Wisconsin vs. Colorado (Madison, Rhinelander, Oregon: home, college, living)

[dude1984]

Originally Posted by 160500

I just picked moving to Wisconsin over a move to Colorado. Am I nuts? Because my family thinks I am.

What are some reasons that a sane, balanced, unmedicated person would choose to live in Wisconsin over Colorado?

Not if WI is where you really want to be. You shouldn't care about what other people think. There are trade offs.

P.S. Anywhere within 100 miles of Denver sucks. Outside of this range, it is awesome.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by WesternPacific2015

Wonderful, colorful and beautiful COLORADO! And not to mention it's closer to Nevada, California, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Wyoming, Oregon, and Washington state which is also very active and fun states, and for outdoor activities. There's nothing like western and southern part of the country. Oh and btw it's more suited for younger people.

WI/MN/MI are very active outdoorsy states, as well.

[Nicci6Squirrels]

I think you made a good decision! Colorado is lovely and I'm sure you would be happy there, as well. But, Wisconsin is the state you chose, so there must be a good reason. It's a very nice place to live.
Good luck to you with your move!

[Stone1]

We have lived in WI most of our lives and have a son who lives in Denver. We also have friends who lived in Colorado Springs for about 30 years and another family member who had lived in Grand Junction for about 6 years.

We have found much to our surprise that the CO winters, in the areas I mentioned, are much more mild than WI. We found that the income and property taxes are lower in CO but the other costs of living, especially housing, seemed higher.

[G Grasshopper]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

Colorado's definitely very multi-cultural. There are ethnic pockets here and there but it's nothing like the concentration of Norwegians and other laplanders from the area of Wisconsin I grew up in.

Where are the areas of Norwegian concentration in Wisconsin?

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

Where are the areas of Norwegian concentration in Wisconsin?

Jackson County. Roughly 30% Norwegian ancestry.

[ByebyeWisconsin]

Actually much of the western and northern part of the state has large pockets of Norweigian population.

Wisconsin is an incredibly beautiful state. The terrain changes dramatically when you simply drive an hour or two east or west. From the magnificent Lake Michigan to the incredible bluffs in LaCrosse. Lakes, lakes and more lakes. Large cities with great entertainment, restaurants, etc. and then there is the wilderness of the northern part of the state. Ahhhhhh...there is so much to love here. We are very fortunate indeed.

Are the winters long? Yep. Can they be brutal? Yep. For instance, this winter came early, with temps usually quite a bit below normal beginning in November and now in mid February, they remain brutally cold. Snowfall can vary rather dramatically. Last year we had quite a lot of snow, this year I'm actually worried about what the water levels will be in the small lake that we live on, as we've only had a few inches of snow at any one time. Not one good snowstorm this year, but plenty of below 0 days temp wise.

Summers can be blistering. Hot and humid. Not a problem for me as I live on a lake. When it gets hot - I get in the water. Still, the seasons can be and usually are remarkably diverse and quite beautiful. There is nothing quite like seeing those first colorful blooms open up in the spring...unless of course you compare it to the brilliant color of the maples, oaks and birch showing off in autumn.

Yes, each and every state has something to recommend it. I guess the trick is finding what makes you smile while enjoying your cup of coffee in the morning.

[cheese plate]

Agreed with much of the above, but it's actually been a mild winter overall, at least where I live. Much warmer than average December, dead-on average January, and far less snow than average for the season. Last year was the brutal, record-breaking one. May it never happen again!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by cheese plate

Agreed with much of the above, but it's actually been a mild winter overall, at least where I live. Much warmer than average December, dead-on average January, and far less snow than average for the season. Last year was the brutal, record-breaking one. May it never happen again!

It was the coldest Winter since records have been kept for northern Wisconsin (Rhinelander) with an average temperature of 4F for the season. Also, last March Manitowish Waters hit -30F or -35F in March. Yes, this Winter has been milder, the lowest temperature in Madison has only been -12F.

[Mandalorian]

WI is cold, but there's no ski mountains. CO is cold, but at least one can ski.

People in WI are much friendlier in general. Rural/Small Town Coloradans are nice, but the city folk are jerks.