AboutKim Nolet Expertise I can answer most questions about entertainment, historical places to visit, questions about moving here, and most other travel related questions.
Experience I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life (24 years). I have lived in SW Wisconsin, Madison, Milwaukee/Racine area, and have a vacation home in Northern Wisconsin by Minocqua.
Question My family lives in Florida, recently we have discussed moving so that my son with autism may get the help he needs. There just isn't any help for us here. Do you think you can give us some info that will help us with this decision? We are looking for an area to live in and info on housing and jobs. Thank you.
Answer Well, I'm by no means an expert on the subject, but I understand your desire to come here for great autism resources. My sister's son has Asperger's, so she's thankful they are in a school district where they take these problems seriously. I know many people love the UW Waisman Center's resources and clinical study opportunities for austism.
The Madison area is where you will find the most resources for your son. Oregon is one of the suburbs of Madison that has a good focus in their school system, if you don't want to live IN the city.
Madison is a fantastic city, however the cost of living is quite high. You can check realty listings at wisconsinhomes.com to get an idea. Homes in central Madison, Fitchburg and Middleton are most desirable. The East side is growing, and is more of a young and blue collar area. The West side of town is more white collar, but many people are moving out to the western towns of Middleton and Fitchburg, so there are some lower income areas that are growing on the West side. Other nearby towns to look at: Stoughton, Waunakee, Sun Prarie. You'll want to know that property tax rates are fairly high in Wisconsin compared to many states, but we have nicely paved roads and services to help us feel better about it. :-)
There is a tremendous arts scene for a city this size in WI and lots of community involvement. It's not a city where you'd be bored. And it's a safe city, although once in awhile you'll hear of a crime rash downtown on campus. During the warmer months (May-Sept), there are a ton of lakes and such to enjoy outdoor activities. And there are always festivals somewhere.
Speaking of the UW, it has a huge community presence and there a lot of job opportunities from blue to white collar positions. Job bennefits are quite good with the state and UW positions. www.wisc.edu has university job listings and http://wiscjobs.state.wi.us/public/index.asp has a lot of state and other job openings listed. There are quite a number of tech industry employers in the area, plus a few major manufacturers (such as Oscar Mayer). The employment scene in Madison has always been fairly lucrative, although be warned that we are an overeducated town, so there are Master's educated people applying for most jobs. A Bachelor's degree isn't as useful as it might be elsewhere.
The temperatures, of course, are quite different from Florida! The winters have been more mild, but you'll find it rather miserable to be outside during January and February if you don't like the cold. I'm not such a fan myself! Driving in the snow is a skill to be learned!
I'm not sure if I've given you what you are looking for, but I hope I've helped! Let me know if you have additional questions and I'll try my best to assist.
