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In a list of accepting towns, just remember that Harley rules this state with a big bike vengeance. On the Wknds it's nothing to see on the ridable days whole sections of highway filled with black leather, bandana wrapped foreheads and lots of alternative color clothing.
Uh, no. That's a massive exaggeration. For Harley Fest? Sure, that's where the bikes come in droves. Any other normal day of the year? You see them here & there however they definitely have not taken over.
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Originally Posted by migordovida
Notice in here left off Milwaukee and vicinity, mostly because of gangs,
"They've ruined Milwaukee" and it's blue collar hard working class image
traffic can be a daily monster here and good jobs are scattered.
Another exaggeration. Yeah, there's crime here. It's a big city, no surprise there. Stay away from the north side & parts of Riverwest & you'll be fine. Traffic is nowhere as bad as in other cities. I really don't know where you're getting your analysis from but it's not too accurate. Yeah Madison is good, I haven't been there in years but I've always enjoyed it so no problem with suggesting Madison.
If your housing budget is only $100K you can pretty much rule out Madison. I live in a very small house, with *less* than 14ft from my next door neighbors (and only about 30ft between me and the ones behind me), and on the east side of town (read the cheap side of town). My house is assessed at $168K. I'm hoping I can get more, however, as it is in really good shape. The point being, my neighborhood isn't even all that desirable. Safe for the most part, but definitely not a "hot" neighborhood.
Now in the Fox River Valley, that is a different story. I have a friend whose sister has a house in Appleton that has 4 bedrooms, a family room, formal dining room, living room and a big kitchen that she bought 5 years ago for about 75K. That said, I would rather move out of the state than live there. It is painfully conservative as is most of Wisconsin outside of Madison and a few areas of Milwaukee proper (forget the suburbs - they are very conservative).
OP, I don't know the answers to most of your questions, because it's been too long since I lived in Wisconsin, and I don't know your music at all. But I can share a little bit about the area that you might find helpful.
To give you some idea of my background, I grew up in Stevens Point (dead center of Wisconsin), and my dad's family is all from the southeastern corner of the state. It was a huge family, and sometimes I think every single town and suburb in the whole southeastern corner of Wisconsin had one member of the Crocodiles living there. I know those towns, and I know those people, because they were at every one of my family reunions.
As a general rule of thumb, people in the small towns and suburbs in that area tend to conservative to very conservative - but at the same time, very tolerant and non-judgmental. I won't lie to you - some of those elderly Germans will be shocked when they see you unloading the U-Haul, but they will form their opinions of you on the basis of who you are when they meet you, not what you look like when they peek out from behind the curtains. You sound like very decent people. If I can spot that in a few posts on a message board, they'll figure it out even faster when they meet you. In all honesty, yeah, they'll be on the phone to their sister with the "oh, wait til you see who moved in next door," but the second sentence out of their mouths will usually be, "but they're very nice people, and we're glad they moved in."
People in Wisconsin generally tend to be very open and sincere, and accepting of others. There are always exceptions, of course, but by and large I think the natives will accept you no matter where you settle. Good luck, and welcome to one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life!
Madison and Milwaukee proper are your choices for open minded people. You wont find a house for 100K in Madison though. Dont know about Milwaukee but dont imagine you will find much there that is decent for that price. Lots and lots of fun things to do in Madison and Milwaukee.
Stay away from Green Bay, the Fox Valley, and western WI due to conservative nature.
I have lived in Madison, GB, River Falls, Hudson, and Southwestern WI. I would pick Madison hands down if I were you. Be warned though. Its very sunny in the summer, can get up to 90s easily, Winters in Madison and Milwaukee are not as bad as the rest of the state.
