Relocating to Portage (Milwaukee, Madison, Wausau: real estate, renting, crime)

[flowers2240]

Hello everybody! My partner and I are considering a big relocation to Portage. We are looking to live in a nice Midwestern city that looks to us to be a true slice of Americana. We currently live in Virginia and we're done with the crowded East Coast. Everyone out here is so cranky, traffic is awful, crime is terrible, real estate is expensive, and it's time for us to get out!

Of all the places in the United States, we are considering Wisconsin because we have a close friend who is from Wisconsin and she said it's a great place to live in peace and quiet. She grew up in Portage and said it was beautiful and quiet and we would love it. We flew out to Madison and took a tour of the surrounding areas and decided that Portage is simply gorgeous. We spent several days touringaround the Wisconsin Dells and Baraboo and we're strongly considering making the big move. Before deciding for sure, we want to get some advice about the vibe of the area to find out if we'd be a good fit!

1) We would be selling our home here in Virginia and we have a lot of equity as it has appreciated greatly since we purchased it in the 90s. What would be the average monthly utilities for a 3000 square foot ranch home around the Portage area? Out where we live we pay around $400 a month for utilities in the summer and in the winter it is less.

2) How would you describe the area's quality of life? What's it like living there day to day? We love the proximity to Madison but the relaxed atmosphere and quiet evenings.

3) Honestly, we've read some pretty unpleasant things about Wisconsin racism and homophobia. Some of them have been on this forum. I wouldn't be asking, but both my partner and I are both black womyn. While we didn't experience any homophobia or overt racism when we visited, we did get some longer than usual stares from people around the Wisconsin Dells and at the hotel in Baraboo, which gave me reason to question this. We love country living but we don't want to run afoul of simple types who aren't willing to open their minds to a black same-sex couple living in their area. Don't worry--we're not militant or anything but we want to enjoy our life openly! I did some research and it turns out that the Portage area and Madison are free of hate groups, which are all concentrated in Eastern Wisconsin (and Minneapolis-St. Paul). Why are there so many hate groups in the eastern part of Wisconsin?

4) What is employment like in that area? We're nurses so we figure we will eventually get jobs, and we could commute to Madison if we wanted to.

5) Any other advice for couple of middle aged womyn from Virginia?

Thanks!!!

[dirtydan57]

1. It's not utility costs that are concerning, it's property taxes; they tend to be high here.
2. Living in WI is great.
3. Certainly racism and homophobia exist here but it's probably better than in most places. Still, look who was elected governor.
4. Nurses should be able to get jobs.
5. Good luck.

[Rynldsbr]

1. Utility costs can be a challenge, particularly in some of the older homes if windows and insulation are not updated. The good news is, both can be updated relatively inexpensively.

2. I have spent a lot of time all over WI. Grew up in Northern WI and lived the last dozen years between Madison and Milwaukee. In your living situation I would recommend going to a different side of Madison and looking at Lake Mills or Fort Atkinson. Both are very inclusive communities, beautiful lake/river towns, and have vibrant arts and culinary cultures for a small town. Fireside Theater and a brand new Gobbler Theater nearby, as well as very easily commutable to Madison or the Western burbs of Milwaukee for jobs in health care. Portage is a little more closed to anyone that didn't grow up there, regardless of culture.

3. Wisconsin isn't the most progressive state. You may find you are welcomed, but at an arms length in many communities. This is where I think the Lake Mills and Ft Atkinson option may be much more to your benefit.

4. Wisconsin's economy is not healthy. Dig into actual numbers of employed (not simply unemployment statistics) and look at average income statistics based on specific areas. Madison is great. Other areas are not. Health care is probably the best field to be in looking for work in WI and I encourage you to look at UW websites and Aurora Health Care web site for job postings in your specialty. Again, living between Madison and Milwaukee opens up the two best (by far) job markets to you from one commutable location.

5. Be prepared to embrace winter. Wisconsin has a beauty that many take for granted, even in the winter. I miss it a lot and hope you will find happiness there.

