Holy Cow - anyone living in the northwoods?????

Kgirly

Out of the blue, DH got a job offer up in Minocqua.  He's not sure if he'll take it, but I'm trying to fathom what its like to live in the middle of nowhere (at least compared to living in a MKE suburb all my life and never being more than 5 minutes away from a Walgreens!).  Can anyone shed some light on what its like to live up north?  I have no idea what the job situation would be up there for me, where we'd look for an apartment, etc.  I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed at this point. Help?

 

welcel

I have no experience living up there, but I travel regularly to the Rhinelander, Minoqua, Wausa, Merril areas for work and it is pretty bare up there!  There are plenty of places to shop, and some nice and fairly priced restaurants, but the job market is slim and I believe the pay is a little less up there.  THe positive is you'd be able to afford a nicer home up there!  I like to visit, but wouldn't want to live there!!!  But, the people I work with up there love it!

MaestraMama

My family has been going to Minocqua for years, we have a cottage up there and my grandpa now lives up there.  It would def. be a change from Milw!  The summer not so bad since there is plenty to do with the festivals, water sports, hiking/biking, etc., but the winter could get rather long unless you are big into winter sports and have things to do.  Oh, if this helps, there is now a Walgreens in Woodruff. 

boylema

My family owns a cabin up there & Ive been going there my whole life. Like pp's already said, its a HUGE change to go from a suburb of Milw to the Northwoods!! ::enter crickets chirping here:: 

I actually lived at my cabin & commuted (about an hr) to Minocqua every day for about 2 months for my internship before I graduated. I loved it! But, it was just as easy as it was hard for me to adjust to living there. The easy part was, that b/c I've been going up there my whole life, Im used to the quiet, read a book, relax, ride a bike, kayak, hike a trail kind of lifestyle. The hardest part was that I was living there alone!  & obviously that wouldn't be the case for you! 

HTH! I can't say enough about the area! If you are an outdoorsy person, like a low key, relaxed way of life, you'll be fine!

&, FWIW....there IS a Walgreens in Minocqua!! lol

mason15

I live in Stevens Point, so it's about 1 1/2 hours or less from Minocqua.  We go up there a lot and it is really beautiful if you like to be outside.  However, most of the shops and stuff close in the winter.  Even a lot of the restaurants do.  The summer and fall has a lot to offer, but winter isn't as great unless you like to snowmobile or ski.  There's a Wal Mart there and a Kohl's near by, but that's about it. You're right-HUGE change from Milwaukee!

 

Oh, and real estate is ridiculous.  Maybe not compared to Mwke, but compared to St. Point, it's outrageous.  You get tiny little cottages for an enormous amount of money b/c everyone who owns there either has had their cabin in the family for eons or they're from Chicago. 
 

exictedbride

I grew up in the U.P. just an hour north of Minoqua....talk about the middle of nowhere. I loved living there and now that I have spent 4 years in Milwaukee we are thinking about moving back up that way. I love the summers there because you can always go to the lake, fishing, water skiing, etc. The weather is great, fall is beautiful. The winters do get a bit long and things quiet down a bit except for snowmobilers and people passing through to go to the ski hills. The pace of life is a bit slower and people are very personable. The COL their is probably lower than the Milwaukee area, but it is the highest in the immediate area. You can always look into places in nearby that would be lower. I'm not sure what area you work in, but if it is in health care you would be fine in finding a job otherwise it might take some digging.

Hope this helped!