Relocating from Charlotte, NC to Menasha, WI (living, zip code)

[windhoverblue]

I would think about getting the "places Rated Almanac" from Barnes and Noble before making your decision. It rates places (MSA's) based on various factors that people/families usually consider important i.e. Public Schools, crime, cost of living, things to do, weather, employment rate, job growth etc etc. David Savageau's PlacesRated.com. Again, are you sure you want to trade a thriving sunny city for a repressed little town in middle wisconsin where the sun rarely shines and you have three months of short pants weather....hmmmmmm HAve you checked out Madison, WI...yep still cold but it has a lot to offer.

• Named “Best Place for Education” by Money Magazine!
• Highest ACT scores in Wisconsin!
• Record-level SAT scores!
• Experienced, award-winning teachers!
• Record-winning numbers of National Merit Scholars!
• Named “Best Place to Live in America” by Money Magazine!
• Madison recent winner of over 25 major national honors!
• Exceptional quality of life!

[Wingfoot]

What Polish Boy says is so. I lived in Buffalo and Menasha both. Folks in Menasha are more polite, but people in Buffalo are much more friendly.
Menasha does have a very low crime rate which just might be factor #1 as times get ever tougher.

Am 18 yr old female shouldn't have much problem making friends anywhere though.

[Wingfoot]

Originally Posted by windhoverblue

I would think about getting the "places Rated Almanac" from Barnes and Noble before making your decision. It rates places (MSA's) based on various factors that people/families usually consider important i.e. Public Schools, crime, cost of living, things to do, weather, employment rate, job growth etc etc. David Savageau's PlacesRated.com. Again, are you sure you want to trade a thriving sunny city for a repressed little town in middle wisconsin where the sun rarely shines and you have three months of short pants weather....hmmmmmm HAve you checked out Madison, WI...yep still cold but it has a lot to offer.

• Named “Best Place for Education” by Money Magazine!
• Highest ACT scores in Wisconsin!
• Record-level SAT scores!
• Experienced, award-winning teachers!
• Record-winning numbers of National Merit Scholars!
• Named “Best Place to Live in America” by Money Magazine!
• Madison recent winner of over 25 major national honors!
• Exceptional quality of life!

True enough but not to put too fine a point on it-Madison is a YUPPY town par excellance- many non yups ,even wealthly ones,find the all sing coom bay ya atmosphere tiring, even oppressive.

[davit]

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

True enough but not to put too fine a point on it-Madison is a YUPPY town par excellance- many non yups ,even wealthly ones,find the all sing coom bay ya atmosphere tiring, even oppressive.

Wildly liberal over educated tree-huggers!! A pretty noisy minority, but as the saying goes the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[Wingfoot]

Was in Madison yesterday, rapidly becoming ghetto.Many used to-be nice areas now dirty and gritty-traffic out of a control etc etc-10 yrs from now will be MKE west.

[yo vanilla]

Originally Posted by NicePolishBoy

I wish I knew more about Menasha, but I'll tell you about a nearby city.

I would agree about the real part of the previous message. I've lived in the western and eastern parts of NY State, and I would definitely call it real. I compare notes with someone on the street from the south and neither of us see the friendliness in nearby Oshkosh as real. Now, maybe we just don't understand the nature of it here! Could be.

People from the NE are just more direct--they'll stab you in the front. I don't know about all of Wisconsin, but people in Oshkosh will stab you in the back. I'll take the knife from the front. People from places like Mass and NY don't pretend to be nice. They are nice or not to you. I've met plenty of both in New York, but you know where they stand. My experiences with people in Milwaukee have been much closer to my experiences in Ohio and NY than in Oshkosh.

I can't say that of Oshkosh. Neighbors will do something really obnoxious and then act like you are out of line by politely telling them about it. It is considered rude to stand up for yourself here. My friend from the south says that the obnoxious behavior(s) would not have happened in the south. If it did, someone would be embarrassed by the polite notification.

Here, people get upset if you tell them, for example, not to have their dogs poop on your yard every day. There is a "freedom" concept here that is 'free to do' rather than 'free from.' Dogs, including mean one, run wild in even the best neighborhoods, and the Oshkosh natives tend to think this is part of their freedom.

The last state I lived in was Ohio, and this place was a culture shock. I can't say whether Menasha is like Oshkosh or not. I'd read the leaving Wisconsin thread for one side of the story, in addition to the positive threads.

I'm sorry to hear that you haven't met the kind of people which would have given you a better experience here, but I should point out that blue-collar po-dunk Oshkosh is hardly the best example to judge the state on. In 31 years of living in WI I have not had these kinds of experiences.

