Anyone Ever Live In Milwaukee?

Milwaukee is a very comfortable city. Close to Chicago, on a lake, very easy to get around, relatively affordable, interesting architecture and fairly lively cultural scene. Big sports town if that’s your thing. People are down to earth and quite friendly. Try to live in downtown area, near south side, or east side however; other areas are rather dull. Landing the Democratic convention was very exciting for native Milwaukeans...(hope we can handle it!)

Beer and Cheese. What more do you need?

Yes, but we moved to LA

Make all our dreams come true, for me and you!

Honey, no one actually lives in Milwaukee. They exist.

It's a toddling town!

Lived there for 18 years. Raised and went to college in Madison WI. What a difference 70 miles to the east makes! Left in 1995. When I lived there, I thought it the most raciest, segregated city I had ever experienced. It's a very subtle, insidious racism. The Summerfest grounds at the lakefront host ethic fests: Irish Fest, German Fest etc. Went to German Fest with a friend from New Orleans, who asked me where the black people were (the attendance was lily white). In the mid 90s, gay pride in June began to be recognized (Pride Fest). I would attend, but many of my gay friends would not. Almost all the gay men would go to Chicago for Pride Weekend. When I saw friends from Milwaukee in Chicago at Pride, they would all scream and hug, talking about how proud they were to be gay. If I asked where they were at Milwaukee's Pride the prior weekend, the response was "Oh I'd never be seen at that at home". So you have to travel 90 miles to have gay pride? I call that gay shame. I've been back recently and the city has changed for the better (taking advantage of the riverfront, better mass transit). Hopefully peoples attitudes have changed for the better also. I stayed 18 years because I had a good job, but was happy when a job opportunity got me to NYC.

Just as a kid, the winters were horrible, great place if you like snow drifts because the winds off Lake Michigan can turn a minor snow into several foot drifts.

It is horrible. Jeffrey Dahmer lived there and couldn't even find anyone to murder. He had to go all the way to Chicago for victims (about a 90 minute ride.)

And it's colder and snowier than Chicago by a whole magnitude.

"I thought it the most raciest"

Well drop my bloomers!

If you're making good money it's a nice place to live, because the costs are low (housing, rent etc.) If you're just getting by find someplace warmer. People are ok, they love sports and beer, are mostly hard working and take care of their own. If you're from the south the bluntness and honesty might be off-putting, but you'll always know where you stand with a mid-westerner. Milwaukee wouldn't be my first choice but it's far from my last

It's segregated, has high crime rates, is visually unappealing (think overly industrial, rust belt town), and lacks culture. The climate is extreme in both the winter and summer, with just a week or two of tolerable weather in the spring and fall. If you can look past this, the cost of living is low.

R7, I’m from Madison too. Went to LaFollette. How about you?

My experience of Milwaukee was good. Like many post industrial cities it’s got interesting repurposed architecture. Good theater rep company. Love the zoo. When you need to get away it’s close to Chicago, Madison and Lake Geneva. Decent airport. Pretty easy to get direct flights. Cost of living is pretty good for a city of its size.

Good luck!

R13 LaFollette also

I'm from Chicago. Milwaukee is okay. It's not somewhere I'd actively choose to live, but it seems like it'd be a perfectly decent place if you have a job you like and a community around. The airport is small and expensive, so you'll end up driving to O'Hare for most flights.

It’s not bad, its a nice lake city with interesting old architecture. I walked a mile back to my hotel at 1 am, would never try that in Chicago.

I lived there briefly. It smelled. If the wind was coming one direction it smelled of beer. If it was coming another direction it smelled of cheese.

But back then (1993ish) the northeast side of town was cool and funky. Good theater, good coffee shop, etc.

R14 which year? I’m class of 81.

I live in Milwaukee and love it quite frankly.

^^ Tell the folks why

^^ not in the mood to write (day off, feeling lazy) but the list below is a start...

There is no area in Wisconsin that I would consider a wasteland. When I was doing my dog and pony show for the medical community I lived in Chicago and traveled to Milwaukee many many times. The young male population was exceedingly good looking. For me, Wisconsin as a whole ranks up there with Minnesota which I consider tops in the mid-west. There are a lot of hard-working German and Scandihoovians there, some pretty Polish people too.

Kohl’s headquarter’s are there so I have several friends who took AMAZING jobs in fashion, with Kohl’s, and were relocated there from NYC. They love it but are either straight and/or older so the change of pace was and lifestyle was great for them. It’s only an hour drive to Chicago or you can easily take the train.

It is a midwestern city so there is that but it does have a lot of charm if you aren’t expecting it to be out of a fashion magazine.

The Hotel Pfister is or was in Milwaukee. Laverne and Shirley were always in awe of that hotel.

It's still there R24. And besides being stunning its ghosts haunt Brewers opponents.

I was raped in Milwaukee several times. It was a bad experience. I would avoid the Marshall Fields downtown.

I had some friends, a married couple in their late 30s, who moved there for a job and lasted a year. Couldn't find anyone to be friends with and found cultural events to be lacking in comparison to other cities.

r18 - 10 years ahead of you. Class of 1971 (eldergay)

Born and raised there (suburbs). Now I live in NYC, but I've become interested in it again as I get older. It really has its charms--you can get anywhere in 20 minutes, tops, and the food is very, very good. It seems to be in a bit of a renaissance; the Brewers and the Bucks are doing very well and the DNC will be a big deal.

"I'ma-I'ma-I'ma-I'ma-I'ma Milwaukeean!"

It's a place where you can make your dreams come true, doin' it your way.

Cold as fuck in the winter but nice beer batter cheese curds.

OP = schlemiel

r1 = schlimazel

OP, did you take the job?

I actually think it's an interesting city. In 90 minutes you can get to Chicago or Madison (well, maybe a bit longer if there's lots of traffic).

I really like Bay View - charming and artsy in a bit of a shabby chic sort of way. There are lots of new build apartments and condos but also old affordable charming houses and cottages.

I also like the Third Ward. I love checking out the museum there, going to the great German restaurant (Mader's), and attending all the festivals (they have an amazing festival ground).

Downtown is a bit boring, the burbs are Paul Ryan country and Milwaukee is definitely very segregated and seems to have racial tensions. But overall, it's a nice place to be.