midwest cities

[mimzy]

hi all!

my current obsession is researching places for stefan and i to look into moving to after i graduate next april. our #1 choice is madison, wi, but i want to come up with a few others as a back up, just in case i can''t find a job (that area is sort of super saturated with my profession).

i''ve take the findyourspot.com quiz like three separate times and the same places keep popping up - milwaukee, duluth, minneapolis/st. paul, grand rapids, ann arbor, madison, seattle, cincinnati, cleveland, etc. we''re looking for a decent sized city that is in the midwest that gets all four seasons and is within reasonable driving distance (i.e <9 hours) to detroit and has a reasonable cost of living.

so any suggestions? any opinions on places named? anything at all?

 

[neatfreak]

Yay Madison!

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/6/2008 11:13:14 PM
Author: neatfreak
Yay Madison!

oh neatfreak i know!! we want to be there so badly. i'm just trying to not get my hopes up too too much....i know i am going to have a heck of a time trying to find a job there doing what i want to be doing because both madison and milwaukee have grad programs in my field and the jobs are limited

. i'm not giving up hope though!!


have you spent any time in milwaukee?

 

[indypitty]

Have you considered Indianapolis? I know you get a lot for your money, house-wise.

 

[Regular Guy]

I grew up in Chicago, and am a fan of it.

Great city. Accommodates all kinds.

 

[mimzy]

indianapolis was on the list too! i haven''t really looked into it yet though. have you lived there? what''s it like?

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/6/2008 11:45:45 PM
Author: Regular Guy
I grew up in Chicago, and am a fan of it.


Great city. Accommodates all kinds.

chicago is a bit too big and too expensive for us, and my future DH is concerned about crime (big time). it''s a nice place to visit, but i don''t think we''d feel very at home there.

 

[littlelysser]

I think it is more mid-atlantic than midwest, but Pittsburgh is a pretty killer city.

Cheap housing, great restaurants, decent shopping. Lots of culture and museums. About a bazillion universities and colleges. And it is an hour plane ride to chicago, philly, nyc...so that ain''t too bad.

Everytime anyone visits they always leave with a really positive view of the city.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 7/6/2008 11:15:30 PM
Author: mimzy

Date: 7/6/2008 11:13:14 PM

Author: neatfreak

Yay Madison!

oh neatfreak i know!! we want to be there so badly. i''m just trying to not get my hopes up too too much....i know i am going to have a heck of a time trying to find a job there doing what i want to be doing because both madison and milwaukee have grad programs in my field and the jobs are limited

. i''m not giving up hope though!!



have you spent any time in milwaukee?

Not extended time, but enough to know it''s nothing like Madison. Not a place for me per se, but I have heard it is similar to Detroit in many ways so I guess it depends on whether you like Detroit or not!

They are redoing a large piece of downtown that is a pretty cool area now, but other than that it doesn''t really have any redeeming qualities as far as I can see ( I apologize in advance if anyone loves MKE! I just don''t).

 

[littlelysser]

Oh - and I have to say that Madison rocks. Such a wonderful city.

I''ve been there several times. Really vibrant and just awesome. Only down side is that it is SOOO cold. I was there in January one year and my coat actually froze when I went outside. That kind of stunk...but otherwise, it is a great place.

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/6/2008 11:58:07 PM
Author: littlelysser
I think it is more mid-atlantic than midwest, but Pittsburgh is a pretty killer city.


Cheap housing, great restaurants, decent shopping. Lots of culture and museums. About a bazillion universities and colleges. And it is an hour plane ride to chicago, philly, nyc...so that ain''t too bad.


Everytime anyone visits they always leave with a really positive view of the city.

i know a few people from pittsburgh and they all LOVE it. my sister''s FI is from there and that''s where their wedding will be held. I would really prefer to be by water, but we''ll scope it out when their wedding rolls around. thanks for the suggestion, i wouldn''t have thought about that!