Just moved from WI to Portland - All I can say is that it will be very different. As previously noted, Milwaukee or Madison - probably Madison - is your best bet for finding the right fit. I lived in the NE area - Green Bay area, and it is NOTHING like Portland at all. I've heard people say it's beautiful in WI, and I suppose some areas are, but there is a lot of agriculture and the state is flat. There's one little bump in Wausau - Rib Mt, but it could easily be overlooked by someone used to the hills in Oregon. No Mt Hood or anything remotely similar to it. The winters will be wonderful for you, and I miss them as well. The snow is beautiful and certainly makes for nice cozy days. Summers, especially in the NE area can be very hot and humid. This past summer people in Portland told me it was humid. I couldn't feel the humidity - the summers in WI can get very sticky and humid. There are summer bugs too - . All that being said, WI is a nice place and I honestly miss it. I guess that's why I'm even on this forum. Madison and Milwaukee offer a variety of things to do. As for real estate, you will have to venture into the suburbs to get a property with a bigger yard for a lower price. Where I lived, in GB, the housing is dirt cheap, but there's nothing to do there. The prices increase as you travel south and into the urban areas.
Good luck with your move. Try it out and experience it. There are many things about WI to love.
Just re-read the OP's first post. I would suggest Mt. Horeb for a Scandinavian (Norwegian specifically) ethnic experience. mounthorebwi.info > Home
Frankly, I think the level of ethnic pride borderlines on creepy - people dress in leiderhosen (sp?) for festivals - but if you are into that kind of thing, Mt. Horeb is your place. Might be a titch more reasonable in terms of housing costs as well, but you are not going to get acreage for $100K anywhere in southern, WI. Maybe for the lot alone, but not with a house on it. Sorry to be so unencouraging in that way, but people from the coasts and even bigger cities in the midwest, think that Madison and the metro area will be cheap, and it is far from it.
Ironically, Milwaukee is much less expensive than Madison in terms of housing. Not sure about the general COL. I have a friend who lived in an upscale neighborhood in Madison (Nakoma) who paid the same amount for her house in Madison as her house in Whitefish Bay (a Milwaukee suburb). In Madison, her house was very nice. In Whitefish Bay, she has a mini-mansion.
Yes, Milwaukee had such a gang problem that the governor just a couple blocks away on a stump speach for crime prevention had to be whisked away due to erupting gun battles in the streets.
WI prided itself on building more prison cells per capita back in the 90's than well most anywheres, except like as in their school system refused to pay for the necessary prison supervision of all the inmates they were so enthused to remove from the streets. Now early release of all but the most egregious criminals is becoming the norm. The only place that pays for social services if at all is Madison itself
The state is so pitted against itself to save a buck that government has become useless to its electorate
The comment on whether Harley riders cruise the highways makes no sense,my neighbor epitomized the dedicated ridership and he was one of tens of thousands in one area of the state. South Dakota Sturgis rally doesn't exist without the WI Harley clubs. Conservatism is touted around much of the state, and it's mostly about the almighty buck, religious representation takes a distant second Sorry no pics of any religion organization to front here at the end,
If your housing budget is only $100K you can pretty much rule out Madison.
My budget is between $160-190k. $100k was (I thought) a way to show how absurd the housing market is here in Portland. Although, as another poster said, those of us from the coast often anticipate Midwestern housing to be cheaper than it really is, after researching further regarding safe neighborhoods, you can still get a lot more for your money than in Portland, so I am happy with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Albert_The_Crocodile
As a general rule of thumb, people in the small towns and suburbs in that area tend to conservative to very conservative - but at the same time, very tolerant and non-judgmental. I won't lie to you - some of those elderly Germans will be shocked when they see you unloading the U-Haul, but they will form their opinions of you on the basis of who you are when they meet you, not what you look like when they peek out from behind the curtains. You sound like very decent people. If I can spot that in a few posts on a message board, they'll figure it out even faster when they meet you. In all honesty, yeah, they'll be on the phone to their sister with the "oh, wait til you see who moved in next door," but the second sentence out of their mouths will usually be, "but they're very nice people, and we're glad they moved in."
People in Wisconsin generally tend to be very open and sincere, and accepting of others. There are always exceptions, of course, but by and large I think the natives will accept you no matter where you settle. Good luck, and welcome to one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen in my life!
