Maybe moving to WI (Milwaukee, Madison: flat fee, sales, to rent)

[BritishGuy43]

Hi all, first post here.

I currently live in the OH/KY/WV tri-state area, but am looking to move North, WI and MI are two states in particular I am looking into. Being a pasty British boy I hate the heat and want to move somewhere a lot cooler and nearer the great lakes seems like a good idea.

I've read a couple of pages of threads here for WI and am after some insights.

Currently in Ohio there are no vehicle property taxes, state income taxes are pretty low and sales tax is 7%. I heard that state income taxes are high in WI, is that right? Also I'm interested in whether there is annual property tax on vehicles. I will be renting so housing property taxes don't concern me at this time.

I am in IT as a senior network engineer (servers, networks, MS-Exchange, firewalls, etc) and have worked for service providers for the last 15 years in both the US and the UK.

I've applied for a job or two in WI, there seem to be a few jobs that may suit me.

I do NOT want to live in the big city. Somewhere smaller and more rural would be where I'd want to move. Any suggestions as to which areas may suit me to look for work would be of interest.

Any info that might be relevant would be appreciated.

Thanks!

BG43

[Rynldsbr]

Wisconsin does not have a property tax on vehicles. Registration there is a flat fee dependent on the type of vehicle ($75 for passenger cars). Sales tax is 5% by the state and then there are some county or local taxes that apply. I think all or almost all areas are under 6% as a whole. WI generally is pretty high on the list of overall tax burden, but if you are skipping home ownership you will avoid a significant piece of that taxation.

The only significant metro area in the state is Milwaukee, with Madison being the second largest coming in at ~500,000 people total metro population. Madison has rural or small suburban areas close enough to commute easily if you found employment there.

It would seem that the most likely employers in much of the state may be health care or government agencies. University of Wisconsin has approximately a dozen campuses around the state in smaller cities that may offer opportunities in some fashion. There also a few manufacturers in Marinette, Sturgeon Bay, and the Fox Valley. Some sizable trucking companies have a presence in Marshfield, Janesville, Superior, Wausau, and Black River Falls. There are also railroad facilities for UP, BNSF, and CP in the state.

wisc.jobs is the official site for Wisconsin state jobs, although some agencies use governmentjobs.com which is more of a national site for public sector jobs. Wisconsin Education Career Access Network is good for jobs in school systems across the state. Jobcenterofwisconsin.com is the state job service site.

Good luck.

[BritishGuy43]

That's great info, thanks!

You mentioned the Fox valley, one of the jobs I applied for was in Appleton. On here folks seem to think that Appleton is kinda dull, but to be honest that's what I'm after, somewhere smaller with less going on, etc.

Having said that, Appleton supposedly has a higher population than the cities in the tri-state area where I live now. But I'm not sure if that includes all the burbs around Appleton or not.

Thanks again

[Nicci6Squirrels]

If you want "dull," I can help you! Ha!
Winneconne has no stop lights. Omro is also a small town but within driving distance of Appleton. (Jump on Highway 41 and zoom right up.) Neenah is also a stone's throw from Appleton. Oshkosh is also an area worth looking into. It's just a hop and skip from Appleton.

It does get hot and humid here in the Fox Valley in summertime. But, I can tell you that after having lived in the Deep South, it is relative. If you have air conditioning, access to a lake, or a pool, you'll probably find it to be just fine. Lake Michigan is cold, even in summer, which can be great when it's humid here.

Best of luck to you. I hope you'll find the perfect spot!

[Rynldsbr]

As Nicci pointed out - right outside Appleton is lots of "dull". Really, any of the smaller cities that UW schools are located in are good examples of areas that have a little life in the town by the school, and then drops off quickly.

I recently had a conversation with someone who moved to WI from Texas who commented that they never realized how "remote" much of the state is in spite of being so much smaller than Texas in overall size.

[Grinder12000]

Columbus - 15 minutes from Sun Prairie fastest growing town in WI and 25 from Madison. Small rural community next to bigger ones. Very save and quite. Friendly and liberal. Town of 5000 but close to many things 2 golf courses, Hospital. I worked in Madison for 20 years and the drive is actually very nice.

Drive home is like going on vacation into the country.

[BritishGuy43]

Thanks everyone.

BG

[junestueck]

Hi BG

Looking to help you in your home search if you decide to make Appleton your home. Much success in your job search here. You can remain "dull" here in Appleton or visit the PAC, Keep me updated.

[hesmyhusband]

We moved to Wisconsin this past year. I am originally from Michigan, so after spending 14 years in Colorado, it feels like I've moved home. My husband, on the other hand, has always lived out west so this was a big change for him. He is also in IT. Our solution was to work through an IT consulting company whose recruiters place him in contracts which vary in length and could turn into permanent job offers. We chose to rent a home halfway between Madison and Milwaukee to give us the greatest flexibility in accepting offers - but knew doing so would give him a long commute. We don't expect to keep this situation long-term, but for now it is giving us the opportunity to learn the area/cities/job market.

Good luck on your decision - we love it here (but I love Michigan as well!)

[waf110879]

Superior WI has a small town feel and sits across a bridge from Duluth MN. Duluth is becoming a very popular travel destination as it is loaded with outdoorsy types of opportunity to travellers. Superior has one of the best meat markets in the entire midwest. Superior Meats offers a massive selection of everything butcher shop imagined. Employment opportunities are not great in this area. Check job boards and find work prior to makin the move, or save accordingly. Amsoil's main HQ is here, Calumet Oil Refinery and Jeff Foster trucking are among the areas giants in their resepected fields. Genesis Attachments and Exodus are machining sites if into that kinda work. Charter Films, rail road, and ship yards are options as well. And of course the grain elevators. Things are cheap here. Rent a nice place for 1k mo. Lots of natural beAuty can be found if ur into looking for that kinda stuff, otherwise bars are the main attraction here.