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 12:02:57 AM
Author: neatfreak

Date: 7/6/2008 11:15:30 PM

Author: mimzy

Date: 7/6/2008 11:13:14 PM

>b>Author:[/b] neatfreak
Yay Madison!

oh neatfreak i know!! we want to be there so badly. i''m just trying to not get my hopes up too too much....i know i am going to have a heck of a time trying to find a job there doing what i want to be doing because both madison and milwaukee have grad programs in my field and the jobs are limited

. i''m not giving up hope though!!

have you spent any time in milwaukee?

Not extended time, but enough to know it''s nothing like Madison. Not a place for me per se, but I have heard it is similar to Detroit in many ways so I guess it depends on whether you like Detroit or not!


They are redoing a large piece of downtown that is a pretty cool area now, but other than that it doesn''t really have any redeeming qualities as far as I can see ( I apologize in advance if anyone loves MKE! I just don''t).

yeah, i''ve heard that comparison too. i do like detroit, but i''m not sure if i want to live there....again. i guess it''s like ann arbor to detroit. thanks!

 

[Independent Gal]

No offense to anyone who lives in Indianapolis, but it''s kind of, uh, horribly dull and urban sprawl-ish isn''t it?

Chicago is a wonderful, wonderful city, as is Minneapolis. Never been to Madison but everyone seems to love it there!

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Not exactly midwest --but Atlanta is great.
We would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn''t so darn hot in the summer.

or, how about a suburb of chicago -- that way you have the best of both.... suburban living but a cool city to visit.

 

[littlelysser]

Mimzy - Pittsburgh has three rivers that flow around and through it, so there is water there. Certainly more than Cincinnati and a few others you mentioned. Or are you looking for lakes?

Also, I''ve lived in Cincinnati for many years...certainly don''t mean to offend any Cincinnati folks out there, but I really don''t care for it. Most folks that are from Cincinnati have lived there their entire lives. Not a very transient population and my folks had a tough time making friends there...it is kind of a closed community, if that makes sense.

It also isn''t terribly ethnically diverse. The majority of the folks in Cinti are German...and that lack of diversity really shows in the restaurants and just blah-ness of the city.

Housing is relatively cheap there...but feh. I''m not a huge fan.

 

[perry]

mimzy:

So what profession are you looking to work in:

What do you consider to be "too big" and "too small"


There are lots of options - and While Madison is one of my favorite places; when I consider all that I want to do I might well chose to live a bit north of there. Wausau is on my list. So is the Eau Clair/Chippewa Falls/Menomonie area.

Some people love Green Bay as well.

There are some great cities in Minnesota as well.

Perry

 

[indypitty]

Date: 7/7/2008 8:11:06 AM
Author: Independent Gal
No offense to anyone who lives in Indianapolis, but it''s kind of, uh, horribly dull and urban sprawl-ish isn''t it?

Chicago is a wonderful, wonderful city, as is Minneapolis. Never been to Madison but everyone seems to love it there!

No offense taken...

I live just north of Indianapolis right now, and while it is obviously not the most exciting city in the midwest, I would not call it horribly dull by any means.

It totally depends on what you''re looking for. It was just number 1 on this Forbes list as the best place to raise a family.

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 8:11:06 AM
Author: Independent Gal
No offense to anyone who lives in Indianapolis, but it''s kind of, uh, horribly dull and urban sprawl-ish isn''t it?


Chicago is a wonderful, wonderful city, as is Minneapolis. Never been to Madison but everyone seems to love it there!

chicago is out for us, but we are considering minneapolis. have you spent a good amount of time there? what''s it like? i''ve done a bit of research, but it''s all pretty generic info....

i''ve never lived near any big city other than detroit and lansing, and haven''t really been to very many big cities in the states

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 9:36:36 AM
Author: lovewhitediamonds
Not exactly midwest --but Atlanta is great.

