housing location advice for work in Sparta: maybe West Salem or Onalaska? (Madison: apartment complex)

[gotsmack]

I just accepted a job offer in Sparta. I am a young single guy that grew up in North NJ, where everything is walking distance or a 15 minute drive away.

Just so that you have an idea of what I can afford, my salary is $50k.

What I need to know:
1a. What town should I live in? I want off street parking at an apartment complex where there are things to do for young people. If I have to drive anywhere I have to mention that I have not parallel parked since my driving exam. I'm not the out-door type.

1b. I'm thinking Onalaska or West Salem. Are these places good? Safety is my #1 concern, then it is commute (in terms of plowed highways to get to work, not so much time as long as it is under 45 minutes), then it is entertainment.

2. Do I need an engine block heater? But if apartment parking lots don't have places to plug it in, there is no point in getting one.

3. Are there any other things I should know about? Like areas to stay away from? I'm Asian if that matters (I don't have to live by other Asian people, but if some ignorant people don't want me around, I don't want to provoke them).


Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.

[franktank232]

West Salem is closer to Sparta and has really expanded in the last decade. Very nice place to live (I've lived there in the past). Onalaska is bigger, closer to La Crosse and also a great place to live. Safety? Should not be an issue in any place of either. Both commutes to Sparta should be well under 45 minutes, unless its winter and we get snow/ice/etc. You can take either I 90 or Hwy 16. Block heater? Never needed one on any vehicle of mine, but in very cold weather it might help depending on the car you drive.

Depending on where you are coming from, just realize winters can be very long and harsh at times. La Crosse averages over 40 inches of snow and averages 26 nights below 0F. There are times in Jan and Feb when the high temperature won't rise above 0F.

Spring is fantastic, summer is hot/humid, fall is awesome... Lots of seasonal change in this area.

Take a summer walk through Riverside Park (La Crosse) some evening in summer...stroll around downtown La Crosse...very easy to get around on foot over bicycle.

[Drover]

Not really much of a "young people" scene anywhere around there. La Crosse would be the closest you'd get to something like that with it being a small-ish college town. Prepare to road-trip to Madison or the Twin Cities from time to time if you need a solid dose of anything approximating a cosmpolitan social scene.

You shouldn't have any problem finding off-street parking pretty much anywhere you rent.

Safety: basically a non-issue. Probably the biggest safety issue around there would be drunk drivers in the late evening.

Block heater: helpful, but not necessary. Modern cars can start in just about any climate. The one and only time I had problems getting a car to start for weather reasons was when it got down to -27. That's about a once-in-a-decade event. Just make sure to get your battery tested before each winter.

[Stone1]

Sparta has newer housing options but probably not the night life you may want.

West Salem won't offer much excitement for you but it may offer the lower cost housing and is about 15 minutes to Sparta.

Onalaska will offer a good selection of housing options and is just a few minutes longer of a drive to Sparta if going by interstate. Onalaska will also put you near the major shopping or night life places around the Valley View Mall area and LaCrosse (downtown).