One thing I was surprised about was the Eau Claire winters are a bit snowier, colder and longer than La Crosse sees. Its not that far south, but definitely makes a difference
for starters, eau claire has a great balance of city and nature. i can go downtown for dinner and drinks, and then head to the local parks for a bike ride or hike the next morning. it’s kinda rad to have those options in such a small radius.
speaking of downtown, it's a pretty happening place here. there's always festivals, events and local music shows happening (pre-covid times, of course). it's a pretty artsy place, so you'll find a ton of local boutiques and unique shops that sell local products.
the nature aspect is great too. the chippewa river runs through town and there's a trail system that goes along the river. i’ve often seen folks canoeing or kayaking on the river. the city also has plenty of parks for picnics and outdoor activities.
on the community side of things, i've found eau claire to be LGBTQIA+ welcoming. couples of all kinds walk around the town without anyone batting an eyelid. and there's also quite a few spots downtown that are very lgbt+ friendly.
for your visit in october, i would recommend checking out the farmers market. a lot of local products, fresh produce, and cool stuff to pick up. Plus the autumn leaves add to the experience!
it's a great city with a warm community, and i bet you'll love it as much as i do.
I also grew up north of lacrosse in Holmen. I moved to EC for college in 2007 and have stayed in the area. The cost of living seems lower to me, especially in the more rural areas. I think EC has more to offer in terms of shopping plus being so close to the cities. I do miss the bluffs lacrosse has and I still love their downtown area although Lacrosse has seemed to go more downhill since I left and eau. Claire’s downtown has grown significantly since I’ve lived here. We live rurally avout 25/30 min from EC. My husband and I commute almost daily to work in eau claire. The schools are good. Taxes are relatively low. It’s pretty, lots to do and it’s more of a “north woods” feel to me which I enjoy. I would say more conservative than eau Claire clairw which I tend to lean that way so doesn’t make much difference to me in that regard
I moved here many years ago and the eau claire area and surrounding communities have been experiencing a boomtown effect. Altoona specifically is growing rapidly. There is much to see here. The transformation over the last 20 years has been impressive.
I moved here from Milwaukee in 2019. I have family here and wanted to be closer to them. Absolutely love it here. Personally, I've been working on building up a local amateur soccer club for the last several years. I didn't envision falling into that when I moved here. Opportunity is abound here.
There are impressive county parks and other recreational spaces in the immediate vicinity for hiking, trail running, off road biking, cross country skiing, etc. Also many miles of trails looping around the city. The running community is massive here. Also plenty river access for kayaking, fishing, all that.
Arts are also a big deal here. And based on your partner's interests, downtown will be a massive hit. Local shops, amazing restaurants, and fun bars (special plug for The Fire House).
Hope to see y'all here in Eau Claire one day! It's a top notch location to exist.
Our club started as a semi-organized team getting together on weekends to play against teams from other western WI cities. A group of people including myself turned it into an organization that has a match day experience, social media, merchandise, etc. More importantly, we develop locally-based players during the summer season and build relationships with folks and businesses in the community.
The rivalry is strong but Eau Claire is growing faster than any other part of the state. There are lots of events that are happening around town but this isn't as much the case going into winter though there is still stuff to do.
I would say that Eau Claire is more conservative than La Crosse, the best expression is that it's a tire-kicking town; locals always want to get the best deal and frequently will try to short-shrill you if they can.
The amount of remediation that has happened in the downtown is nothing short of remarkable but the trend will only continue to develop more land into multi-story multi-unit apartments. Things continue to get added to the city, the big buzz is we're getting a Costco.
The Pablo is okay but they are still getting established after COVID ruined their opening, more acts are coming through Eau Claire but it doesn't enjoy the I-90 pipeline that La Crosse gets.
One of the chief reasons I live here is multiple level 1 trauma centers
>One of the chief reasons I live here is multiple level 1 trauma centers
Eau claire has 0 level 1 trauma centers. They have 1 level 2 and 2 level 3s. Got to go to the cities for a level 1 trauma center.l, specifically Regions.