We would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn''t so darn hot in the summer.


or, how about a suburb of chicago -- that way you have the best of both.... suburban living but a cool city to visit.

i like atlanta too! but we need four seasons - anything south of ohio is OUT!

we''ve done the suburb thing our whole lives pretty much, so we''re trying to get away from it. we''re not talking NYC, but we want to be IN a city, if you know what i mean?

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 9:43:00 AM
Author: littlelysser
Mimzy - Pittsburgh has three rivers that flow around and through it, so there is water there. Certainly more than Cincinnati and a few others you mentioned. Or are you looking for lakes?


Also, I''ve lived in Cincinnati for many years...certainly don''t mean to offend any Cincinnati folks out there, but I really don''t care for it. Most folks that are from Cincinnati have lived there their entire lives. Not a very transient population and my folks had a tough time making friends there...it is kind of a closed community, if that makes sense.


It also isn''t terribly ethnically diverse. The majority of the folks in Cinti are German...and that lack of diversity really shows in the restaurants and just blah-ness of the city.


Housing is relatively cheap there...but feh. I''m not a huge fan.

i gguuueessss i could settle on rivers hhaha. i''m sort of all about lakes though (it''s going to be hard to leave michigan!). i haven''t spent any real time in cincinnati, i''ve only driven through it. we do want diversity, but we are being picky about a good amount of things, so i''m not sure if a bunch of germans is a dealbreaker

! (but lack of water is!)

 

[Miscka]

I have been to Indianapolis several times and really enjoyed it.

Good luck on your search! How exciting!

Also, thanks for that "find your spot" link, very cool site!

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 9:49:12 AM
Author: perry
mimzy:


So what profession are you looking to work in:


What do you consider to be ''too big'' and ''too small''



There are lots of options - and While Madison is one of my favorite places; when I consider all that I want to do I might well chose to live a bit north of there. Wausau is on my list. So is the Eau Clair/Chippewa Falls/Menomonie area.


Some people love Green Bay as well.

There are some great cities in Minnesota as well.
Perry

i''m going to be a speech language pathologist looking to work in acute care (although i could get a school job just about anywhere...)

chicago, NYC - too big.
i''m not really sure what i could call ''too small''. i guess anything that isn''t a suburb and isn''t in the middle of nowhere? it needs to be big enough to attract shows and bands and have other types of cultural happenings, etc if you know what i mean?

i''ve heard good things about green bay too!

we''re looking in minnesota, but i''ve heard the cost of living is relatively high (taxes, maybe?) i''ve never been there though... do you have any cities that you would recommend specifically?

 

[lauralu]

How about Rochester Minnesota? About an hour from Minneapolis

http://www.rochestercvb.org/media/photogallery.asp

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

Date: 7/7/2008 1:53:38 PM
Author: mimzy

Date: 7/7/2008 9:36:36 AM
Author: lovewhitediamonds
Not exactly midwest --but Atlanta is great.

We would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn''t so darn hot in the summer.


or, how about a suburb of chicago -- that way you have the best of both.... suburban living but a cool city to visit.

i like atlanta too! but we need four seasons - anything south of ohio is OUT!

we''ve done the suburb thing our whole lives pretty much, so we''re trying to get away from it. we''re not talking NYC, but we want to be IN a city, if you know what i mean?

atlanta has 4 seasons -- the fall there is more beautiful than michigan (even up north) IMHO... and in the winter they will get a dusting of snow, but the trees cover in ice and it looks like a winter wonderland.... and the spring there is breathtaking... ah peach blossoms.

What about South Bend Indiana? or Grand Rapids has really developed in the last couple years -- I was shocked the last time I went to their downtown! Good Luck!

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 3:30:46 PM
Author: lauralu
How about Rochester Minnesota? About an hour from Minneapolis


http://www.rochestercvb.org/media/photogallery.asp

rochester looks nice! i''ll have to do some more looking into it. thanks

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 4:36:11 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds

Date: 7/7/2008 1:53:38 PM

Author: mimzy

Date: 7/7/2008 9:36:36 AM

Author: lovewhitediamonds

Not exactly midwest --but Atlanta is great.


