Wausau or Oshkosh? (Milwaukee, Appleton, Superior: real estate, homes, new construction)

[KristinNH]

Hello all -- I was wondering if I could get some feedback. My husband has job opportunities in both Wausau and Oshkosh making the same income. The offers came in suddenly and a bit unexpectedly and we do not have a lot of time to decide. We live way up north in Ashland and have lived in small cities for 30 years. We have 6 kids at home, the youngest being age 7 and we homeschool.

We like the looks of Wausau because it is a smaller city in a rural area. It's also still farther north and not so hot in the summer (though I know the winters are cold like Ashland.) It is also very hilly with even a small mountain, which reminds us of our home of 30 years, New Hampshire (We have lived in WI for 18 months, so still newish to this state.) It also seems to be fairly safe, have a lot of nice small communities around it and is family-friendly. We have visited a few time and love the parks and how clean and nice it looks as well as the commercial area of Mt. Rib. The negatives is that we lose Lake Superior and that it is not near any other of the Great Lakes. It does have some small lakes within the city limits, but there doesn't appear to be any swimming beaches on it.

We just visited Oshkosh for the first time and I also liked the commercial area, but it's just SO much bigger than we are used to. Of course, it has gorgeous Lake Winnebago and other large lakes around and is close to Lake Michigan. I'm not sure what else it has to offer, but it seems to have beautiful parks and, I assume, family-friendly activities. Just the size scares me a bit (it seems to be non-stop concrete all the way up to Appleton.)

Are there any other positives and negatives I should know about for these areas? Are they very different weather-wise? Schools are not a concern as we homeschool and I see that both areas have nice hospitals and colleges. Are some areas better than others? We see that around Wausau are other small towns that run into it and the same with Oshkosh. We would also consider towns within 10 miles of either.

Thanks for ANY feedback -- this forum has helped me a lot in the past and I appreciate your time very much.

[EllieKay56]

I live just outside of Wausau and work in Wausau. We moved here from Chicago 32 yrs ago. The area is nice. Low traffic. Quiet and safe. In summer there is a lot to do. Free concerts every Wednesday downtown in the square. Some of the neighboring communities also have them. Many festivals all summer and well into fall. About 30 minutes west near Athens is one of our favorite Friday (and now Saturday) night events, pizza on the farm. He cooks pizza in outdoor ovens while you wander the farm.
Shopping is not the best. We have the usual, Target, Wal-mart, Sam's Club, Fleet Farm etc. The mall is dead but I think that is in many communities.
Oshkosh is larger and has more things to do. Also more population. We go to Appleton about once a month to hit Costco and some other places we like. Oshkosh has a great outlet mall.
Weather wise not much different although they get less snow in Oshkosh but occasionally they get dumped on and we have nothing.

[Enean]

I'm very familiar with both cities, and I would choose Wausau over Oshkosh. Oshkosh has a fair amount of crime. I have friends that live there, and they don't love it. I would choose to live in Appleton (or Neenah), if you choose the job in Oshkosh. The Fox Valley is much larger than the Wausau area, and closer to Milwaukee, if that's appealing. There really is a lot more to do in the Appleton area, than in Wausau.

Wausau is a beautiful small city, and the downtown area is a huge draw in the summer months. Shopping is in Rib Mountain, and while there's not a lot, it's adequate if you need something in a pinch. Appleton still has pretty good shopping, although the ability to shop, is diminishing everywhere.

Wausau is much closer to nature, and if you want to swim in a lake, Minocqua and Tomahawk are only a little over an hour north. Most of the Wausau area has sandy soil, where Oshkosh (and the Appleton area), have clay. With the clay, comes foundation issues, and basement flooding. All of my friends in the Fox Valley (Appleton, Oshkosh), have had very expensive work done on their foundations, unless their homes are fairly new construction.

A couple things to think about, that maybe hadn't crossed your mind.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by Enean

I'm very familiar with both cities, and I would choose Wausau over Oshkosh. Oshkosh has a fair amount of crime. I have friends that live there, and they don't love it. I would choose to live in Appleton (or Neenah), if you choose the job in Oshkosh. The Fox Valley is much larger than the Wausau area, and closer to Milwaukee, if that's appealing. There really is a lot more to do in the Appleton area, than in Wausau.

Wausau is a beautiful small city, and the downtown area is a huge draw in the summer months. Shopping is in Rib Mountain, and while there's not a lot, it's adequate if you need something in a pinch. Appleton still has pretty good shopping, although the ability to shop, is diminishing everywhere.

Wausau is much closer to nature, and if you want to swim in a lake, Minocqua and Tomahawk are only a little over an hour north. Most of the Wausau area has sandy soil, where Oshkosh (and the Appleton area), have clay. With the clay, comes foundation issues, and basement flooding. All of my friends in the Fox Valley (Appleton, Oshkosh), have had very expensive work done on their foundations, unless their homes are fairly new construction.

A couple things to think about, that maybe hadn't crossed your mind.

Great post

[KristinNH]

Thanks so much for both posts -- very helpful! I also should add that we are politically conservative and prefer to live in a more conservative city (government.) I assume Wausau is more conservative than Oshkosh, but don't know for sure?

[EllieKay56]

Yes Wausau is conservative.

[Enean]

Originally Posted by KristinNH

Thanks so much for both posts -- very helpful! I also should add that we are politically conservative and prefer to live in a more conservative city (government.) I assume Wausau is more conservative than Oshkosh, but don't know for sure?

Not sure on that, but Oshkosh has a 4 year college campus, so I would guess that you're correct in your assumption. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[attentionspanltd]

Congratulations on the impending move (wherever you decide to go). My wife just accepted a job offer in Wausau, and we'll be moving out there in August. We've been living in the Colorado mountains for 9 years, so it'll be a big change, but Wausau just "felt right" to us. We have friends in Oshkosh; they live near the lake, and the one time we visited we didn't really get to see much of the city (although we were nearly carried away by giant swarms of lake bugs resembling a biblical plague). So I can't really give you an much of an opinion on Oshkosh other than they seem to like it there.

I get the feeling Wausau generally leans more to the right socially, but it also seems like kind of a "live and let live" environment. City government is very liberal fiscally - they throw a lot of money at projects and initiatives to spruce up the city and make it more attractive to young families and businesses (often with mixed results). The Wausau Economic Development site has a lot of good information, and does a pretty good job of making a case for why people should relocate there: www.wausaudevelopment.com. It convinced us, anyway.

Coming from Colorado, the price of real estate and seemingly low cost of living is very attractive to us, but we fear the high income and real estate taxes will negate any potential savings. Of course, since you've already been living in WI, you won't notice the taxes. Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide!

[scott53051]

Are they very different weather-wise? Wausau is cooler and snowier than Oshkosh.

Average Annual Temperature:

1. Wausau - High 53F, Low 34F
2. Oshkosh - High 55F, Low 38F
3. Ashland - High 52F, Low 31F

Average Annual Snowfall:

1. Wausau - 5 feet (60")
2. Oshkosh - 3 feet (36")
3. Ashland - 6 feet (72")

https://www.currentresults.com/Weath...l-snowfall.php

https://www.currentresults.com/Weath...mperatures.php

https://www.weather.gov/grb/avgsnow

Moderator cut: link removed, competitor site

[KristinNH]

Thanks so much, everyone! We decided to take the Wausau job and are living on the outskirts (Marathon City) for now. It's been 2 months and we love it so far! Definitely seems like the right choice for us. Thanks again - such a great, helpful community here.