Some honest opinions about relocating to the midwest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No never.Used to live in Milwaukee.

This is a city we talked about, any specific reasons why?

Ghost town .Very strange.Big buildings but noone walks on the streets.Now the best place to live for schools would be north shore area(Shorewood,fox point etc),while houses are beautiful and inexpensive a lot of them for sale.We still can't sell our house there.Weather is terrible year round.You get one month of warmth(July).People are big drinkers.You will be surprised to see so many functional alchoholics.

Define "warmth." Minnesota native here and I'll grant you that the summers there are nothing like the summers here, but c'mon, more months than July are warm.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking at Iowa, you might want to consider Ames, or another college town. College towns tend to be a bit more diverse, more open-minded, and have a little more going on. The smaller towns (I grew up in a tiny town in WI) tend to be insular, but can be really friendly as well. It's certainly a slower pace of life, which I sometimes fantasize about, but I just don't think I could go back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm from WI, so am probably biased, but think living in Mpls, Madison, or Chicago would be fantastic (I dream of moving back to Mpls). The pp is absolutely right- the winters are long and cold- colder than you can imagine on some days. But, the cities often have a lot of outdoor activities that you can do outside to combat the SAD if you dress correctly. Summers are glorious, albeit short.

The schools in Mpls are pretty good, the cost of living is fantastic, and the people are genuinely nice. Chicago seems maybe a little more exciting and somewhat warmer. I love the smaller feel of Madison, but only lived there when in college, so not sure what the vibe is like as a non-student. Also, the governor sucks.I should say, I'm speaking only of the cities themselves; these cities have huge suburbs and those don't appeal to me at all.

Former Wisconsinite here. That right there. The politics was a HUGE driving force behind our decision to leave

I'm from Wisconsin too. It's true, the Governor really sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No never.Used to live in Milwaukee.

This is a city we talked about, any specific reasons why?

Ghost town .Very strange.Big buildings but noone walks on the streets.Now the best place to live for schools would be north shore area(Shorewood,fox point etc),while houses are beautiful and inexpensive a lot of them for sale.We still can't sell our house there.Weather is terrible year round.You get one month of warmth(July).People are big drinkers.You will be surprised to see so many functional alchoholics.

Define "warmth." Minnesota native here and I'll grant you that the summers there are nothing like the summers here, but c'mon, more months than July are warm.

Well our wedding was in May and I had to wear fur coat!It was pouring and in low 40s.

[Anonymous]

We moved to Minnesota, to a Minneapolis 'burb. Love it. Winters long and cold, but one or two trips to REI and you'll be all set. Life is better here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you be a bit more specific about what opinions you would like regarding the midwest? Cost of living will be lower. Living in most urban areas you will be able to get more of a house for the same if not less. What is important to you and your family?

We live in Georgetown right now, for contrast.

I'd like some opinions on culture shock, access to live events, is the pace really slower, will are children have a vastly different experience?

Important to us would be, family time - we like going to live events, sports, music, plays. An active community is a plus, a catholic church with a parochial school would be perfect for us. Less keeping up with the Joneses (We are guilty of being the Joneses and trying to keep up so no judgement here), less pressure on academics (don't take that as we don't care, but our oldest two who are school age are enrolled in one of the "big three" - and parents already discuss ivies). I think my husband feels he is missing out on his childrens lives and wants more free time. I'd love a bigger yard, for a garden in the summer, maybe some backyard chickens! (like I said, we are in the fantasy stage - so thats why I asked for some grounding)

[Anonymous]

our* children, how embarrassing

[Anonymous]

i am from the suburbs of chicago. we moved from DC back to chicago and and lived in the city for 10 years. we are now back in DC. we never made a community for ourselves there, people are generally set in their social/network circles and aren't as open to bringing new people into the fold as people are in DC. chicago is a great city and has a lot to offer, and people are very nice...but my conversations seemed to be about jobs, which are more marketing/management consulting, two things i know nothing about, Big 10 sports, which i know nothing about, and kids, of which i have 2 but i didn't want to most of time away from them talking about them. i don't know, i found it really difficult to click with people. i love DC, i love how smart and interesting my friends here are, and all of the professional and cultural opportunities here, which are SO different than chicago.

[Anonymous]

We moved from DC to Cincinnati a couple years ago. We're mostly happy with the decision. We both got pay raises, the parks here are wonderful, and the people are very friendly. We miss access to the ocean, but hopefully a few vacations to the beach can help. The weather is extremely similar to DC, so no change there. Our kids are still really little, and daycare is fairly affordable. We pay $500/week for two kids. All considered, I'm happy we made the move.

[Anonymous]

Cold, fat and white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you be a bit more specific about what opinions you would like regarding the midwest? Cost of living will be lower. Living in most urban areas you will be able to get more of a house for the same if not less. What is important to you and your family?

We live in Georgetown right now, for contrast.

I'd like some opinions on culture shock, access to live events, is the pace really slower, will are children have a vastly different experience?

