Thinking about Wisconsin: Potential migrants want opinions

[politicat]

The Love of my Life and I have decided that we really can't take too many more Colorado summers - hot, dry and fiery. So we have shortlisted several states as potential new homes while I get another master's in either Spanish or Slovak languages and he gets his DPhil in robotics. Wisconsin is on the short list.

So the questions we have are:
1. Would out-of-staters be welcome? (In Colorado, they're not really welcome.)
2. Would we be able to find work? (He, senior level programmer/architect; me medieval historian or psychologist.)
3. Are the state universities good for post-grad work?
4. Is housing available for less than the $350,000 average house price in this area?
5. What would you, as a resident of your state, warn us to be careful about?

Thanks!

[shraby]

1. I don't think you could find a friendlier state to

move to. We are in Manitowoc county and the day we moved here, the people across the street came over and helped us unload our truck.
Most housing is under $100,000 here. The rest I can't help you with as I don't know the answers.

[Jimbo S]

2. Typical house

is between $150K and $250K, depending on urban vs. rural. Sorry shraby, I don't know where you come up with $100K, but that will get you a one bedroom condo at best.

But shraby is right, we are not afraid of outsiders here. Even Chicagoans. :)

[Nikia]

6. Depends on where you live

We live in a small town a short drive from a metropolitain area. A lot of decent older homes are under or around $100,000. New homes are $150,000-$200,000. $350,000 would get you a really nice house.

[sybylla]

3. I second what everyone has said so far. To address your other questions

It's difficult to beat UW Madison for post grad work in technical fields like robotics. My husband went there for an electrical engineering degree with an emphasis on automation and robotics in the 80's. It was ranked in the top ten engineering colleges then (by whom I haven't a clue) and our alumni mailings assure us it hasn't fallen since.

I couldn't speak to languages but Madison is packed with grad students as well as people holding masters and doctorates. Which may speak to its esteem, as a grad school, but it also is the only factor that might make getting a job difficult.

Loads of people come to Madison to go to school and they love Madison so much they stay. So there is a glut of people with degrees. There might be a better job potential outside of Madison if you don't mind the commute. But Madison offers a good chance for a senior level programmer and a psychologist. There's even a chance you could find work as a medieval historian.

I know very little about UW Milwaukee. The other state colleges do have grad programs as well but you're not likely to find them in Slovakian languages. If you google the university of wisconsin, you should find more answers to those questions.

As far as warning you about moving to Wisconsin, we do have our share of knuckle-dragging rednecks, and I say this as a descendent of several. If you stay in the college towns, you'll find yourself in the company of greater numbers of liberals. I'm told, however, that this isn't necessarily true for the Fox Valley region (Fond du Lac to Green Bay). Perhaps some DUers from that area can clarify.

And our winters can be miserable for those not used to them. When I worked on campus in Madison, I felt so sorry for the pitiful students who came from tropical climes and would start wearing parkas in October. Coming from Colorado, you probably have a really good chance of actually enjoying them, though the skiing around here is not likely as good as what you're used to.

[politicat]

5. Thanks!

"A Miserable winter..." that would be one where it a) gets cold, and b) stays cold, and c) drops real precipitation on a regular basis and d) where said precip does not evaporate off if you breathe on it?

Sounds like bliss. The dry climate is not easy to take because we spend all winter worrying about the snowpack and if this nice sunny January day is going to ensure that we have to spend most of the summer cutting brush to prevent a forest fire.... and all summer worrying about drought restrictions. I don't mind being water-wise, and would do it anyway, but I do mind not being able to throw my dishwater on my petunias because someone further down stream has a claim to my dishwater. (Seriously.)

Rednecks are everywhere. Nothing to be done about them but hope they see the light eventually.

We don't ski, either of us - there are 12 legs in this house (2 cats, 2 humans) and eight of them have bad knees or hips. We do snowshoe, which can be done anywhere. I was born in Indiana, so cold winters are nothing new to me, but DH comes from slightly warmer climes and wants to get colder.

[shoelace414]

9. if you don't like restricted water use..

I get my water from an extremely large water supply. we NEVER have water restrictions. you may have heard of it, Lake Michigan. but you have to live east of the sub continental divide, otherwise you'll have the same problems.

(I live in Milwaukee)

[AllyCat]

4. Moved from Colo. Sprgs. in '89

I've always felt the people in Wisconsin are really friendly and welcoming by most standards.

Can't say much about the work, but I agree with sybylla: Madison is a neat town, but all the other highly-educated folks think so too. The stories of PhD holders driving cabs are not exaggerated. I just moved from Milwaukee where I lived for 2 years getting a second degree and I really enjoyed it there. It is more diverse than Madison (diversity here disappears when the students leave).

Housing here runs $175-250 for a reasonably sized home. If you want a 3500 sq. ft. McMansion, you'll pay over half a mil for it. There are many decent homes under $300 and even $250.

I'd also warn about the rednecks. You get outside of Milwaukee and Madison and it's 'billy land. For instance, we have a high-profile trial going on here where a hunter last year (Hmong) was in a tree-stand "owned" by some rednecks. After ordering him off their land, they started shouting obscenities at him and chasing him around on ATVs. He shot back, got carried away, and killed 6 of them. He killed 6 people, but it started by these people being rednecks.

Downhill skiing? Forget it. Bring your hockey skates for that. Pick up XC skiing. You'll be happier. If you really must downhill ski, head to Michigan.

[bugslsu9]

7. Milwaukee is a great area

Milwaukee is a great area. I live on the south side of the city, and you feel like you are in the country, yet downtown is only 20 min away. As for your specific questions,

1. ABsolutely. Wisconsinites are very friendly. We have the old fashioned Midwestern hospitality that you do not find many other places.
2-3. Milwaukee's unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state. There are many companies that would hire a programmer, from Harley, to Miller, and any number of the financial services companies located downtown. We also have 2 major universities in the city, Marquette and UW-Milwaukee.
4. The houses behind where I live are roughly $250,000-$300,000 for new construction. You can find a lot of housing for less than $350,000.
5. Make sure to move into the First congressional district so you can vote for me! J/K, well... Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in the country. So, if that bothers you, as it does me, it can either be cause for you to not move here, or move here to help fix the problem.

Those are my thoughts. If you have any questions, PM me, and I will answer anything else you may have.

[shoelace414]

8. Nevermind