Big Family .... Moving to WI have some minority questions (Milwaukee: renting, houses)

[Friesncatsup]

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Hello, I have a question that may have been at sometime, somewhere, already been answered but I ask anyway.

I have a 'combined' family, meaning my parent's, two children, sister and her husband are thinking of moving from down south to WI together. To stay close to one another. We've already been up there during a winter so we are aware of the frigid temps.
I have an R.V and a car, we have a large dog and 3 cats.

My questions are, Do you have any moving advice on how to move such a big family?

And my sisters husband is American, but he is Hispanic by race. Should he have any worries? Issues of racism?

We are looking at Appleton or Waupaca due to houses we have already found.

[Nicci6Squirrels]

I think Appleton and Waupaca are both very nice areas in which to live. Appleton definitely has more in the way of things to do than Waupaca. But Waupaca is a lovely area with friendly people from my own experiences.

I wouldn't think you'd encounter racism. I would hope not, anyway. I have many Hispanic friends and I have never heard any of them complain about racism in the area. (Not to say it doesn't exist. But I would hope it's not a rampant thing.)

Move during spring, if you can swing it. It shouldn't be a problem to have a dog and three cats. Wisconsin is pretty pet-friendly, in my opinion. If you're renting, you might have better luck in Waupaca than Appleton (with pet acceptance.)

If you've already experienced the winter temperatures, that's good. Winters can be very long here in WI. Once you get used to it, though, you'll find that there are things to do to stay busy.

The schools in WI are pretty decent and I think people are pretty friendly. At first they might seem standoffish, but that's just kind of a midwestern thing, I think. After you get to know people, they are much warmer.

Good luck to you. Give a shout if there's anything I can tell you.

[Friesncatsup]

Originally Posted by Nicci6Squirrels

I think Appleton and Waupaca are both very nice areas in which to live. Appleton definitely has more in the way of things to do than Waupaca. But Waupaca is a lovely area with friendly people from my own experiences.

I wouldn't think you'd encounter racism. I would hope not, anyway. I have many Hispanic friends and I have never heard any of them complain about racism in the area. (Not to say it doesn't exist. But I would hope it's not a rampant thing.)

Move during spring, if you can swing it. It shouldn't be a problem to have a dog and three cats. Wisconsin is pretty pet-friendly, in my opinion. If you're renting, you might have better luck in Waupaca than Appleton (with pet acceptance.)

If you've already experienced the winter temperatures, that's good. Winters can be very long here in WI. Once you get used to it, though, you'll find that there are things to do to stay busy.

The schools in WI are pretty decent and I think people are pretty friendly. At first they might seem standoffish, but that's just kind of a midwestern thing, I think. After you get to know people, they are much warmer.

Good luck to you. Give a shout if there's anything I can tell you.

Thanks so much. I have looked online for things for kids to do during the winter, and some things for adults, I've found a whole site that has places in Appleton that has indoor playgrounds, rock walls etc. Any suggestions? And for adults as well.

[MKEastsider]

People in the northern 2/3rds of Wisconsin are generally very sheltered, which does tend to breed a good amount of racism. If you're not looking to move to a bigger city, there are some suburbs of Milwaukee (Shorewood, Brown Deer, maybe Whitefish Bay) and Madison (pretty much anywhere in Dane County besides Madison itself) where people are a little more used to socializing with people of other races. Maybe Kenosha would work too. Otherwise, I'd consider another state.

[Nicci6Squirrels]

Appleton has lots of fun places... Funset Boulevard, The Houdini Museum, The Building for Kids, The Trout Museum of Art... just to name a few. I think you might enjoy Appleton.

[Rynldsbr]

Originally Posted by MKEastsider

People in the northern 2/3rds of Wisconsin are generally very sheltered, which does tend to breed a good amount of racism. If you're not looking to move to a bigger city, there are some suburbs of Milwaukee (Shorewood, Brown Deer, maybe Whitefish Bay) and Madison (pretty much anywhere in Dane County besides Madison itself) where people are a little more used to socializing with people of other races. Maybe Kenosha would work too. Otherwise, I'd consider another state.

This is a ridiculous overstatement. Many areas in Wisconsin have a diverse population. Wausau has a large Hmong population as well as Hispanic; Jefferson County has a large Hispanic population; Fox Valley (Appleton, Neenah/Menasha, and even Oshkosh) has a diverse group of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American cultures; Eau Claire has a growing diversity including Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern influences.

Some remote areas or very small towns may look upon outsiders with a wary eye, but I have seen it to be a skepticism of any outsider rather than related to any race.

[Nicci6Squirrels]

I agree with Rynldsbr. I have many Hispanic and Asian friends.There are Asian and Hispanic grocery stores in the area... and everyone seems to get along fine, in my opinion.

The German ancestry here sometimes makes people seem a little standoffish (in my experience. I grew up here, but have traveled extensively, so I'm comparing.) That's just initially, though. People tend to be less gregarious until they know you.

[Friesncatsup]

Maybe you guys can help me out with another question: I have read several times about 'outsiders' or people not from WI coming there and getting treated poorly, not getting jobs purely for the fact that they are not from there.
Is there any truth to this as far as you can say?

[NowInWI]

Originally Posted by MKEastsider

People in the northern 2/3rds of Wisconsin are generally very sheltered, which does tend to breed a good amount of racism. If you're not looking to move to a bigger city, there are some suburbs of Milwaukee (Shorewood, Brown Deer, maybe Whitefish Bay) and Madison (pretty much anywhere in Dane County besides Madison itself) where people are a little more used to socializing with people of other races. Maybe Kenosha would work too. Otherwise, I'd consider another state.

Ridiculous. YOU are the one who sounds provincial and sheltered.

[Rynldsbr]

Originally Posted by Friesncatsup

Maybe you guys can help me out with another question: I have read several times about 'outsiders' or people not from WI coming there and getting treated poorly, not getting jobs purely for the fact that they are not from there.
Is there any truth to this as far as you can say?

People in Wisconsin that are natives to Wisconsin can't get jobs there. It has little or nothing to do with where you are from but the fact that the economy there still sucks. Hence the reason I live in Texas now. I miss Wisconsin. I miss trees and water, and cool evening on grass that is soft underfoot. Unfortunately finding a way to pay for life while enjoying it there was no longer feasible so I relocated the whole herd of kids to a place where there is still hope of retirement someday.