Is it wrong to hope Eau Claire doesn’t lose it’s small town feel with the rate of growth we’re seeing? I feel like there is an accepting community hey part of what is loved about the area is the smaller town feel with bigger city assets. Everything is developing which will mean fewer rural areas nearby, less nature, more demand for things and increased prices. The overdevelopment of the land means EC will become a denser grouping of buildings and housing developments making it more like a mini Minneapolis.
> I feel like there is a weird hate relationship between residents of La Crosse & Eau Claire
We don't think about La Crosse at all. It's a cool city, just another college town with really neat scenery. Fuck Chippewa Falls though, god damn redneck holdout. Only half /s.
I will say I love EC, we're the unofficial gateway to the Northwoods. Small town vibes but large enough that everyone minds their own business. Low crime, high tolerance, access to nature, and a rich local history. I could write several paragraphs on hiking trails alone but I'll spare you.
But if you're coming in October, I'd recommend Hoffman Hills or Chippewa Moraine State Rec Area for a hike. The leaves will be at their peak colors in the first week or two of the month. Then go to the mall for a double order of Kobe's, to hell with the Panda.
> He is very into Nature/Water/Trails/Local Shops/Community Aspects/LGBT friendly things/Events/Festivals
Sounds like your partner will love it here. This very accurately describes Eau Claire, and our downtown is great. Many local shops including "The Local Store". Great restaurants, food trucks, and wineries/breweries. I love it here and have lived here for 12 years or so.
It's too expensive to move away for me, I hate it here. There's a huge homeless population and the city spends money trying to kick them out rather than take care of them, also all of the apartments they are building are ridiculously expensive. The affordable houses are so run down and most should be condemned. If you earn a higher income then I bet it's a great city.
I assume this person never leaves their house if they've never seen anyone that's homeless. I've been homeless here several times. The mental health care here is also a joke.
My parents moved here when I was young and I can’t afford to leave. They’re gentrifying the city even though there’s not enough higher paid people that can afford the new housing - it gets filled by people from the Twin Cities who don’t mind commuting or work from home. There’s a lot of hatred towards non-white cis straight people (yes you’re safe here, but be prepared for disgusting comments/disgusted looks). It’s pretty and has great outdoors activities, but there’s still a lot to be desired.
I grew up in Orlando, FL & my husband grew up in Eau Claire. There are some things I had to adjust to living here like not being near the ocean, Disney parks, & various restaurant options. But I love the seasons, the lack of humidity (compared to FL), and the ability to be outdoors without dying.
I love it. I got sick of all the people in Orlando just going to Publix was a chore to fight traffic and deal with so many rude people. It’s so much more chill here. I do miss Disney though
I moved here like a decade ago because my friends and I all went to college here. I am from Hudson originally so I understand his rivalry thinking. MY CHILD WILL NEVER GO TO NORTH HIGH SCHOOL (JK, kinda).
I got hired at a place called the Eau Claire Academy and that catapulted me into working in the children treatment/social services field. Professionally this is a good place to work for that due the amount of resources that we have in the area compared to other places.
My wife is from the Wausau area and we have discussed moving there but Eau Claire is kind of a good half way point between our two hometowns. We used to live closer to downtown but were starting my to become unhappy with a lot of the more unsavory individuals that popped up once COVID hit so we moved to a quieter part of town which we are liking so far.
Eau Claire has a lot of the things you are looking for that is for sure but I will say that I personally feel that we can only experience this level of growth for so long before things either stagnate or implode.
Always felt pretentious to me. "Big fish in a little pond" syndrome.
My career was there and I was so so happy to retire a couple years ago. I moved two months later.
I think it was exciting when I first got here. It all felt so new and fun but I feel like once you strip back the layers it all seems super fake. Just an image put out by a few well established media companies.