Important to us would be, family time - we like going to live events, sports, music, plays. An active community is a plus, a catholic church with a parochial school would be perfect for us. Less keeping up with the Joneses (We are guilty of being the Joneses and trying to keep up so no judgement here), less pressure on academics (don't take that as we don't care, but our oldest two who are school age are enrolled in one of the "big three" - and parents already discuss ivies). I think my husband feels he is missing out on his childrens lives and wants more free time. I'd love a bigger yard, for a garden in the summer, maybe some backyard chickens! (like I said, we are in the fantasy stage - so thats why I asked for some grounding)

Research Minneapolis/St. Paul. It's all you want and more. Big law certainly exists here, as do many in-house jobs at solid companies. Schools are great and good Catholic schools are available (as are other privates). Major league teams for football, baseball, basketball, and soon soccer. Sports opportunities year round (choose outdoor or indoor). Good museums, music scene. The summers are blissful, spring time is nice, fall is beautiful, winter is...long. But it's all worth it. Good sense of community, lots of smart people, just a very good place to raise kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No never.Used to live in Milwaukee.

This is a city we talked about, any specific reasons why?

Ghost town .Very strange.Big buildings but noone walks on the streets.Now the best place to live for schools would be north shore area(Shorewood,fox point etc),while houses are beautiful and inexpensive a lot of them for sale.We still can't sell our house there.Weather is terrible year round.You get one month of warmth(July).People are big drinkers.You will be surprised to see so many functional alchoholics.

Sorry it didn't work for you. I think it is an amazing city--a world class art museum, excellent food, generally friendly people, and an interesting vibe on the east side and third ward. Homes are beautiful and some of the best bargains in the country. No way those houses stay so inexpensive. The secret is going to be out someday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you be a bit more specific about what opinions you would like regarding the midwest? Cost of living will be lower. Living in most urban areas you will be able to get more of a house for the same if not less. What is important to you and your family?

We live in Georgetown right now, for contrast.

I'd like some opinions on culture shock, access to live events, is the pace really slower, will are children have a vastly different experience?

Important to us would be, family time - we like going to live events, sports, music, plays. An active community is a plus, a catholic church with a parochial school would be perfect for us. Less keeping up with the Joneses (We are guilty of being the Joneses and trying to keep up so no judgement here), less pressure on academics (don't take that as we don't care, but our oldest two who are school age are enrolled in one of the "big three" - and parents already discuss ivies). I think my husband feels he is missing out on his childrens lives and wants more free time. I'd love a bigger yard, for a garden in the summer, maybe some backyard chickens! (like I said, we are in the fantasy stage - so thats why I asked for some grounding)

Research Minneapolis/St. Paul. It's all you want and more. Big law certainly exists here, as do many in-house jobs at solid companies. Schools are great and good Catholic schools are available (as are other privates). Major league teams for football, baseball, basketball, and soon soccer. Sports opportunities year round (choose outdoor or indoor). Good museums, music scene. The summers are blissful, spring time is nice, fall is beautiful, winter is...long. But it's all worth it. Good sense of community, lots of smart people, just a very good place to raise kids.

Summers are awful and the people are white bread and boring. No one who moves from there ever goes back. In fact, they turn red when you ask them about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cold, fat and white.

You sound cold, thin, and white, not to mention narrow-minded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you be a bit more specific about what opinions you would like regarding the midwest? Cost of living will be lower. Living in most urban areas you will be able to get more of a house for the same if not less. What is important to you and your family?

We live in Georgetown right now, for contrast.

I'd like some opinions on culture shock, access to live events, is the pace really slower, will are children have a vastly different experience?

Important to us would be, family time - we like going to live events, sports, music, plays. An active community is a plus, a catholic church with a parochial school would be perfect for us. Less keeping up with the Joneses (We are guilty of being the Joneses and trying to keep up so no judgement here), less pressure on academics (don't take that as we don't care, but our oldest two who are school age are enrolled in one of the "big three" - and parents already discuss ivies). I think my husband feels he is missing out on his childrens lives and wants more free time. I'd love a bigger yard, for a garden in the summer, maybe some backyard chickens! (like I said, we are in the fantasy stage - so thats why I asked for some grounding)

Research Minneapolis/St. Paul. It's all you want and more. Big law certainly exists here, as do many in-house jobs at solid companies. Schools are great and good Catholic schools are available (as are other privates). Major league teams for football, baseball, basketball, and soon soccer. Sports opportunities year round (choose outdoor or indoor). Good museums, music scene. The summers are blissful, spring time is nice, fall is beautiful, winter is...long. But it's all worth it. Good sense of community, lots of smart people, just a very good place to raise kids.

Summers are awful and the people are white bread and boring. No one who moves from there ever goes back. In fact, they turn red when you ask them about it.

Im the OP and my husband is from Waukee Iowa and beams with pride when he talks about it. So not everyone.

I would like my children to be exposed to diversity though, is this a real problem in the midwest?