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Currently we live in Nashville. House going up for sale soon and looking to get out of Nashville and are heavily considering Southern WI.
Our plan is to probably rent for a year somewhere in southern/eastern WI and spend the year scouting the area to find a place to "settle down".
So we are looking for home/condo rentals in the area.
General area would be (map included)
State Line up to Appleton / Green Bay area
Janesville west to the lake
Anyone have any recommendations to look for rentals? Have looked at the typical Hotpads, Zillow, Realtor but wondering if there are some sites or even agents that we may be missing.
For the "rental year", would prefer to find a place house/condo that had a 2 car garage and storage place (IE basement) so that we don't have to get an extra storage unit for a year.
Wasn't sure if there was some regional publication or something that may be used more so than the sites we have found already. Since we're not coming for a specific job or anything, location isn't too big of a concern at the moment. More looking for location that's central enough that we can "explore" the region during weekends to try and find a long-term place.
As far as why WI, why not? I lived in Northern Illinois (Rockford area) years ago. Been in Nashville since 1997. Nashville has been growing and to the point ready to leave. The crime, traffic, population, etc is to the point that it's no longer nice. We have been looking at places for years and finally thought "Hey, Wisconsin is nice and fairly safe" so figure why not take a year and see. The winters would be brutal, but the summers here are also brutal (low 90's today and high humidity). Pretty much all summer long you walk around sweating feeling like you're in a sauna.
Nothing really caught our eye in MI, OH or Indiana. If we're going "north", I'd like to be within distance of a major metro area. Rockford area is out due to the crime growth it's experienced, plus really have no desire to go back to there.
Appleton is similar in size and amenities to Rockford (I moved from there to the Appleton area.) The cost of living is very similar. The crime rate is MUCH lower. Land is a bit expensive. You could look over by Chilton but that's less adventure and more rural farms. The area on the SE side of Lake Winnebago is hilly yet still close enough to get amenities in Fon du Lac. The Fox Valley area and Green Bay are still very prairie-like. The further towards Lake Michigan you get the hillier it gets.
Fox Valley vs Rockford:
The terrain is very much the same. It's flat, with a few random rolling hills here and there. Lots of fields with crops. Rockford has forested areas; it's about the same here.
Weather is close to the same. You get about six weeks longer of winter here but you give up that six weeks of mud in April/May time frame that Rockford has. People are generally nicer here (my friends in Rockford hate when I say that.)
People take care of their things here better. I would rather buy a used car here than in Rockford. Yards are better kept and houses are generally in better shape.
From my travels along I43, I would surmise that much of Eastern Wisconsin falls into this same pattern (excluding Milwaukee.)
There is a lot to do in East-Central Wisconsin, but I would not list it as "High Adventure".
Outside of your zone:
West is Steven's Point (college town). There is a homestead kind-of place just north on the river (Pine Bluff Rd) that has been on Zillow for a while.
If you are really up for "Northern Adventure" check out the Ashland area. It has lots of "Nature", Duluth is not too far away, and you could have the sail boat on the side to cruise Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands.
You might want to visit Sheboygan, Cedarburg, and Elkhart Lake. Cedarburg is ridiculously charming. Lots of art galleries and small shops, cafes, etc.
There are areas around Oshkosh and Fond du Lac that are worth checking out, as well. You can find places "out in the country" but not too far away from town. There's a town called Eden near Fond du Lac.
There are a number of small towns in that area that are very nice. (I lived in Fond du Lac for nearly 2 decades.)
Appleton is within driving distance of Oshkosh and Fond du Lac. Just jump on 41 and it's a pretty easy, fast trek, even in winter, usually.
You might want to consider contacting a local realtor and asking for help finding what you're looking for. I know many realtors in this area are more than happy to help. Good luck!
I would consider Racine county. Very nicely located strategically between Chicago and Milwaukee. Up and coming with IKEA, Amazon warehouse, and FoxConn deal. No county sales tax (meaning salestax 0.5% lower than in the rest of the state). Good salmon fishing too, if you care.
The only concern is high unemployment rate in Racine itself... But there are other towns in the Racine county if you don't like Racine itself.
As far as Racine, what about the crime rate there? I've seen several places where it's described as less than favorable?
Crime is one of the things that we are trying to get away from. Obviously every city has it's issues, but Nashville has gotten to a point where every day there's armed robberies, murders, shootings, carjackings, etc. And about 25% of that is being caused by people under the age of 18. Nashville has really gone downhill and doesn't appear that it's going to turn around any time soon. That being said, we obviously aren't going to be looking for something right in Milwaukee proper. I also wouldn't want to be in Green Bay I don't think. I think game weekends would drive me nuts after while, but have also looked at a place or two in De Perre.
I like the mentions so far. They are actually places that we are looking at and have been trying to find rental properties to get an idea. Did some searching around facebook today and found a few property management/rental companies that don't have listings on the traditional sites. So yes, please, if anyone knows of any sites or realtors, we're definitely open to suggestions.
