Experiences of Milwaukee, WI?

[Alistair]

Gents.

You lot have the pleasure of being the largest bunch of American acquaintances I have, and so I wished to ask you a question.

I've been offered a job in the US arm of my current company and am seriously considering taking it. It's a big promotion over my current role and it gets me into the head office, which might be an advantage for future career progresssion / avoiding the glass ceiling.

The problem is, it's in Milwaukee, a city I have no knowledge of, nor any contacts.

Does anyone on here live or work in that area, or have insights into the place? I'm 24, so priorities are: bars, clubs, decent number of people 18-30, bit of culture (festivals, museums, art, parks etc), an oppurtunity to pursue my hobbies (shooting, fishing, sailing, diving, gliding, motocycling) and decent food. Nice accomodation would also be a plus as would decent transport within the city. I suppose a sports team might be a laugh as well, although both Baseball and especially American Football continue to baffle me.

What say you all?

Cheers,
Al.

 

[gillettehunter]

I have not been there, but a few quick searches on Google reveal there are a number of colleges there, including the university of Michigan, each with mostly 18-24 yr old students. There will be a ton of bars and breweries that cater to them. It sits on the shores of Lake Michigan so sailing should be available as well as fishing. There are a bunch of lakes within 50 miles that should allow for plenty of fishing opportunities.
Milwaukee is home to four professional sports team: the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, the Milwaukee Admirals hockey team, and the Milwaukee Wave soccer team. There are several museums there as well. Looks like plenty to do there for you. Seems to meet most of your minimum criteria.
I will mention that Milwaukee is in the Northern US. You will get 4 seasons including a cold winter season with snow and cold. I'm sure some locals will chime in with some more info.
Bruce

 

[enysse]

Hi Al, I live in Milwaukee. It’s an older city on the shore of Lake Michigan. Many opportunities for younger people. It somewhat of a segregated city. There are the poorer sections and then the outskirt suburbs that are expensive to live in for sure. I live on the edge of the poor part of the city. It’s a very racially divided city. Great place to live if you are open minded and work hard.

 

[superdutch]

I grew up in Wisconsin and my brother, sister and Sister in law all live in or around Milwaukee. Wisconsin has a strong hunting culture, so you will be fine in that regard. The city sits on the shore of Lake Michigan, has two universities, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Marquette, both of which are in the city (not the suburbs), and have division 1 basketball teams. The city also has the professional basketball team Milwaukee Bucks, and professional baseball team, the Brewers. Summers are wonderful, but short. Winters are long and brutal. If you can deal with the winter I think you will like it fine. Pay close attention to where you live. There are good and bad areas, like most places. My brother lives between the UWM and the lake, which is near downtown and it is a neat area with coffee houses restaurants and very walkable, but there are a lot of other fun areas for a young guy too.

 

[CAustin]

Gents.

You lot have the pleasure of being the largest bunch of American acquaintances I have, and so I wished to ask you a question.

I've been offered a job in the US arm of my current company and am seriously considering taking it. It's a big promotion over my current role and it gets me into the head office, which might be an advantage for future career progresssion / avoiding the glass ceiling.

The problem is, it's in Milwaukee, a city I have no knowledge of, nor any contacts.

Does anyone on here live or work in that area, or have insights into the place? I'm 24, so priorities are: bars, clubs, decent number of people 18-30, bit of culture (festivals, museums, art, parks etc), an oppurtunity to pursue my hobbies (shooting, fishing, sailing, diving, gliding, motocycling) and decent food. Nice accomodation would also be a plus as would decent transport within the city. I suppose a sports team might be a laugh as well, although both Baseball and especially American Football continue to baffle me.

What say you all?

Cheers,
Al.

I do business there and can tell you it’s a nice city. Plenty to do. No where near as expensive as say London to live in. However winter can be hard.

 

[Saul]

The Good: Milwaukee has its roots as an industrial town and takes a great deal of pride in its manufacturing heritage. Not only are local beers and Harley motorcycles revered, but there is also the elevation of the "rugged craftsman" ideal. Many areas of the city have made a dramatic transformation over the last few decades into a vibrant, cultural hub with a depth of variety to explore, whether it be museums, bars, music festivals, or local markets. Another advantage of Milwaukee is its close proximity to Chicago, whether by car or by train. Having one great city to explore is great; having quick access to another is even better. Finally, the rest of Wisconsin is mostly rural, with ample access to many lakes and a booming hunting culture. If you like chasing whitetails with a bow, look no further.

The Bad: Milwaukee is one of the most segregated cities in America. If I remember correctly, roughly 88% of white and black people would have to switch houses for the city to be completely integrated. This has led to some areas of truly terrible poverty and a patchwork city.

 

[curtism1234]

I have been twice - once for fishing and the other for a concert.

If you are a big city type of person, I think you will be very disappointed. If you plan to work downtown and live in the suburbs, you will prob be fine.

It feels like a lot of dying big cities hit hard from Mexican and Asian imports. I agree it's a racially divided city with a lot of poor parts. I would not want to live within the city limits. I am sure the suburbs are fine. I enjoyed my time around Port Washington which is a small town 15-20 minutes north as well as Sheboygan (probably too far to commute).

Pros:
-Summer salmon and trout fishing in lake Michigan (which acts more like an ocean)
-Fall, winter, and spring salmon and trout fishing in the rivers
-Professional sports and concert venues
-bars and breweries galore
-a short drive to Chicago (which has problems of its own but is one of the best cities in the US to spend a weekend)
-a short drive to various beach towns and even Indiana Dunes National Park

 

[Alaska Luke]

I'm not familiar with that city but looking at a map I think it's a decent location, probably better then London.

Relatively close you have lots to do.

• There is fishing and canoeing up in Minnesota and Ontario.
• Some hiking trails
• Relatively loose gun laws
• Hunting (make friends a lot of it will be on private farms etc).

If you go a bit farther afield you have the plains states. If you have a week off you could head out to Wyoming to see Yellowstone (tons of wildlife) and hiking and climbing in the Tetons.

If it was me I'd probably take the job then look around to see if there was another opportunity in an even better place.

I can't comment on public transportation but as a rule of thumb you'll eventually want a car in the USA. To many cool places with no public transportation.

Good luck.

 

[WISafariHunter]

I live in a suburb of Milwaukee. I think a lot of your mentioned items are here readily available. I’d be happy to talk further via email. Direct message me if you have direct questions or would like to know anything specific.

 

[Ray B]

The real professional sports team for Milwaukee isn't in Milwaukee. It's a few miles north in Green Bay and they play American Football.