Thank you for your words of encouragement! This is just what I hoped would be true and it is what my fiance noticed when he was there. He looks a lot like a biker and when he was in Sun Prairie for a few months, he noticed that people seemed more likely to judge him by his actions than his appearance, which is all we ask for. The bottom line is to find a place where people aren't going to shout abuse at us in the street, like in Kansas, and hearing that people may actually choose to get to know us and give us a fair shake is a big bonus Most people who get to know us end up liking us very much, and I happen to have a soft spot for elderly Germans, especially since my grandparents passed away :P
Quote:
Originally Posted by twotoneshoes
Just moved from WI to Portland - All I can say is that it will be very different. As previously noted, Milwaukee or Madison - probably Madison - is your best bet for finding the right fit. I lived in the NE area - Green Bay area, and it is NOTHING like Portland at all. I've heard people say it's beautiful in WI, and I suppose some areas are, but there is a lot of agriculture and the state is flat. There's one little bump in Wausau - Rib Mt, but it could easily be overlooked by someone used to the hills in Oregon. No Mt Hood or anything remotely similar to it. The winters will be wonderful for you, and I miss them as well. The snow is beautiful and certainly makes for nice cozy days. Summers, especially in the NE area can be very hot and humid. This past summer people in Portland told me it was humid. I couldn't feel the humidity - the summers in WI can get very sticky and humid. There are summer bugs too - . All that being said, WI is a nice place and I honestly miss it. I guess that's why I'm even on this forum. Madison and Milwaukee offer a variety of things to do. As for real estate, you will have to venture into the suburbs to get a property with a bigger yard for a lower price. Where I lived, in GB, the housing is dirt cheap, but there's nothing to do there. The prices increase as you travel south and into the urban areas.
Good luck with your move. Try it out and experience it. There are many things about WI to love.
Thanks! I noticed that housing there is cheap, and we're not especially in need of night life, or even very fond of it, except for the occasional concert, so we were initially drawn to Green Bay, but there don't seem to be many jobs available there. As much as I would love to live in the middle of nowhere, we have to make make money to live, too! I was born and raised on the high plains of Kansas so I'm used to flat land and agriculture; I probably will miss the mountains and forests but I think for us it's the right move. I don't go up into the mountains every day, or even every month. But I go into the backyard every day, and I want a bigger one! Portland is a great place if you like nightlife and restaurants and big-city anonymity and that sort of thing. But I've had more than my fill of the crowds, noise, traffic and hipsters, and my lifelong dream of owning my own home with a big fenced yard and 3 or 4 bedrooms is not financially feasible here. I'll trade in the pine trees for a decent house in a decent neighborhood and a bit of peace and quiet. We are hermits at heart, so it works for us. But I can see how other people might feel the opposite. I hope you enjoy Portland, there is much to do here!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Megan1967
Just re-read the OP's first post. I would suggest Mt. Horeb for a Scandinavian (Norwegian specifically) ethnic experience. mounthorebwi.info > Home
Frankly, I think the level of ethnic pride borderlines on creepy - people dress in leiderhosen (sp?) for festivals - but if you are into that kind of thing, Mt. Horeb is your place. Might be a titch more reasonable in terms of housing costs as well, but you are not going to get acreage for $100K anywhere in southern, WI. Maybe for the lot alone, but not with a house on it. Sorry to be so unencouraging in that way, but people from the coasts and even bigger cities in the midwest, think that Madison and the metro area will be cheap, and it is far from it.
Hey I came here for the naked truth, and I appreciate your candor! My budget is a bit higher than that, it was just a convenient number to illustrate how little you can get for your money here in Portland.
