Former Wisconsinites...where did you move to and how do you like it in comparison to WI? (Milwaukee: shop, pool)

[liveurdream]

Originally Posted by goblu

I just moved to the Northwoods in June and may be able to offer somewhat of an objective opinion of the area having grown up elsewhere.

I have lived in MI, AZ, NorCal and SoCal, traveled to almost every state in the US, as well as a few countries around the world, and I can honestly say that Northern Wisconsin is one of the most BEAUTIFUL places I have had the pleasure of experiencing. However, the people here are among the most insular, ignorant, racist, anti-intellectual folks I have ever met. They are also among the nicest people I have ever met. I'm mostly referring to locals, which present an interesting contrast to the yuppie hippies that come up here on vacation from madison and chicago.

Being a single guy, I have lowered my dating standards to those that have a high school education and own a car. Somehow I'm still having trouble meeting women who meet those criteria! On the other hand, I can fish at a different lake every night of the week and never see the same place twice. I can also hunt pretty much anything under the sun at some point during the year. Biking, hiking, skiing and hockey are also readily available within a 10 minute drive. There is plenty to do here, and I can honestly say that I love the area, but it is discouraging to know that I will not likely be able to have a family if I stay here.

I'm going to try to make it here 3 years and if I'm still unsatisfied at that point, I guess maybe to oregon or back to cali I go.

With all due respect, you will not have many options up there. Most of the young girls end up moving away for employment.

[Julie Upnorth]

Hubby and I were born and raised in Oshkosh, moved to Superior 30 years ago. Got a piece of the oil boom out in NW ND. Will be renting our home in WI and spending summers and fall in ND. I will be living at our new condo in SW FL for the winter months and hubby will be flying down for one week a month when the snow flies! All of this happened so suddenly but we are excited by both the boom out west and the winter escapes to FL, however, our hearts will ALWAYS be in Wisconsin! Go Packers!

[dieselperformanceidaho]

Born and bread wisconsin farm kid lived there 27 years. Reason I left where I was at south east section near janesville was all the flat landers drove me nuts. Stop honking my family feeds your fat ***. Moved to idaho about 85 miles south of creston b.c. love the area but in the last 5 years I have been gone, idaho has changed also due to the loads of cali people that have moved here. It almost like which one is the lesser of 2 evils. My wife and I are probably going to put are house up here in idaho and move back to northern wis closer to family. You need to make a choice based on what works best for you. Born a cheesehead and will die a cheesehead. Make the best of the time between the ditches.

[sholomar]

a cheesehead at heart despite living where I'm at, but at least there are no Illinois people to deal with, just vikings fans.

[ees21]

i miss wisconsin i had too move . Imoved tooo california and well theres a long list but i miss.
1. The friendly folks (here in california the people are soo sassy)
2. Beer i miss spotted cow and how cheep beer was
3. cost of living
4 cheese curds
5 deer huntin
6 packer sundays
7 off of school for deer huntin
8 culvers
i cant wait too come back only one more week

[Ragnar]

Glad this thread is more back on topic.

I moved to Madison, WI in 1999 for a one-year internship after college and I still live here, now married with a family, a good job and a great home. I generally appreciate Madison and WI in general, but am feeling more and more that it's time to look elsewhere. Perhaps it's because I lived in two different places for 12 years each before moving to WI and I'm not a native. I don't have any particular family roots in WI, other than my wife's family. In my time here I've traveled all over the State of WI, but there aren't many communities outside of Madison I'd ever consider living. Maybe the Lake Geneva area as my wife's family is there, and perhaps the Milwaukee area, but that's about it. WI has been great for a season of life but it's becoming time to move on. The general vibe of WI just doesn't excite me. I've never found farmland particularly interesting or beautiful. I still don't appreciate all the hunting/ fishing/camping hype as well as hockey and motorsports and the like. I enjoy being active outside but don't have the slightest interest in any of this stuff. The ridiculously nasty winters significantly lower the quality of life here. It's still October and I already had to scrape my car windows this morning. Ugh. I like to wear sandals year-round, and less layers too. It's difficult to do those in WI.

I do like the size of Madison and the amenities it has. The overeducated residents are a hoot. There are some very tasty restaurants in the area. I like living close to work and not having to drive the highways every day. I usually fill up my car one a month. I would never like living out in the country with all of the remoteness and time spent driving everywhere, especially in the snow. I like living around lots of people, with all of the pluses and minues that has.

We've had the opportunity to travel to many different parts of the USA and although vacations/work are different than living there, I can already tell that there are places that I presently like better than Madison, WI. San Diego, CA is tops on my list but I'm also considering Sarasota, FL, Albuquerque, NM and other parts of CA. I love parts of CO as well as Santa Fe, NM, but I don't think I'd groove on the winters in these places, even though they are more mild than WI winters.

I'm already dreading another WI winter here, but I know I'll make it. I've done a bunch already, so what's one more? I really do like WI and have some great memories here. Our housing and job situations are great now and we're very thankful for them. It's just time to start looking elsewhere and then make the move when it makes the most sense. We'll have make some sacrifices and adjustments to move to a new place, and we're realistic about that.

I'm looking forward to adding Wisconsin to my list of places I have previously lived.

[Ragnar]

And, I'm sure once we live somewhere else that we will be reminded of things we like about WI that we didn't even realize because we are presently so used to them.

[ccjarider]

I miss WI work ethic. Here on left coast it is hard to find good skilled employees.
Too much liberal Socialist mindset that business is bad and that life is better hiking in the mountains and smoking "medical" marijuana.

Hiking is fun out here and it is pretty country, but you can not eat the scenery

[green_mariner]

I recently spoke to my father about German restaurants. I think that is one thing in Wisconsin that my father can't seem to find in Atlanta. When he lived in Milwaukee, he said there were many German restaurants there. He also said that dining out in Milwaukee wasn't so expensive.

[ranger17]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

I recently spoke to my father about German restaurants. I think that is one thing in Wisconsin that my father can't seem to find in Atlanta. When he lived in Milwaukee, he said there were many German restaurants there. He also said that dining out in Milwaukee wasn't so expensive.

as we found out moving to SC, the south doesnt seem to have as strong of a German heritage as areas of WI (esp Milwaukee) does. Heck it took awhile for me to find decent liverwurst lol.
Thankfully a local deli opened up that serves some pretty good brats and such, a nice treat when we want to get nostalgic.

As for overall eating expense, I'm sure ATL can be the same as Chicago, Vegas, etc--a much larger metro area with more higher end restaurants then back in "brew town" which may add to the mystique on costs