I think my wife is underestimating the winters too, lol. I am originally from Rockford, so have an idea of what -20 feels like with the wind whipping in your face and visibility being like 20 feet lol. She is from Florida and has only lived there and here in Nashville. We've been thinking and looking around to move for about 3 years now. I am particularly not a fan of the cold, but here in Nashville, it's ridiculously humid during the summer. However, if it's going to be below freezing outside, I might as well take the benefit of enjoying some snow and snow activities if I'm going to be that cold. So we are thinking, screw it. Let's go to WI for a year and see if we like it. I always liked WI when I lived up north and it looks as if SE WI is turning into a nice economic hub.
[quote=N8D615;53006834]As far as Racine, what about the crime rate there? I've seen several places where it's described as less than favorable?
Crime is one of the things that we are trying to get away from. Obviously every city has it's issues, but Nashville has gotten to a point where every day there's armed robberies, murders, shootings, carjackings, etc. And about 25% of that is being caused by people under the age of 18. Nashville has really gone downhill and doesn't appear that it's going to turn around any time soon. That being said, we obviously aren't going to be looking for something right in Milwaukee proper. I also wouldn't want to be in Green Bay I don't think. I think game weekends would drive me nuts after while, but have also looked at a place or two in De Perre.
[/Qoute]
There are many villages in Racine county besides City of Racine... If you don't like Racine itself.
And even though Racine has some problems, I don't think it's on a scale of " armed robberies, murders, shootings, carjackings".
Let's look here - //www.city-data.com/crime/crime...Wisconsin.html Definitely, not the bestest place to live with crime index of 287, but compare it to Milwaukee's 687 or Chicago 510...
Quote:
Originally Posted by N8D615
I think my wife is underestimating the winters too, lol. I am originally from Rockford, so have an idea of what -20 feels like with the wind whipping in your face and visibility being like 20 feet lol. She is from Florida and has only lived there and here in Nashville. We've been thinking and looking around to move for about 3 years now. I am particularly not a fan of the cold, but here in Nashville, it's ridiculously humid during the summer. However, if it's going to be below freezing outside, I might as well take the benefit of enjoying some snow and snow activities if I'm going to be that cold. So we are thinking, screw it. Let's go to WI for a year and see if we like it. I always liked WI when I lived up north and it looks as if SE WI is turning into a nice economic hub.
a) Northern Wisconsin can have -20. Southern WI doesn't have negatives, not during day time. And if it is -20, or anywhere negative, then either it's because of windchill (and then it's not real number), or there's nearly no wind. That's wheather phenomemon (but quite explainable) - when it's really cold, there's no wind.
b) Having said that, your wife needs to find some winter outdoors hobby - cross-country skiing would be my favorite, but other people like snowmobiling, or ice fishing, or other things. And there is no bad weather - only wrong clothes. So plan to purchase some good winter clothes to enjoy outdoors. When you're warm enough not to bother about weather, you start noticing beauty of the winterland, and its brightness. When you're sitting inside all winter, you gain weight and cabin fever.
As far as Racine, what about the crime rate there? I've seen several places where it's described as less than favorable?
Crime is one of the things that we are trying to get away from. Obviously every city has it's issues, but Nashville has gotten to a point where every day there's armed robberies, murders, shootings, carjackings, etc. And about 25% of that is being caused by people under the age of 18. Nashville has really gone downhill and doesn't appear that it's going to turn around any time soon. That being said, we obviously aren't going to be looking for something right in Milwaukee proper. I also wouldn't want to be in Green Bay I don't think. I think game weekends would drive me nuts after while, but have also looked at a place or two in De Perre.
I like the mentions so far. They are actually places that we are looking at and have been trying to find rental properties to get an idea. Did some searching around facebook today and found a few property management/rental companies that don't have listings on the traditional sites. So yes, please, if anyone knows of any sites or realtors, we're definitely open to suggestions.
I think my wife is underestimating the winters too, lol. I am originally from Rockford, so have an idea of what -20 feels like with the wind whipping in your face and visibility being like 20 feet lol. She is from Florida and has only lived there and here in Nashville. We've been thinking and looking around to move for about 3 years now. I am particularly not a fan of the cold, but here in Nashville, it's ridiculously humid during the summer. However, if it's going to be below freezing outside, I might as well take the benefit of enjoying some snow and snow activities if I'm going to be that cold. So we are thinking, screw it. Let's go to WI for a year and see if we like it. I always liked WI when I lived up north and it looks as if SE WI is turning into a nice economic hub.
Check out Oak Creek it is south of Milwaukee. Lots of new construction and infrastructure. Near the Lake and has fairly mild winters,, Nice summer breezes off the lake. And close enough to MKE to have some culture!
Stevens Point is also a nice area. We are 20 minutes north of there. Quiet and pretty crime free. Lots of new rentals being built. There is a nice Farmers Market. Concerts in the park. We enjoy many restaurants there. Check out Swiderski for apartments in Point or Plover.
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