Living expenses in Wausau and will we fit in?? (Janesville: apartment, rentals)

[jellybeans529]

Hello everybody! My husband and I are considering selling our home in Las Vegas and are looking to raise our 4 year old son in a less hostile city. Vegas crime has become pretty bad. Shootings and murders are everyday. Our car has been stolen and my adult son's motorcycle was stolen right out of his driveway. My mother in law had her car window smashed in while she was pumping gas last month, by a homeless man when she would not give him money. Our schools are a mess and private education is going to cost us over $700 a month. Time to get out of here. We have a close friend who grew up in Wausau and recommended it for us to raise our child. I already know the winters are harsh, I lived in Janesville for a bit and can adjust just fine. I just can't take this 120 degree heat anymore! Just a few questions to help us consider if Wausau will be a good fit for us.

1. On average, how much would electricity bills be monthly for a small 1000sf house? Is it outrageous in the winters? We pay over $400 a month for electricity here in the summers.

2. How much does the water bill, trash bill and sewer bills run? Here in Vegas, we pay monthly for water (about $30, trash and sewer are billed every 3 months and we pay $120 for both combined)

3. I have read some scary things about racism. Both my husband and I are Mexican and Native American mix, we both speak perfect english and have no accent and are 100% American and love our country. I look more White/Spanish and can easily pass for white. Our 4 year old looks like me and can pass for white as well. However, my husband looks very dark hispanic/Native American. We have had only a small number of looks here in Vegas, as people think we are a biracial couple. I am wondering how we would fit in or if we would have any problems? I am mainly concerened for my husband and wonder if he would be treated differently or poorly? What I read about racism was quite concerning and hope it isn't the norm. I appreicate honesty though, as we don't want to relocate to where we would not be welcome.

4. We found a few homes on the West side near Newman Catholic high school. We are Catholic and so the idea of being near a Catholic high school is nice. Would we be ok living in that area? Is that a good area?

5. Any advice for newcomers?

[adr3naline]

Originally Posted by jellybeans529

1. On average, how much would electricity bills be monthly for a small 1000sf house? Is it outrageous in the winters? We pay over $400 a month for electricity here in the summers.

Depends on the vintage of the house. Water heater vs. electric header vs. etc will drastically affect this. "Winter" is really ~4months of heating, two of which are very rough.

Originally Posted by jellybeans529

3. I have read some scary things about racism. Both my husband and I are Mexican and Native American mix, we both speak perfect english and have no accent and are 100% American and love our country. I look more White/Spanish and can easily pass for white. Our 4 year old looks like me and can pass for white as well. However, my husband looks very dark hispanic/Native American. We have had only a small number of looks here in Vegas, as people think we are a biracial couple. I am wondering how we would fit in or if we would have any problems? I am mainly concerened for my husband and wonder if he would be treated differently or poorly? What I read about racism was quite concerning and hope it isn't the norm. I appreicate honesty though, as we don't want to relocate to where we would not be welcome.

Wisconsin isn't the redneck wildland that the south/coasts tend to display when speaking of our "flyover country". You'll be fine. Having lived in Janesville you probably noticed the friendly candor of the population, which will be about the same in Wausau.

Originally Posted by jellybeans529

5. Any advice for newcomers?

Freshen up on your beer knowledge and pickup a cheesehead

[cheese plate]

If you have concerns over ethnicity and so forth, Stevens Point just down the road is a nice college town that skews more open and accepting. But I don't think Wausau would be much of an issue. You might want to start wearing Packers gear, though!

[dirtydan57]

With respect to racism, a good friend of mine who is black, originally from St. Louis and has lived here for 15 years explains it like this. Down south, they are in your face racists. Up here, we just hide it more. My opinion, I agree with him after having heard the many comments made behind his back and about minorities over the years from people who 'aren't racist'. No, not everybody is like that. But the bottom line, you can't escape racism no matter where you go in this country.

[hankejp]

In Weston,

We rent a duplex, probably close to 1000-1200 sq ft, including a finished basement. It's a newer place, well insulated. Looking at out bill this last winter, the most expensive month, was $136 for heat/Electricity.

Water is about $30 month, Garbage is included in the Taxes.

Most of the Wausau population is acceptance of anyone. I don't think there is a racism problem. There might be some people, but you'll have that anywhere. Overall, I think your family would be accepted most anywhere up where.

The area you are looking at is a nice, older home area. I would recommend walking the neighbor a few times to get an idea of what the neighborhood has to offer. It's a good idea to perhaps park your car at the highschool and just go for a walk in the area. This would go for anywhere.

[jellybeans529]

Thank you everyone, it's nice to hear that Wausau may be a good fit for us. I am excited to visit and see how we like it

[AminWi]

By the way, as you look for a place and consider monthly costs, you should be asking how much the gas bill is for the apartment/house rather than the electric bill. Electric heat is a rarity here - most places have natural gas heat, and rural homes are most likely to have propane.

[jellybeans529]

Thank you for the heating info. I completely forgot about that when I lived in Janesville, it was so long ago

[travisploman]

The Newman Catholic High School area is nice and there are also newer homes and rentals near Wausau West High School (just up the road from Newman). I would keep your eyes open in all areas though and consider areas like Weston, Rothschild, Kronenwetter and Rib Mountain as it's an easy drive to Newman from all of these areas. I've been in the area sixteen years and I think that overall, the whole area is very friendly and racism is not an issue. Just using average bill information on a home the size you talked about, I think you'd be looking at around $52 a month for natural gas and $116 a month for electric (with AC) for a total of $168 per month. Of course, this will vary based on your usage and temperature preferences. Good luck!