And we're not, ourselves, into lederhosen, more like chainmail and swords, but it's always fun to be around fellow history buffs even if "their" era isn't the same as ours! Mt. Horeb looks like a lovely village and isn't too far from Madison There's even a large Victorian house there for sale for $160k right now (low end of our budget) too bad we can't move right away! :P
Quote:
Originally Posted by migordovida
The only place that pays for social services if at all is Madison itself
The state is so pitted against itself to save a buck that government has become useless to its electorate
The comment on whether Harley riders cruise the highways makes no sense,my neighbor epitomized the dedicated ridership and he was one of tens of thousands in one area of the state. South Dakota Sturgis rally doesn't exist without the WI Harley clubs. Conservatism is touted around much of the state, and it's mostly about the almighty buck, religious representation takes a distant second Sorry no pics of any religion organization to front here at the end,
While Madison sounds interesting and is, along with certain areas of Milwaukee, at the top of the list, I am not in need of social services and I hope never to be, so that's not really an issue for me. As an Odinist I always strive to be self-sufficient rather than look for handouts or help. In my early 20s, that sometimes meant eating one meal per day or walking instead of driving to save on gas, but I felt better about myself. I'd rather endure some hunger than mooch off other people. I don't support huge corporations screwing over individuals, for example insurance companies that deny legitimate claims backed up by medical evidence just because they don't want to pay out a large sum of money. But if a company is making its money legitimately, then they've earned their success. I do not support the idea of handing out money and services to just anybody who wants them, but I believe that for the taxes we pay, all citizens should have free healthcare. If the government is going to take our money, we should have something to show for it. If we are not getting any benefit from our tax dollars, I don't think we should be obligated to give up that money. I think it would be more fair to have a level playing field, let's say everyone regardless of income paid 8% in taxes. I believe a woman should have the right to choose what happens to her body; if she doesn't want to go through pregnancy and motherhood, she shouldn't have to and in some/many cases, a woman who is forced to become a mother won't be a very good one. But by the same token, I believe that if women have the right to choose, they should also take responsibility for that choice. Men shouldn't be forced into parenthood either. It's not right for women to say, "I make the choice, you make the crippling monthly payments." I've seen men whose lives have been ruined because the the woman they thought they knew turned out to just wanted to give birth to a meal ticket. On the other side of the fence, I also believe that everyone has the right to be armed. Taking away everyone's guns because some people use them to hurt others is like taking away everyone's cars because some people drive drunk and injure others. The police cannot sit outside my house forever - if someone breaks in, all they can do is show up afterward. It's up to us to defend ourselves. "Those who cannot defend the wealth they have will die, or share with thieving thralls." So politically I've got one leg on each side of the fence. I don't really have a problem with religious conservatives until/unless their religious beliefs get translated into laws, regulations, public policy. If this is going to be a country with religious freedom, religion should be kept out of politics so that anyone can be a good citizen regardless of their beliefs. Freedom of religion means any religion. I am not out there trying to convert other people to my beliefs. Some christians try to convert others, but as long as they don't do that I'm happy to respect their right to believe as they choose, so long as I get the same courtesy. So as regards "blue" cities and "red" rural areas, I have no idea where I fit in best.
Thanks again to everyone who posted responses! It's helped a great deal. I think our exploratory trip in January will focus on Madison and the areas of Milwaukee mentioned above. Ultimately I believe it will depend on where we can find stable jobs and rent an apartment while we begin looking for houses, possibly in the suburbs. Sooner or later our neighbors will learn that we are good neighbors and good people, even if we look odd.
If we have time though, I hope to surprise my fiance with a trip up to Door County for a visit to Ric Furrer, the master blacksmith who created an +Ulfberh+t sword for the first time in a thousand years! What an achievement!
Lived in suburbs of Milwaukee WI for 20 yrs. Now live in Milwaukie OR.
Traffic in Portland at rush hour is worse than traffic in Milwaukee. On days my wife works in St. Johns, it can take her a little over an hr to get home.
If you structrure your life right, in Milwaukee; it is 20 minutes to everything. As a matter of fact, that should be Milwaukee's slogan. "20 minutes to everything you need."
Crime? I think gang activity in midwest is greater than what I have seen/heard in Portland. Criminy - Portland didn't record it's first gang related homicide until like April or something. That is pretty good. More crime in Milwaukee proper, especially in hot summer weather. Cold weather keeps the creeps indoors.
While no gaurantees, (my car was broken into many times when I lived on the East Side of Milwaukee), with research and planning you can almost certainly avoid issues. I wouldn't worry too much about crime.
Good luck with your move. Personally I have had enough of bitter cold and don't miss it.
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Most people who get to know us end up liking us very much, and I happen to have a soft spot for elderly Germans, especially since my grandparents passed away :P 
