Relocating to Appleton? (Oshkosh, Neenah, Little Chute: homes, neighborhoods, purchases)

[cvpea04]

My husband has a job interview coming up, and it looks promising that a relocation from a Detroit suburb to the Appleton area could be in our future. We currently have 3 children with one on the way, so we'll be looking to settle down in a family friendly neighborhood. We love biking and being outdoors, so any neighborhoods close to parks and/or trails would be great. Our children are kindergarten/preschool age, so any school information you could share would also be appreciated. Finally, if you have recently relocated to Appleton and had a positive experience with your realtor, we'd love a recommendation! Thanks!!

[junestueck]

For school info you can check: Greatschools.org (this site evaluates on test scores and ranks them)

For Appleton Info checkout fb page: Moms of the Appleton Area (all sorts of comments can be found)

For Park info: Appleton Parks & Recreation (surrounding cities include, Little Chute, Kimberly, Neenah, Freedom etc.)

I'm also a realtor in the Fox Valley area, go ahead and contact me. These helpful sites will help you to evaluate where you like to be. Give me a shout at junestueck@kw.com

[CtrlEsc]

The Fox Valley is a large area and not easily traversed in the winter months. It's the commute on 41/10 that really makes or breaks you in the winter. My wife's work takes her downtown Appleton and Oshkosh. Neenah is the halfway point, but she hates the days when she has to traverse 41 during rush hour in the winter.

I would recommend narrowing down your search by dividing the communities either west or east of 47. If the job will be on the west side of Appleton, you could look at the Neenah School District. If you are on the east side of 47 I would recommend Kimberly school district. I have heard good things about North and East Appleton schools too. I'm sure others could weigh in here on the merits of those.

Any where you look, you will be close to parks and the park districts here are great.

Each side has similar chain stores for shopping. The mall and airport are on the north-west side.

I looked at each area closely when I moved here. I could have moved anywhere in the U.S. and I picked Neenah. The kids seem happy here. The school isn't the best in the area, but it's large and well funded. There are tons of activities and clubs to participate in. My kids are band kids. Each high school seems to have a specialty and Neenah has a great band program. Two years in and I still feel like I made the right choice.

I have family that moved to the east side of Appleton and they are very happy there too. The entirety of the Fox Valley is a great place to live and has a lot of variety to offer.

[bloomingwhereplanted]

What don't you like about the High School?

[CtrlEsc]

Originally Posted by bloomingwhereplanted

What don't you like about the High School?

We love the school. Academically, it doesn't score as well as some other schools in the area.


When I was making that same consideration you are two years ago, Neenah was the "band" school. However, they have hundreds of clubs. There are 2000+ students at the high school. It's big enough that it feels more like a community college than a high school.


Of course it's not all rainbows and unicorns (kids having normal kid issues) but it's a safe and inviting environment for learning.

[Gregory 1]

Appleton is nice and coming from Detroit will be like going to heaven from hell I would think. For what it is worth, I lived in Appleton for 20 plus years but now live in Tucson Az. Not retired, I just could not tolerate 6 months of winter and gloom any longer. Have a realtor show you homes in the Erb Park, Peabody Park. and Pierce Park area...very nice neighborhoods. SUE FIETZER is a GREAT realtor with Coldwell Banker...we dealt with her on 3 home purchases and sales. Appleton has great shopping, decent schools, good infrastructure. And don't let anyone tell you that traffic is 'bad' in the valley, for it is not. I was a city bus driver there. Sure it is a hassle when it snows, but that would be anywhere. For the most part you can get from one end of the FOX VALLEY to the other in 30 minutes or less. You will count on one hand the number of times that you MIGHT sit through 2 red light cycles at Appleton intersections in a given year. The negatives of course are the winter weather and what I consider high property taxes. Good luck on your move to a place that will always be in my heart !