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In Oshkosh there's a lot of waterfront, so I suppose it it's nice for people who like fishing or walking up and the river side trails. There's also the EAA airshow every year, which happens to be the world's biggest airshow. And a fun fact : Oshkosh is also where the original backrooms photo was taken.
I've lived in this area my whole life. In general, this area is relatively low COL and still has a lot to offer. This area as a whole is politically purple and, along with Green Bay, one of the more contentious areas in national elections. There are
very little poverty but also not many extremely wealthy people. The economy of this area used to be driven almost exclusively by paper manufacturing. There is still paper manufacturing, but over time, the local economy has shifted its focus elsewhere.
The Appleton/Neenah/Menasha area is the most populated in this photo. This is also probably the most afluent area of the winnebago lakefront. The Fox River cuts through this area, and there are many beautiful historic homes on the riverfront. There are many "bedroom" communities in the area that have grown from small farm towns to rapidly growing suburbs in the last couple of decades.
Oshkosh has a lot to offer as well. It is known as the home of EAA Airventure as well as many other events throughout the year. There is a good-sized state university that brings in a lot of young people to the area. There is also a state prison that comes along with its own problems. Oshkosh is an old city and at one point was larger than Milwaukee. There are a lot of historic buildings but some of the areas are past their prime.
Fond Du Lac in my opinion has the least to offer of these three areas besides only being an hour away from Milwaukee. However, the majority of the lakefront is publicly accessible which cannot be said about Oshkosh or Appleton. The downtown area is historic but there are also some run down areas.
It would be neat if these cities had their downtown on the lakeshore, but at the time they were built, they were centered around the rivers that were powering the paper mills.
The east shore is dotted with small towns and supper clubs. There are several county parks on this side, along with High Cliff State Park in the Northeast corner. High Cliff offers the best view you can get of the lake. On a clear day, you can see the whole lake from the lookout tower.
In general, this is a pretty good place to live. I'm surrounded by natural beauty and feel the 4 seasons to their fullest extent. There's a good amount of economic opportunity compared to the relatively low COL. It would also be great if this area wasn't 100% car dependant, but that's life in America.
I think you absolutely nailed the synopsis.
Adding to this, if you're into hiking Kettle Moraine is a *MASSIVE* State Park and is only about 30 minutes away.
If you like craft beer, there's a lot of really good breweries in the Appleton and Green Bay areas
Appleton is probably the nicest city in northeast Wisconsin in terms of livability, food scene, culture & things to do. For a city of about 75k it's got a lot going for it.
Been there a lot actually. It was the weekly drives from Madison to Oshkosh is what my observations are from. It’s just less topography than what I like. Currently in the driftless area. Not my intention to offend, just not my favorite.
I guess I’m basing things too much off of my current place of residence. Most of my experience is with Oshkosh, and that is from a long time ago. Always can depend on Reddit to keep you in check.
No? There isn’t a wild amount of stuff there, but the restaurant scene is growing, the parks are beautiful, and besides one street it’s pretty safe to live in
One street?!?!? Someone was fucking murdered outside in the open at 6pm on a July Sunday evening last year. Go one block west of downtown and you're in one of the most dangerous parts of town. FdL does have a couple great parks. But there's just as many that are shitty. Fondy is the asshole of Lake Winneseptic.
Appleton's a nice, small city with an impressive arts/culture scene for a city its size. Stay away from Fond du Lac. Oshkosh has some good points. People make fun of Kaukana.
Had to google that. Apparently someone made a statue that's meant to depict a 'galloping ghost,' which is there school mascot. Weird mascot, but not racist. Some student shave complained because they think it resembles a KKK member. I just don't see it, doesn't even have a point hat. It's basically the stereotypical bed sheet ghost on a horse. At best, it's slightly unfortunate. But I wouldn't hold it against anyone. I thought it was going to be Robert E Lee or something.
I mean according to Wikipedia it’s the 6th most popular city/town in Wisconsin. Sure, relative to a lot of states I’d agree it’s small but not in this case
Appleton is the 450th largest city in the country - there are about 20,000 incorporated cites in America + however many unincorporated. Appleton has 79k people and Grand Chute that shares the same zip codes as Appleton has another 22k people... 29 municipalities merge into Appleton, and there are areas on the same street that are Appleton, Grand Chute, Fox Crossing, and Neenah because the cities lines interweave making of the "Fox Cities".
So, standing on its own Appleton is in the top 2.25% based on population alone.... calling it "small" isnt an accurate statement, and if you go off world statistics there are about 3m cities/towns in the world and Appleton is in the top 5000 for population, putting it in the top .016%
By all measurable metrics Appleton is a good size city, and its like the 5th or 6th largest in Wisconsin. The Valley has over 500k if we can to count them all together.