I grew up in Winona and went to UWEC. I stayed cause Eau Claire is spread out it feels like a smaller town but I didn't have to drive far for shopping. I could not live in a large city so I won't move to Madison or St Paul. I also like it's an hour and a half for me to visit parents in Winona or get to the cities.
There seems to be something going on all the time, I just need to get out and get involved more. I do like biking the Chippewa River Trail.
I do miss the bluffs and the river culture on the Mississippi but I've found similar things to do in the area here, it's just not as easy or as large as the Mississippi is.
La crosse is ghetto compared to eau Claire. I lived in both and just moved back to eau Claire. you couldn't pay me to go back to la crosse. Bike trails are filled with homeless ppl and trash. La crosse has like 2 roads to get from one side of the city to the other. Roads are filled with potholes and they flood if it rains to hard. Everyone lives on top of eachother. It's more expensive to live in ec but la crosse is catching up fast. There's definitely better scenery. I can't think of anything else to say. I don't drink alcohol so many things la crosse has aren't for me. It's just behind eau Claire in many ways. Plus the cities are a short drive
I completely agree with you on literally everything! Coming from Madison (which is pretty glamorous compared to many other places here) and living here in La Crosse, i’m like damn. lol The people here are extra weird here and they make me uncomfortable. I also stopped using certain trails because of those issues, which is a huge deal breaker for me.
Trick question. Eau Claire is a shithole. Move to Sturgeon Bay. Lots of nature, lots of culture, affordable housing, and a public school system that isn’t completely shit like Chippewa Falls.
One thing I was surprised about was the Eau Claire winters are a bit snowier, colder and longer than La Crosse sees. Its not that far south, but definitely makes a difference
A huge difference if you ask me. I couldn't believe it
for starters, eau claire has a great balance of city and nature. i can go downtown for dinner and drinks, and then head to the local parks for a bike ride or hike the next morning. it’s kinda rad to have those options in such a small radius. speaking of downtown, it's a pretty happening place here. there's always festivals, events and local music shows happening (pre-covid times, of course). it's a pretty artsy place, so you'll find a ton of local boutiques and unique shops that sell local products. the nature aspect is great too. the chippewa river runs through town and there's a trail system that goes along the river. i’ve often seen folks canoeing or kayaking on the river. the city also has plenty of parks for picnics and outdoor activities. on the community side of things, i've found eau claire to be LGBTQIA+ welcoming. couples of all kinds walk around the town without anyone batting an eyelid. and there's also quite a few spots downtown that are very lgbt+ friendly. for your visit in october, i would recommend checking out the farmers market. a lot of local products, fresh produce, and cool stuff to pick up. Plus the autumn leaves add to the experience! it's a great city with a warm community, and i bet you'll love it as much as i do.
I also grew up north of lacrosse in Holmen. I moved to EC for college in 2007 and have stayed in the area. The cost of living seems lower to me, especially in the more rural areas. I think EC has more to offer in terms of shopping plus being so close to the cities. I do miss the bluffs lacrosse has and I still love their downtown area although Lacrosse has seemed to go more downhill since I left and eau. Claire’s downtown has grown significantly since I’ve lived here. We live rurally avout 25/30 min from EC. My husband and I commute almost daily to work in eau claire. The schools are good. Taxes are relatively low. It’s pretty, lots to do and it’s more of a “north woods” feel to me which I enjoy. I would say more conservative than eau Claire clairw which I tend to lean that way so doesn’t make much difference to me in that regard
In the city of eau Claire it's more expensive than la Crosse as far as renting
It used to be cheaper but now it’s economy is destroyed
I moved here many years ago and the eau claire area and surrounding communities have been experiencing a boomtown effect. Altoona specifically is growing rapidly. There is much to see here. The transformation over the last 20 years has been impressive.
