Menominee or Marinette

[bay2bay]

The Navy is going to be pumping 5 billion dollars into Marinette Marine for the building of 10 more ships. Marinette Marine is expecting to hire 1,000 more people -- not to mention support jobs with other area companies this will create. This is a huge shot in the arm for their economy along with the rest of Northeastern Wisconsin and the U.P. of Michigan.

[thecat78]

That's all well and good about the shipyard but it's GETTING people to move here that's the problem. No educated, young family is going to want to move to the Marinette/Menominee area because it's a cultural wasteland. It does have one or two okay places but in the long run it's pretty miserable living here....especially in the winter. We just moved to the Menominee area last year from the east coast and it's been a challenge getting used to the area. I have made wonderful friends but my kids have struggled with making friends and I've had to pull my youngest out of public school and place him in a smaller private school because the public schools here are so underfunded and the staff is underpaid. The barely have a staff to watch the kids on the playground let alone teach them. The schools are just sad. They pump all their funding into the athletic program and let their other programs decay and fall apart. They might have a championship football team but their kids are struggling to make decent grades. They don't even have enough funding to furnish a nurse or a guidance counselor for the school here. Very sad and frustrating. If I were to do it over again I would purchase a house either closer to GB or in the Peshtigo school district. We had to move here for work. That is the ONLY reason why I would move here. Plenty of work but the area is VERY LACKING. Tread carefully.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by thecat78

That's all well and good about the shipyard but it's GETTING people to move here that's the problem. No educated, young family is going to want to move to the Marinette/Menominee area because it's a cultural wasteland. It does have one or two okay places but in the long run it's pretty miserable living here....especially in the winter. We just moved to the Menominee area last year from the east coast and it's been a challenge getting used to the area. I have made wonderful friends but my kids have struggled with making friends and I've had to pull my youngest out of public school and place him in a smaller private school because the public schools here are so underfunded and the staff is underpaid. The barely have a staff to watch the kids on the playground let alone teach them. The schools are just sad. They pump all their funding into the athletic program and let their other programs decay and fall apart. They might have a championship football team but their kids are struggling to make decent grades. They don't even have enough funding to furnish a nurse or a guidance counselor for the school here. Very sad and frustrating. If I were to do it over again I would purchase a house either closer to GB or in the Peshtigo school district. We had to move here for work. That is the ONLY reason why I would move here. Plenty of work but the area is VERY LACKING. Tread carefully.

It is unfortunate to hear how that area is doing. Unfortunately, the entire northern region is a fairly closed off socially and culturally and just does not receive many newcomers from further away. To compound problems, the area continues to lose a lot of people to larger cities and metros and large numbers of younger people. The population demographics of all the rural northern counties are very retiree/elderly dominated now with few exceptions. If you prefer to stay in the northern Wisconsin I would examine some opportunities in the Green Bay and Appleton region or maybe Wausau. Both places have a bit more economic diversity and a better variety of positions to choose from.

[MFFKIA]

I moved to back to Marinette after 15 years of living in larger university communities. Yes, it took a while to adjust, but eventually I made new friends and found a fulfilling job. There are libraries, a university-community theater group, concerts, an annual Milwaukee Symphony appearance, a charity ball, reading groups and opportunities for continuing education. Housing costs are reasonable, medical care is accessible, grocery stores are varied, and in summer there are three farm markets and a variety of farm stands. Shopping is lacking, but recently, more boutiques have opened. There is always the Internet, trips to Green Bay or Appleton and further afield. Give it time; open yourself up to new experiences. If you like outdoor activities, we have sailing, sailboat racing, iceboat racing, golf, tennis, skiing, cross country skiing and very active youth athletic groups.