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I am from Chicago and find the prices much cheaper in WI. Houses. taxes and groceries are all less then Chicago.

Yep, our experiences here in Waupun have been very good. It's been easy to meet people and they've been friendly and welcoming. The pace of life is much slower here, which has taken a little getting used to but it's a wonderful change from Tacoma.

I'm sure that there are areas of the state that have a much higher cost of living than where we're at and there are parts of the country that have a much lower cost of living than Waupun. What we end up comparing it to is where we lived before and the general cost of living is much lower here - particularly housing.

While the property tax rate is very high the values that the tax is applied to are so much lower that we figure it to be a good deal. We pay about the same property taxes as we'd be paying on our old place in Tacoma - the difference is that the place we're in now is approaching twice as large and much, much nicer than the one we left.

This is not to say that Wisconsin is for everyone. Taxes here relative to income are much higher than they are in most states, so if you're vehemently anti-tax then this is not the place to be. This winter has been pretty severe where we're at - at least from the snowfall standpoint - so people with an allergy to the cold or snow might not be well served moving here. Summer's will be muggier than much of the more arid west. Driving drunk seems to be considered a sport around here

I'm surprised that someone goes from Wisc. to Illinois to shop that is a new one on me.

Living in NE Illinois everyone I worked with (myself included) shopped in Wisconsin instead of Illinois seeing as we were less than 10 miles from the state line.

I was worried with everyone telling me don't go to Wisconsin you can't afford it, I just don't see where it is so expensive compared to Illinois. I am paying less to live here than I was in Illinois and that's including the fact Wisc. deducts from my pension. The utilities are quite a bit less that is for sure.

Electricity skyrocketed in Illinois once they took off the freeze on rates and I had an all electric place, not fun in terms of bills. I'd much rather be here Two Rivers is a great town.

My uncles wife has relatives in Appleton, Wisconsin and at one point, they thought about moving there from here (northeast Tennessee), but the winters were just to harsh for them. Waaaah.

I would love to visit there someday, but I do not think I could take the cold... its even too cold around here for me at times and we do not often drop below 20 or 25° for winter lows and we are in the northeastern part of the state in higher elevations. Snow, well we "normally" are supposed to get 12 inches per year on average, but over the past 10 years, we have been lucky to have seen 25 inches total in all of those years. We have only seen one dusting this year, but we have been as cold as 13° twice for lows and that about killed us, so no, I could not take the winters and someone from Georgia may want to be sure they are ready for the change. You can always bundle up though! We have friends that live in southern Minnesota and even they have not gotten used to the bitter cold winters... they actually move to southern Arizona in the winter!

Good luck with your move and have a safe trip back from Iraq!

I love the cold and the snow, but I grew up in WI. I'm actually planning on moving back there in a couple of months. For me, it's the heat and mosquito's I'm worried about. So I plan on living in a town (Sheboygan, Port Washington, etc) that is on Lake Michigan. I've heard the mosquito's are much less because of breeze that there usually is, and cooler for the same reason. Of course it's probably colder in the winter.

Hi!
I live in central Wisconsin. It does get clannish.

One way to fit in is to get excited about the history of the area. It's a great way to start conversations. This area is mostly mill folk, which is a blue collar mindset. Despite the closings, people feel a strong identity with the paper mills. Often 2 to 3 generations of men in families worked there. The main topic of high school boys used to be "getting into the mill after graduation", because it used to be an excellent, stable income. So few broke into the mill clans ranks without a family member already working there. It was a gilded cage for too many young men who now have to begin new careers.

Here's a fact you can use to start conversations: the historic Wisconsin river drawdown in Stevens Point. It was very fascinating to see the old logging mills buried under the water. I didn't spend long on the riverbed because of mercury and PCBs contamination fears from the mud. The river used to be extremely polluted to the point where my dad forbade us to swim in certain places. Now, it's much, much cleaner. However, I wish they had scraped up the riverbed & buried it as hazardous waste when they had a chance.

