Tell me about these three places, please.

[runninmommy]

Butte, Montana

Kennewick, Washington

Wisconsin (not sure exact location)

 

We have a chance to move to one of the above locations. If familiar, could you please tell me the pros/cons, advantages/disadvantages and experiences of these places?

 

Thank you

[LauraGB]

I can help with WI - what kinds of things do you want to know? The general regions are quite different from one another, though - do you have a general area (up north, Madison area, Milwaukee area, Green Bay/Fox cities area, Western area, etc...)?

[Mergath]

My mom lives in Superior, WI. According to her, it's a beautiful state but the property taxes are obscenely expensive. Climate is a lot like here in MN- hot summers, freezing winters, beautiful autumn, muddy spring.

 

What kind if information are you looking for, exactly?

[runninmommy]

I was in shock when my DH told me. I'm having a hard time remembering. Maybe Washburn or Ashland. I'll have to ask him again. I have never been there. Lets see, homes school experiences would be nice, we are interested in farm/country life, things for kids to do, college recommendations (for me), camping/fishing/hunting etc.

 

I have to run to town right now but I will try to come back later with more specifics when the shock has worn off.

 

TIA

[Mergath]

I suppose it depends on what you're looking for. To give you my brutally honest opinion, I would probably opt for Washington, if I got to pick, but that's just me. Wisconsin, in my experience, is sort of a blah state. Mediocre schools, from what I've heard- not bad, but not great- and lots of outdoor sorts of things to do, but not a lot of culture beyond the usual Scandinavian/German etc. stuff. Obviously, there's more to do in the bigger cities, and I've heard some great things about U of W, Madison.

 

This part of the country would be nice for you for hunting and fishing. People around here are big on both, as well as camping. Really, in a lot of rural areas, that's all there is to do for five months out of the year. I've only really been to the western part of WI, however, so if you're talking about eastern WI, I don't know if there would be much of a difference.

 

I have heard- and wikipedia confirms- that WI has a huge drinking problem. If you have high school kids, you might want to take that into consideration.

[Parrothead]

I did not live in Butte, but Montana is nice. It is fairly easy to homeschool, only notice of intent.

[LauraGB]

Maybe Washburn or Ashland.

 

Lets see, homes school experiences would be nice, we are interested in farm/country life, things for kids to do, college recommendations (for me), camping/fishing/hunting etc.

 

 

 

Wow, you do mean up north! What I know about Ashland is that it is absolutely beautiful. If you are into hiking and out-doorsy stuff, it is wonderful. There are the Apostle Islands and I think Pictured Rocks are near there, too. A definite yes to hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, farming, etc. You will get all four seasons (fall is breath taking), but being on Lake Superior, you will also get a ton of snow.

 

I think Ashland itself may be a bit touristy during peak seasons, but the further out you go, the more rural it is. And in off seasons, you're on your own, too, because I don't think there are any big cities near there. However, between a handful of towns, you can usually get most of what you need. On the one hand, it gets pretty desolate, on the other hand, the people are genuine; mostly good, kind people (of course, that is a generality, but one that I've found to be true).

 

As far as colleges, I have no idea. As far as homeschooling, it is super easy; each summer/early fall you file a form with the DPI extracting your child from the system and that's it. Nothing more.

 

If you haven't yet, you might want to check w/the chamber of commerce to see pictures of the town and the things available there. Often times they have something of a yellow pages so you can check if there is a YMCA or what is available for dining and movie theaters, doctors, etc.

 

:glare: And yes, the property taxes are stupidly high in WI.

[pageta]

I lived in Walla Walla Washington which is about 45 min west of Kennewick. For being as far north as it is, the climate is very mild. It's dry, no trees, generally flat (like South Dakota or Nebraska - midwestern states towards the Rockies). You're withing driving distance of the mountains, which is nice. I went to college there so my knowledge is limited to the weather - isn't that sad?

[runninmommy]

The town in WI is Wassau. Boy, was I way off or what? lol. My head has been spinning all day. We have only been here 1 year and I was not prepared to move this quickly.

