berlin 80-59
Huntington 86-64

September

New Berlin 73-50
Huntington 79-56

October

New Berlin 60-38
Huntington 68-45

November

New Berlin 45-28
Huntington 57-37

December

New Berlin 32-15
Huntington 45-29

And we do get a lot more snow than Huntington now that I look at it. Huntington averages about 23 inches of snow per year. The Milwaukee area averages about 50 inches.

The nice thing about Lake Michigan is that during the summer if you get an East breeze it gets really cool by the lake where it could be upwards of 20 degrees warmer 5 miles inland. Opposite in the winter where it is usually slightly warmer by the lake compared to inland.

All schools in Waukesha County are good, so if you choose to live in Waukesha County you're fine with whatever area you decide to live in.

[guitarguy1685]

Welcome. I moved to Milwaukee from LA and I fell I made a great choice. Wisconsin is a beautiful state.

[grad2003amd]

Thanks for going through all the trouble to compare temperatures! It's nice to see the numbers, but they really don't scare me! I grew up in Terra Alta, WV and we were the reason our county had snow days. LOTS of snow, and cold. I only live an hour away from there now and it's funny to see how the climate changes in just 40 or so miles.

[petite d]

Re: lake activities - all of SE Wisconsin is great for that, not just along Lake Michigan. Due to glaciers having covered that area, there are lots of little lakes you can fish or rent vacation homes on. Also, Door County (the "thumb" on a map of WI) is not terribly far away and makes for a great weekend getaway, particularily during cherry season (and Peninsula State Park on Green Bay is beautiful).

Milwaukee is actually pretty easy to get around in, despite being a larger city. I actually think traffic in Madison is worse! So wherever you end up living, your husband's commute shouldn't be too bad. There are lots of nice, quiet and affordable areas tucked away here and there.

And if you get a chance while you're here, check out the Schlitz Audubon Society! It has hiking trails through reconstructed prairie and woodland and a beautiful stretch of Lake Michigan shorline.

[slamont61]

To the OP: Milwaukee is similar in size and characteristics as Pittsburgh. I'm sure you've spent some time there. That's what I found to be the case when I moved from Pittsburgh to the Milwaukee area.