Day: October 19, 2016

Wyoming

Nancy

Have you lived in or visited Wyoming? Tell us about it.

CHEYENNE, Laramie, Wyoming, USA, (North America) — July 2019 —Personally I do not enjoy my town. The weather is only good for around 3 months out of the year and the rest of the year is either snowing, windy, raining or all of the above. Its great if you enjoy hunting, fishing or other outdoor activities and do not mind the wind or cold but for me I do not enjoy the fact that the town itself has not much to do or see besides Cheyenne frontier days. The bars are overpriced, only one good movie theater, few good restaurants that aren’t chains and the good ones usually wind up closing within a few years due to people only going to the chain restaurants. Its nice that we are within driving distance of Fort Collins, CO and Denver CO as there is much more to do down there than up here. Recently the town has gotten worse crime wise due to the influx of oil field workers. We used to have a very low crime rate (albeit high per capita) but the past few years we have had murders, rapes, kidnappings and child-porn related crimes at an alarming rate compared to what we used to have. Drugs have always been a problem due to Cheyenne being a crossroad for two major interstates, I80 and I25 which can take you anywhere in the US.

ROCK SPRINGS, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, USA (North America) –May 2019 — Rock Springs, WY 82901 I really do like my town, and honestly that is not something I thought I would say 25 years ago when I first moved here. Rock Springs grows on you, as do the residents of this semi-small town. It is a city with a small town feel and it boasts around 30,000 residents. The residents are very proud and hard working, supported mostly by energy industries such as the oil and natural gas fields and trona mines. What is trona you might ask? It is a component for not only baking soda but glass. Rock Springs has a rich history and claims 56 nationalities call it home. Around Christmas that really shines are our Christmas Fairs as different groups sell their wares from the Greek Churches or perhaps homemade tamales. Our town is perfect for outdoorsy type activities. We have the Flaming Gorge lake only 30 minutes away for camping, fishing and boating. We also are within 15 minutes from the Green River, where you can float the river on tubes, kayak, or fish. We love our fairs and boast the best fair in Wyoming, often attracting very big name acts like Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion, Lifehouse, to just name a few, the entry price is kept under $20.00 so more people can come out and enjoy it. One thing I do wish we would get is more businesses investing in our city. Other Wyoming cities similar in size seem to get more attention than we do, and that does not make sense to me. We also have a neighboring town and many smaller communities that would come and shop at their locations so it would make perfect sense to bring Hobby Lobby or Target to our city. Oh well, I guess it is a small price to pay for the nice area I live in. We do put a lot of mileage on our vehicles though, driving to the big city for some decent shopping.

Wisconsin

Nancy

Have you lived in or visited Wisconsin? Tell us about it!

Milwaukee

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA – March 2020 — I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin right now. There are around 26 cases of the Corona virus right now in the surrounding area. I am now fearful. I have to make sure I keep myself clean. I have to make sure to stay away from others too. The only way I can stay safe is to work at home now. I am trying to get work to allow me to work at home. I don’t trust other people and their cleanliness anymore. I am so stressed. I don’t want to catch this virus but I am sure I will. I am afraid of what will happen if I don’t make it out alive. In Milwaukee there are two direct cases since yesterday. I think these people were selfish for returning back form their trip. Now they are going to effect all of us and even the children. Schools have been shut down for a month here in Milwaukee and even some universities have taken action by cancelling classes and doing them online now. My workplace is still slow to accept as to what is happening. They still are scheduling dangerous meet outs on the weekend. I will blame them if I catch it during the meetings.

River Falls

Pierce County, Wisconsin, USA – March 2018 — River Falls is a small town of about 15,000 residents. It straddles Pierce and St. Croix counties in western Wisconsin. The community is best known for being the home of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. It is named for the waterfalls that once were found there along the Kinnickinnic River, which is one of the nicest trout streams in the region. While the city has much to offer, it also is lacking in certain amenities, such as a rich variety of restaurants or first-rate retail (unlike Hudson, which is a few miles to the north). It has lots of bars, like one would expect in a college town, and also a number of used clothing and goods stores. The community is relatively safe, and that’s perhaps what draws some people to it. One of the good things about the city is that it is relatively close to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where you can be in less than an hour. If living in a small town but having a big city nearby is what you like, then River Falls might be a good choice. Over the years, the community hasn’t changed all that much, and that is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Property values are relatively stable and there definitely is a “small town” feel, especially along Main Street. But compared to a place like Hudson, it seems River Falls is missing out. A lot of well-known retailers and chain restaurants seem to overlook the city.

River Falls

Pierce County, Wisconsin, USA – February 2018 — It is so sad to see what has happened to the River Falls area in Wisconsin, USA. My husband and I lived here from 1959 to 1987. Raised our family and had his [content moderated to remove information that might identify writer]. We left here in 1987, moving to Ladysmith. We are now back in River Falls, due to health issues and to be by family. Looking at what was beautiful farmland is now buildings. Oh yes, a field of solar panels, that’s something to look at. Property values fell. River Falls is now a bedroom community, the EXODUS, every day to the Cities to work. This is now why the liberal socialism abounds here. Plus the media from the Cities.

Years ago at a meeting I said River Falls needs industry. I was told “don’t need industry, we have the ‘U.'” So how’s that going? Always asking for more money. I haven’t seen that growing on trees. Speaking of trees, you people [content moderated to remove information that might identify specific people] The area now has a growing drug problem. Having to put children in foster care. So more money needed to be found (taxpayers). Feeling sorry for the children. Ending on a high note, having met some very caring people from Interim healthcare hospice of Hudson, also the staff at Our House senior living here in River Falls.

Kenosha

Kenosha County, Wisconsin — January 2018 — Kenosha, Wisconsin in the 60s and 70s was very much a factory town. School children would go on field trips and tour the American Motors and Snap-On Tool factories, and when either factory laid people off for a time, or there was a labor strike, the economy there would be severely affected until the workers were recalled to work or the strike was resolved. Kenosha is located on the shore of Lake Michigan, so water sports were common there. There is also a port, and viewing ships from all over the world is a past time that most people from this time period engaged in. There are also many parks along the lake shore, and on a hot day, they would be crowded with people having picnics and playing games like football or baseball. On the Fourth of July the fireworks were shot off over the lake, and they were spectacular. To the north of town was a beautiful park called Petrifying Springs, known as “Pets” to the locals. We would go there often to hike the paths, including one to an old shack that the kids all called “Hermit’s Cabin”, inhabited by a mythical hermit that might cast spells on you if you annoyed him enough. I’d never heard of him actually being spotted by anyone, however it made for fun stories and we enjoyed the hike into ‘the backwoods’. Though I no longer live in Kenosha, I visit relatives there often. American Motors left the city in the 80s, and that hit the local economy very hard, but it recovered and other manufacturers moved in and filled the void. Being located between Chicago and Milwaukee makes it easy to get to either location for entertainment or travel from the airports located there.

West Virginia

Nancy

Have you lived in or visited West Virginia? Tell us about it!

Saint Marys

Pleasants County, West Virginia, USA (North America) – July 2018 — Saint Marys, Pleasants County, West Virginia, was a wonderful place to grow up. With 3000 residents, the small town community is made up of generations of local families. Saint Marys is located along the Ohio River and was a haven for industry in the 70’s and 80’s. This translated to large amounts of money for the city being generated through taxes that funded education, sports, and the community. I never had to pay for extra-curricular activities, uniforms, books, or tuition. Folks had good paying jobs and opportunities for long term employment were available. Most families owned their homes, which set them up for greater wealth over time. Prosperity was palpable in Pleasants County.