[yo vanilla]

Originally Posted by mededitorinnc

Hi All:

My daughter and I are seriously considering a move to Menasha, WI. We have lived in Charlotte, NC for 8 years. I was born and raised in Memphis and Savannah, TN. My daughter was born in Memphis, TN. We lived in South Boston, MA for a few years about 13 years ago. Now, heading to Menasha, WI. In comparing costs of living, cultures, etc., what can we expect? We are aware of the climate in WI and considering that we hate the humid summers here and lack of snow and "real winter," the weather is a definite plus for the both of us. I telecommute and will be taking my job with me, so employment opportunites are not an issue for me. My daughter is 18 - wondering if this is a good area for people her age? Also, what is the general attitude to newcomers? When we moved from TN to MA, we were not welcomed in the least, and in fact, were treated badly, and found that most had applied their "Southern people" stereotype to us before knowing us. This is something I want to avoid.

Any advice or tips would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

First thing I'll tell you is that many of us love southern people 'round these parts. You guys are alot like us in many ways, and I base that on the southern folk I've been fortunate enough to meet over the years. Actually my boss grew up in Alabama. WI is not at all an uppity, egotistical kind of atmosphere (I suppose Madison can get close at times and I imagine super liberal whiny Boston to be ). Sure, we've got our share of jerkoffs like any place else, but for the most part, the Fox Valley (Menasha area) is kind of like a bunch of big "small" towns - it's quiet, safe, polite, there's concerts in the park and high school football games and all that.

May I ask why you picked Menasha? Not the first choice of most. Menasha is a bit of a run down town; very blue collar, not much shopping. Its got one or two nice parks and the small downtown has a couple of good restaurants. My first choices would be Appleton or Neenah, either of which directly surround Menasha. Neenah actually has a couple of snobs, but it's more fun to laugh about that because, c'mon, you're from little Neenah, WI, you're not that awesome

If you search my username you should find lots of good things I wrote about Appleton. Too much to list here, but in short it's a great city with alot of shopping, a good downtown, lots of parks, nice people, quiet, low crime, all that.

Winter - there's a couple of threads going on the subject right now, look for the "winter questions" one, should be on the first page. It's probably colder with less snow (on normal years) than Boston.

edit, just noticed someone dug this post up from January, lol.

[CountryLover1]

I live just outside of a small town (Mukwonago) 26 miles southwest of Milwaukee, WI and 15 miles southwest of Waukesha, WI. We are a short commute from the culture and city life Milwaukee affords, yet we have more home, more land, and privacy for the money. We have Home Depot, Walmart Supercenter, and great restaurants, and activities. We have no offensive smells, just good clean air. Our school system is one of the best in WI. and there is plenty to do sports and hobby-wise. We are away from Lake Michigan which draws adverse weather to that area, we are usually 10-15 degrees warmer, yet we are surrounded by beautiful clean inland lakes and parks. There are reasonable rentals and condo's in the area. There are festivals every weekend in the parks of the small communities surrounding us in the summer, as well as a 700 vendor Maxwell St. Days in our local park in Mukwonago. Mukwonago stands for Home of the Bear. Why Menasha? Prior blogs are correct, and they fail to mention crime rates. We are an extremely friendly and safe community.

[jensekri8]

Originally Posted by mededitorinnc

Hi All:

My daughter and I are seriously considering a move to Menasha, WI. We have lived in Charlotte, NC for 8 years. I was born and raised in Memphis and Savannah, TN. My daughter was born in Memphis, TN. We lived in South Boston, MA for a few years about 13 years ago. Now, heading to Menasha, WI. In comparing costs of living, cultures, etc., what can we expect? We are aware of the climate in WI and considering that we hate the humid summers here and lack of snow and "real winter," the weather is a definite plus for the both of us. I telecommute and will be taking my job with me, so employment opportunites are not an issue for me. My daughter is 18 - wondering if this is a good area for people her age? Also, what is the general attitude to newcomers? When we moved from TN to MA, we were not welcomed in the least, and in fact, were treated badly, and found that most had applied their "Southern people" stereotype to us before knowing us. This is something I want to avoid.

Any advice or tips would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I have lived in the city of Menasha since 1996. formerly from northern Wisconsin. people here are friendly, helpful especially to people from out of state. old family values. our city is much smaller than Charlotte. around 17-20 k population. schools are good. smaller class size depending if you would send your daughter to Menasha, Neenah, or Appleton. I recently visited my kids in Charlotte and their apartment is about $300/month more in North Carolina for the same amenities/size. our state does take out income tax however, compared with others. Crime is MUCH MUCH lower here.

[CtrlEsc]

Originally Posted by windhoverblue

Menasha is a repressed rust belt town with LONG ice cold winters and endless grey skies. Sometimes you do not see the sun for weeks. Charlotte, NC is sunny most of the time, the winters are very mild and the economy is strong and growing. Why the heck would anyone want to move to Menasha? I could see if you where thinking about Madison, with it's strong biotech economy, smart people everywhere, top rated schools, UW, and lots to do etc.....but Menesha? I am just curious as to why anyone would want to move to Menesha. I hope you have given this some serious thought??? Are you maybe confusing Menasha with some other city....you can't really be thinking about trading Charlotte, for Menesha. I have lived in Charlotte for ten years, and I would be tempted to trade Charlotte for Madison...but Menasha???????????