ANYhoo....

Usually, if you live above (live like you're a better person than others) or talk "high-minded" (again, same principle as above) to the people here, the townies will shut you out. Get involved with bowling, dart and softball leagues in some form and you'll make friends quickly. You just have to come across as humble.

I have a feeling with your roots, you'll do fine. You'll be a novelty if you have an accent. Play up your southern roots in the winter and people will talk your ear off with winter coping advice!! :LOL: (My favorite: putting clean, used bread bags in children's boots to keep their feet dry in winter snow, fastened with a rubber band around the ankle. Oh, my feet would get so sweaty!)

Truths:

1. WI is overpriced. Property taxes especially are horrible. It's not as expensive as NYC, obviously, but it's still not nearly as affordable as one would imagine.

2. The winters are brutal and long. 5 to 6 months of the year can feel nearly arctic. Make sure you can cope with them and not fall into seasonal depression.

3. Northern WI would probably fit the criteria best, but be aware that it can be VERY hard to break into social circles. Most people up north have known each other forever. It can get very clique-ish. I disagree with the poster that said a southern accent would help you meet people - if anything, the opposite is true. Right away it would mark you as an "outsider".

WI isn't nearly the perfect, wholesome place that people make it out to be (it does have a lot of those qualities, but we have our share of major problems too).

Ok First off TAXES (Real Estate) are INSANE in Wisconsin. Really!!!

The Milwaukee area is super for towns where one may want to start a family. I woudl suggest the Western Suburbs in Waukesha County where it's a 30 minute drive in to the city yet relatively safe and beautiful. Lake Country is surely special. For Schools it's GREAT.

Mayberry?? I would say that a little place in between Madison and Milwaukee called Lake Mills. The town is located just off 94 and it does look like going back in time. It's beautiful there, but that's just me. Plenty of places in Waukesha County or to the North of Milwaukee along say Lake Michigan giving you some fine countryside. Another option, and I'm not REAL familar, would be Racine/Kenosha area. They have become Chicago Suburban zones. They offer Train Service to Chicago if you want to work there, or it's a quick drive into Chi town. So very much to do in Chicago and some just don't want to live there. Milwaukee allows one to live in a nice smaller City while remaining near a Large metropolis.

One other item Wisconsin has, The Dells! Love them for family get a ways. Oh and there are still operating Drive-in Theatres in the area. For Milwaukee you either have to go south to Kenosha or West to Jefferson County. The one in Jefferson is a Family style theater with first run movies. Out there with the cows!

Yep, living here is what you make of it. If you choose to make it a lousy place you want to escape, then it surely becomes that.

There are days I get tired of it and the disadvantages I have here, like few eligible single guys! People sometimes look down on me because I have an education. They also have a hard time simply chatting with someone who doesn't have kids...nothing in common in their book and thus, no time for me. So, as a result, I go through a very similar thing that you mentioned only happens to outsiders. They don't have time for me and I'm supposed to be one of them!!

However, I have chosen to enjoy and to bloom where I've been planted for now. I have elderly parents I need to care for so I have to stay here until they pass away. I choose to not be a victim to my circumstances and also choose to do what I can to cope with life as it is, and then do what I can to change my life to match my vision of what would make me happy. That's when I usually find peace about my choices in life.

I'm sorry but this woman is full of it. Wisconsin a wanna be state, What is this 2nd grade? My stepdad makes around 48k a year doing masonry, my mom makes around 35K... That isn't a whole lot, but we can still have fun and enjoy this beautiful state... I do realize we have insane property taxes, only the good Lord knows why.... One thing Wisconsin may have that other states that are such a bargain to live in is great schools... Awesome parks system, we have four real seasons! Wisconsin is a relatively crime free state... Madison has won tons of awards for miscellaneous things... Plus our state capital is the only one in the U.S. on an isthmus..


I don't know about you but Wisconsin has many different landscapes with many friendly laid back people...