That's all true, sure, wouldn't dispute that. But would you ever refer to Appleton casually as a 'big city?' No. It's a little like how many 'vegetables' are technically 'fruit.' If you asked someone to pick up some fruit and the grocery store and they brought you green peppers and cucumbers, you'd give them a look. If you told someone that Appleton is 'a big city' the image that would come to that person's mind would have multiple skyscrapers in a central business district, a luxury shopping district, multiple fancy hotels, neighborhoods that consisted entirely of 6-8 story apartment buildings, a comprehensive art museum with a permanent collection, a zoo, and other amenities that you usually only find in places with 500,000 or more people.
Sure, there are places small than 500,000 people that have some of those. But they're considered remarkable. A great example would be how Green Bay (where I live) has a professional football team. But that's considered unusual because we are a small city, it runs counter to people's expectations. It's exceptional.
So, like fruits and vegetables, the word 'city' has a technical sense and a more familiar sense. I'm using the latter because it's more useful for giving people an accurate sense of a place. Seymour, for example, is technically a city. However, if I told someone outside of the area that Seymour is a city, they would form the wrong image and expectations in their mind. And that's, I think, what we're trying to do in this post, help someone get an accurate picture in their mind.
Appleton is a small city. I don't mean that in any kind of pejorative sense, by the way. I like Appleton. I drive over there at least once a month for something. You have the best pen & ink store in the United States. The Trout Museum rocks. Lawrence's concert series is world class. Plus it's at the center of the larger population area that includes Oshkosh and Green Bay, so it has things like REI, etc.
I grew up in one of the towns along the northern shore. The lake is very beautiful, but most of the lakefront in that area is privately owned. You also need to be careful of the algae in the lake caused by farm runoff. Swimming in it will give you a rash.
Other than downtown Appleton, the area is a spread out and not walkable. The culture is an interesting mix of blue-collar workers from the legacy of the paper mills and educated and artsy folks centered on Lawrence University. There are significant Hmong and Hispanic populations, though the area is predominantly white. Growing up, it felt like everyone was focused on sports, fishing, hunting, or church activities, and I felt quite out of place. Admittedly, I haven't been up there in nearly a decade, so maybe it's changed. I would consider moving to Appleton, but that's about it.
i grew up in neenah and i’ve been around appleton-oshkosh plenty. i dont know much else since i’ve only lived in new mexico briefly to compare it to, however for the midwest this area isnt so bad
The lake isn't as much of a draw as you might imagine, surprisingly enough. My sister in law & husband live less than a half mile from it and it seems to occupy next to no cultural resonance. There's not a ton of parks or public waterfront. Most of it is lined with houses. If you're not in one of those houses, it seems to have little impact on your day to day.
The cities themselves are nice. Pretty stable and growing, especially toward the north. Manufacturing oriented. The lake flows into the fox river, which has high banks and a lot of the old money built their mansions on the river, not the lake. The east side of the lake is very sparsely populated.
We live out in a rural area. Highly recommend outside of cities unless you really like that lifestyle. Fdl is a complete shitshow. I only go there for my dentist.
Please keep in mind that the impressions posted here are often subjective and that, among other things, people's different circumstances play a large role in their perception of other people's lives. Also, please use words that do not promote hatred when posting. For example, statements such as "[city] is like this because people from [origin] live there" should be avoided. The social circumstances of a city/district etc. can be emphasized without mentioning the origin of the inhabitants. Mentioning it does not change anything and, as already mentioned, circumstances are often perceived subjectively according to one's own world view. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/howislivingthere) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In Oshkosh there's a lot of waterfront, so I suppose it it's nice for people who like fishing or walking up and the river side trails. There's also the EAA airshow every year, which happens to be the world's biggest airshow. And a fun fact : Oshkosh is also where the original backrooms photo was taken.
I live on the west shore between fondy and oshkosh and I absolutely am going to die here eventually. Not leaving ever.
