Green Bay: A Warning For Those Moving Here... (Milwaukee, Madison: transplants, find a job)

[Ljbadd]

I’ll start this post by talking about what I love about Wisconsin. Despite the drawbacks, I hate reading posts that are totally negative. I love the greenery, the state parks, the walking trails, Milwaukee, and Madison. I’ve been here for two years and found my dream job in the process. So, why am I leaving? I didn’t understand the importance of entertainment, diversity, culture, and intellectual curiosity until I moved here and found a place lacking those qualities. To be fair, I like Madison and Milwaukee and if I could find a job with a decent salary there, I’d live in either city. Outside of those two cities though, Wisconsin is a dull collection of tiny towns or rural farms.

Coming from a large city on the East coast, I found myself tired of partying till 3 am on the weekends and looking for something new. I got my wish in Green Bay, which has the opposite extreme. Here, the nightlife, music scene, and downtown are virtually nonexistent. I hear people discuss quality education when in reality, most people are blue collar and have at most an Associate’s degree. There’s nothing wrong with that in of itself but the dearth of people with higher degrees and greater ambition make it difficult for me to relate and it creates much loneliness. I now understand what they mean when they say, “It’s lonely at the top.”

The winters are long, unrelenting, and brutal. Yet what bothers me the most isn’t the low temperatures but the stunning lack of sunlight during the Winter. There are so many gray days here that from October to April that it’s very difficult not to get bored, lonely, and depressed. There’s little entertainment or intellectual engagement to get you through those tough months.

Green Bay has a peter pan complex. In addition to The Packers, beer, and cheese, residents here have an almost religious obsession with being “family friendly.” Since I’m relatively young and do not plan on having children for some time (if at all), there is little support here for young professionals. It’s hard to make friends, not because people aren’t friendly (they are), but because they are busy raising their own families. People keep to themselves. The focus is on building up the family, not friendships.

If you’re a transplant, your best bet is to find and befriend other transplants. That strategy has worked for me but it’s always short-lived as the transplants I’ve met move within 6 months because they can’t take it here. Every 6 months, I feel like I’m starting all over socially.

So, after a 2 year endurance test, I too have had enough. In 13 days, I bust out of here and head to the Twin Cities. Unfortunately, the winters are even worse there but I look forward to a more cosmopolitan culture that stresses healthy living and intellectual curiosity.

[Badger]

the OP is a very fair post, a very realistic look at how many an outsider perceives wisconsin....

[MaseMan]

I can see why you had a tough time. I don't think Green Bay has ever been billed as an attractive town for young single professionals. You will probably enjoy the Twin Cities a lot more, but it's sort of an apples and oranges comparison.

[brian571]

I would have chosen Appleton over Green Bay. Night and day as far as entertainment and night life, more professional and younger people, and just an overall more desirable community IMO. MSP is going to be different than GB, but it's not really a fair comparison. Green Bay is a city of just over 100K while MSP metro is 3.5mil. The winter weather is going to be the same as far as grayness, but colder and more snowy. Summers are warmer though. Good luck to you.

[bay2bay]

Green Bay's metro is over 300K so it is small compared to the Twin Cities. Really not that much difference between GB and Appleton. They're both family orientated cities. One difference between the two is Green Bay for whatever reason is becoming increasingly more ethnically diversed at a faster rate then Appleton. The Fox River Mall just outside of Appleton is the major shopping attraction for both cities followed by Bay Park right outside of Green Bay. As for big time entertainment most Broadway style shows go through the PAC in Appleton and national touring music acts go through the Resch Center in Green Bay. The two cities are just a 1/2 hour drive apart so if you live in one place you can take advantage of what the other has to offer.

[Ljbadd]

Appleton is about 10 years ahead of Green Bay in regards to its downtown and arts scene. I believe the difference is merely because Appleton is more white collar while Green Bay is more blue collar. But they have more things in common than differences. Appleton is just a slight upgrade.

[Displaced "D" Fan]

Agree with original post. Wisconsin, at least those areas outside of Madison and Milwaukee, is an insular culture. Those that are from here love it and never want to leave. But if you are not from here and don't crave hunting, fishing, the Packers, cheese, and beer, you are going to feel pretty isolated. Add to that exceptionally brutal winters, and it all adds up to one bleak existence.

[ram2]

I know people who moved away from the big city to small towns so they would be closer to more hunting and fishing areas.

[Angorlee]

Appleton is a nicer town physically than Green Bay but people in Green Bay connect easier with each other.

[DASULAR17]

I agree that Green Bay (the tundra) is a good place to raise a family and become part of their pseudo-religion " The Green Bay Packers" . I went to school at Bellin worked in Oshkosh,Appleton and finally Wauwatosa. In the end we escaped FROM Wisconsin and moved to Florida (a great decision) The places we lived in Wisconsin were nice ,but one more year of that lifestyle and I would have driven a clever through the kitchen door while screaming HERE"S JOHNNY!!!!!!!!.
Of course my wife would have responed Geez Hey! stop that now ya know?