We would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn''t so darn hot in the summer.



or, how about a suburb of chicago -- that way you have the best of both.... suburban living but a cool city to visit.

i like atlanta too! but we need four seasons - anything south of ohio is OUT!


we''ve done the suburb thing our whole lives pretty much, so we''re trying to get away from it. we''re not talking NYC, but we want to be IN a city, if you know what i mean?

atlanta has 4 seasons -- the fall there is more beautiful than michigan (even up north) IMHO... and in the winter they will get a dusting of snow, but the trees cover in ice and it looks like a winter wonderland.... and the spring there is breathtaking... ah peach blossoms.


What about South Bend Indiana? or Grand Rapids has really developed in the last couple years -- I was shocked the last time I went to their downtown! Good Luck!

hmm, i hadn''t thought of south bend! we could do grand rapids, but we were sort of hoping to get out of the state.

i didn''t know that atlanta had that many weather changes....but i''m still not sure if it would satisfy my need for snowboarding facilities accessible 3-4 months a year....(i''m not sure if a ''dusting'' would cut it! we like SNOW!)

 

[Harriet]

I''m biased since I''m a Wolverine. Ann Arbor! Seriously, if kids are on the horizon, it would be a great pleace to raise them.

 

[lovewhitediamonds]

style="WIDTH: 100.88%; HEIGHT: 625px">Date: 7/7/2008 5:12:20 PM
Author: mimzy

Date: 7/7/2008 4:36:11 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds

Date: 7/7/2008 1:53:38 PM

Author: mimzy

Date: 7/7/2008 9:36:36 AM

Author: lovewhitediamonds

Not exactly midwest --but Atlanta is great.


We would move there in a heartbeat if it wasn''t so darn hot in the summer.



or, how about a suburb of chicago -- that way you have the best of both.... suburban living but a cool city to visit.

i like atlanta too! but we need four seasons - anything south of ohio is OUT!


we''ve done the suburb thing our whole lives pretty much, so we''re trying to get away from it. we''re not talking NYC, but we want to be IN a city, if you know what i mean?

atlanta has 4 seasons -- the fall there is more beautiful than michigan (even up north) IMHO... and in the winter they will get a dusting of snow, but the trees cover in ice and it looks like a winter wonderland.... and the spring there is breathtaking... ah peach blossoms.


What about South Bend Indiana? or Grand Rapids has really developed in the last couple years -- I was shocked the last time I went to their downtown! Good Luck!

hmm, i hadn''t thought of south bend! we could do grand rapids, but we were sort of hoping to get out of the state.

i didn''t know that atlanta had that many weather changes....but i''m still not sure if it would satisfy my need for snowboarding facilities accessible 3-4 months a year....(i''m not sure if a ''dusting'' would cut it! we like SNOW!)

I guess I can''t blame you -- but MI needs people to stay! and it is a great state to raise kids and very affordable to buy a home right now!

 

[mimzy]

Date: 7/7/2008 5:26:42 PM
Author: lovewhitediamonds

I guess I can''t blame you -- but MI needs people to stay! and it is a great state to raise kids and very affordable to buy a home right now!

oh we''ll most likely be back

we both love michigan and intend to settle down here - we just want to get our kicks in before we do settle down and have kids, etc. and it is SOOO tempting to just buy a house here right now (within the next year and a half or so) and set up camp for good, but then it''s sort of like if we don''t leave now we never will! but i love michigan too much to abandon her for good!

 

[kcoursolle]

I lived in Madison for a while and loved it. I''m also a huge fan of the twin cities and Chicago if you like larger cities. If you want to keep it a little smaller Duluth is beautiful and Madison...but the winters are pretty rough in Duluth.