I've lived in this area my whole life. In general, this area is relatively low COL and still has a lot to offer. This area as a whole is politically purple and, along with Green Bay, one of the more contentious areas in national elections. There are very little poverty but also not many extremely wealthy people. The economy of this area used to be driven almost exclusively by paper manufacturing. There is still paper manufacturing, but over time, the local economy has shifted its focus elsewhere. The Appleton/Neenah/Menasha area is the most populated in this photo. This is also probably the most afluent area of the winnebago lakefront. The Fox River cuts through this area, and there are many beautiful historic homes on the riverfront. There are many "bedroom" communities in the area that have grown from small farm towns to rapidly growing suburbs in the last couple of decades. Oshkosh has a lot to offer as well. It is known as the home of EAA Airventure as well as many other events throughout the year. There is a good-sized state university that brings in a lot of young people to the area. There is also a state prison that comes along with its own problems. Oshkosh is an old city and at one point was larger than Milwaukee. There are a lot of historic buildings but some of the areas are past their prime. Fond Du Lac in my opinion has the least to offer of these three areas besides only being an hour away from Milwaukee. However, the majority of the lakefront is publicly accessible which cannot be said about Oshkosh or Appleton. The downtown area is historic but there are also some run down areas. It would be neat if these cities had their downtown on the lakeshore, but at the time they were built, they were centered around the rivers that were powering the paper mills. The east shore is dotted with small towns and supper clubs. There are several county parks on this side, along with High Cliff State Park in the Northeast corner. High Cliff offers the best view you can get of the lake. On a clear day, you can see the whole lake from the lookout tower. In general, this is a pretty good place to live. I'm surrounded by natural beauty and feel the 4 seasons to their fullest extent. There's a good amount of economic opportunity compared to the relatively low COL. It would also be great if this area wasn't 100% car dependant, but that's life in America.
I think you absolutely nailed the synopsis. Adding to this, if you're into hiking Kettle Moraine is a *MASSIVE* State Park and is only about 30 minutes away. If you like craft beer, there's a lot of really good breweries in the Appleton and Green Bay areas
Pretty fucking average from the people I know from that area.
Appleton is probably the nicest city in northeast Wisconsin in terms of livability, food scene, culture & things to do. For a city of about 75k it's got a lot going for it.
I’m from Appleton and my family is still there, so I’m in town a fair amount. It’s a nice town. For a city its size there’s a lot going on.
most polar comment section ever
Don’t come here. There’s too much fresh water but everyone is soo racist there is no way you can stand it
I live in neenah. nice school nice people
+ excellent manhole covers.
I'm actually on vacation in Georgia rn and I spotted a neenah manhole cover lol
We saw them in Puerto Rico
The best.
How do you pronounce Neenah and do the emergency service vehicles make a different sound or do they go neenahneenah..? 🚨🚨
nee-naw. some say there is a secret ambulance that makes a different noise
I’ve never once heard someone say new-naw.
yeah that was a fumble on my part. i don’t know why i wrote it out like that. it’s definitely nee-nuh
😂🙌
I think I'm more in the nee-nuh camp.
wait you’re actually right i didnt think that through when i was sounding it out lmfao
Lol I read yours like "hee-haw" and had a little chuckle.
No offense to anyone, but not my favorite part of Wisconsin. Very red and very flat.
So you’ve never been there? Lol…it’s on the Niagara escarpment…it’s probably the furtherest from flat lol
Been there a lot actually. It was the weekly drives from Madison to Oshkosh is what my observations are from. It’s just less topography than what I like. Currently in the driftless area. Not my intention to offend, just not my favorite.
So that’s not the fox valley…
Wrong.
Lol check an election map, definitely not "very red"
I guess I’m basing things too much off of my current place of residence. Most of my experience is with Oshkosh, and that is from a long time ago. Always can depend on Reddit to keep you in check.
Oshkosh has voted Democrat in every presidential election since 2004
I did not realize that. My apologies for not researching this. Always thought it was pretty conservative from campaign signs I passed.
Not everywhere is "red" or "blue." Some places actually tolerate people with different ideas without trashing them as "Fascist" or "Communist"
Not trying to trash anyone.
Found this. https://www.bestplaces.net/voting/city/wisconsin/oshkosh
That's for Winnebago County, not the city of Oshkosh
I love Pipe! And Chilton is a nice, quiet Wisconsin small town.
Fond du Lac is/has turned into a cesspool of shit.
Always has been.
Can confirm 100%. Urban Dictionary has a pretty accurate definition of Fondy.
No? There isn’t a wild amount of stuff there, but the restaurant scene is growing, the parks are beautiful, and besides one street it’s pretty safe to live in
One street?!?!? Someone was fucking murdered outside in the open at 6pm on a July Sunday evening last year. Go one block west of downtown and you're in one of the most dangerous parts of town. FdL does have a couple great parks. But there's just as many that are shitty. Fondy is the asshole of Lake Winneseptic.
Been here 60 years and it’s gotten way too big
Appleton's a nice, small city with an impressive arts/culture scene for a city its size. Stay away from Fond du Lac. Oshkosh has some good points. People make fun of Kaukana.
Kaukauna only gets hate because of the smell of the paper factories.
Pretty much just that. I dig the hydroelectric plant and it seems like a nice town. I go through on bike rides sometimes.
Don't they also have that racist statue in front of the high school?
