Possible move to Wisconsin from TX - need advice (Milwaukee: appointed, house)

[Familyof4inTX]

Hi. We are a younger family of 4 (two small children) and I have been offered a wonderful job opportunity in WI (in a smaller town about 30 miles East of Madison or 45 minutes West of Milwaukee). I have been in TX my whole life; however, my husband is from the Midwest.

I am so excited about the opportunity but also very nervous. I have to make my final decision by early next week.

My concerns are the winters there. Being from the South, I don't know what a real winter is. Do you have electrical blackouts often? Does your car not start in the Winters? What are the worst months of winter? I am assuming January thru March are probably the hardest.

We are currently in the Dallas area so are used to a bigger city but very open to living in a smaller town. The company is in a smaller town but it is quite small. Are there any good towns in the areas between Madison and Milwaukee that anyone recommends?

What are the school systems like as a whole in WI? What is your unemployment rate like? My hubby was laid off four months ago so also needs to find a new job and has had not luck in our area recently due to the downturn in our current economy situation.

What do you fellow WI natives think of life as a whole there? Or, how about those of you who have moved there from the South? What are your feelings? Are people accepting of Southerners?

Thanks for any input and advice from a niave Texan.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[notmuch69]

All you need for winter is to forget the body figure and wear extra clothes. Jan & Feb are the coldest.
Fuel injection vehicles these days are much better for starting in cold weather.
I never had an electrical blackout where I'm from except from thunderstorms in the summer.
I love living in the country in Wisconsin outside of a small town and can't wait to move back there permanently from Arizona!

[Milwaukee City]

Lake Mills, Oconomowoc, Delafield, Wales basically anywhere in Waukesha County is very nice.

I would stay away from Johnson creek and Jefferson they are dumpy towns and not nice.

[MassVt]

You might also keep in mind that you could possibly live in Milwaukee's western suburbs, or likewise, in Madison's eastern suburbs. Madison, in particular, has been mentioned as a national leader in liveability for many years now.

As far as temperatures are concerned, expect the lowest temps in January, and you will have some nights dropping below zero. Snowfall is decent, but not as much as, say, upstate NY with lake-effect snow.

As far as location is concerned, you'll be near, or in, both Madison and Milwaukee, and Chicago would only be 2-3 hrs away, so you'll be right in the heart of things.

Good luck; I think that you'll be very happy in America's Dairyland.

[Headin4AZ]

I live in the Town of Genesee, which is in between Waukesha and Delafield/Wales. This is a beautiful area - all year round. It is a hilly area with clean air, great views, really friendly people, a nature center, walking trail, etc.

One thing to think about if you move to Wis. especially out in Waukesha County and further west - is getting a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The roads are taken care of pretty well in the winter, but it still makes traveling easier and gives me more confidence to go out when its snowing and if you're not used to it, you'll appreciate it.

There are a lot of lakes in Waukesha Co. if you're into boating, swimming or fishing. Its a very safe place to live and there's plenty of nice stores and restaurants too.

Ironically, after 49 years, I am moving to Arizona, so if pick this area, I've got a great house for you!

[Hntr]

The first winter will be a shock to you, or the first cold days in January when the temps nosedive to twenty below or more. Buy winter clothes when you get up here, not in Texas. That was my mistake when I moved up here from Wichita Falls.

As far as your car, make sure it has a good battery, decent tires, anti-freeze to 30 or 40 below(50/50 mix), maybe get a tune up before you leave Texas and you shouldn't have any problems.

Four wheel drive vehicles are nice, but not necessary. I've had one four wheel drive vehicle, back in '87, (and about a dozen two wheel drives) I've never felt the need for another one. Well, except last year when I was using my camcorder and got too close to the ditch, slip right in and couldn't get out. Dang, still ticks me off, first time I ever got stuck in the snow. But I was bottomed out so a four wheel drive wouldn't have helped me.

I love Wisconsin. The boating, fishing and hunting opportunities are limitless. I love the beauty of the lakes, the rivers and the forests..... and I'm sure you will too.

[Wellstone]

Originally Posted by Familyof4inTX

Hi. We are a younger family of 4 (two small children) and I have been offered a wonderful job opportunity in WI (in a smaller town about 30 miles East of Madison or 45 minutes West of Milwaukee). I have been in TX my whole life; however, my husband is from the Midwest.

I am so excited about the opportunity but also very nervous. I have to make my final decision by early next week.

