Appleton and the surrounding area Vs Green Bay and it's surrounding areas (Milwaukee: county, drive)

[cheese plate]

As we've mentioned before on these forums, a rule of thumb is the further from the GB core the better. There are exceptions (Astor Park is great and near-downtown in the East side - one of the few distinct "city" neighborhoods in GB), but that's the way to look at it. De Pere is a really nice suburb that's a part of GB proper but still distinct, with its own downtown (and college). Otherwise, check out the outter areas of the city itself.

[Rox54]

I lived in Suamico 40+years. We downsized 7 seven years ago & bought a small ranch style home on a pretty, quiet, tree lined street on Green Bay's west side & we love it! Neighbors are kind & friendly, yards are neatly groomed, most homes well maintained. If you plan to do any occasional travel in retirement, there is Austin Strauble in Green Bay, or the 1/2 hr drive to the Outagamie Airport in Appleton. We love our smaller home & yard. Yard work all done in one afternoon, as opposed to the whole week-end in Suamico. I was worried about the change of moving to city after living most of my life in the country setting. Love it, wish as soon our kids were out of school, we would have considered it sooner. My brother lives in Appleton, we visit there frequently. Appleton is as other posters stated, "a little more upscale - a little more reserved" My brother has lived there 4 years & has yet to know his neighbors, an occasional wave & that's it. But he & his family like it that way. I don't think you can wrong with either choice, or anywhere in between. Another poster mentioned Pulaski, a very nice, very small town, biggest thing that happens there is "Polka Days" once a year. Unless you get into the bigger cities of Milwaukee or Madison (college town), you will find most of Wisconsin family-friendly. Good luck in your choice. Please extend a "thank you" to your spouse for serving our Country.

[Rox54]

PS: I forgot to add healthcare facilities. Both areas have excellent hospitals. The retired military that I know have to drive to Iron Mountain, MI, or Tomah, WI, or to Milwaukee, WI for some procedures/care. There is a new VA clinic in Green Bay, but I don't know much about it. Retired military healthcare availability may be something you will want to factor in on your choice of location.

[sholomar]

Are there bad areas in the Fox Valley? Theres a lot of inexpensive real estate in the downtown Menasha/Neenah/Appleton areas... houses that would cost double if located in the town I'm at... admittedly there are big differences in the unemployment level and no state income tax here... just curious if these areas are 'bad' areas...

How are property taxes?

[cheese plate]

Well, maybe not "bad," but some areas near downtown Appleton are pretty dumpy, and while I know little about Menasha, people who live in the Valley often use it as the generic "Cleveland" butt of jokes and so on. Neenah is mostly really nice. The Valley definitely has "rust belt" like areas, as it has a heavy manufacturing base, but the bad neighborhoods are more run down than crime ridden.

[junestueck]

Dear Ariley

Have you looked into DePere, WI. They have a cute downtown. It's located between Appleton And Green Bay. That way you could take advantage of any family friendly event that will be goin on. It is a small town with area with trees and woods.

[cheese plate]

De Pere is very nice, and I agree with the suggestion. However, it's a Green Bay suburb, not really "between GB and Appleton" but on the south/Appleton side of the GB metro.

[bay2bay]

Extra points to you cheese plate for spelling De Pere correctly by remembering the space between the De and the Pere. It always surprises me how often I see the space omitted, even in the press.

[soldn2slavery]

The Appleton area has a number of small towns close by and they all seem to really just blur into one city: Darboy, Little Chute, Grand Chute, Combined Locks, etc. They are separate towns, but it's not as if there are expansive tracts of vacant land between them.

There are what I consider to be bad areas in Appleton and Green Bay, but you can generally recognize those by the low housing prices.

There are a number of small towns between Appleton and Green Bay or between Green Bay and Two Rivers/Manitowoc or Appleton and Two Rivers/Manitowoc. Use this forum and Google to research the areas. I live in Kaukauna and do not recommend it for a number of reasons, which I do not want to spell out here — unless you want to buy my house, then it's great!

I used to drive from Kaukauna to Manitowoc every day for work. I really liked the area of Manitowoc. It's right on Lake Michigan.

For a good idea on real estate and costs, there are some good web sites, including this one, that provide that information, and with Google's street view, you can see what the street the house is on looks like and what the entire neighborhood looks like (e.g., beautiful street, but in the middle of an industrial park). In my opinion, real estate taxes are high here. Not as high as the east coast, but still high. It's a major factor causing us to consider retiring to a different state.

My dad was in the military, so we moved often. I've lived in a number of places and while Wisconsinites might love to chit-chat with you (especially anything Packer related), I've never lived anywhere where it is as difficult to establish deep friendships. Most families have been here for generations and have strong, well-established circles of friends and families, so it's hard to fit in. We've been in the Fox Valley for 15 years and are just now starting to feel "included." Don't get me wrong, the people are very nice, but it takes a while to not feel like an outsider. And, we are active both in our church and doing volunteering, so it's not like we just hide in our house hoping the door will ring.

Best of luck. Do your research, ask questions, and you'll be able to find a great place.

[bad93ex]

Been living in Neenah for the past 2 years and it isn't bad at all. Far better than living in the areas that are "30 minutes out of town." Took my kids out "trick-or-treating" and it was a great experience. The Fox Valley offers quite a bit for this part of the state.

I believe I am under the assumption that you are looking to settle down and raise a family then I would feel that the Fox Valley is a better fit. Better access to Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells along with easier access to Lake Winnebago. Green Bay may have the upper hand on access to the Eagle River area but Minneapolis is a better drive from the Fox Valley.

Fox River Mall beats out the shopping experience of the Green Bay area malls and most here should agree with me and unless something drastically changes within the next 5 years in Green Bay it will remain the same.