Appleton area (Menasha, Grand Chute, Kimberly, Little Chute, Kaukauna) retirement move upcoming, suggestions appreciated (Madison: sale, rental) - Wisconsin (WI) - City-Data Forum

dlk33 · 02-16-2010, 10:13 AM

Presently living in Madison Wi., (last 20 years) we have decided to retire to the Appletion area because we believe our money will go much further, both on the cost of a home & overall living expenses. I wish property taxes were lower, but that's just something we have to live with. We've visited the Appleton area a handful of times in the last few years, but haven't covered the entire area. To us, Appleton seems like a smaller Madison. What we'd like to find... A decent house under $125,000, that isn't a total fixer upper, some space between neighbors, within 5-10 min. drive to a grocery store and not more then 15 min. drive to a Walmart, Shopko or Target. It would be great to be close to a walking/biking trail, either Grignon, Plamann ,Telulah or O'Hauser Park(we love playing disc golf).
If you live or have lived in the area, what do you like/dislike about living there? Would you choose a different neighborhood then where you live/lived, and if so why? What would you change about the area if you could? What do you think we should factor in when making our decision about where to live in/around Appleton?

dlk33 · 02-17-2010, 01:30 PM

Doesn't anyone have an opinion about the Appleton area, good or bad??

ccjarider · 02-17-2010, 05:33 PM

We are 10-12 years from retirement but Fox Valley is on the radar screen. It is a nice area that is close to lot's of outdoor fun.

The entire area offers more than enough amenities to have a very nice life. People seem friendly enough.

The decision will depend a lot on the tax structure of WI at the time we are ready. There is no doubt, Wi is a high tax state.

susancruzs · 02-17-2010, 06:58 PM

Aren't there several posts (maybe a few pages back) about Appleton?

As I've said before my pension is taxed in Wisconsin, but not at an outrageous rate and they did change a year or so ago to not tax social security.

I don't know how things are in the Appleton area but I find utilities (natural gas and electric) to be reasonable where I am. My former neighbor in Ill. and I always compare rates and she pays higher than I do.

BacktoNE · 02-17-2010, 08:00 PM

Property taxes in Appleton just went up again, however, I found our gas and electric to be VERY reasonable. Water/sewer is VERY expensive.

If I was looking at the area as a retirement destination, I would probably want a smaller town to live in, with easy access to Appleton for amenities. I would look at Kimberly or Greenville.

We are currently in a short term rental in Greenville and we like it out here MUCH better than we liked living in Appleton. It's quieter, which is a big thing with us. Yet we are just a couple of minutes from the shopping in Appleton. I don't know what property taxes are like in GRNVL, but water/sewer is MUCH more affordable than in Appleton.

dlk33 · 02-17-2010, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BacktoNE

Property taxes in Appleton just went up again, however, I found our gas and electric to be VERY reasonable. Water/sewer is VERY expensive.

If I was looking at the area as a retirement destination, I would probably want a smaller town to live in, with easy access to Appleton for amenities. I would look at Kimberly or Greenville.

We are currently in a short term rental in Greenville and we like it out here MUCH better than we liked living in Appleton. It's quieter, which is a big thing with us. Yet we are just a couple of minutes from the shopping in Appleton. I don't know what property taxes are like in GRNVL, but water/sewer is MUCH more affordable than in Appleton.

We have considered Kimberly, but not really Greenville as much. We'd like to be no more then 10 min. away from a disc golf course, since that's something we'd do daily for the most part. Also, it would be great to have a grocery store within a couple of miles so we could walk or bike there if we wanted or had to. I can see why you might like quieter, but being that Appleton is smaller then Madison I think we could probably deal with living there ok. The not so nice part is having to live so close to a neighbor in the city. I would think that maybe the services aren't as good in GV as in Appleton. Is there a grocery store in GV?

dlk33 · 02-17-2010, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susancruzs

Aren't there several posts (maybe a few pages back) about Appleton?

As I've said before my pension is taxed in Wisconsin, but not at an outrageous rate and they did change a year or so ago to not tax social security.

I don't know how things are in the Appleton area but I find utilities (natural gas and electric) to be reasonable where I am. My former neighbor in Ill. and I always compare rates and she pays higher than I do.

I've checked out all the posts regarding living in Appleton, but not all my concerns/questions were answered in those posts. I'm looking for anything else anyone might have to add.
As far as the pension & social security, that would be the same as in Madison where we live now.
I've found a website where I can compare utilities for most all cities, so I do have that info.
Thanks for your input.

dlk33 · 02-17-2010, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccjarider

We are 10-12 years from retirement but Fox Valley is on the radar screen. It is a nice area that is close to lot's of outdoor fun.

The entire area offers more than enough amenities to have a very nice life. People seem friendly enough.

The decision will depend a lot on the tax structure of WI at the time we are ready. There is no doubt, Wi is a high tax state.

Retirement for us will be this summer. We just aren't sure which city would be best for us, Appleton or one of the surrounding cities or towns. That's why it would be nice for someone to express why they chose one city over another in the area.
The Appleton area is just more affordable for us overall then Madison is. We will be able to get more house for the money, and like you mentioned it's close to lots of outdoor fun.

mouserboy · 02-18-2010, 05:18 AM

You have a choice and your want to move further North? As we age the narrowing cadiovascular system has a easier time in warm weather.

dlk33 · 02-18-2010, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mouserboy

You have a choice and your want to move further North? As we age the narrowing cadiovascular system has a easier time in warm weather.

To be totally honest with you, we had plans to move to South Carolina for the warmer weather & lower cost of living but being able to acquire basically free health insurance from the state (which other states don't offer, and we couldn't afford on our own) has made us decide to continue living in this state. We researched the state of Wi. and decided that the area of Appleton seemed to offer the things we are looking for, as well as a lower cost of living, especially much lower median home cost, which means we'd be able to make a profit on the sale of our present home & have more money to put down on a less expensive home that in Appleton would be equal to what we have here. Our two grown children do still live in Wisconsin, so we wouldn't be leaving them behind. Weather wise, there's only a couple degrees difference between Appleton & Madison in the winter. There isn't much difference in snow depth between the two. Having been to Appleton a handful of times, I view it as a smaller Madison, with a more conservative political view which I'd appreciate more. It comes down to trade offs, quality of life is important & one trip to the hopital without health insurance would put us in debt forever, so no matter where we lived, we'd be unhappy & poor. I'll take the trade off of dealing with the long cold winters & trying to make the most of them by being active outdoors, knowing should I get sick, I'm covered

We can always take a vacation somewhere warmer in the winter, if we feel the need to, which we most likely will.