Obviously, there are no smart people in Menasha or the Fox Valley. I'm barely able to read (or punctuate properly) let alone be employed as a data analyst for a multi-billion dollar company. (/s)

I had the opportunity to move anywhere in the United States. I chose Neenah, WI (just south of Menasha.)
I have lived and worked in towns as exciting as Las Vegas and Chicago to the rural areas of Western TN and Northwestern IL.
After eight years in the Fox Valley, this is my analysis:
The people - The further south you get in the Fox Valley (Oshkosh/Fond du Lac), the less friendly they get. I suspect it has to do with economic growth in each area. However, they are much friendlier than many other areas of the country. If you move here, be prepared for an openness that involves many TMI conversations. It's the German heritage of the area. As an extrovert and analyst, I love knowing what makes those around me tick. This place is an open book. The people are also very interested in you in a positive way. They want to know what they can do to help.
Entertainment - This is a remote part of the state. It's just off the beaten track but still has some entertainment options. When the opposing football teams play at Lambeau Field, they stay in Appleton. The downtown has a lively night-time scene. There is also a performing arts center and minor league baseball team. There is an abundance of parks and trails to enjoy. However, you aren't going to have an abundance of options in a small city. An area this size just doesn't have an economy and populace needed to support multiple venues and amusements.
Employment opportunities - There are a TON of blue-collar jobs here. It's easy to find a service industry job. The white-collar jobs are hard to come by. There is fierce competition for jobs that require a Bachelors degree. People who grow up here, graduate high school, go to college, and come back here to raise their kids. It's the culture of the area. It also means there are a huge number of college educated people vying for the same job.
Schools - Each school system is good at "something". Appleton North was acting. Kimberly was gymnastics. Neenah was band. I had two kids in band, so we chose Neenah. Neenah is a large school system (high school population of 2000+ kids). It provides a wealth of extra-curricular activities. Do some research to see which schools are currently doing well and what they are making the news for. Eight years ago, Menasha and Appleton West were the poorest performing schools.
There are multiple college options: UW-Oshkosh, UW-Green Bay, UW-Fox Cities, UW-Fox Valley Tech, and Lawrence University.
The cities - Menasha is considered the lowest income on average. Then in increasing order, Kaukauna, Neenah, Fond Du Lac, Oshkosh, and Appleton. Your major shopping areas will be Fond Du Lac, Oshkosh, Appleton West and Appleton East. All your major stores chain stores will be found in those areas. Neenah, Menasha, and Kaukauna are more residential with some major industrial sites dotted about (i.e. Kimberly Clarke.) The cost of living for the area is slightly below national average.
The environment- You do get "smells" here. It's an industrial area. Every couple weeks when the breeze blows the right direction and the air is heavy the smell gets trapped for a few hours. Being in Neenah, I get a heavy metal smell from the Neenah Foundry. It usually only lasts for a couple of hours. Then the wind changes and the smell is lifted. The water here is 'meh'. I use a filter system. A lot of the US waterways were polluted in the industrial revolution. Wisconsin's waterways did not escape the pollution. They are recovering, but they are not pristine lakes. A lot of Wisconsin has iron in the soils, so many rivers look like root beer. I was weirded-out at first until I realized it was natural.
Healthcare - Thedacare is a top-notch health system but very expensive.
The weather - The winters are a bit long. You will get first flurries in October, have a white Thanksgiving, then we warm up a bit around Christmas where you may have a 'brown' Christmas. January is in the teens before plunging into the sub-zeros of February. Mid-February you might see a week of -30F depending on the Artic air currents. March is snowy. April is on-off flurries with some accumulation. In May, you will occasionally see a flurry. It's June now, we saw 50F weather last week, but today we'll hit 90F (which is about as warm as it gets around here.) Most your summer will be mid-to-upper 70s during the day and 50s at night.

My recommendation: Before deciding on a residence, Google the address and look at the map. The prevailing winds are West to East. Zoom out on the map and look at what is West of the residence. If it's a sewage plant or industrial center, expect some smells. Also look for major roadways. Noise can be just as hard to deal with.
Your "Southerness" will be seen as an oddity. However, odd isn't bad. It just sparks curiosity about you. People will ask "what brought you here?" It's not a negative question, it's just their attempt to understand you.
Wisconsin has a variety of experiences. Those in Milwaukee or Madison have a completely different experience of Wisconsin than those in the rural farm areas of the south. They also have a different viewpoint than those in the remote cities like La Crosse, Superior, and Appleton.