moving to Spring Green, WI with family (Madison, Middleton: rentals, insurance) - Wisconsin - City-Data Forum

switzmh · 01-29-2014, 07:28 AM

Hi everyone!

My husband has a job interview in Spring Green in a couple weeks. We have two boys 6 years old and 2 years old. We will probably rent in the first year are so,our budget is at most $1,500. We were wondering what cities we should look at. We prefer suburban, but rural is fine. Commuting from work at the most 40 minutes. A good school district. Close by shopping area ( Target, grocery stores etc.) 20 minutes most. Any suggestions or feedback would greatly be appreciated! Thanks!

ranger17 · 01-29-2014, 07:46 AM

Spring Green is probably 40-45 minute drive (perhaps double in snow) away from the Middleton & west side of Madison areas for larger shopping options. As for communities, there are a couple in between Spring Green and said Middleton area (such as Black Earth & Cross Plains which would get you in that 20+/- minutes to shopping, same to work). All those communities are smaller, under the 4000 area for population and can offer some nice neighborhood options. I'd defer to locals on their school districts, all my experience is with burbs on Madison's north side but would assume they are good. We have friends in those towns who just love living there.

That part of WI has some beautiful areas, with nice parks to play in, not to mention the APT (outdoor theater) in Spring Green which is a real treat. I'd just keep in mind drive time potential in winter, when looking at housing compared to work.

timberline742 · 01-29-2014, 08:05 AM

I love Spring Green. Would adore living there. The TNC preserve is one of the best remaining dry prairies in the state and the Wisconsin River is fantastic for fishing / swimming / etc.

But oh, bummer, I guess you won't live there? I guess rentals would be tough in that area.

switzmh · 01-29-2014, 08:37 AM

Thank you! If he does get the job, we will rent for the first year before buying a home.

ranger17 · 01-29-2014, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by switzmh

Thank you! If he does get the job, we will rent for the first year before buying a home.

that's actually a very good idea. We did the same thing 5 yrs ago when we moved from WI down to SC; renting gave us the chance to make sure that the neighborhood and community we picked was the correct one for us to actually take ownership in so we didnt feel stuck. To be honest, we had a realtor down here that spent some serious time with us both showing us around at no cost (we had no family or friends down here, was a relocate by choice--weather lol) but also finding us a place to rent when we sold our Madison area home. That was a huge help for us, and we not only used him when it was time to buy/build down here but started a friendship as well. So perhaps you could find a similar situation up there, one willing to help now on your initial relocate.

good luck to you!

jzeig104 · 01-29-2014, 09:22 PM

Spring Green, Black Earth, Mazomanie and Cross Plains are all great towns and would be easy commutes to Spring Green on Hwy 14. Another option would be Dodgeville to the South of Spring Green on Hwy 23.

The area is beautiful, with state and county parks, architecture, community festivals, and cultural attractions.

Winter driving can be challenging, but that is the case with much of WI and MN!

Old School Reactionary · 02-04-2014, 07:58 PM

Sauk Prairie might be a decent option. Sauk City/Prairie Du Sac would not be a real long commute,and is a little closer to Madison. Spring Green is a really neat little town though and is only about 40 miles from Madison. As someone stated,Mazo,Black Earth are decent options. Cross Plains is in the Middleton school district.

switzmh · 01-27-2017, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by switzmh

Hi everyone!

My husband has a job interview in Spring Green in a couple weeks. We have two boys 6 years old and 2 years old. We will probably rent in the first year are so,our budget is at most $1,500. We were wondering what cities we should look at. We prefer suburban, but rural is fine. Commuting from work at the most 40 minutes. A good school district. Close by shopping area ( Target, grocery stores etc.) 20 minutes most. Any suggestions or feedback would greatly be appreciated! Thanks!

I'm back and in need of any advice or feedback. My husband didn't get the job offer in Spring Green 3 years ago, because lack of experience. So he accepted a job in Santa Rosa, CA and we have been living here for the passed 3 years. We love it, but the cost is just insane, (currently paying rent for 2 bdrm 2 ba $2200, I felt so nauseous the first time I saw our rental increase) and housing is insane and it would be nice to try to save instead of having most of our pay go to rent. Anyways, he received a job offer from the same place he interviewed the first time.

Thoughts or opinions living in Prairie Du Sac, Sauk City, Mount Horeb, and commuting to Spring Green, because it would be close to Madison too, if we wanted to go away for the weekend. Also if much has changed since my last post 3 years ago, good school district, rentals $1,500 or under.

I apologize before hand if my questions are vague or too general. Since we live near San Francisco the cost of living is high and we're trying to see with the salary offer in Spring Green if we are able to live comfortably. What would be considered a comfortable household income for a family of 4? How hard is it for me to find a part time job whether it be a medical assistant or working as a waitress or any other part time job? Also, the company covers health and dental insurance, but NOT vision. Any suggestions on a vision insurance plan would be great too. Thank you!

sgw99 · 01-27-2017, 09:21 PM

We relocated from CA (L.A. county) to Mt. Horeb a few years ago. I know what you're talking about when it comes to cost of living! I liked it there, but we are doing better financially here! Housing is so much less expensive here.

Although I like Mt. Horeb, I wouldn't recommend the commute from here to Spring Green. It's very pretty, but the stretch along Hwy 78 from Mt. Horeb to Black Earth is hilly and has a lot of potholes -- not in the best condition for winter driving, in my opinion. I think you'd be better off looking in Cross Plains or somewhere else along Hwy 14. It's much flatter and basically follows the river valley. Cross Plains meets your target in terms of schools, commute, and proximity to shopping. I don't know rental prices, though. Being in that area also opens up the possibility for you to find work in Madison or Middleton. There are simply more businesses there, so your likelihood of finding a job is higher...

Sauk City and Prairie du Sac are also pretty, and I think the commute would be fine. I think it's worth looking into those communities. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the schools or what it's like to live there. We also enjoy visiting Spring Green.

Wellstone · 01-28-2017, 01:44 AM

Housing and rental prices would tend to be inflated (for the area) in Middleton, but along hwy 14 would be ideal. Cross Plains wouldn't be bad. Haven't been through there in quite a few years. At the time it had a decent grocery store but for other items, you are driving into middleton or the west side of madison, which is what it sounds like you want anyway.

I believe Middleton/Cross Plains is one school district but don't know for sure.

Sauk City would be rather reasonable as well even though it is on highway 12, the drive would be manageable and it is a reasonably equipped small town.

Some of the other smaller towns really have little, and to find something to rent of any size probably is not in great condition, or would take a great deal of luck to find.