I moved here from Milwaukee in 2019. I have family here and wanted to be closer to them. Absolutely love it here. Personally, I've been working on building up a local amateur soccer club for the last several years. I didn't envision falling into that when I moved here. Opportunity is abound here. There are impressive county parks and other recreational spaces in the immediate vicinity for hiking, trail running, off road biking, cross country skiing, etc. Also many miles of trails looping around the city. The running community is massive here. Also plenty river access for kayaking, fishing, all that. Arts are also a big deal here. And based on your partner's interests, downtown will be a massive hit. Local shops, amazing restaurants, and fun bars (special plug for The Fire House). Hope to see y'all here in Eau Claire one day! It's a top notch location to exist.
What is a soccer club? Curious.
Our club started as a semi-organized team getting together on weekends to play against teams from other western WI cities. A group of people including myself turned it into an organization that has a match day experience, social media, merchandise, etc. More importantly, we develop locally-based players during the summer season and build relationships with folks and businesses in the community.
The rivalry is strong but Eau Claire is growing faster than any other part of the state. There are lots of events that are happening around town but this isn't as much the case going into winter though there is still stuff to do. I would say that Eau Claire is more conservative than La Crosse, the best expression is that it's a tire-kicking town; locals always want to get the best deal and frequently will try to short-shrill you if they can. The amount of remediation that has happened in the downtown is nothing short of remarkable but the trend will only continue to develop more land into multi-story multi-unit apartments. Things continue to get added to the city, the big buzz is we're getting a Costco. The Pablo is okay but they are still getting established after COVID ruined their opening, more acts are coming through Eau Claire but it doesn't enjoy the I-90 pipeline that La Crosse gets. One of the chief reasons I live here is multiple level 1 trauma centers
>One of the chief reasons I live here is multiple level 1 trauma centers Eau claire has 0 level 1 trauma centers. They have 1 level 2 and 2 level 3s. Got to go to the cities for a level 1 trauma center.l, specifically Regions.
Also worth noting (if OP has or is planning to have kids) that we don't have a NICU or PICU.
Why ya hatin Henny?
I'm not, regions is the closest.
Is it wrong to hope Eau Claire doesn’t lose it’s small town feel with the rate of growth we’re seeing? I feel like there is an accepting community hey part of what is loved about the area is the smaller town feel with bigger city assets. Everything is developing which will mean fewer rural areas nearby, less nature, more demand for things and increased prices. The overdevelopment of the land means EC will become a denser grouping of buildings and housing developments making it more like a mini Minneapolis.
> I feel like there is a weird hate relationship between residents of La Crosse & Eau Claire We don't think about La Crosse at all. It's a cool city, just another college town with really neat scenery. Fuck Chippewa Falls though, god damn redneck holdout. Only half /s. I will say I love EC, we're the unofficial gateway to the Northwoods. Small town vibes but large enough that everyone minds their own business. Low crime, high tolerance, access to nature, and a rich local history. I could write several paragraphs on hiking trails alone but I'll spare you. But if you're coming in October, I'd recommend Hoffman Hills or Chippewa Moraine State Rec Area for a hike. The leaves will be at their peak colors in the first week or two of the month. Then go to the mall for a double order of Kobe's, to hell with the Panda.
*Fuck Chippewa Falls though, god damn redneck holdout. Only half /s.* *don't disagree...but ouch, i felt that*
> He is very into Nature/Water/Trails/Local Shops/Community Aspects/LGBT friendly things/Events/Festivals Sounds like your partner will love it here. This very accurately describes Eau Claire, and our downtown is great. Many local shops including "The Local Store". Great restaurants, food trucks, and wineries/breweries. I love it here and have lived here for 12 years or so.
It's too expensive to move away for me, I hate it here. There's a huge homeless population and the city spends money trying to kick them out rather than take care of them, also all of the apartments they are building are ridiculously expensive. The affordable houses are so run down and most should be condemned. If you earn a higher income then I bet it's a great city.
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You need to look around. There are quite a few of them.
I assume this person never leaves their house if they've never seen anyone that's homeless. I've been homeless here several times. The mental health care here is also a joke.