 

First, homeschool friendly is important. I checked HSLDA on on 3 states. The only one I am a little unclear on is WI. Basically, I have to teach their basic subjects, submit a statement of enrollment by Oct 15 and keep attendance. Is that right?

 

For those who homeschool in Washington, was it difficult to be deemed "competent" to teach your children? Do you know of anyone that has been denied?

 

Does anyone have a poc for homeschool groups in any of those areas? I'll check yahoo and some other places but maybe someone knows a really good one.

 

Other than homeschool experiences, my priorities would be cost of living ie, housing, property taxes etc., population (we like it rural), preferably a conservative area (if that even really exists anymore) and I would love to have neat things for the kids to do within reasonable driving distance (museums, science centers, a good YMCA). I don't like heavily populated areas and hate traffic.

 

On the other hand, if the area is too small then it is hard to make friends and settle in as the outsider. I had to go through that before and it is not fun. Kind of like, if your not raised here you don't belong here mentality. We will not be located by a base, so that will be a little difficult as well. Being the only military family in town can pose its challenges. Been there, done that as well. lol.

 

Thank you for the input so far, I appreciate you taking the time to answer.

[mims]

I live about 2 hours from Butte. I love Montana in general . . . a great place to homeschool and conservative in many ways. People are extremely independent, generally polite and nice but it does take a while to get any depth. People seem to love or hate Butte. It has history galore! It has old, inactive mines all over the place and has an old open pit mine that is massive. It was the richest place on earth for awhile when copper was worth a lot. A lot of Catholics, the old time that came from the 'old country' type. It has a great college in town. You can find a lot of land at a fairly inexpensive price.

[happyWImom]

I suppose it depends on what you're looking for. To give you my brutally honest opinion, I would probably opt for Washington, if I got to pick, but that's just me. Wisconsin, in my experience, is sort of a blah state. Mediocre schools, from what I've heard- not bad, but not great- and lots of outdoor sorts of things to do, but not a lot of culture beyond the usual Scandinavian/German etc. stuff. Obviously, there's more to do in the bigger cities, and I've heard some great things about U of W, Madison.

 

This part of the country would be nice for you for hunting and fishing. People around here are big on both, as well as camping. Really, in a lot of rural areas, that's all there is to do for five months out of the year. I've only really been to the western part of WI, however, so if you're talking about eastern WI, I don't know if there would be much of a difference.

 

I have heard- and wikipedia confirms- that WI has a huge drinking problem. If you have high school kids, you might want to take that into consideration.

 

Well. We live in Wisconsin, and I have lived here for most of my life. I grew up near Madison, and now we live 2 hours north of Madison. We have travelled all over the state, so while I'm not an expert, I think I can weigh in since I actually live here.

 

To say that our state is "blah" is obviously a matter of opinion, and depends on what your definition of "blah" is. Yes, nature and the outdoors is a huge attraction here. Hiking, biking, swimming, wildlife watching, boating, and yes fishing and hunting are all big here. Our state parks are fantastic, our lakes are clean and we have undeveloped, wide open land. But that's not all it is. I'm a big city kind of girl, myself, but we moved to a small town, and I am thrilled and amazed at the culture (YES-CULTURE) in just our areas. The museums, the opera houses, the art centers-all fantastic. The opportunities for field trips-cultural type-are huge. Also, the homeschool groups seem to be many, and not just my area.

 

As to the schools, I guess some are mediocre, but it depends on where you're at. Many are excellent. I don't care-I homeschool.

 

Now blah can be blah whether you are in Wisconsin, Minnesota or Washington. I think it's what you make of it wherever you are.:001_smile:

[happyWImom]

I didn't see your later post regarding Wausau, and the hsing questions.

 

The homeschool laws are pretty non restrictive. Yes, file your intent to hs by Oct 15th, and it may say something about attendance, but I've never known anyone who's had to produce records. Most people I know just have a calendar they x off and say "We did school these days."

 

Wausau is quite a bit further north than we are, so that would be my only negative, but I've known people there who love it. I think there is a Rib Mountain there; great for recreation. It seems to have a small town feel, yet there are plenty of things to do. Maybe do a search to see about the homeschool groups. That's what I did when we moved to this area.

 

Good luck in your quest; I wish I could help you more!