My concerns are the winters there. Being from the South, I don't know what a real winter is. Do you have electrical blackouts often? Does your car not start in the Winters? What are the worst months of winter? I am assuming January thru March are probably the hardest.

We are currently in the Dallas area so are used to a bigger city but very open to living in a smaller town. The company is in a smaller town but it is quite small. Are there any good towns in the areas between Madison and Milwaukee that anyone recommends?

What are the school systems like as a whole in WI? What is your unemployment rate like? My hubby was laid off four months ago so also needs to find a new job and has had not luck in our area recently due to the downturn in our current economy situation.

What do you fellow WI natives think of life as a whole there? Or, how about those of you who have moved there from the South? What are your feelings? Are people accepting of Southerners?

Thanks for any input and advice from a niave Texan.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sounds like you are preparing for the worst but the winters aren't terrible. January and February can have some brutally cold stretches with below zero temperatures and sometimes heavy snowfalls of a foot or more. the real heavy snowfall is maybe 3 or 4 times in a year, though recently they have been a little more frequent. more often it is a small snowfall of a couple inches which snarls up traffic but isn't that bad to deal with.

Personally I have always hated the cold more than the snow. If you get a place with a garage it's pretty tolerable.

Electrical blackouts almost never occur in winter, those are mostly the ice storms that occur much further south - wisconsin almost never gets anything like that.

As for schools, even the worst schools in wisconsin will be better than the best schools in texas. if you are in suburban madison or milwaukee they are going to be pretty good. about the only place they are really poor is in the city of milwaukee.

unemployment is better than most in the midwest, between 7 and 8 percent currently. normally it is well under 5. in the city of madison, normally it is at 2 or below.

for you i'd recommend a place like cottage grove. being closer to madison would be preferable to a milwaukee suburb. it's a better city and your commute would be shorter. i wouldn't recommend the cities that are half way between. it's much more convenient to be closer to the ammenities of a larger city and then you are driving opposite the traffic instead of into it.

[Hntr]

[quote=Wellstone;11791419]

As for schools, even the worst schools in wisconsin will be better than the best schools in texas. if you are in suburban madison or milwaukee they are going to be pretty good. about the only place they are really poor is in the city of milwaukee.

QUOTE]


My daughter moved to the D/FW area about four years ago. Hubby got a big promotion he couldn't turn down, but it entailed a transfer to Texas. She could not believe the difference in the schools. They have a gifted child so they were trying to get her into advance classes like she was in here in a Milwaukee suburb.. She has been very frustrated and disappointed.

[catfeathers]

Wisconsin is a very pretty state...lots of green from May to September; beautiful fall colors, and then winter sets in for a long spell. This year, the grass is still slightly green because it hasn't been that cold yet.
(last year there was snow on the ground Thanksgiving). As others have said, it starts getting cold and snowy around November/December, and you were right, it gets pretty darn cold in January/February, and doesn't really warm up until May sometime. It will most likely take a Southerner a little time to acclimate to the cold! My daughter moved to Texas, and the first winter she was back she said it felt colder than she remembered.

However, I would think kids would love it here since there is always a chance for a white christmas, and there are fun things to do outdoors all winter (and summer too, for that matter!). I know I always loved winter when I was a kid....not so much now, however!!

We live in Oconomowoc and it has been a great place to raise a family. We moved here for the school system originally. It is about 1 hour from Madison. Watertown is a nice little town, too, but I don't know anything about their schools.

Unemployment is like anywhere I would think...but depending on what your husband wants to do, companies are always looking for good, reliable employees.

And yes, there are friendly people here, so you shouldn't be too concerned! Most areas have Newcomer's clubs/Welcome Wagon to help introduce you to the area, too.
Best of luck with your decision....

[Chelito23]

I just moved to Dallas from Madison!!! I feel very happy with my move mainly because Texas so far has reminded me of Wisconsin. Very helpful and friendly people....

I think you could throw a dart on a map between Madison and Milwaukee and you wouldn't find a bad town to live in. It comes down to what you want and the place you all will work in. Madison has a low, maybe 5% unemployment rate now. Madison's east side, or Cottage Grove or Lake Mills are good if you want to be closer to Madison (this is where you will most likely do your shopping). If you want to be closer to Milwaukee, Delafield is better. It comes down to how close you want to be to bigger city amenities and if you prefer Madison over Milwaukee.

Other than that, the only real adjustment will be the weather, but is more dependent on your outlook on life, attitude and ability to cope with change. I think you all will do fine.