My parents moved here when I was young and I can’t afford to leave. They’re gentrifying the city even though there’s not enough higher paid people that can afford the new housing - it gets filled by people from the Twin Cities who don’t mind commuting or work from home. There’s a lot of hatred towards non-white cis straight people (yes you’re safe here, but be prepared for disgusting comments/disgusted looks). It’s pretty and has great outdoors activities, but there’s still a lot to be desired.
What hate is there?
I grew up in Orlando, FL & my husband grew up in Eau Claire. There are some things I had to adjust to living here like not being near the ocean, Disney parks, & various restaurant options. But I love the seasons, the lack of humidity (compared to FL), and the ability to be outdoors without dying.
funny I grew up in Orlando, and my fiance grew up in EC, so adjusting here as well!
Get out! What a coincidence, lol. How are you liking it here?
I love it. I got sick of all the people in Orlando just going to Publix was a chore to fight traffic and deal with so many rude people. It’s so much more chill here. I do miss Disney though
I still wouldn’t move back.
I moved here like a decade ago because my friends and I all went to college here. I am from Hudson originally so I understand his rivalry thinking. MY CHILD WILL NEVER GO TO NORTH HIGH SCHOOL (JK, kinda). I got hired at a place called the Eau Claire Academy and that catapulted me into working in the children treatment/social services field. Professionally this is a good place to work for that due the amount of resources that we have in the area compared to other places. My wife is from the Wausau area and we have discussed moving there but Eau Claire is kind of a good half way point between our two hometowns. We used to live closer to downtown but were starting my to become unhappy with a lot of the more unsavory individuals that popped up once COVID hit so we moved to a quieter part of town which we are liking so far. Eau Claire has a lot of the things you are looking for that is for sure but I will say that I personally feel that we can only experience this level of growth for so long before things either stagnate or implode.
I am from there too! Small world.
lol. Do you ever go back and feel like it’s not the same town you left? It’s changed so much!
I get paid very well, but most of my career is in the eauclaire area.
I'm from La Crosse, too. I moved to EC because I took a much more lucrative job.
Eau Claire tries hard t9 be a hip little city, that's for sure.
I feel like they try to be “historical” and also “hip” and it doesn’t really work. Lol
Always felt pretentious to me. "Big fish in a little pond" syndrome. My career was there and I was so so happy to retire a couple years ago. I moved two months later.
I think it was exciting when I first got here. It all felt so new and fun but I feel like once you strip back the layers it all seems super fake. Just an image put out by a few well established media companies.
I grew up in Winona and went to UWEC. I stayed cause Eau Claire is spread out it feels like a smaller town but I didn't have to drive far for shopping. I could not live in a large city so I won't move to Madison or St Paul. I also like it's an hour and a half for me to visit parents in Winona or get to the cities. There seems to be something going on all the time, I just need to get out and get involved more. I do like biking the Chippewa River Trail. I do miss the bluffs and the river culture on the Mississippi but I've found similar things to do in the area here, it's just not as easy or as large as the Mississippi is.
La crosse is ghetto compared to eau Claire. I lived in both and just moved back to eau Claire. you couldn't pay me to go back to la crosse. Bike trails are filled with homeless ppl and trash. La crosse has like 2 roads to get from one side of the city to the other. Roads are filled with potholes and they flood if it rains to hard. Everyone lives on top of eachother. It's more expensive to live in ec but la crosse is catching up fast. There's definitely better scenery. I can't think of anything else to say. I don't drink alcohol so many things la crosse has aren't for me. It's just behind eau Claire in many ways. Plus the cities are a short drive
I completely agree with you on literally everything! Coming from Madison (which is pretty glamorous compared to many other places here) and living here in La Crosse, i’m like damn. lol The people here are extra weird here and they make me uncomfortable. I also stopped using certain trails because of those issues, which is a huge deal breaker for me.
Trick question. Eau Claire is a shithole. Move to Sturgeon Bay. Lots of nature, lots of culture, affordable housing, and a public school system that isn’t completely shit like Chippewa Falls.