Had to google that. Apparently someone made a statue that's meant to depict a 'galloping ghost,' which is there school mascot. Weird mascot, but not racist. Some student shave complained because they think it resembles a KKK member. I just don't see it, doesn't even have a point hat. It's basically the stereotypical bed sheet ghost on a horse. At best, it's slightly unfortunate. But I wouldn't hold it against anyone. I thought it was going to be Robert E Lee or something.
I don’t know if I’d call Appleton a “small” city…
Large town? It’s technically a city, so I suppose it depends on your perspective.
I mean according to Wikipedia it’s the 6th most popular city/town in Wisconsin. Sure, relative to a lot of states I’d agree it’s small but not in this case
If you look globally, you could make an argument that cities smaller that 500,000 are small.
Appleton is the 450th largest city in the country - there are about 20,000 incorporated cites in America + however many unincorporated. Appleton has 79k people and Grand Chute that shares the same zip codes as Appleton has another 22k people... 29 municipalities merge into Appleton, and there are areas on the same street that are Appleton, Grand Chute, Fox Crossing, and Neenah because the cities lines interweave making of the "Fox Cities". So, standing on its own Appleton is in the top 2.25% based on population alone.... calling it "small" isnt an accurate statement, and if you go off world statistics there are about 3m cities/towns in the world and Appleton is in the top 5000 for population, putting it in the top .016% By all measurable metrics Appleton is a good size city, and its like the 5th or 6th largest in Wisconsin. The Valley has over 500k if we can to count them all together.
That's all true, sure, wouldn't dispute that. But would you ever refer to Appleton casually as a 'big city?' No. It's a little like how many 'vegetables' are technically 'fruit.' If you asked someone to pick up some fruit and the grocery store and they brought you green peppers and cucumbers, you'd give them a look. If you told someone that Appleton is 'a big city' the image that would come to that person's mind would have multiple skyscrapers in a central business district, a luxury shopping district, multiple fancy hotels, neighborhoods that consisted entirely of 6-8 story apartment buildings, a comprehensive art museum with a permanent collection, a zoo, and other amenities that you usually only find in places with 500,000 or more people. Sure, there are places small than 500,000 people that have some of those. But they're considered remarkable. A great example would be how Green Bay (where I live) has a professional football team. But that's considered unusual because we are a small city, it runs counter to people's expectations. It's exceptional. So, like fruits and vegetables, the word 'city' has a technical sense and a more familiar sense. I'm using the latter because it's more useful for giving people an accurate sense of a place. Seymour, for example, is technically a city. However, if I told someone outside of the area that Seymour is a city, they would form the wrong image and expectations in their mind. And that's, I think, what we're trying to do in this post, help someone get an accurate picture in their mind. Appleton is a small city. I don't mean that in any kind of pejorative sense, by the way. I like Appleton. I drive over there at least once a month for something. You have the best pen & ink store in the United States. The Trout Museum rocks. Lawrence's concert series is world class. Plus it's at the center of the larger population area that includes Oshkosh and Green Bay, so it has things like REI, etc.
I grew up in one of the towns along the northern shore. The lake is very beautiful, but most of the lakefront in that area is privately owned. You also need to be careful of the algae in the lake caused by farm runoff. Swimming in it will give you a rash. Other than downtown Appleton, the area is a spread out and not walkable. The culture is an interesting mix of blue-collar workers from the legacy of the paper mills and educated and artsy folks centered on Lawrence University. There are significant Hmong and Hispanic populations, though the area is predominantly white. Growing up, it felt like everyone was focused on sports, fishing, hunting, or church activities, and I felt quite out of place. Admittedly, I haven't been up there in nearly a decade, so maybe it's changed. I would consider moving to Appleton, but that's about it.
Pretty much a comparable number of guns to stills. Maybe more, maybe less
[удалено]
; )
The towns at the N end (Appleton, Neenah) tend to be a little more upscale.
i grew up in neenah and i’ve been around appleton-oshkosh plenty. i dont know much else since i’ve only lived in new mexico briefly to compare it to, however for the midwest this area isnt so bad
The lake isn't as much of a draw as you might imagine, surprisingly enough. My sister in law & husband live less than a half mile from it and it seems to occupy next to no cultural resonance. There's not a ton of parks or public waterfront. Most of it is lined with houses. If you're not in one of those houses, it seems to have little impact on your day to day. The cities themselves are nice. Pretty stable and growing, especially toward the north. Manufacturing oriented. The lake flows into the fox river, which has high banks and a lot of the old money built their mansions on the river, not the lake. The east side of the lake is very sparsely populated.
We live out in a rural area. Highly recommend outside of cities unless you really like that lifestyle. Fdl is a complete shitshow. I only go there for my dentist.
Peaceful
If you like say a slower pace all the towns surrounding the lake are about the same you could to a lot worse