[flowers2240]

Thank you both so much for your honest input. We live in Virginia right now, so we're not exactly in a progressive utopia. But it's different out here since there are a lot of black professionals out in the suburbs and a lot of interracial couples. So it's like a conservative area for the most part, but not at all fearful of black people. I am not suggesting Wisconsin is. It's just much different out here because there are so many people in and out as a result of all the military and government around here. It's not like the far Virginia country where you don't want to make a wrong turn! I'm positive Wisconsin is not like that. We didn't get that vibe at all.

What we are really hoping to escape is the cranky, crowded east coast, and losing the horrendously hot summers wouldn't be bad either! I will take snow any day over those awful summer days we have here! Our search in the Portage area was mainly driven by a good friend who talked about that area of the state highly, and also explained a lot about Madison.

We did notice that property tax is quite high in some places out in Wisconsin! Thank you for pointing that out.

Also on our little driving tour we skirted Madison and drove through it but didn't get as far as either Lake Mills or Fort Atkinson. I'm going to start researching them and on our next trip we'll make a point of it. We're going in blind but we're not going to move if it's not right for us, jobs included! The advice to live between Milwaukee and Madison is greatly appreciated. We had not even considered that, but it makes great sense. Next time we go out there to look around we're going to fly into Milwaukee instead and take a longer trip through some of the other areas down that way.

[43north87west]

I get what you're saying about Virginia. Wisconsin is not like that. It's pretty much white outside of the major cities. When you get up into the north woods you can get some of those backwater yokel types that you get way out in Virginia, but like VA, it varies by towns. It's like some towns or little regions are defective for the same reasons as out in VA, because the local industry dried up and the towns decayed along with everyone in them.

I'm sure you'll perform all of your due diligence and all of that, but I like the suggestion to check out Ft. Atkinson or Lake Mills. From a logistical standpoint they make a lot of sense and don't put all your eggs in one basket for employment.

[ranger17]

OP, i too would agree with the suggestions to check out the other side of Madison. Nothing specifically wrong with Portage (i grew up nearby) but being that far north of Madison you do limit your options for work and play.
A couple points i'd add, for what they are worth.

Property taxes as noted are high here. I believe though that Jefferson County (Fort Atkinson, etc) will be lower then Dane (Madison) or Columbia (Portage) counties. At least based on some business sites we looked at down there. But it is tough to compare taxes to other states. We lived for 6 years in SC, which was far lower than we pay in WI, even adding in the prop taxes on our cars and boat down there. But the flip side were differences in education, roads, etc.

When the snow flies, it can potentially double your travel times. Yes there are many more plows to handle the conditions compared to the south, but you also have more potential for snow here. Doesn't mean every winter day will take you twice as long to get to your destination, but it is best to always keep that in mind.

Except for the 6 yrs in SC, am a life long WI resident. Always felt those up here were friendly, but after my time in the south i'd say it's perhaps not as "outgoing" friendly to strangers as down there. If i held the door open in SC, odds are everyone at minimum said thanks and often a small conversation could start up. Here, often those walk on by with no acknowledgements. This doesn't mean one cant make as close of friends here as they could anywhere else, just my own viewpoint.

I'm not familiar with jobs for the medical field, but with all the clinics scattered around and the various hospitals (plus a newer complex off the interstate near Oconomowoc comes to mind) would seem to show there could be some good job opportunities in those fields.

Yes, take some time doing more research on areas, and as with any relocation i'd suggest renting the first year to make sure the community you choose is the one to buy and settle in.

[SP233]

What time of year did you visit? I would strongly encourage you to visit for a period of time during the winter before moving here. Winters here get very brutal, although lately they have not been. As far as being of a minority, you should be fine but the best play would be Madison as it is the most liberal city. If you enjoy smaller towns, I would also suggest Stevens Point. Being a college town, most people here are accepting of everyone. Also, SP is not far from Wausau for work.