Considering a return to WI (Appleton, La Crosse: violent crime, job market, schools)

[GDY1971]

I am considering taking a job in Tomah and I am considering places to live. Tomah may be too small for my taste at this point in my life and I have been considering LaCrosse as an alternative. I lived in Appleton 4 years ago and liked it there. I figured LaCrosse may be similar. I have visited various links found through Google etc. and now I am looking for some personal accounts of the area. Obviously, it is scenic there.

Is commuting from LaCrosse to Tomah reasonable?

What is the atmosphere like in the town?

Are there things that should keep a person from moving there?

How are the schools?

Thanks in advance for the info.

[Birdie]

Many people commute to Tomah from LaCrosse, Its interstate and its fast. The town is what I consider very safe & friendly. I think the schools are excellent. The only reason not to move to Tomah is that it is less than 10,000 people. (but some people like that)

[GDY1971]

Thanks Birdie. I appreciate the information. Certainly no offense intended to those who enjoy the small town atmosphere of Tomah. Actually, I grew up in a small town less the half the size of Tomah and it was a good place to grow up. But now I've lived in a metropolitan area of a couple million people, so it is hard to readjust to a small town. Like I mentioned, I liked Appleton and felt it was a good sized city.


Do you know much about LaCrosse?

[redhotcrystal]

Many people make the drive to hang out on weekends and to work. Tomah is about 45 min. from La Crosse. Appleton is very similar to LaCrosse in alot of aspects.La Crosse can be a party college town, but also it's a family town at the same time. Negatives are that the job market and pay sucks and taxes are high. Can be drunks and losers hanging out downtown area. However violent crime is very low in comparison to other areas with similar population.
Hope this helps.

[GDY1971]

Originally Posted by redhotcrystal

Many people make the drive to hang out on weekends and to work. Tomah is about 45 min. from La Crosse. Appleton is very similar to LaCrosse in alot of aspects.La Crosse can be a party college town, but also it's a family town at the same time. Negatives are that the job market and pay sucks and taxes are high. Can be drunks and losers hanging out downtown area. However violent crime is very low in comparison to other areas with similar population.
Hope this helps.

Thank you for the information. It is nice to have the first hand info to go with what I could gather online.